25. Maddox

She chose me, and I still couldn't believe it. The past two days were a goddamn fantasy come to life. Ryan fit seamlessly into my life in LA, better than I could have ever even hoped. And even Quinn felt like he was meant to be here with us. He and Grayson had hit it off at dinner Saturday night, and he even hung out at the restaurant with Gray on Sunday.

That was perfect because it meant Ryan and I didn't even get out of bed yesterday. I looked over at where she sat beside me on the plane, and I squeezed the hand I held. She glanced up from the magazine she was reading, and her eyes crinkled at the corners as she gave me a soft smile that fucking melted me.

The amount of love I felt for this woman was overwhelming in the best way.

She settled back in, leaning her head against my shoulder for a few minutes before she sat back up and gnawed on her lower lip. I reached over and gently tugged it out from between her teeth. "What's wrong, Freckles?"

Quinn chuckled from where he sat across from us, and my eyes flicked to him before settling back on my girl. He had dark sunglasses still perched on his face even though we were inside the body of the plane with all the window covers pulled down. It looked like he had even more fun with Connor than I thought.

An adorable crease formed between her eyebrows. "I'm so nervous about facing my parents and my family when we get back. What can I even say to explain everything that happened? And then just running away like I did and leaving them all to deal with the fallout. I'm terrified they're all going to hate me."

I moved my hands up to her face, gently turning her, so I stared directly into her eyes. "Remember what I promised you? I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right next to you for every second, and I won't let anything happen. Your parents are some of the most understanding people I've ever met. And when they find out why you agreed to that whole sham in the first place? I have a feeling any anger they might have will go up in smoke."

"He's right," Quinn agreed, his usual snark missing while he suffered from what looked like one hell of a hangover.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and I watched as some of the tension melted out of her body as she leaned into my touch. "You don't think they'll hate me?"

Shaking my head, I let her go and pulled her against me instead. "Shannon and Alex love you. They'll forgive you. I'd bet my Maclaren on it."

She giggled lightly. "You love that car too much."

"Not as much as you," I countered, wanting to pull her into my lap, but we were flying through a shit ton of turbulence right now, and I'd always put Ryan's well being above my wants and needs. I always had, even when we were kids. It was why I left and stayed away without contacting her. I think deep down, I always knew I was fucking lost when it came to her. That there wouldn't ever be anyone else for me, but I didn't want to admit it because she deserved so much more than me.

I knew she'd never walk away, so I had to be the strong one and keep her safe from me. But the older I got, the more I faced my own demons, the more I realized they didn't control me. I controlled them. Which meant I could have her and be confident I wasn't going to turn into my dad. I'd rather die than hurt Ryan in any way.

"You two would make me sick if I wasn't so fucking jealous," Quinn complained, lifting the soda water he was nursing up to his lips and taking the smallest possible sip.

"Don't worry, Quinny. When you move to LA, it won't take long for you to find someone," I promised, and he sat up a little straighter, his eyebrows lifting.

"What do you mean when I move to LA? " he asked, leaning forward.

I glanced down at Ryan, whose breathing had evened out as she slept against my shoulder. "Well, I can't stay in the band and live in fucking Texas. Not that I'd want to live here anyway," I whispered, wrinkling my nose.

"Sure," Quinn agreed, waving me on.

"I know Ryan doesn't want to stay and work the ranch. She has dreams, and I plan to make every single one come true. But I know she'd never leave you behind. And truthfully, I don't want to leave you here, either. You're a good guy, and I like having you around. You want to protect Ryan as much as I do, not that she needs it."

He chuckled softly again then winced, rubbing his temples. "Fuck, no. She's no scared little girl. She's a badass. That's part of why I love her so much," he confessed in a whisper as his eyes flicked down to take her in, and I could've sworn I caught something in his gaze that shouldn't be there, but I shook it off. Quinn had never been anything but a good friend to Ryan.

Dismissing that thought, I closed my eyes and thought about what we were going to be facing. As much as I wanted to put on a brave face for Ryan, I really had no idea how her parents were going to react. And I knew there was no fucking way Yates was going to just let this go.

