Chased by Love (Love in Bloom: The Ryders): Trish Ryder (23 page)

“SOMETHING HAS TO change,” Boone said quietly but firmly to Lucky. “Mom can’t take the extra stress of worrying about what kind of trouble you’re going to get into next.” He and his siblings were in the waiting room at the hospital as their mother went through more tests to figure out what was causing her chest pains.

“It’s not like I’m a felon,” Lucky snapped. He ran a hand through his thick dark hair and crossed his arms, eyeing his siblings.

“Nobody is saying you are,” Cage said. “Look, Boone’s right about stressing out Mom. Between coming in and out at all hours, going from job to job, and skirting the law, Lucky, she worries. We all do.”

“I put a call in to my buddy Carson Bad,” Boone told Lucky. “He’s the one who owns an elite security firm. He’s willing to talk to you about putting your computer skills to good use, and he’s just as brilliant as you are. He’ll make sure you’re never bored. Chances are, you can work whatever crazy hours you want because half the IT staff works at night.”

Lucky rolled his eyes.

“If you’re dead set against going to college,” Cage added, “then at least consider talking to Carson. Get a job that can lead somewhere. Get your own apartment.”

“Start growing up,” Mags added. “Oh my gosh. We sound like Mom and Dad. Remember when we were kids and Dad would get mad because we were horsing around and he’d say, ‘You’re not little kids anymore. Act your age.’”

“Yeah.” Boone smiled with the memory. “And we’d crack up because we
were
kids.”

“Half the time Mom would end up laughing, and then Dad would laugh and call us fools,” Cage said with a smile.

They fell silent, each lost in their own memories.

Lucky sighed. “See? You guys were lucky. You only had two parents. I’ve got four.”

Boone draped an arm over his youngest brother’s shoulder. “Buddy, if there were any way for me to bring Dad back, we’d back off in a heartbeat. You definitely missed out, because he was frigging awesome. But since he’s not here, and we all love you despite your need to be a smart-ass, limit-pushing pain in the butt, you’re stuck with us trying to help you find your way.”

“Think of it as our way of helping you make Dad proud,” Cage suggested.

“That’s just it,” Lucky said. “I think Dad would be proud of me. I don’t want to move out. Mom
needs
me there. You guys are there when I’m in trouble, or when Mom needs you, or for quick visits, but I’m there when she gets up at three in the morning because she can’t sleep. Or when she’s reading that shoe box of letters from Dad and cries.”

“She still reads those?” Cage asked, exchanging a concerned glance with Boone.

 “I’m not denying that I’m all those things you said,” Lucky explained, “but I don’t
just
add stress to her life. I make sure she has her favorite books. We go out to dinner sometimes, and I’m always there to talk about Dad, because she needs that. She needs to know she can talk about him without making everyone sad.”

“He’s right,” Mags said softly. “She’s pretty careful about how often she talks about him to me.”

Boone had to admit he’d noticed that, too, but Lucky staying with her was a double-edged sword. He couldn’t fault his brother for acting eighteen. Lord knew the rest of them had had to grow up fast after they’d lost their father. He had to find a way to protect both his mother’s health and Lucky’s ability to gain the freedom an eighteen-year-old needed to grow up and learn responsibility.

“Lucky, Mom’s not your responsibility. Are you staying just because she needs you? Do you want your own place? If so, then that’s what we have to work on, so you can start to have a real life and take on responsibilities that are more appropriate for a guy your age. If Mom needs us around more, we can do that. I’ll make sure I’m around more.”

“I see her all the time because we work together, so I’m pretty sure I’m around enough,” Mags said.

“I’ll make a bigger effort,” Cage offered. “I’ve been hammered with promoting my fights lately, but it’s no excuse. I’ll step it up.”

“Do you guys hear yourselves?” Lucky’s face went serious. “Mom’s not my responsibility, but I’m the one stressing her out? Do I want my own place? Y’all are ready to drop everything to fix me
and
to make sure she’s okay, which is awesome. Seriously, I’m not complaining about how much you love us, but you’re totally missing another point.”

“What do you mean?” Boone asked.

“She’s lonely,” Lucky said. “She’s a forty-seven-year-old woman. Surely you get this. She’s our mom, but she’s a woman, too. She has needs that aren’t being satisfied, and I don’t mean just sex. She needs adult companionship. A man to tell her how beautiful she is, to go out with, to make her feel special in ways that none of us can or should.”

