2. Ryder

"Chloe, where on Earth are you going to keep the squirrel?"

"In my room," she says matter-of-factly.

Sarah had been kind enough to give us a small carrying cage to transport him. Chloe and the squirrel seem to be having a hard time with the small amount of space between the two of them.

This child is going to be the death of me.

I smile. She has the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met before. She's my own little Dr. Doolittle. She has a way with animals and people that you instantly fall in love with.

She's had me wrapped around her finger since the day she was born.

"He's a wild animal, baby."

"I know, Daddy. Louie promises to behave though."

"Louie?"

"It's his name," she says as if offended that I didn't know that.

I chuckle and shake my head.

"Okay, well I guess if he promises."

She smiles and starts talking to Louie quietly.

This child of mine loves to rescue and take care of any living, breathing thing. My gorgeous seaside mansion and resort have quickly turned into a zoo of sorts. I worry that as she gets older the animals will get bigger and more exotic. As it stands now, she mostly just rescues small animals.

Well, then there's the horses and the cows, that damn llama and the annoying alpaca.

Shit, before I know it, she'll be saving tigers and bears.

I can't complain, really, because the idea of a petting zoo on the grounds of the resort that I own makes it more enticing for families and field trips. It is more revenue.

Not that I need it. But the town does.

As a professional hockey player, I'm not hurting for money in any way. Between my salary and endorsement deals, I make a damn good living. If you add in my military pension, my crypto trading, the resort, and the few other business ventures I attached my name to, I"m a billionaire.

All the money I have lets Chloe have the life of her dreams. We often go on safaris or wild trips so that she can save whatever animals her little heart desires. I'm along for the ride and to hand over my American Express Centurion Black Card.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

My mind flits back to the gorgeous woman I ran into this afternoon. My stomach had flipped, and my entire body hummed with electricity the second we touched. When we locked eyes it was like I knew her instantly, without knowing her name.

That's only ever happened once before.

But that other incredible woman had blonde hair, and blue eyes and ghosted me without a second thought.

Unfortunately, I still, eight years later cannot get her out of my head.

I couldn't believe my luck when the woman from the boardwalk sauntered into the office of my resort later. I thought I lost my chance, but here it was presented to me again.

Brown hair, green eyes, tattoos, and a curvy body that beckoned for me to pull her into my arms.

I haven't felt that way in a long time.

Not since Gia disappeared off the face of the earth.

Maybe it was partly my fault because I had to rush off for Army duty, but once I learned she was Josh's sister I asked him to pass on my phone number.

He said he did, and she never reached out. I guess it was just a one-night stand for her.

How does one woman leave that much of an impression on someone?

"Daddy, Louie would like a tree in my room," Chloe says.

"That's not possible, baby."

"You told me that nothing is impossible."

She's too damn smart for her own good.

"You're correct, I did," I laugh. "We'll figure something out."

The brunette had checked in, and everything was being prepaid by a Dalton Hutchinson.

She's taken, apparently.

Doesn't matter, I need to focus on Chloe, not a woman.

The next morning the sun casts a golden glow over the sprawling grounds of my home as I step out onto the porch, a steaming cup of coffee in hand. The air is alive with the sound of birds chirping and the gentle rustle of leaves, a symphony of nature that never fails to soothe my soul.

I can hear the sound of the ocean waves rolling in and out.

This is Heaven. It has to be.

How lucky am I to live this life?

"Hey Daddy," Chloe says sleepily as she carries Louie out to the porch with her.

She's like the pied piper as two cats and two dogs follow in a line behind her and the squirrel.

Daisy, the red heeler mix, who was abandoned by her owners at the beach last year is eyeing the albino squirrel like it's her next meal.

"Be careful with Louie honey. The dogs would love to take a chomp."

"We've talked about how it's not nice to eat your family."

"Okay," I chuckle. "Well, I'm glad you had that discussion already."

She crawls up into the rocking chair next to me and the cats and dogs plop in front of her. Louie's cage sits in her lap. She sticks her finger inside as she pets him gently.

"Can we have pancakes for breakfast?"

