Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three

RYLAND

“I don’t think it’s too much. Do you think it’s too much?” Hattie asks as we stare out at the amusement park in front of us.

Typically, we’d hold a town event in the open space next to the inn, but because Ethel and Hattie joined forces and made this way more than it should have been, they had to move it to the park down the street that’s right next to the drive-in movie theater. Now I see why.

A Ferris wheel is the first thing that catches the eye because it towers over the entire space. Next is the movie screen in the background with Welcome Back, Bennett Brinkman scrolled across it.

And then filling in the space are other rides like the scrambler and a giant slide. Lots of booths for fair-like games, all themed around baseball. Food trucks and food stands are posted around the perimeter, while picnic tables, blankets, and other seating arrangements are spread throughout.

“Uh, it’s a lot.” I keep looking around at the bunting and decorations. “Who the hell paid for all of this?”

“Ethel said the Peach Society handled it all.” Hattie shrugs. “I didn’t think everything on the wish list was going to be granted. Do you think this will embarrass him?”

I pull on the back of my neck. “Hell, I have no idea. I know that Mac will love it.”

“When is she going to be here?” Hattie asks as people start meandering through the gates. There’s a charge fee of five dollars a person, which, if you ask me, is a damn bargain given what’s going on. “Because I want her to enjoy all the things before they start the movie.”

“The movie?” I ask.

“Oh yeah, they’re going to be playing A League of Their Own on the screen with speakers so everyone can watch, even if they’re maybe not watching.”

“ A League of Their Own ? Love the movie, but it’s about women playing baseball. They know that, right?”

Hattie eyes me. “Are you being a misogynistic douche?”

“Uh, did you not hear me say I love the movie?”

“I did, but what do you have against the movie playing?”

“Just figured something like . . . The Sandlot might be more appropriate and family-friendly, especially when Tom Hanks freaking pisses in the locker room for thirty-five goddamn seconds and then shakes it out.”

Hattie thinks about it. “Huh, you know, I forgot about that part.”

“It’s not really an innocent, family-friendly movie. For God’s sake, Stillwell Angel gets beamed in the face with a glove in the movie. Is that what we want to teach our kids?”

Hattie lets out a large laugh and buckles at the stomach. “Oh God, Stillwell Angel, such a good scene. Got him right in the head. And Tom Hanks’s response after is priceless. I can’t wait for that part.”

“Okay, so I’m assuming you don’t care?”

Hattie waves me off. “It’s Ethel’s problem, not mine. All I care about is getting a spot on the lawn in front of the screen with a bag of kettle corn on my lap and a burly rock star sitting behind me.”

“Glad you have your priorities straight,” I answer as I see Wyatt and Aubree walk up with Mac, who looks cute as shit in a pink dress and her hair pulled into a high ponytail. She spent the night with them last night because she said she wanted to dress up Uncle Wyatt in bows and ride him like a horsey. It worked out well because Bennett came back last night, and we were able to have a small dinner, just the four of us, and then spend some personal time with Bennett while Mac went off to play horsey.

I was kind of surprised when Mac didn’t take to Bennett like she does to other people, but then again, Bennett looked stiff as fuck and out of place around a little kid. He didn’t know how to handle her, which I found comical. But it was good to spend some time with him last night, talking about his experience with the Bombers and his plans moving forward during the off-season. As expected, he has no intention of taking time off. Instead, he wants to lay out a progressive plan with Gabby that will have him ready for strength training.

In bed last night, I suggested to Gabby that he take a second to breathe, even if it’s only a week. She agreed with me and plans on working in downtime. But we’re going to use him during our school practices and have him help out because he can help instruct the boys. That will also give him access to all the facilities at the school.

“Uncle Dad,” Mac says as she runs up to me. I lift her into the air and catch her, loving her little laugh.

“How was playing with Uncle Wyatt last night? Was he a good horsey?”

“No.” Mac frowns. “He kept flicking his bows out of his hair.”

I eye Wyatt. “You were flicking your bows out of your hair?”

“No,” he says with a roll of his eyes. “One was bothering me. I itched it, and it got knocked out. Apparently, that’s me flicking all the bows out.”

