Ryder (3 page)

“Oh, don’t I know it. While at the park she saw a friend of hers from day care there with his dad. She told me that she hopes that Blake turns out like his dad when he is older because his dad is, and I quote ‘Freaking yummo’  So yep, watch your mouth Mama, around that girl” We both laugh. I start serving up our dinner when Demi comes back into the kitchen. We sit and talk about our day while eating. Demi is such a life wire she has to be in on everything. She is like a mother hen with any child smaller than her she is just such a sweet little girl. I do always wonder how different she would be if she had a male role model in her life.

Quinn washes up while I bath and get Demi ready for bed. She always has to go to sleep with music playing, even if it’s just the radio. Most children her age need a bedtime story but not my daughter Nope she has a love of music, just like me. Tonight I plug my iPod into her pink pig dock and hit shuffle; my iPod has softer music and some poppy boy bands that she has learned to like. I sit with her for a few minutes stroking the hair back off her forehead. A songs starts and my body freezes and my mind whirls back to the very hot man asking me for a date this morning. Inside Noise plays through the dock.

She knows that I can’t move on

She is my everything but us

Isn’t in the beats right now

Snow will fall and I will claim my Snowflake

She won’t melt away from me, run away from me

Ryder’s face flashes in my head and I smile. Ryder Phoenix wants to take me on a date. As quickly as the thought pleases me, my baby girl stirs and my reality comes crashing back down. No man especially a very hot and sexy rock star is going to want to date a single mom.

I slowly close the door behind me as I leave Demi drifting further into her musical dream land and head back to the living room with Quinn. I see that she already has Netflix loaded with Sons of Anarchy ready to hit play. Can’t ever get enough of Jax or Opie and Juice I slump down next to my best friend on my red couch and pull the throw over our legs.

“Gotta love the sound of those bikes, dude. It helps that the riders are sexy as fuck. ‘Freaking yummo in fact.” She laughs but I spit my drink all over the front of me at the word ‘riders’ Fuck I need to get my head in gear.

“What the fuck Letts, ewwww that’s gross” I can’t help but laugh at her, she has no clue but I suppose I’m gonna have to tell her since she loves the band and she will be interning for this this summer, at Phoenix Records.

“Sorry chica. I had a strange day at work and was hit on by a very sexy drummer boy. You might know him.” I tell her, while setting my glass back onto the coffee table.

“Who? Tell me… Tell me now” she says, while a huge ass smile spreads across her face.

“Umm, Ryder Phoenix. We exchanged numbers at the Hot Pot and I have to text him when I have some free time. He wants to take me out for a drink he says. His brother was there as well, with a bunch of other super freaking hot people” I laugh.

“OH. MY. GOD. You have a date with Ryder, shut the fuck up. Ok, text him now.” She jumps up from the sofa and finds my purse and starts rummaging for my cell phone. I can’t help but laugh at her.

“Ha ha found it” She runs back to me and jumps on the sofa like Demi does when she is excited about something. She is on her knees next to me bouncing around like Tigger. She drops the phone into my lap and starts clapping.

“Dude, I only met him today.” I nod my head “Ok, I only spoke to him today. We can’t count the NY party because that was just a quick kiss and a see ya. I might wait a day or two. Don’t want to seem desperate, you know?” I shrug.

“Bullshit Letts, do you know how many women want that man? Hell they want all of them but Rafe is taken by Lucy. That doesn’t stop the girls from flirting with him, but Lucy puts them in their place and kicks some ass. I think going out on a date with any guy would be good because you haven’t been out in a good long while, but going on a date with Ryder freaking Phoenix…Wow girl, I bet he could show you one hell of a time.”

I understand what she is saying but I have to think of Demi, she is my number one priority at the moment. I can’t bring men into her life if they aren’t going to stay; that isn’t fair to her.

“I will text Ryder tomorrow if I have time, ok?” She smiles at me and we settle in to watch some sexy Jax and Opie. After a few episodes Quinn drives back to her apartment and I do a quick clean up around my apartment. It isn’t messy, just little things out of place. ‘Lived in’ is what Mrs. Dawson says.

I walk to my bedroom and grab my laptop. On my way back to the living room, I check on Demi. She is sound asleep, curled up into a little Angel ball. I turn the music off and she stirs a little but settles right back down. Sitting down on my couch, I load up my emails again and re-read Andy email, I still can’t believe that he wants Demi in his wedding party; he has never even met her. Every time we arranged a meeting he emailed to cancel, douche.

I know I said I would deal with it tomorrow, but it’s nagging at me.

I text him rather than email because I know he will text back right away.

Me: I can’t believe this email you sent me you have never met my daughter and now you want her in your wedding. Well it isn’t happening Andy, so think again. She is four years old she doesn’t know you or your family. Just leave her be, please.

He replies a few minutes later.

Andy: I have a right to ask for her, Letty. I pay you good fucking money to keep her safe for me
.

Fucking asshole, douchbag asshole dick… I am fuming; my blood is boiling so rapidly that I can hear it in my ears.

Me: I keep her safe for you? Seriously? YOU DIDN’T WANT HER. You send money to live, for her to have important things she needs. God you are such a dick sometimes… well not sometimes ALL of the time. She isn’t going to be in the wedding Andy, so just stop and leave us alone. She is perfectly happy, safe and healthy without you in her life.

He doesn’t respond and I’m not sure whether that is a good thing or a bad thing. He has never tried anything like this before so I am not sure how to take him. Maybe a call to Mr. Mitchell is in order. Tomorrow.

I wake to my darling little Bug poking me in the nose, smiling down at me.