"Absolutely. I invited Layla and Landon over in a bit for a swimming play date."

"Yes! Do I get to see Layla two days in a row? Louie is a lucky charm."

Sometimes, the maturity in the way this child speaks amazes me. It's hard for me to remember that she's only four.

I've only ever talked to her like I'd talk to anyone though. She's also spent most of her life surrounded by adults. Layla and Landon are the only children she's ever really been around.

I finish my coffee and Chloe and I go inside to make pancakes. She helps as much as she can while Louie watches from afar. I may not give her a lot of rules, but no animals on the kitchen table or counter is one that I hold strong to.

I may be a professional hockey player, but I also served in our military. I'm not one of those millionaires who hires a bunch of people to do things for me, as I want Chloe to grow up knowing basic life skills and a somewhat normal life.

Cooking with her is our special thing and I'll never change that.

We eat our pancakes, and she gets dressed in her bathing suit just as the doorbell rings. Chloe squeals excitedly as she rushes to the front door.

"Chloe! What have I told you about answering the door without me?"

"It's Layla. I know it. I can feel it," she squeals as she swings open the door.

Josh is laughing on the other side as Layla and Chloe squeal and hug excitedly.

"Why don't you greet me like that?" he teases.

"I could if you'd like, but Landon might feel left out."

"No, I won't," he replies drily as he walks in and plops down next to Chico, Chloe's one-eyed lab mix. Chico's head drops into Landon's lap as he pets him.

"I see you've added a new member to the family," Josh laughs as he sees the albino squirrel on Chloe's shoulder.

Daisy is eyeing it again, drooling as it hangs out like a parrot.

"Chloe, you have to keep him in the cage or Daisy won't be able to control herself."

"Daisy won't hurt Louie, they're best friends."

"You thought that Kelso and Pete were best friends too."

"I didn't know that Pete was a girl," she throws her hands up in the air and shakes her head.

"Yeah, Dad," Josh laughs.

"Never been more surprised than to watch a Macaw give birth. A Macaw that I thought was a boy."

"It happens. There's never a dull moment here."

"I feel like I should do a reality show for the entertainment value, but I'm certain PETA would shut us down."

"You're not wrong. I'm certain that you're violating a hundred laws. We won't talk about the albino squirrel."

"Oof, I'm aware. Sarah already gave me a warning that we're going to have to figure something out since they're so rare."

"Thanks for keeping her in business, by the way."

"Not me, but Chloe," I laugh.

I gesture for us to go outside. The kids race to the pool and the animals follow behind Chloe just in case she gets lost along the way.

As we approach the pool Chloe jumps in without her floaties on. She's an excellent swimmer, but I still get nervous.

Layla spots me and waves excitedly, her bright eyes sparkling with joy. "Mr. Ryder, look! Chloe and I are playing mermaids!"

I chuckle, admiring their playful antics as they swim and dive beneath the shimmering surface of the water. "Looks like fun, girls," I call out, settling into a nearby lounge chair.

I hand Josh a beer and the two of us sit back and watch the kids play in the water.

"Sorry, we held up Sarah yesterday."

"Not a big deal, I know it couldn't be helped," he shrugs. "They weren't that late."

"I know how precious your time is with them though."

"I appreciate that. It'll get better."

"I'm glad she's being cooperative with everything now that she's realized you're not the enemy."

"It was definitely touch and go in the beginning."

"What changed?"

"I don't really know and I'm not going to ask for fear of upsetting the precious balance we share right now. She seems to really like Rosa too, so that helps."

"Rosa is a good person."

"She's alright," he laughs.

The two of us catch up on the happenings in our lives over the last week. We see each other often, and text daily, but there's still a lot going on in our everyday lives with the kids and our careers.

Josh is an emergency room doctor, therefore his time with his kids is extremely precious because he can get called out a lot if chaos ensues.

"Guess what?" I hear Layla ask Chloe excitedly.

"What?"

"My aunt gave me a princess dress and I get to have breakfast with all the princesses."

"You do?" Chloe asks excitedly.

Layla nods with a giant grin.

"I get to go to Harry Potter World," Landon interjects proudly.

"I can't wait."

