8. Ryder

Gia"s excuse about needing a fake boyfriend rings hollow in my ears, but I choose to accept it. There"s something she"s not telling me, something darker beneath the surface of her words. But for now, I"ll play along, because the thought of being close to her—even under false pretenses—is too tempting to resist.

As we drove back to my house, I noticed that she was being followed. I catch glimpses of a shadowy figure behind the wheel in my rearview mirror, lurking just beyond the reach of the streetlights. Whoever they are, they"re determined to keep tabs on Gia, and that"s something I can"t ignore.

Is this Christoph? Is this what she means when she says he won't leave her alone?

All I can do is focus on keeping her safe, even if it means pretending to be her boyfriend to ward off unwanted attention. Because when it comes down to it, there"s nothing I wouldn"t do for this woman.

"Tell me about your childhood," I prompt gently, reaching out to brush a stray lock of hair from her face.

"I'm certain you've already heard all about my childhood."

"Not really."

"You're Josh's best friend. I don't believe you."

"Why would I lie to you?"

"I don't know," she sighs. "My childhood was similar to being the child of a serial killer, maybe. My father didn't teach me how to play basketball or throw a baseball. He taught me how to steal, how to cheat, how to lie, and manipulate people. I stole my first hundred-thousand-dollar necklace at the age of six."

My eyes widen. That's something I didn't know.

"I can't imagine what that was like."

"It was Hell because I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I couldn't tell my father no."

"Did you ever?"

"Yes, but I'd rather not talk about that. Josh and Talia think I was lucky because our dad didn't ditch me, but they were much better off without him."

"He seemed to be such a good man, then when he disappeared everyone learned the truth. He seemed to be evil."

"He was very good at manipulating and deceiving people, but he never had any remorse for it. Not even right before he died."

"But you joined the Marines and…"

"If anything, that man and living that life day in and day out taught me exactly who I didn't want to be. My mother was a drug addict who left me in the care of my father. I wanted better for my life, despite how hard my father tried to change that."

"Did he try to stop you from joining?"

"Absolutely, he somehow got my paperwork held up numerous times. I was able to convince my recruiter to pretend like I was being discharged for medical reasons and by the time my father realized it was a hoax I was already in boot camp. He tried numerous times to bring me back down."

"I'm proud of you for not letting that happen."

"Perk of being taught by a master, at some point you surpass them."

I nod, slowly taking it all in.

"Were you able to make amends before he died?"

She shakes her head and takes a long drink from her wine glass.

"Right before his heart stopped, he told me I was his biggest disappointment because I let all of my potential go to waste."

Holy shit, that's harsh and has to fuck a person up mentally and emotionally.

"That's not true though. You know that right?"

"It was his one last dig before he died. I'm sure he was pleased with himself. I learned a long time ago not to care about other people's opinions or words, especially his."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that."

It's nice to see her opening up to me and being vulnerable, it seems like she's starting to trust me."

It is what it is, right?"

"Not really. You deserved better than that."

"I'm over it. Now you tell me about Chloe's mom."

"There's not much to tell. We weren't married. We met after a hockey game; I was leaving the rink when I heard her yell for help. Someone was trying to rob her. I intervened; the attackers ran off. She was pretty shaken up, so I offered to drive her home. One thing led to another, and we slept together. She told me the following day that she had to return to Italy and then was sporadic with communications. A month later, she asked me to go to dinner and told me she was pregnant."

"Josh said it was a whirlwind romance."

"It probably sounds bad when I say this, but I wasn't in love with Sofia. I always felt like there was a lot that she wasn't telling me. We moved in together and tried to make a go of it, but we were more friends and roommates. She had another boyfriend that I learned about at the funeral."

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry."

"No one else knows that. To quote you, it is what it is, right?"

"And to quote you, you deserved better than that."

"I got Chloe out of the deal. I wrestled with a lot of guilt after Sofia died. She asked me to get her something to eat but she was acting weird the entire time. My gut told me not to leave, but I wanted to make her happy, you know? I heard the code blue, not realizing it was her. When I came back in, they were covering her. She didn't have any family to speak of."

"There was no one in Italy?"

"None. She told me that she never knew her father and her mother died when she was sixteen."

"Rough. Chloe seems to be adjusting well."

"I'm very lucky to be surrounded by a lot of amazing people. During my hockey season, she has a full-time nanny to help out so that she can be on the road with me. In the off-season, we come back here so that my sister can spend time with her too. Josh and Rosa are helpful too."

"You have a sister?"

"Yes," I laugh. "She's quite a bit younger than me."

My sister is closer to Gia's age than mine and something tells me that Ren won't be a fan of our age difference. She's not one to think outside of the box or see the bigger picture. Society says only gold-diggers date older men, and that's all Ren will think.

As the night wears on, Gia shares more of her past with me, opening up in a way I never expected. She tells me about the struggles she faced growing up, the hardships she endured, and the choices she made to carve out a better life for herself.

And as I listen to her speak, I can"t help but feel a sense of admiration for the woman sitting beside me. Despite the odds stacked against her, she never gave up hope and never lost sight of the person she wanted to become.

"I admire your strength, Gia," I tell her softly, reaching out to take her hand in mine. "You"ve been through so much, and yet here you are, stronger than ever."

Her eyes meet mine, a vulnerability shining in their depths. "Thank you. That means a lot."

"This night turned out way better than I expected."

"No expectations, no limitations. I had fun tonight. This was nice."

"You can stay the night."

