Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

GABBY

I stretch out, my body sore in all the right places as I slowly let my eyes adjust to the light coming through the curtains. I turn toward Ryland, reaching for his warm body, but when I come up short, I open my eyes wider and notice that I’m naked and alone in bed.

I sit up, look around, and when I see a note on his pillow, my stomach ties in all kinds of happy knots.

Making breakfast. Put clothes on before you come down.

XXX – R

Smiling, I set the note down on the nightstand closest to me, where I find a set of clothes, Ryland’s to be exact. He thought of everything. I must have been extremely zonked out not to notice him moving around. Then again, he wore me out last night.

After our second time, he cleaned us both up and then wrapped his large body around me, keeping me close as we drifted off to sleep. I was in a heavy slumber when I started feeling him touching me, caressing me, kissing me in the middle of the night. I rolled over, and he moved over me and slowly inserted himself.

I was so turned on that it was a quick but slow fuck if that makes sense. There was no finessing, no foreplay. It was just him driving into me over and over until we both came. And then we went back to sleep.

It almost feels like a fever dream at this point, but I know it happened.

I slip out of bed, take the clothes to the bathroom, and brush my teeth. The whole time, I stare into the mirror, assessing my body and all the places where Ryland left his mark.

His beard grazed all over my chest, up my neck, and around my stomach. His teeth marked along my collarbone and even right above my breasts. My legs and my arms are sore, as well as between my legs.

Yet I’m so freaking satisfied.

Never been happier.

Never felt more content.

Never realized this is what life could be.

I quickly rinse, go to the bathroom, and slip on my clothes. I find my phone on the bathroom counter, so I check it and see a text from Bennett.

Bennett: Did you catch the game last night? I got plunked in the ass, and it’s now a GIF.

And below the text is a GIF of Bennett getting hit in the ass, but as he’s getting hit, for some reason, he popped his butt out, so it looks like he’s twerking as the ball is hitting him.

I laugh out loud and text him back.

Gabby: Shit, I wish I’d have seen this. I’ll be using this GIF for everything now.

Bennett: How did I know you were going to say that? If you weren’t watching me play last night, you better have a good reason.

Gabby: I do. It was girls’ night at Hattie’s, which turned into a secret proposal. Hattie and Hayes are engaged. I spent the night with Ryland’s family and well . . . spent the night at his house. (Leaving out the rest of the details for your benefit.)

Bennett: I appreciate it. But wow, sounds like a great night. So things are moving along over there with Coach Rowley?

Gabby: You know you can call him Ryland. And yeah, they are. We sort of told each other we loved each other last night.

Bennett: Seriously? Holy shit. That’s huge.

Gabby: It was (and I’m talking about the moment, not what’s in his pants, although that’s huge too.)

Bennett: Jesus, Gabby. Please . . . no.

Gabby: LOL! I have to make you gag a little . . . kind of like how he made me gag.

Bennett: Okay, I’m done. I love you, please don’t talk to me again.

Gabby: LOLOLOL. Love you too.

After setting my phone down, I check my hair before I make my way downstairs, where I find Mac sitting on the couch with the Chewys, watching a show.

She’s startled at first when she sees me, then she leaps off the couch and runs up to me, giving me a huge hug. “Gabby, you’re here.”

“I am,” I say as I catch Ryland in the kitchen in the same outfit as me, but his fits way better. He glances over his shoulder and offers me a wink before turning back to the griddle.

Ugh . . . I really do love him.

“Why did you spend the night?”

Uh, great question.

“You know, I think that’s a question for Uncle Dad.”

Taking me by the hand, Mac leads me to the kitchen and says, “Why did Gabby spend the night?”

Ryland puts the last of the pancakes on a cooling rack and turns toward us. He leans against the counter, folds his arms. “Because I like her.”

“Oh . . .” Mac looks up at me. “Where did you sleep?”

I turn to Ryland again. “Where did I sleep?”

He chuckles and then takes my hand, pulling me into his chest. “She slept with me last night, Mac.”

Mac’s eyes flit between the two of us, her little head processing what’s going on. “I don’t understand.”

Ryland squats down to her eye level and places his hands on her hips. “You know how Uncle Hayes and Aunt Hattie are in love?” Mac nods. “And how Aunt Aubree and Uncle Wyatt are in love?” Mac nods again. “Well, Gabby and I are in love.” Hearing him say that sends such a warm thrill through me.

“Oh, so you’re like married?” Her cute little nose twists to the side.

“Not yet, but we are . . . uh . . . in terms you can understand, boyfriend and girlfriend.”

Um, can we pause for a second because did you hear what he said about the married thing?

Not . . . yet.

Cue the girly screams.

She looks back and forth between us again. “Do you kiss?”

Ryland clears his throat and nods. “Yes, we kiss.”

She then looks at me with a quirk to her nose. “You like kissing him?”

I don’t know why that makes me laugh, but it does. I squat down with Ryland and put my arm over his back. “Yes, I like kissing him.”

When she doesn’t say anything, Ryland says, “Is this okay?”