My eyes flit to Josh and he shakes his head.

"Do you or Sarah have a rich sister in hiding that I don't know about?"

He nods slowly, his eyes flitting downward as if he doesn't want to answer me.

"Gia."

"Gia? Did she come into some money? I thought she was a Marine."

"She was. She's a buyer for Macy's now."

"That's a big difference. And that was a nice gift for the kids," I say slowly.

One day Josh's dad went out to the grocery store and never returned.

No note.

No explanation.

Just vanished off the face of the earth.

There were all kinds of rumors of course, but he was considered a cold-case missing person. He was wealthy with numerous, successful businesses in town or so everyone thought.

When he went missing, things started to come out in the open that Jerry Talbert didn't even exist, it was a fake name. Add in that people were investing with him, and all of their money went missing as well.

Over the years, it was learned that he'd stolen over a half million dollars from people in Ash Cove and surrounding areas. He'd either been murdered or was alive and well, living a double life.

Talia thought it would be fun for the two of them to do mail-order genetic tests, maybe they'd find out the real identity of their con artist father.

Not long after the results were open in their app, they realized they had a sister. Gia reached out to them through the app and also on Facebook and made it clear that although she was raised to be like her father, she was nothing like him.

Except for when she ghosted me.

"It is a really nice gift. I know she's just being nice, but we'd rather her be hanging out with us than buying flashy things, you know?"

"She could have bought them a four-wheeler or something. I think there's a lot to be said about buying them experiences instead."

"Rosa said the same thing," he sighs. "Maybe it reminds me of something my dad would do and that's the problem."

"I get that. He would buy you toys and electronics though, right? Focus on that."

Josh is quiet for a second as he nods his head.

"You're right."

"Is she here or did she send gifts?" I ask cautiously.

My best friend had made it clear eight years ago that I should not get entangled with his sister, for whatever reason, but it's not a subject I've brought up since she never reached out to me.

Before he can answer, chaos erupts around us as Daisy and Chico start barking frantically, their noses sniffing the air with wild abandon.

"What"s got them riled up?" Josh wonders aloud, glancing around in confusion.

But before we can investigate further, a loud oink cuts through the air, followed by the sight of two large pigs racing across the lawn, their muddy hooves kicking up dirt and grass in their wake.

"How in the Hell did they get out?" I groan.

Boo and Bubba, two pigs rescued from slaughter after they ran away from their farm and showed up in my front yard two months ago have been nothing but pains in my ass since their arrival.

They should be named after magicians. Or Houdini. I don't know how they keep getting out of their enclosure.

"They climbed the fence, Daddy," Chloe giggles.

Josh snorts and I shake my head.

"I will never get them back in their enclosure. They're ridiculous to try and catch."

Josh and I exchange a bemused glance before springing into action, chasing after the wayward pigs with shouts and laughter. The scene is pure chaos, with Layla and Chloe cheering us on from the sidelines as we try to corral the unruly animals.

But just as we think we have the situation under control, the llama decides to join in the fun, spitting at me with surprising accuracy and causing me to stumble back with a yelp of surprise.

"Toby!" I yell.

I will never understand why the llama hates me, but it does.

"Toby, I told you that's not nice," Chloe yells.

The pigs are terrified of Toby for some reason and when they see that he's out and loose, they scatter in two different directions.

Boo is headed straight for the road.

"Daddy!" Chloe shrieks.

I sprint after the damn pig and can jump and grab him in a football hold just before he makes it through the fence.

He starts rutting and making noises at me.

"I saved you from becoming roadkill and this is how you repay me?"

One of my workers comes running out with a giant harness that he somehow made to fit around the pigs. He attaches it to Boo and then starts back to his enclosure with him. Another worker has wrangled Bubba.

"I'll figure out how they got out, Sir," Dante laughs. "They're clever."

I stay on the ground for a minute, sprawled out and trying to catch my breath as I shake my head.

Chloe and the other kids are laughing hysterically while Josh and I try to recover. We're forty years old and not exactly spring chickens anymore, even if we are in excellent shape.

"I need more beer," I say to Josh when we get back to the pool.