He had plans for my girl, and when she walked away from that, it was a blow to his considerable ego. I didn't know what he had the reach to make happen, but he had money. He might not have access to a lot of it, but he was a clever and sneaky son of a bitch, and I couldn't underestimate him.

Not knowing what I'd be dealing with when it came to his retribution had me stressed the fuck out, but I'd never tell Ryan. She was already worried enough. I could handle that asshole myself. I had to admit it was unsettling as fuck that Connor hadn't been able to dig up even a speeding ticket on Yates. There was no way he was that clean.

The question was, what was he hiding? I intended to find out.

The plane shook again, and I tightened my grip on Ryan, but she didn't wake up. The rest of the plane ride, I tried to clear my mind and stay as calm as possible so that Ryan could rest. I didn't let shit rattle me. I was smarter than that. I needed more information, and until I had it, there was no point worrying about it.

I tried to relax the rest of the flight, planning what steps to take next in my mind and then letting them go. Ryan slept, resting her body against mine, and she fit like she was made to be there. I hated to wake her up, considering neither of us got a lot of sleep over the past couple of days. A grin broke out on my face as I relieved my favorite memories of Ryan's body wrapped around mine all weekend long.

Just before we touched down, I gently woke her by kissing her entire face, everywhere but her lips. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she looked up at me with tired eyes. "Time to wake up, Freckles. Wouldn't want you to miss out on your favorite part."

Glancing over at Quinn, he was slumped in the seat, his glasses askew on his face. He looked like a fucking wreck after the weekend, but it made me happy that he fit in just as well as Ryan with my friends.

Ryan sat up straighter and leaned over to look out the window. Her passion for every new thing was like a breath of fresh air in my lungs. It was infectious. I'd flown around the entire world. I'd flown so many miles that I barely paid attention to it anymore, let alone appreciated the parts that used to be exciting. But watching the world through Ryan's eyes was like rediscovering it.

I was quickly getting addicted to life with her by my side. I never imagined I could actually have her, and now that she'd walked away from everything for me, I planned to do everything to show her she'd made the right choice.

The wheels touched down with a jolt, and the engines roared as we barrelled down the runway before slowing. "Well, Freckles, you ready to do this?" I asked, capturing her hand in mine and pulling her attention away from the window, back to me and reality.

She sighed heavily, looking back at me through unsure eyes. "No, but I'm never going to be more ready to face it than I am right now."

"That's my girl," I praised before Quinn sleepily interjected, "Our girl."

Laughing, I stood and led us to the front of the plane where Hilda had our bags ready. After a quick thanks, we climbed down the steps and got into the truck I'd bought and had delivered to the hanger. If we were going to be spending more time out here, I didn't want to have to keep renting cars. It was a pain in the ass.

The ranch was about half an hour away, and the entire way, Ryan alternated between nervously chatting about nothing at all and complete silence as I watched her chew her lip until it looked like she drew blood. Quinn dozed off and on and kept to himself most of the ride. "Do you think your sisters will be there?" I asked, trying to get her talking so she'd quit hurting herself. My motivation was partly selfish. If her lip was injured, I wouldn't be able to kiss it without causing her pain, and I couldn't have that.

Not kissing her wasn't an option either. So talking it was, even if it made her think about what she didn't want to. We were going to have to face it in just a few minutes anyway.

"I hadn't really thought about it. I hope not. They don't forgive as easily as my parents, and they don't let things go. Charlie's like a bloodhound with a scent. She'll never give up until she's unearthed every single detail more than once just to be sure," she explained, sighing. "I really hope it's just mom and dad."

I rubbed her upper thigh in circles gently, hoping I could calm her down a little bit with my touch the way she did to me whenever I was just in her presence. It seemed to work as she leaned against me. She was lost in thought, but luckily she gave up the assault on her lower lip.

"Fuck, Lancelot. You better hope the girls aren't there, or they're going to make it so much more difficult on you," Quinn unhelpfully added from the back seat, and I shot him a glare in the rearview mirror.