“Seems like she’s right.”

Wyatt scoffs. “Thanks, dude.”

I chuckle. “Did Aunt Aubree share her muffins with you this morning?”

“She did. I had two.”

“Two muffins?” My eyes pop open as I stare at Aubree.

“Two halves, which make a whole. Trust me, I would not give her two muffins.”

“I’d hope not. How would she possibly have room for all the cotton candy Uncle Wyatt will buy her?”

Mac turns toward Wyatt. “You’re going to buy me cotton candy?”

“Yeah, who else would? That’s my job as the fun uncle.” He then takes Mac from me, and they head toward the cotton candy booth.

Her little voice says, “I want to go on the Ferris wheel with Uncle Dad.”

“We can arrange that,” Wyatt answers her as they move farther away.

More people from town . . . and what seems like people from out of town, start filtering in, and the space on the lawn starts to fill out.

“When’s Bennett supposed to get here?” Aubree asks, looking around.

“Soon. Gabby kept him at the house so more people would be here before they showed up. But from the looks of it, it will be full soon.”

Aubree tilts her nose up. “Do I smell funnel cake?”

“Yup,” Hattie answers. “It’s over by the slide.”

“Oh, I’ll be headed over there for sure.”

“Hey, you guys,” a voice says, causing us to turn. Bower walks up wearing a red sundress with her hair pulled up into a bun on the top of her head, a few stray pieces framing her face.

“Hey,” I say, hugging her. She does the same with Hattie and Aubree.

“Where is everyone?”

“Wyatt and Mac are off to get cotton candy,” Hattie answers. “Hayes is helping Ethel with some speaker issues, and Gabby and Bennett are . . . oh, there they are.”

I turn around to see my girl looking so damn good in a pair of white jean shorts and a short navy-blue top that shows about an inch of her midriff. Her hair is half up, and her brilliant eyes are highlighted by mascara.

Consider me fucking infatuated.

When she spots me, a large smile crosses her face, and if I could bottle up that look on her face and keep it forever, I’d consider myself the luckiest man alive.

She walks up to me, places her hand on my chest— which seems to be her thing, and I love it —and kisses me on the lips just as she notices Bower.

“Oh my God,” she says. “I didn’t know you were coming.” She gives Bower a hug. When she pulls away, I watch Bower look over Gabby’s shoulder, right to Bennett who has his hands in his pockets, his eyes lasered in on Bower.

“This guy was telling me about it last night, and I thought, a spectacle involving Bennett? Well, I have to be there to see his cheeks go bright red.” She walks up to Bennett and pulls him into a hug.

Bennett wraps his arms around Bower, bringing her in close. His head tilts into hers, and I swear on my relationship with Gabby, I see him inhale. When she pulls away, his hand glides across her back, lingering before she’s fully parted.

“Look at you,” Bower says, gripping his arm. “You’re all buff and filled out.”

He wets his lips and shyly says, “You look good, Bower.”

Bower daintily shows off her dress. “Oh, this old thing? Just pulled it out of the closet. But thank you.”

And then . . . that motherfucker’s eyes scan her up and down, getting his fill.

I seem to be the only one who notices because Gabby’s oblivious as she takes my hand while Bower looks around the scene in front of her.

“This is all for you?” she asks, turning toward Bennett again who lifts his eyes.

He tugs on his hair and nods. “Yeah, I had nothing to do with it.”

“Shocking,” Bower says, looping her arm through his. “This screams like something you would do. The fanfare, your face and name plastered everywhere. I’ve never seen a more Bennett moment in my life.” Her voice is obviously laced with sarcasm as she moves him through the gates and right into the event.

“Did you see that?” I whisper to Gabby.

“See what?” she asks.

“The way your brother looked at Bower.”

She pauses our stride, bringing us to a stop. “He didn’t look at her.”

“Uh, he did, babe.”

She shakes her head. “No, there’s no way.”

“Are you in denial, or do you really believe that? Because I’m pretty sure your brother has a crush on your best friend.”

Gabby’s eyes float to Bennett and Bower, where Bower is pointing at a picture of Bennett up to bat in his Bombers uniform.

