13. Ryan

The next morning, after a leisurely breakfast with my sisters, I slid my sunglasses off of my face and jogged downstairs to meet Yates. Spending the night reconnecting with my sisters was what I needed. I felt refreshed and ready to face whatever shit show with his family I was about to walk into.

I climbed into the passenger seat of Yates's blue convertible and shut the door. He flashed me a smile before taking off toward wherever we were going. "You look nice today," he commented, his gaze sliding down my body. I squirmed under the intense scrutiny, but there wasn't much I could do about it.

"Thanks," I said with a small smile. I didn't want today to be uncomfortable. Even though I was sure I'd never have romantic feelings for Yates, that didn't mean we couldn't get along and be friends.

"It's a short drive to my parents' estate, but I should warn you they can be a lot to handle. My mother will be the hardest to convince, which means we'll have to be more affectionate than we have been so far," he warned.

"What does that mean?" I asked, feeling dread creep into my body.

"We haven't kissed yet, we barely touch when we're around other people. We're going to have to do those things at this brunch, Ryan. You're going to have to get used to me touching you, us being close. We need to be a married couple in every sense of the word," he finished.

I didn't like what I was pretty sure he was implying. Hadn't he said that we didn't need to sleep together when I agreed to this whole thing? "In every sense of the word in public, right? Because I'm not ready to go there with you in private, and I don't know if I ever will be," I emphasized.

I watched his jaw clench, and then he regained his composure. "Of course. Just in public." Somehow I didn't believe he meant the words this time around.

He glanced over at me before returning his eyes to the road. "You're going to give us a fair shot, though, right? Because I like everything I've gotten to know about you so far, and I think we could be perfect together, babe."

We'd been fake engaged for about a week, and it already felt like the lines were blurring where he was concerned. On my side of things, the lines were crystal clear. "I think we can be great friends, Yates, but I don't see anything romantic happening between us. I just don't feel that way about you," I said, keeping my voice soft and as gentle as possible.

I watched as he gripped the steering wheel tightly until his knuckles turned white. "I think you're wrong, Ryan. I'll show you how good we can be together. You just need to give me a chance."

I sighed and studied his profile. What was wrong with me that I wasn't attracted to him? That I felt nothing when I looked at him? "I'll think about it, okay?" We were about to go into his parent's lair, and I didn't want him to be upset with me when we did. I'd have to talk to him about this again later.

He relaxed and shot me a crooked smile. "Okay."

A few minutes later, we pulled up to a massive iron gate, and Yates entered a code on a keypad outside. As the gate swung open, we drove inside, and I marveled at how huge the property was. I hadn't even looked at the house yet. I lived on a ranch, and even I was impressed by what seemed like miles of lush green grass and manicured gardens.

The house itself was red brick and gigantic. It could fit at least ten of my houses into their one. It made me wonder why Yates had chosen me as his bride to be. His family was loaded, and he was good looking. I was sure I needed him more than he needed me. Maybe that was why he picked me. He knew I wouldn't back out.

He parked in the circular drive and hopped out of the car, jogging around and opening the door for me. He held his hand out, and I gripped it, stepping out of the car as he pulled me against his chest. I guess we were starting with the affection now. He lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me sweetly, but I might as well have been kissing my brother. I pulled away before he could deepen the kiss, but he didn't seem to mind.

He kept my hand in his, weaving our fingers together as we made our way up the front steps. Before we reached the door, it swung open, and a man in a uniform bowed slightly in greeting. Yates didn't acknowledge him as we passed, but I shot him an apologetic smile. I wasn't sure what the protocol was here, but I was sure ignoring someone who did something polite for you was rude as hell.

A middle-aged woman with her hair pulled back into a low bun and dressed in what I was sure was a designer skirt suit stepped into the entryway. Behind her was a man who had salt and pepper hair and stood slightly shorter than Yates. "Mother, father. Meet my fiance, Ryan. Ryan, these are my parents, Jacqueline and Richard Rutherford."