He shifted his eyes away from me before rubbing Ryan's shoulder. "But I'm sure they won't be there. They're way too busy with their own lives," he added, trying to be reassuring, but the damage was already done as Ryan stiffened next to me.

"Quinn and I will run interference if we have to, Freckles. Don't worry about your sisters. This isn't about them. Really, this is between you and your parents," I gently reminded her.

"You're right. And once we talk to them, we can figure out what to do about the ranch. Right?" she asked, her big, doe eyes pleading with me to have all the answers.

"Right," I agreed, squeezing her thigh and feeling a zing shoot straight to my dick. We stayed in bed until the last possible second before we flew back, and still, my body reacted as if I hadn't spent the weekend fucking her in every room of my house.

And I had a big goddamn house.

I had some ideas about what I wanted to do with both of our ranches, but we needed to first deal with the wedding fallout. There were so many issues flying around with this situation I wanted to take them one at a time.

Turning down the long dirt drive, Ryan sucked in a breath. Even Quinn's quiet reassurances and my touch weren't enough to keep her from breathing hard and tensing every muscle in her body. Finally, I parked the truck and turned toward her. "Everything's going to be fine, Freckles. I promise. Okay?"

She nodded, but her eyes were still wild, and her body was still stiff as fuck. The front door opened, and her mom stepped out onto the porch, shielding her eyes with her hand against the sun and watching us. She didn't move closer, and despite us not having called and my truck being unfamiliar, I had no doubt she knew exactly who just drove up.

"Go be the confident fighter I know you are and stand up for what you know is right. They'll understand," I nudged, grabbing the door handle and swinging my door open. Quinn followed my lead, and I rounded the front of the truck and pulled open her door. She straightened her spine and flashed me a small smile, the confidence seeping back into her eyes.

Quinn and I hung back and let Ryan take the lead. She marched up the stairs like she had a spine made of steel, not an ounce of the nerves I knew she was feeling showing on the outside. I didn't know if she was fooling anyone, but I appreciated the effort. My girl was fierce and brave, and I was the lucky bastard that got to stand at her side.

"Hey, mom," she greeted Shannon with a hug which her mom returned, and I let out the breath I'd been holding. My experience with parents wasn't typical or positive in any way, so I had no idea how this was going to go down. If I based what was coming on my own experiences, there'd be a lot of yelling, a lot of insults, and probably some violence on the horizon.

But Ryan's parents weren't like that, and her mom welcomed us into the house with a watery smile. When I stepped through the door, followed by Quinn at my back, I sniffed at the air and smelled cinnamon. I wondered if Shannon had expected us to come by.

We stepped into the living room where Alexander sat in his wheelchair, staring out the window at the green rolling fields behind the house with an unreadable expression on his face. Ryan sank down onto the sofa while her mom left the room, probably to grab snacks. I sat down beside her, and Quinn took the other side. We flanked her like sentries, both of us ready to go to battle on her behalf.

Shannon came back into the room, carrying a tray of cinnamon rolls and set the tray down on the coffee table in front of us, but nobody reached for them. The air was thick with tension, and I could see Quinn squirming out of the corner of my eye. I was used to being put in all sorts of uncomfortable as fuck situations. I'd been training for that shit my entire life. But he clearly wanted to do something to break the tension.

I hoped he wouldn't step in and would let Ryan handle this. She needed to.

Shannon sat in the armchair across from me. "Alex? Come join us," she softly insisted.

He sighed and wheeled himself over to take his place next to her.

"Dad-" Ryan started, and he held up his hand, stopping her.

"No. I'm sorry," he apologized.

I glanced down at Ryan, and she looked like she'd been slapped. "You're sorry? For what?" she asked incredulously.

"For not telling you about the foreclosure sooner. For making you come back home in the first place. For not being able to handle this myself. And most of all, for making you think you had to marry an asshole like Yates to solve my problems," he clarified. "For so many things."

He looked tired, like he'd aged ten years overnight. All of this shit was looked like it weighed heavily on him.