“I’m not in denial. It’s . . . it’s not true.”

“It’s not?” I ask.

Her brow crinkles, and it’s so cute. “I think so?” She says it more as a question than anything.

I chuckle. “Well, this will be fun to watch play out.”

I can feel Gabby thinking next to me as we head toward the Ferris wheel where Wyatt and Mac stand. Mac has a giant thing of sugar on a stick, and I just hope that it makes her pass out later rather than hyper as shit.

Wishful thinking, right?

“Uncle Dad, come on the Ferris wheel,” Mac shouts, waving her hand at me.

I turn to Gabby and say, “Got to ride the wheel with my other girl.” I kiss her gently on the lips. “Don’t get any food without me.” I pat my stomach. “I’m starving.”

“Promise.” She kisses me back just as Ethel walks up.

“We’d love to get Bennett on stage to say a few things.”

“Oh, sure. Bennett,” Gabby says, calling him over. “This is Ethel O’Donnell-Kerr. She coordinated the event with Hattie. Think you could say a few things up on stage?”

“I have confetti cannons,” Ethel cuts in, looking immensely proud of herself.

“Uh, sure, Mrs. O’Donnell-Kerr,” Bennett says.

Ethel gushes. “Oh, such beautiful manners on a young man.” At that, he blushes.

“I can wait to go on the Ferris wheel,” I say, not wanting to miss the speech.

“No, it’s cool, Coach,” Bennett says and then mutters to me, “The fewer people watching, the better. Go on the damn wheel.”

I chuckle and pat him on the back. “Good luck, dude.”

I take off toward the Ferris wheel just in time as Wyatt and Mac get in a chair. I take a seat as well, fitting Mac in the middle, and then the lap bar is lowered against us.

“Yay!” Mac says.

“Can I have some of that?” I ask, eyeing her cotton candy.

“Of course.” She offers it to me, and I peel off a chunk, not because I want it, but because I don’t want her to have all of it.

The Ferris wheel starts moving, and we lift a few feet before another swing is loaded. We see Ethel introduce Bennett on the stage, and a rather large crowd gathers around. Bower, Hattie, Hayes, Aubree, and Gabby are all off to the side while Bennett waves to the crowd. Even from here, I can see that the guy is massively uncomfortable.

The Ferris wheel starts rotating, all the swings full now while Bennett speaks into the microphone. From the wind whipping around us and the subtle sound of the Ferris wheel music, I can’t quite place what he’s saying, but it seems short and sweet as he waves again and steps away from the mic. Music starts playing, and the crowd cheers for him.

“He seems pretty shy,” Wyatt says.

“Yeah, he’s not much of a talker. Very focused.”

“I get that.”

“He doesn’t like to play,” Mac says. “I gave him Chewy Chondra to play with, and he didn’t talk for Chewy Chondra.”

I chuckle. “I don’t think he knows how to play the way we play.”

“He was boring.”

“Hey, that’s not very nice. I’m sure we can get him to play. We just have to get him warmed up first.”

“He’s Gabby’s boyfriend,” Mac says, causing Wyatt to snort.

“No, nope, not boyfriend,” I say, correcting her quickly. “Her brother. I’m Gabby’s boyfriend.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Freaking kids.

We spin around a few more times, and as we slow and people start to unload and load back up, I look over the crowd, trying to find Gabby so we can meet up with her.

I spot Hattie and Hayes over by the funnel cake with Aubree.

Bennett is posing in pictures with people from the crowd, Bower being the photographer, taking people’s phones and snapping shots, and Gabby, she’s . . . hell, where is she?

“Do you see Gabby?” I ask Wyatt.

He plucks a piece of cotton candy from Mac and glances over the crowd. “What’s she wearing again?”

“Navy-blue top, white shorts.”

We’re lowered so we’re the third swing to be unloaded. Our view is blocked, but I continue to look.

“Do you see her?”

“Uh, oh, wait . . . is that her? Uh, no, that woman’s with a guy.”

“Where?” I ask.

Wyatt points, and I follow his hand to behind the funnel cake stand. A man’s pushing someone up against the wall.