“Good morning, Mama. You need to get up sleepy head,” she says to me. I smile at her and I think to myself how lucky I am to have such an amazing little girl as my daughter; she has taught me so much in just her four short years. She loves me unconditionally and me her. She knows she is loved by many and everyone in her life is important even if some are not blood related. Quinn would do anything for her and so would Mrs. Dawson. Even though Andy’s parents haven’t met Demi but have seen photos, I do know that they would do anything for her, not me but her and to be honest that’s all that counts in my book. Demi is number one.

“You want breakfast baby girl or do you wanna cuddle and watch some cartoons in Mama’s bed?” She doesn’t reply but jumps into bed with me, so we snuggle tight and sit and watch ‘Mickey Mouse Club House’ before we get ready for a day at the beach, I have a day off so I thought we would spend some quality time together just us girls. Quinn wanted to join us but got called into school by one of her professors, something about an internship or something like that.

Chapter 5

Ryder

It’s been two days since Letty and I exchanged numbers and she still hasn’t contacted me, I even went to The Hot Pot to try and catch her at work but she wasn’t there either. I want to text her but I don’t want to push her either, I want her to come to me so I don’t scare her off before we start anything. She was all I thought about after the Phoenix New Year party and now seeing her again has rekindled that light and I want to see her more. God I want to feel those sexy as sin full lips on mine again.

Heading onto campus for my last class of the day I pass the medical center and see a Reeve and Skeet walk out laughing and playfully punching each other. What the fucking hell have they caught now?  A few months ago they both caught an STD from a girl they banged. They couldn’t have sex for four weeks so you can only imagine the hell they put us through. Once they were given the all clear they want on a full week’s sex bender. No-one saw them, so God only knows where they went.

“Yo, Ry you heading to class?” I stop in front of them and turn my ball cap around backwards.

“Yeah, my last class today. What you boys got this time?” I nod towards the medical center.

Skeet laughs “Nothing dude, just wanted free condoms; they have family planning in there.” He flicks his head towards the center. I can’t help but laugh. The doors swings open and three young pretty girls come giggling out and down the steps.

Busted, fuckers

“Fucknuts. Bullshit to free condoms. Did you bang them?” The girls see us standing there and giggle even more while walking to their cars. I see Reeve and Skeet wink and smile at them the whole cat got the milk mind of smile.

“What can I say, it’s the…” 

“Phoenix Effect”

We both say it in unison and then burst out laughing. “C’mon fuckers we got a class to get to. I don’t think Mrs. Monroe would be pleased if we are late again”

We get to class just in time and Mrs. Monroe just shakes her head at us but she can’t hide the smile she is wearing. Class goes by fast like is usually does. Both Reeve and I took Music as our major whereas Rafe took Engineering. See, Mama Phoenix wanted us all to have something to fall back on if our music career didn’t take off. Even though she will give us jobs at Phoenix Records if needed, she is Mama Phoenix and no-one tells her no. Our big sister Ren took music also which is why she works at our record company. She helps produce and sign bands. She is away at the moment trying to recruit new and upcoming bands that Phoenix Records might want to sign.

I grab some lunch with Reeve and Skeet and we chat about the girls they banged over the weekend you see these two fuckheads can’t just have sex with one girl. Oh no, they have to take multiple women to their bed; I heard about every freaking position they tried and every location. Jesus, their dicks are gonna fall off before we are thirty.

“Boys don’t you think maybe you could just fly solo every now and again? You know, try new things. Because you two have never fucked a girl on your own; what, you can’t satisfy a girl alone or something?” I laugh into my glass of ice tea.

They both laugh with me and shake their heads. “I have only ever had sex once without Skeet joining in or even being in the room and I think it’s the same with Skeet.” Skeet smiles and nods.

“So why not give it a go then, try a single sex night. You never know, you might like it.” Both of their faces drop a little, wow they are in deep. They truly can’t bang a girl without the other in the room or joining in. “Fucking hell you two, you need to spread your wings. What happened to that girl at the New Year’s party?” Skeet looks away while Reeve replies to me.

“Skeet was in the room, she didn’t want him touching her but I made it clear he had to be in the room.” Fucking hell these two are fucked up.

“There may come a time when we will go solo but for right now we are having too much fun tag teaming” Skeet winks at me. Two girls walk into the diner and I lose the boys attention completely. I laugh to myself and throw some money on the table for my lunch.

I’m out. See you two dicks later” With that I leave the dinner and head to my brand spanking new Ford Super Duty in red; just picked her up a few days ago. Nix took me to get a new car because I felt mine was too small now.

After lunch I head to see my mom at home. She isn’t at the studio today, as she has just come back from a spa weekend with Emily Cooper, Lucy’s mom.  I have ‘Demons’ by Imagine Dragons playing while driving along the beach front. I see a familiar girl and slow my car down.

I see Letty walking in a pretty white sundress that makes her sun kissed skin stand out, and her hair is tied up in a messy looking bun thing on top of her head but that’s not what catches my eye. It’s the very adorable little girl that is holding her hand, skipping along with her in a pretty pink dress and cute little sandals. She has the same chocolate colored hair as Letty; she is a spitting image of her. A mini-Letty. Is she her daughter or niece? Surely she would have said something that day in the coffee shop. That day plays in my head. She said she has to make sure that her something... but she stopped herself.

Fuck, did she mean her daughter?

I have to find out, so I pull into a parking space and jog over to her. She is looking down at the little girl and doesn’t see me approach. I stop walking and she looks up and meets my eyes. Hers widen in shock at seeing me and I smile at her.

“Hey, Letty.” I smile at her. She looks so shocked that she even steps back from me. I kneel down by the little girl and smile at her. “Hey Beautiful, what’s your name?” I ask her in a soft gentle tone. I have experience with kids, the Phoenix family is big. We have lots of cousins of all ages. She hides behind Letty’s leg, her sweet small hands wraps around Letty’s toned thigh.