Chapter 4

Dinner was a disaster. His parents practically told Cindy that he wanted a new wife, no matter how many times he said he wasn’t ready to date anyone. Poor Cindy didn’t know what to think. He needed to talk to her when his parents weren’t around.

After Cindy left, he tried to get away, but his father confronted him in the driveway.

“Son, you need to think of the family.” Thomas stepped closer, anger etching deep lines into his face. “It’s time to find someone and settle down and have babies.”

He clenched his fists, trying to control his anger. “Amy can’t be replaced.”

“Ryder, the Bible says—” his father began.

“Enough!” Ryder cut him off, eyes blazing. He wouldn't yell at his mom, but he had no problem yelling at his father. The man was no longer big enough to hit him without suffering some blowback. Ryder had grown taller, and his muscles were bigger than his father's. He'd also spent a few years learning kickboxing while in Atlanta. He wouldn't be pushed around again. The threat from his father was still there, but at least now he stood a chance of taking his dad down a notch. “Just leave me alone. I’m not dating that woman or any other woman you shove in my face.”

He should have known better than to stay. This would be the last time he parked in the driveway and got pinned in by his father’s truck.

At least his father realized he couldn't physically threaten Ryder like he had done throughout Ryder's whole life until he moved away. It sucked that the legacy of his childhood had been filled with physical beatings from his father. He couldn't remember how many times he'd ended up with black eyes and bruised kidneys.

Why had he moved back here?

Ryder maneuvered his truck so he could back up and take off, wishing his parents would understand he didn’t want to marry anyone. He didn’t even know if he ever wanted to be with another woman. Dating held no appeal. Hell, he didn’t even want to think about marriage or sex. He just wanted to be left alone to be himself. Being what his parents wanted him to be had never fit him.

The drive home had him questioning everything. Maybe he should have stayed in the city. He could have moved to a different team, maybe. Or he could have taken a job at a golf course or maybe a football stadium. Though his specialty was lawns, he knew enough about plants that he could have worked for a botanical garden. Now that he was here in his hometown, he felt stuck. It would take years to get out from under the debt he'd incurred from having to fix up the house he'd bought.

He pulled into his driveway, anger and regret twisting through him. He needed something to get the stress out. If he was in Atlanta, he would go to the gym and work out, but the one gym in the city closed at six at night. He hadn't even joined because it wouldn't have been worth his time.

He stepped from his truck, and the first thing he smelled was smoke. Panic flashed through him. Too many houses had been lost, and too many people had been hurt or killed by fires in this area. He pulled out his phone, ready to call the volunteer fire team, and then saw his neighbor standing over a fire in a pit.

Fury boiled up inside Ryder. He moved to the shed and grabbed a bucket, then filled it from the hose at the water trough by the fence. He marched toward his neighbor, anger growing hotter with each step. The irresponsibility made him want to punch the guy. He could take all his anger and fury and let it loose on Nolan. It would feel good to punch someone.

“There’s a burn ban!” he shouted before hurling the water into the fire pit. Steam hissed, and smoke billowed, dousing the flames.

“What the fuck?” Nolan jumped back.

“Burn ban. You can’t have open flames, you fucking idiot.”

“Really?” Nolan stared at him, eyes wide and incredulous. “It’s a small, controlled fire, and I had a fire extinguisher right here!”

Ryder didn’t care about Nolan’s precautions. He just needed an outlet for his anger. He was still furious about the trick his parents had played on him, and he wanted to punish someone.

“I said there’s a ban!” Ryder clenched his fists, ready to attack. But he couldn’t hit this man. The guy would probably press charges. The last thing he needed was a night in the city jail.

Ryder turned and stormed back toward his own house, leaving Nolan standing there beside the pit, splashed by the wet soot. He didn’t care if he’d ruined the man’s shoes, the asshole shouldn’t be burning anything.

Thick tension swirled in the air as he stalked back to his house. He clenched his fists, frustration simmering beneath the surface.

“You’re a jerk, you know that?” Nolan called after him.

Ryder stopped walking and spun so fast he almost lost his balance. In the dim light, he could see Nolan holding back laughter.

Embarrassment flashed. The last thing he wanted was to look like a fool in front of his neighbor. They had to live next door to each other, and this fight wasn’t boding well. But he ignored the warning in his head.

Venomous anger had been brewing for a while, twisting him up and leaving him anxious. He wasn’t angry at Nolan, just life in general. His mother setting him up with Cindy Whoever didn't help.

“Burn ban means no fires, period!" He almost stomped his foot but stopped himself before he made a move that a toddler would.

Nolan huffed, gesturing toward the small burn pot that had held the fire moments before. “It was safe and controlled, Ryder. And,” he added, pointing at the red fire extinguisher resting nearby, “I wasn’t being reckless.”

Ryder stilled and took in the area. Nolan was right. The fire had been controlled, and he was being a jerk. He'd made a mistake by moving back here. There was too much anger inside, and he had no outlet. Pride held him tight, and he wouldn’t apologize to Nolan. He would rather look like a fool than say he was sorry. He spun and then stormed off, tossing the bucket into his yard before racing inside and slamming the door.

What the fuck was up with him? That man pissed him off, and it wasn’t just the fire. Everything he did made Ryder hot under the collar. He wished he had the cash to buy the guy out and get rid of him.

"Fuck!" Ryder screamed, a part of him knowing he was acting like a child. He closed his eyes, trying to find some peace, but his anger had grown so big it threatened to fill the house. It wasn't fair that his parents were manipulating him or that his neighbor was a jerk. He wanted things to go back like they'd been four years ago. Back before the crash and before he'd watched Amy slowly slip away as the injuries from that one fateful day destroyed her.