I held out my hand toward his mother, and she looked down her nose at it, distaste coloring her features. "Charmed," she said before looking back at Yates. His father hadn't done more than glance down at me. He hadn't even said hello. I knew from Yates's warnings that his family would be difficult, but I didn't expect them to be complete dicks lacking ordinary human decency.

How the hell would I possibly survive an entire year in this situation, having to be around these people regularly?

Jacqueline's cold eyes flicked back to me. "I thought we could discuss wedding plans. We don't have much time to do things properly, so whatever we can throw together will have to do." She said it as if this was all my fault. Maybe she thought I got pregnant and trapped her son. I had no idea what Yates had told her going into this. For the first time, I thought maybe Yates and I should've discussed our story before we did the whole meet the parents thing.

Too late now.

I also noted that she hadn't invited us in to sit down yet. Yates must have read my mind because he finally spoke up. "Mother, can we go sit down before we get into all that?"

She sighed irritably. "By all means, you know where the parlor is, Yates."

He pulled me along behind him deeper into his parent's mansion. Everything in me wanted to turn and run the other way, but I couldn't. Instead, I inhaled deeply to calm myself down. After what felt like miles, we stepped into a tastefully decorated room with bland furniture. The second I laid eyes on Yates's family, I expected nothing other than the place in front of me. Beige sofas, pastels, and nothing with any personality at all. But I was sure it was all expensive.

The two sofas in the center of the room faced each other. I absently wondered if I should have taken off my cowboy boots before I stepped onto the plush white carpet, but it was too late now. I couldn't guarantee there wasn't dust on my sundress either, so I dusted myself off the best I could before lowering myself onto the pristine couch beside Yates.

He still held my hand in his while we watched his parents silently take the couch across from us. Jacqueline crossed her legs at the ankle, folding them off to the side, and she looked every bit the high-class, well-bred woman I took her to be. I played with the hem of my dress which had ridden up my thighs, exposing my knees and a few inches more thigh than I'd like, and her eyes ran over me, filled with disdain.

I got the feeling Yates enjoyed pissing his parents off. When I looked up at him, he was watching his mother carefully. After a few minutes, he took our entwined hands and rested them on my exposed thigh, his thumb stroking the skin just above my knee.

Jacqueline followed the movement as her lips pressed into a thin line. We'd only been seated about thirty seconds before a woman in a classic maid's uniform suddenly stood beside the sofa with a tray in her arms. She wordlessly set it on the table before turning and disappearing to wherever she came from. "Tea or coffee?" Jacqueline offered.

"Coffee, please, mother, and Ryan will have tea," Yates spoke for himself and me, and I bristled. Who the hell did he think he was ordering for me like that? I clenched my teeth together. This wasn't the time or place to bite his head off, but we'd be having a discussion later. I was not a woman who'd shrink beside her husband. If that was what he wanted, this would never work.

I accepted my tea with a mumbled thanks, taking a small sip and relishing the burn. Anything to distract me from the awkwardness of this moment was welcome.

"So, Ryan, my son tells me you've planned to get married in just a month. While I can't imagine what the hurry could possibly be to marry my only son, he's made it clear you've made up your mind," Jacqueline passive-aggressively began.

And what the actual hell was Yates's game here? He blamed this entire thing on me? I wanted to punch him in his damn pretty boy face, but instead, I shot him a quick death glare out of the side of my eyes before smiling widely with the fakest grin I could manage. "Yes, that's right. The plan is to get married next month. I know it seems sudden, but we just love each other so much we can't wait to start our lives together," I said, my voice sickly sweet. I dug my nails into Yates's hand clasped in mine, the only retaliation I had right now for what he just forced me to endure. He stiffened next to me as I broke the skin, and I squeezed a little harder, enjoying his discomfort.

Asshole.

She clicked her tongue while she sipped her coffee, and I looked over at Richard. He was stoically watching everything with a disinterested expression on his face. He looked like he wished he were anywhere else but here, and I couldn't blame him. "We'll have to make do. Of course, you'll have the ceremony and reception here." Of course. Who the hell did this woman think she was?