Lucky shook his head and turned a compassionate gaze to Boone. He looked so much like their father at that moment that Boone got a chill.

“Boone, you’re a great protector, and you fly home to fix anything and everything the minute there’s trouble. Mags, you’re there for her in more ways than you probably realize. And, Cage? You and Mom have this incredible bond over all things Dad related. But she needs
more
. You saw the way Officer Payne looked at her and how she reacted. That wasn’t a one-time thing, Boone. He’s asked her out a number of times, and I’ve asked her why she won’t go. She’s got a million excuses, but I think she’s worried about you guys being okay with it.”

“What?” Boone didn’t know if he was upset that she’d think that or upset that he actually might not be.

“Lucky’s right,” Cage said. “It’s been a hell of a long time since we lost Dad. She had us to keep her busy when we were younger, but she deserves more. She deserves a full life, and if she thinks we’re holding her back, then we have to let her know we’re cool with it.”

Boone scrubbed his hand down his face, trying to get past the juvenile ache of not wanting that spot his father had held for all these years to change. “Can we please deal with one tough issue at a time? Let’s make sure she’s healthy before we go marrying her off.”

“No one’s marrying her off, but she deserves to be happy,” Mags said. “And now that I think about it, when we cater parties, guys are always showing interest in Mom. I thought she was blowing them off because she was at work. But, Lucky, I think you see what I haven’t wanted to.”

She put her hand on Boone’s shoulder. “Mom being alone won’t bring Dad back. She deserves to be loved, doesn’t she?”

Boone thought about all the feelings he’d kept bottled up about Destiny and wondered if his mother had imprisoned herself in a similar yet different type of hell. He’d needed to forgive Destiny’s parents, if even in his own mind. What if his mother needed him—them—to forgive her in a different way, for allowing herself to move forward?

“Yes,” he answered quietly. “She deserves the best of everything. If she wants to date, we should let her know we’re behind her.”

“Boone?”

He spun around at the sound of Trish’s voice. “Baby? Duke? What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be filming.”

“Filming?” Trish’s face scrunched up with disbelief. “While your mom is in the hospital? How is she?”

“They didn’t find any issues with her heart, so they’re running more tests. They think it might be a GI issue. I can’t believe you’re here.”

“Thank God it’s not her heart.” She wrapped her arms around him and said, “Filming comes third on my list. You’re first, family and closest friends are second, and work comes third.” She drew back and gazed into his eyes. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

“You had to be on set at four thirty and I got the call at two thirty. I had no idea what we were dealing with, and I didn’t want to put that kind of stress on you until I had a handle on things.”

She frowned. “Your stress
is
my stress. Why didn’t you tell me where you were going in your note? I didn’t know if something had happened to Jude, Lucky, your mom…”

“I’m sorry. This film is your big chance, and I didn’t want you stressing out until we knew if there was something to stress out over. I’ve been watching the clock. I would have called at five, right after you were done filming.”

She banged her forehead against his chest, then gazed up at him with warm, loving eyes. “You didn’t want me stressing out? If you’re stressing out, I want to be with you. That’s how relationships work. You made me
more
worried, and Jared showed everyone pictures of you and some girl God knows where.”

“What?” His chest constricted.

Duke stepped closer. “She’s right. I saw the pics.”

“Boone, did you tell Tripp to cancel the hospital directive?” Cage asked.

“Aw, hell. No. I forgot about that. When Lucky had his appendix out a few years back and I had to cancel a tour and fly in, we set up a system with the hospital. If any of my family members are admitted, they notify Tripp, my PR rep. Then Tripp releases pictures of me anywhere else but here. I forgot to address that. I’m sorry, Trish.”

She shook her head and smiled. “Well, this time I’m not. It made me realize I should call Mags.”

“Uh-oh.” Maggie winced. “I might have forgotten to tell you she called. Sorry, Boone.”

“No worries,” he said to his sister, then to Trish, “I’m sorry, beautiful. I’ll make that call as soon as we’re out of here.”

Cage reached out a hand to Duke and pulled him into a manly embrace. “Hi. I’m Cage, Boone’s brother. He’s a little too sidetracked to introduce us properly.”

“Duke, Trish’s brother. Nice to meet you.”