Ryan stood up and crossed the room, kneeling down in front of her dad and pulling his hand into hers. "Please don't apologize. I was happy to come home and help if it meant you could recover and keep the ranch. And yeah, I wish you would've told me about the foreclosure sooner, but what's done is done. I never should have agreed to marry Yates. The price was too heavy. Quinn tried to tell me, but I didn't want to listen."

Alex's eyes shot over to Quinn and narrowed for a second, but Quinn didn't even flinch. He was fucking loyal, I'd give him that. Ryan drew her dad's attention back to her. "But now that I didn't go through with the wedding, Yates isn't going to help save this place. We only have a few days left, and I'm not sure what we're going to do."

Shannon's eyebrows furrowed. "He emailed a couple of weeks ago and asked for the bank paperwork, so I sent it over. We've gone back and forth a bit, signing forms and granting access and everything, so I don't know what's happening with the foreclosure. You know paperwork has never been something I'm very good at," she mumbled.

Something about her explanation didn't sit well with me. If she didn't remember what she'd signed or given Yates access to, I had no idea what we'd be dealing with when it came to him. I had a sinking feeling he'd done more damage than I'd thought when we came here today. I made a mental note to text Connor and ask him to look into it when we were done.

"Honey, we aren't upset. We're proud . Proud as hell, actually," Shannon said with a grin that lit up her whole face, and Alexander nodded in agreement. "Your mother's right. You were willing to go so far to help us, and then you realized how wrong it was and walked away."

A shadow passed over Shannon's face as her smile fell. "I'm so relieved we're not going to be related to those people. That woman is a monster, and her son is just as bad. Maybe worse. We want so much better for you."

Turning toward me, she smiled, and I got her message loud and clear. They approved of our relationship, but I better treat their daughter like the goddamn gift she was. Ryan stood halfway and hugged her dad before moving to her mom and wrapping her arms around her.

"Thank you," she told them before moving across the room to where Quinn and I sat on the couch. "Now, I think we have some chores to get done."

I stood up and pulled her against me, the relief in the room palpable. The energy felt good, hopeful even despite all the unknowns surrounding all of us. And yes, I included myself in that. I had no idea what would be coming, but I hoped we'd have enough time to gather information and make a plan.

Ryan pulled out of my arms, and I tried to tug her back, but she just chuckled and turned around instead, letting me pull her back against my chest and wrap my arms around her while she addressed her parents.

"What about Charlie and Justice? Are they mad?" she wondered.

"At first they were. When they found out you left, Yates and his friends tried to surround them and get them to tell them where you were. But Charlie threatened to call the cops, and Justice kicked one in the balls. Dropped him like a sack of potatoes," Alex recounted, pride shining in his eyes as he chuckled. "But now they're just relieved we're not going to have any connection to that horrible family."

Ryan relaxed against my body as stress flowed out of her. "We'll be moving the herd from the east pasture to the west," I informed them before glancing down to Ryan, who nodded at me. It was easy to slip right into the old habits I formed when I was a kid working way too hard as a ranch hand for my dad.

"I need a shower and a bottle of Tylenol," Quinn stated, lifting himself shakily off the couch. By the look of him, his hangover was still kicking his ass.

"That's fine, Quinny. We'll meet back here for lunch, and you can help after," Ryan decided, and we both turned and walked hand-in-hand outside. Once the door was firmly closed behind us and we were on our way to the barn, I wanted to check in with my girl.

"How are you feeling, Freckles?" I asked, swinging our joined hands between us as we trudged through the soft grass to the old barn.

"Relieved," she breathed as a slow smile spread across her face. "I didn't think it'd be that easy with them. I thought they'd hate me for what I did."

"I told you they wouldn't. Your parents are the best I know, outside of True's mom and dad. I knew they wouldn't be too mad."

"Yeah, but they didn't even seem mad at all. I wasn't expecting that, but I'm really thankful they're being so understanding." She stopped walking and dropped my hand, instead launching herself at me. I caught her, barely stumbling, as she wrapped her legs around my waist and peppered my face with kisses.