“Wait, is that her?” Wyatt asks.

I focus on the two people, my heart pounding in my chest as her familiar shirt comes into view.

“That is her,” I say as my rage spikes to an all-time high. “Who the fuck is touching her?”

“Who’s touching who?” Mac asks.

I lift at the bar, but it’s locked in, so I try to wiggle out as we move to the second swing to be let out.

“Fuck, help me.”

“Uncle Ryland,” Mac says. “Don’t . . . don’t jump out.” But her voice is distant as all I see is black, my tunnel vision narrowing in.

“Dude, hold on,” Wyatt says.

“I can’t fucking hold on.” Yelling down to the operator, I say, “Get me the fuck off this thing.”

“You’re scaring me,” Mac says as we start to move to the bottom.

I jam at the lap bar. “Get this off.”

“Jeez, man,” the operator says as he unlatches the bar, and I leap off the swing, off the Ferris wheel stage, and sprint toward the funnel cake stand. I bump into people telling me to watch it and slow down, but I don’t give two shits. I chase down Gabby, turn the corner of the funnel cake stand, and that’s where I see Gabby’s terrified face, tears streaming down, just as he shakes her shoulders.

At that moment, everything goes red.

My anger, my upbringing, they both take over, and before I know it, I’m tearing this man off her, cocking my fist back, and blowing him right across the damn face, sending him backward at least five steps and right to the ground.

Gabby screams behind me, but I don’t stop. I move in on the man, lift him by the shirt, cock my fist back again, and punch him right in the stomach, sending him to the ground.

“Ryland,” Gabby yells, pulling at me. “Stop.”

But I don’t.

I pick him up again, the pathetic man that he is, and I reach back, wanting to hear his skull crack when two strong arms pull me away and hold me back as the man falls to the ground.

“Let me the fuck go,” I yell as I attempt to get free, my eyes lasered in on the man whose face is bleeding.

“Stop,” Wyatt says into my ear. “Fucking stop. You’re scaring her.”

That makes me pause. I’m about to ask who I’m scaring when out of the corner of my eye, I see Mac, clinging to Aubree, tears flowing down her cheeks . . . fucking shaking.

Oh fuck.

Realization sets in.

She saw that.

She saw all of that.

She saw what I saw as a child, an angry man using his fists rather than his words.

“Mac,” I say, moving forward, but she hides away from me, using Aubree’s legs to block her.

Immediately, a lump grows in my throat, but I don’t have much time to think about it as the man who’s kneeling on the floor, holding his bleeding face says, “I’m pressing charges.”

“The fuck you are,” Bennett says, stepping up. He pulls Gabby into his side.

“Aubree, get Mac out of here,” Wyatt says, still holding on to me.

I watch as Aubree lifts Mac into her arms, her cotton candy now on the ground, and they walk away. It’s a scene that splits me in half. This was supposed to be fun for her, but she’s leaving, crying, and unable to even look me in the eyes.

“What’s going on here?” a policeman says, stepping up to the circle around us.

“He attacked me,” the man says.

I know I should defend myself.

I know I should say I was protecting my girl, but all I can think about is Mac and the fear in her eyes when she looked at me. I’m devastated. I caused that fear.

The same fucking fear that my sisters felt.

The same fear I had to live with day in and day out.

“Ryland, did you attack him?” When I look up and see that it’s Earl, the sheriff, talking to me, I just nod. “Dammit, Ryland,” he says, moving behind me.

“Hold on,” Gabby says, stepping up to Earl. “He didn’t attack him for no reason. He was saving me. That’s my ex-boyfriend, and he stalked me.” My eyes flash to the man on the ground.

That’s Nathan?

That’s fucking Nathan?

“I don’t know what Nathan would have done if Ryland wasn’t there to help me.”

Earl glances over at Nathan. “Is that true? Did you touch her without her consent?”

“Yes,” Gabby says while Nathan says no.

I just stand there, defeated.

Depleted.

Emotionless because the life has been sucked from my bones and peeled away from my soul.