Mac shrugs. “I don’t care.” But the small smile she gives makes me so happy inside.

Ryland chuckles. “Are you sure? Because I’d like to have Gabby around more, but if you don’t?—”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Mac jumps up and down. “She can play with me.”

“Yes, she can play with you,” Ryland says.

“She’s the best player.” Mac runs into my arms, nearly tackling me to the ground, but I balance myself and hug her back.

“I don’t know, I think you’re the best player,” I say.

“Uh, am I chopped liver over here? I was pretty confident that I was the best player. No one can top . . . Godzilla Plus,” Ryland says in a deep voice and puts his claws out.

Mac screams and runs away. “Come on, Gabby. Godzilla Plus is going to eat us.”

“Never,” I yell, grabbing a pillow from the couch—a genuinely nice throw pillow—and tossing it at his head. When it hits him, he dramatically spins around, sticks his tongue out, and then falls to the ground with a thump.

I raise my fist in the air and say, “Huh-ha! I got him.”

“Her,” Mac corrects me. “You got her.”

“Right, sorry.” I air pump again and say, “I got her!”

“Now we can eat all the pancakes we want.”

I lift Mac up into my arms and step over a convulsing Ryland, who is really playing the part.

“Pancakes for the heroes of the day.”

“You know, I was thinking about something,” Ryland says as his finger traces circles over my leg.

We’re sitting on the couch. Mac is asleep upstairs, and it’s the second night in a row that Ryland has asked me to spend the night. He texted me while I was in my apartment, attempting to think of anything else but him and Mac yet doing a terrible job at it. I gave it a few seconds before I responded, then said I’d love to. Because who was I kidding? I was itching to come over.

This was after I spent a solid two hours on the phone with Bower, giving her a recap of everything. She gushed of course. I gushed. And then we cried.

Because when your friend sees you struggle for so long, and then sees you happy for the first time in a long time, it requires a squeal.

“What were you thinking?” I ask.

“I was looking at tickets for the Bombers game next Friday.”

“You were?”

“Yeah. Do you want to go?”

“Those tickets are expensive,” I say to Ryland.

“I know a guy who has a suite, and he said he won’t be in town that weekend. He asked me if I wanted to take my family since he knows I’m a fan.”

I sit up to look him in the eyes to see if he’s serious. “You . . . know a guy? Since when have you known a guy ?”

“I used to mow his lawn for cash, and then he’d let me practice on the freshly mowed lawn. He moved closer to the city for a job, but we always stayed in touch. He was one of the shining lights in a pretty dark childhood.”

“What’s his name?”

“Patrick Garnett. He owns a dealership in the Bay area and has a suite where he takes executives to schmooze so they’ll buy his fleet of cars for their business. But that’s beside the point. He can’t make it and asked if I want the suite.”

This requires my full attention. “You’re serious.”

“Jesus, Gabby, yes. Why would I joke about this?”

“I don’t know. You just . . . you brought it up so casually, and I don’t know how to respond because I was just going to watch the game on TV. But now that I can actually go, that seems insane, and I don’t know how to react properly other than to ask you if you’re serious.”

“You’re rambling.”

“Because this is huge!” I cup his cheeks and lean forward. “This is, this is . . . oh my God, I’m going to fuck you so hard tonight.”

He lets out a barrel of a laugh as his hands find my hips. “Well, I thought that was already a given, but okay.”

“It was, but this is . . . this is going to be even better. You tell me what you want, and I’m going to deliver. Want a blowie? Consider your dick sucked. Want a vibrator to the ass? Give me a second and I’ll grab my toys and lube. Want a?—”

“Uh, your what?”

“My toys and lube.”

“You have toys?” he asks cutely.

I sit back on his legs. “Ryland, I was alone and horny for a very long time. Do you really think I wouldn’t have toys?”

“I mean . . . I guess not. Why haven’t we played with them?”

“Well, we’re always over here because you have a child, and every time we’ve done it besides last night, it’s been spontaneous. I didn’t think holding up my finger and saying, ‘hold please while I grab my toys’ was very sexy.”

“Jesus, I wish you did.”

“Yeah?” I pull his shirt up and over his head. “Do you like playing with toys?”

“I find the idea of you getting off in front of me with one of them extremely appealing. Actually, that’s what I want tonight. I want you to strip for me, then fuck yourself in front of me.”

I smile and stand from his lap. “That can be arranged.” I then hold up my finger and say, “Hold please.”

“Wait.” He grabs my hand, not letting me get away just yet. “Is that a yes to the game?”

“That’s a resounding yes.”

“Do you want to bring your friend? Fuck, sorry, what’s her name again?”

“Bower,” I say.

“Yeah, do you want to bring Bower? We can bring Mac and see if anyone else wants to go?”

“I’d love that.”

“Then I’ll let Patrick know.”

I lean down and place a soft kiss on his lips. “Thank you. This means everything to me.”

“Anything for you, Gabby.” And for once in my life, I actually believe this sentiment. This man is so damn amazing.

And he’s mine . . .