Lucky embraced Duke. “I’m Lucky, another brother.”

“Great to meet you, Lucky,” Duke said. “We’ll have to get our families together soon.”

Mags hugged Trish. “I’m so glad you’re here. Sorry I forgot to tell him you called.”

Boone warmed at the love passing before him. He’d never imagined wanting to let anyone into his inner circle like this, but Trish and Duke and the rest of her family felt like they were already part of his family.  

“That’s okay. I’m just glad I caught you when your phone was on.” Trish introduced Duke to Maggie. “Duke chartered a plane so we could get here fast. My family was in West Virginia with me. The rest of them went home, and Siena and Cash have Sparky, but I asked Duke to come with me. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Your family is always welcome,” Boone said.

Cage opened his arms and embraced Trish. “Nice to see you again. You will forever be known as the woman who made my brick-wall brother go soft.”

“Hey, there’s nothing soft about me,” Boone said, and pulled Trish close again. “I’m really sorry about not filling you in sooner, but I didn’t want to come between you and today’s filming.”

“I get that you were trying to protect me.” She reached for Duke’s hand and guided him beside Boone, then looked lovingly at both of them. “There are times when I need protecting and there are times when it’s nice, as a woman, to feel protected. But things have to change. Duke, if you had called and spoken to me before showing up, I would have been less annoyed, regardless of whether you were checking out Boone or not. Okay?”

“You’ve got it. I learned my lesson.” Duke smiled and added, “From now on I should listen to my soon-to-be wife. She told me the same thing.”

“See? There’s another reason I love Gabby.” Trish turned her attention, and her beguiling eyes, to Boone.

His insides went soft, but he wasn’t about to admit that to Cage, who was watching them with an awestruck look on his face, alongside Mags and Lucky.

“And you.” She grabbed Boone by the collar, her lips curving up in a sweet, loving smile. “You, my badass rocker, need to understand that when I said I loved you, and when I said you were on top of my list, I meant it.”

Her brows knitted, but when she spoke, even trying her hardest to sound firm, he heard the undercurrent of love loud and clear. “I know you want to protect me, but you’re not alone anymore, and when you’re in a relationship, you don’t get to make all the decisions. There is no choice between family and work, and when your family is in crisis, I get to be there for you. I get to make that decision. No questions asked.”

“Okay, beautiful.” Boone slid his gaze to Duke. “I understand I get to thank you for her pushiness.”

Duke shrugged. “I can’t even begin to deny it.”

Trish pressed her hand to Boone’s cheek and guided his eyes back to hers.

“Now, about your cryptic note-writing skills...”

**

LATER THAT EVENING, after Duke left and Raine was discharged from the hospital, they tried to relax before Trish had to pick up Sparky from Cash and Siena in the city and then catch her flight back to West Virginia. Raine’s tests revealed a severe case of esophagitis, caused by acid reflux. The doctor assured them that with proper diet and medication, Raine would heal.

“Esophagitis,” Raine said for the third time in the last hour. “I still can’t get over how inflammation of the esophagus can cause so much pain. I really thought I was having a heart attack. I feel so bad for taking Trish away from filming, and, Cage, you missed your radio interview.”

“Don’t be silly,” Trish said. “I’m just happy you’re okay.”

“You did me a favor.” Cage got up and hugged Raine. “I hate radio interviews.”

Boone walked in from the kitchen and sat down beside Trish. “Mom, I put your medicine on the counter, along with the directions the doctor gave us. I also printed out a few articles on esophagitis and bookmarked a few recipe sites that might help with the reflux.”

“Thank you, Boone.” Raine’s eyes moved over each of the children’s faces. “What are you not telling me?”

Boone and his siblings exchanged looks Trish couldn’t read.

“Boone gave me a guy’s number for a computer job,” Lucky said. “I’m going to call him tomorrow.”

“Really?” Raine’s eyes widened with delight. “That’s wonderful.”

“Yeah, I figure it’s time.” Lucky glanced at Boone, who smiled appreciatively.

“And I’m going to make you lots of reflux-friendly foods and freeze them,” Mags said. “I took tomorrow off so I can clean out your fridge from all those chocolate truffles you’ve been hoarding.”

A knock sounded at the door, and Boone got up to answer it. Officer Payne stood on the steps in a pair of jeans and a crisp white button-down shirt, holding a bouquet of flowers.