“He was holding her,” Wyatt says, stepping in. “I saw it from the Ferris wheel. That’s where we were when Ryland took off to help her.”

“I saw it too,” a random person says, holding up their hand.

Hands on his hips, Earl turns toward Nathan and says, “Now, you can either tell me the truth and we can make this easy, or you can lie, and this will get a lot uglier for you. Did you touch her?”

Nathan looks away and nods his head.

That’s all the confirmation Earl needs. He takes Nathan by the arm, lifts him up, and urges him over to his colleague, who reads him his rights. Earl then steps up to me and Gabby and says, “I’m going to need a statement.”

“Of course,” Gabby says. “Can you just give us a second?”

“Yes,” Earl says, stepping away.

“Gabby,” Bennett says, coming up to us now. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” She pats her brother’s chest. “I just need to talk to Ryland for a moment.”

Bennett glances at me, then back at Gabby. “Okay.” He nods at me. “Thanks, Coach, for taking care of her.”

His words don’t even register. Nothing does as I stand in this catatonic state.

Once we’re alone, Gabby pulls me off to the side, out of earshot of everyone, and takes my hand in hers. I don’t return the grip. I can’t even fucking look at her.

“Ryland.” She shakes me a little. “Ryland, look at me.”

When I keep staring straight ahead, she forces me to meet her eyes by taking my head in her hands.

“Ryland, I need you to look at me. I need to know that you’re okay.”

When I don’t answer, she lightly shakes me.

“Ryland, talk to me, please.”

I don’t.

I can’t.

Instead, I reach up, take her hands off my face, and set them down. Without a word, I turn away and grab Earl to give him my statement before I have to get the hell out of here.

“She wants to stay with me tonight,” Aubree says as Mac sits in her SUV with Wyatt in the back, holding her.

Talk about a fucking knife to the gut, watching her curl into someone else, being protected by someone else other than me.

“But I can encourage her that it will be okay to stay at her house.”

I shake my head. “Take her, Aubree.”

She steps in and whispers, “Ryland, I don’t think this is a good thing. I don’t want her thinking she can flock to us. She needs to know that you’re not a scary human, that you love her, and that you were protecting Gabby.”

I shake my head again. “No, it’s best she stays with you.” I tug on my hair. “I, uh . . . I need to go.”

I start to walk away, but Aubree stops me. “Ryland, don’t do this.”

“Don’t do what?” I ask her in a low tone.

“Don’t bottle this all up inside and turn away from us. I know this look in your eyes. You’re disassociating yourself, and that’s the last thing she needs.”

“Or maybe it’s the best thing she needs,” I snap.

“What’s going on?” Hattie asks, walking up to us as well. “I would have been here sooner, but Earl made me talk to him even though I wasn’t involved.”

“Nothing’s going on. Aubree’s taking Mac. It’s done.”

I start to move away again toward my truck, but both of my sisters stop me.

“What’s done? Do you mean she’s taking Mac forever?”

“I can have her stuff packed tonight,” I say.

“Uh, it doesn’t work that way,” Aubree says. “You can’t just pass her off when the first roadblock comes along.”

“Roadblock?” I hiss and then point behind me. “That wasn’t a fucking roadblock, Aubree. That was Dad. That was Dad seeping from my skin, controlling my every move. And she bore witness to that. She saw every piece of me turn into a man that I hate. That I despise, that I’m so fucking glad is dead, yet here I am, the reincarnation of him.”

“Have you lost your mind?” Hattie says. Not sugarcoating here. “You are not a reincarnation of Dad. Not even close.”

“Tell me this, when I found out about you and Hayes, did I shake his hand and offer him best fucking wishes? Or did I try to beat the ever-loving shit out of him?” She goes silent. “And with Wyatt, did I or did I not attack him as well? Say what you want, but it’s a lie. I’m dangerous. I have him in my bones, and she shouldn’t be anywhere near me. I can’t . . .” I get choked up. “I can’t ever see that look on her face again.”

“Ryland.” Hattie reaches for me, but I shake her off.

“Don’t. I don’t want to hear it. I’ll have her stuff packed for you to pick up.”

And without another word, I get in my truck and drive off.