"Nah, I should probably go," she smiles as she stands up.

"I'll walk you to your car, at least."

"Such a gentleman," she teases.

"I am your fake boyfriend, after all."

She giggles as we walk out of the house and I walk her to her car, opening the door for her. I kiss her softly before she climbs inside.

I want to integrate Gia into our lives. A pool party is the perfect way to introduce her to everyone as my girlfriend. Chloe adores her, they get along so well.

I want to shout from the rooftops that she's mine.

Even if, for right now, it's fake.

That'll change.

The day of the pool party arrives, and I can"t shake the nervous excitement coursing through my veins. I"ve invited my sister, Ren, along with Josh and Rosa, to join us for a day of fun in the sun. Talia sends her regrets—work commitments keeping her away, as usual.

As Gia and I make the final preparations, the doorbell rings, signaling the arrival of our guests. I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what"s to come, knowing that introducing Gia as my girlfriend will be met with mixed reactions.

Ren"s eyes widen in surprise as she takes in the scene before her, her gaze flicking between Gia and me with a mixture of shock and disbelief. "Ryder, who"s this?"

I swallow hard, feeling a knot form in the pit of my stomach. "Ren, this is Gia. She"s... my Girlfriend."

Her eyebrows shoot up in disbelief, her mouth hanging open in shock. "Your Girlfriend? Since when?"

I glance at Gia, silently pleading for her support. "About a week."

"A week? How long have you two known each other."

"A week," I shrug as Josh, Rosa, Layla, and Landon walk in.

"Did I hear you right?" Rosa asks excitedly. "You two are a couple?"

"We are," I grin.

Rosa excitedly hugs me and Gia.

"That makes me so happy," she gushes.

"What the hell, Ryder? You"re dating Gia?"

The tension in the air is thick enough to cut with a knife as Josh"s words hang heavy between us. I can see the hurt and confusion written plainly on his face.

"Why are you so pissed about it?" Gia snaps. "I think you'd be thrilled that your best friend is dating your sister."

"Half-sister," he growls. "There's a huge age gap between the two of you. It won't work out."

"Age doesn't matter," I interject. "And that was bullshit to say to her."

Josh walks off toward the pool.

"I'm sorry," Rosa mouths as she chases behind him.

Ren breaks the tension with a forced smile, extending her hand towards Gia. "Nice to meet you, Gia. I"m Ren, Ryder"s sister."

"It"s a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry about my brother, he's kind of an ass."

"Unfortunately, I'm aware that they both can be dicks," Ren chuckles.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I grin.

Chloe rushes to hug her aunt and then pulls Ren away. I reach down and squeeze Gia's hand.

"I'm sorry about Josh. I'll talk to him."

"It's fine. Words and opinions don't matter."

She lets go of my hand and walks off. I blow out a breath.

If that were the case, she wouldn't have just walked away. It's clear she's upset about his reaction.

Josh had stressed his displeasure about us hooking up, but I thought he'd be fine with us dating. I'm not sure what his deal is but I'll get to the bottom of it.

As the day wears on, I watch with a mixture of pride and apprehension as Gia and Ren hit it off immediately, their laughter ringing out like music in the warm afternoon air. But as the party winds down and the guests begin to leave, Ren and I are in the kitchen cleaning up together while Gia and Chloe are upstairs changing into dry clothes.

We stand in the kitchen together, the remnants of the party scattered around us like the shattered fragments of a broken dream. Ren looks at me with a furrowed brow, her concern written plainly on her face.

"Are you sure about this, Ryder?" she asks softly, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "There's a huge age difference between the two of you. She's going to be more immature than you in a lot of areas. I mean, she seems nice and all, but it"s moving pretty fast, don"t you think?"

I bristle at her words, a surge of defensiveness rising within me. "I know what I"m doing, Ren. And I trust Gia."

She shakes her head, her expression troubled. "I"m just worried, that"s all. Especially involving Chloe already. You both have been through a lot."

"It's been four years. Gia is good with Chloe. And she"s good for me. I need you to trust me on this."

"I trust you, Ryder. I just want what"s best for you and Chloe. I don't want to see either of you get hurt."

"I will protect Chloe with everything in me, you know that."

"You and Gia have only known each other for a week and Chloe is already attached to her. What happens when the new wears off and Gia leaves."

"I know what I'm doing."

"You can't drag your child through all of your relationships."

"It's been over four years since Sofia died and I haven't dated at all, so tell me how I'm dragging her through relationships."

"I meant this one."

"I appreciate your concern, but I'm an adult and I have this under control."

"Do you? She's my age, Ryder. The two of you aren't even on the same playing field at this point. You retired from the military and will be retiring from hockey before long. She's just starting her career."

"You've made all these assumptions after a day?"

"I didn't need to. Her own brother is pissed about it."

"He's just being overprotective of both of us. He's afraid that if it doesn't work out then it will be awkward for him."

"Is that what he said?"

"No, it's just…"

"Maybe you should find out what it is then. Maybe you'll learn something about Gia that you don't know."

"Josh barely knows her."

My sister cocks an eyebrow and then shakes her head. "I see this is a moot point and I won't argue with you. I'll support you, but I'm worried about you."

"I'm an adult."

Josh and Rosa already left with the kids. Josh refused to talk about my relationship with his sister but I'm sure he'll come around by tomorrow.

"I'm going to go up and say bye to the girls, then I'll see you later."

I blow out a breath and look around the room.

This is going to be harder than I thought.