"I love you," she repeated over and over, her carefree laughter was a sound of pure joy that had reduced my heart to a puddle of mush and sent electric jolts of need through my body. My dick was quickly hardening between us as she ground her body against mine. We were in a grassy field with nothing around. I couldn't push her against a wall and press into her like I wanted, and the living room looked right out onto us. I couldn't lay her down on the ground here and finish what she started, either.

Sighing, I pulled back, and she slid down my body, and I hated every fucking second of it because my body was screaming for her. Her eyes dropped to my hard-as-fuck cock before she lifted them up to my face, inch by agonizing fucking inch. "Thanks for having my back in there, and, well, with everything. I don't think I've thanked you yet."

"You never have to thank me, Freckles. I'll always have your back. You don't have to go through anything alone again if you don't want to," I vowed as we started our walk back to the barn.

She stayed silent the rest of the way, and I got the feeling she was processing what my words meant. But fuck if I was going to let her go through this life alone when I could have her by my side.

We saddled up the horses and rode out to the east pasture, circling the cattle and starting the slow process of herding them toward the west. It was boring as fuck, and I'd have probably fallen asleep on the back of my horse if I hadn't been entranced by watching Ryan work. The way her hips moved on the back of her horse, her absolute control and command of the animal beneath her, her quiet confidence in every fluid movement of her body.

By the time the sun crawled its way to the highest point in the sky, I didn't know which part of my body needed more attention: my growling stomach or my throbbing dick. I watched Ryan bounce on the back of Storm as she rode toward me, my eyes obviously dropping to her tits. Fuck, she had great tits.

I snapped my gaze back up to her face and instantly sobered at the look on her face.

"Quinn just texted me," she seethed, and I wondered what the hell he'd done to piss her off so bad.

"What'd he do?" I asked, tightening my grip on Hex's reins.

"It's not him. Yates is here," she grit out. "We've gotta go."

I followed her out, stopping only to lock the pasture gate before we took off at a solid gallop across the rolling fields. As we approached the house, Ryan nudged Storm into a trot before stopping in front of the house. She threw her leg over the saddle, jumping down. She was so goddamn graceful even when she was fiery and pissed off. She entranced me, and I could watch her all day.

Instead, we were here dealing with this fucker. Again.

He held paperwork in his hands and wore a smug-as-fuck smile on his face I didn't like the look of. Quinn stood off to the side with a death glare on his face pointed right at Yates. The screen door slammed as Alexander rolled out onto the porch behind us. His shotgun laid in his lap with his hand resting on top of it, making his point without ever having to say a word. I made a mental note to buy a shotgun and keep it around for situations just like this because it just hit me where Ryan learned to be a badass. I looked at Alexander with newfound respect, his jaw clenched, and his eyes focused on Yates.

"What the fuck do you want?" I finally asked since it seemed like everyone else was content to just glare at each other.

"This doesn't concern you," he fumed before turning to Ryan with an evil smile that showed more teeth than necessary. I automatically got down off of Hex and stepped up behind her.

"I own this whole goddamn place, and you've got a week to get the fuck off my property," he demanded with a sneer on his face. "You're lucky I'm giving you that long."

Fuck, I underestimated how bad he'd want to hurt Ryan after she humiliated him. The rage that was starting to course through my veins had adrenaline flooding my system. My fists clenched and I saw red, wanting to destroy him. I didn't just want to make him hurt. I wanted to fucking demolish him. I wanted to dismantle every goddamn piece of his life until there was nothing left.

Maybe in my early twenties, I would have said fuck it and knocked his evil ass out. But I'd learned and grown, and now I played the long game. We had a week to figure shit out and make a plan to take this fucker out. As I watched him retreat back to his stupid vintage car, I glanced at Quinn, who looked at least as pissed off as I felt. Maybe even more.

I knew what my next move was, though. I had Connor in my corner, and that motherfucker could take anyone down. I'd seen him do it with minimal effort. If this was how Yates wanted to play, he'd get the game of his fucking life.