I plastered that fake-ass smile on my face again. "I live on a ranch. I thought we could do-"

"No, that will never do. You'll get married here. What would people think if my son got married on some disgusting farm? Could you imagine?" She laughed as if I was being ridiculous.

"We appreciate you offering the estate, mother," Yates agreed before turning to me with a condescending look in his eye. "While Knight Ranch would be quaint, there are certain expectations when a Rutherford gets married, Ryan. Mother's right. This will be the best place for the ceremony on such short notice."

What people thought of him must be more important to Yates than I thought. He must be really desperate for his trust fund if he was willing to marry me since he couldn't just hide me away. What the hell was his game here? I was just a lowly rancher's daughter. How had he ever thought this would work? We came from two different worlds. If we loved each other, that would be one thing, but this seemed like an awful lot of trouble to go through just for some money.

"Fine," I bit out, sure the smile on my face looked a little deranged at this point but not caring in the slightest.

After another twenty minutes of uncomfortable small talk where I learned Yates was his mother's bitch, I'd lost almost all the respect for him I had, and I was beyond ready to leave.

"Excuse me," I interrupted. "Where's the restroom?"

Yates pointed toward a hallway off to the right. "Third door down that hall."

I stood and quickly left the room, reaching into my purse and pulling out my phone the second I was where the Rutherfords couldn't see me.

Ryan: In five minutes, call me with a fake emergency.

Quinn: You got it

I could always count on Quinn when I needed him, and I'd reached my limit of all things stuck up asshole for my lifetime. This was going to be one long year.

I quickly splashed cold water on my face, making sure to turn the ringer up on my phone before sliding it back into my purse and making my way back out to the couch. Sitting back down, Yates slung his arm over my shoulder and pulled me into his body. I didn't want to be touching him in any way right now, I was so disgusted and angry, but his mother's observant gaze lingered on us, and there was nothing I could do. She reminded me of the Eye of Sauron from Lord of the Rings.

Right on time, my phone rang out loudly in the room. I shot an apologetic look to Yates and then his mother as I dug my cell out of my purse and swiped to answer. "Hello?"

Quinn's panicked voice filled my ear. "Ryan? You need to come home right now. The main tractor broke down, and we have to hand-feed the entire herd before it gets dark, or they'll starve." I suppressed my giggle at how ridiculous that was. Hand-feeding five hundred cattle in three hours was impossible, but these people had no idea. Quinn was messing with me, and I loved him for it. I needed the laugh, even if I had to keep it inside, and I immediately felt lighter.

"Oh my god, are you serious?" I shouted for added effect.

Jacqueline pressed her hand to her chest as she jumped at the loudness of my voice.

"Dead serious, Lancelot. Time to come home," Quinn said, and I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Okay, I'll come right home," I finished, ending the call, turning to Yates. "Emergency at the ranch. I need to get back."

He narrowed his eyes before turning to his parents. "Mother, father. I'm sorry to cut the visit short, but we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other better. We're going to be family after all."

I didn't wait for them and stood. "It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Rutherford."

"Yates, you'll leave me Ryan's contact information so we can discuss wedding details," she commanded without returning my pleasantries, fake as they were.

"Of course, mother," he agreed. I could never be with someone as spineless as Yates appeared to be. We said goodbye to his father, who I wasn't sure had even said one word the entire time we'd been there and finally, blessedly, made our way outside. I didn't wait for Yates to open the car door for me before diving into the passenger seat and shutting the door behind me. I was desperate to put as much space between me and his family as I possibly could.

Yates slid into the seat next to me and started the engine. "Well, that went better than I thought it would," he mused.

"You can't be serious. That was horrible," I retorted, folding my arms across my chest.

"For my mother? That was downright civil," he laughed. I didn't think any of what had just happened was funny.

"Can you please take me home?" I asked, sinking down into the seat and staring out the window. I wasn't in the mood to talk to him after what I'd just seen. I needed to do some serious thinking about whether I could tie myself to this stranger sitting next to me for the next year of my life. As Yates turned on the radio, I got lost in my thoughts, thankful for the space he was giving me.