RYDER (Slater Brothers 4) (35 page)

“It’s 2016,” she replied to Keela. “Vibrators are
perfectly
acceptable life partners.”

Bronagh frowned. “We
need
to get you a boyfriend.”

I second that.

Alannah laughed. “Trust me, as long as I recharge me double A batteries, I’ll never need a man again.”

Dominic blinked. “Right now, as a man, I feel cheap. We’re more than sex machines, we have feelings too, you know?”

Alannah rolled her eyes. “
Please
, in school you fucked your way through the girls in our year for sport. Their hurt feelings never made you feel cheap, but I can guarantee your actions made them feel cheap.”

The conversation took a turn from playful to serious in a spilt second.

Dominic frowned. “I was a kid…”

“That doesn’t change anythin’.” Alannah angrily cut him off. “You were old enough to know what you were doin’ was hurtful, but you did it anyway. You broke hearts and didn’t care about it. You were so horrible.”

Shit.
I thought.
What the hell was up with Lana?

Dominic looked sullen as he said, “I’m not Damien, Alannah. I didn’t do those things to you.”

Alannah blinked her eyes then darted a scared look over her shoulder to make sure Damien wasn’t in earshot. Her shoulders sagged with relief when she didn’t see him. I looked over my shoulder too, and from my angle I saw he was leaning against the wall outside of the sitting room. There was no doubt from the expression on his face that he had heard
everything
she just said.

Fuck.

“I know,” Alannah then mumbled to Dominic, “it’s just hard for me to separate him from you sometimes. You have his face and when I see it, I hurt all over again.”

“Lana—”

“Look, I’m sorry,” she quickly stated. “I had a bad start to me day and I’m takin’ it out on all of you and that’s not fair.”

“What happened?” Ryder asked, and I heard it in his tone that he was concerned.

Alannah may not be dating any of the brothers, but she was part of our family and we all loved her.

“Some arsehole rear ended me and I’ve to fork out a fortune to get me car fixed. It’s the
last
thing I need. Shit has just been goin’ from bad to worse for me lately. I just can’t catch a break,” she said and shrugged her shoulders.

I felt like a pretty shitty friend because I had no clue she was having problems, and from the look on my sister’s face, she didn’t either.

“Talk to me,” she stood up and rounded the chair until she was in front of Alannah. “What’s wrong?”

Alannah looked at Bronagh then out of nowhere she burst into tears.

“Me da,” she cried. “He is havin’ an affair and me ma has
no
clue about it.”

“Oh, fuck,” Alec whispered when Bronagh folded her arms around Alannah.

Oh fuck was right.

“What am I goin’ to do, Bee?” she sobbed. “If I tell me ma it’s goin’ to break ‘er heart, and if I don’t, I’ll be the worst daughter for keepin’ it from ‘er.”

Bronagh hugged Alannah tightly.

“Are you
sure
he is havin’ an affair?” she quizzed. “Maybe you’re mistaken, babe.”

“I’m not,” Alannah sniffled. “I went into town yesterday evenin’ to get some ink cartridges for me printer, and as I was passin’ by a restaurant somethin’ told me to look through the window. I did, and there he was, sittin’ with a woman half his age at the table near the window where anyone could see them. I think she might be the same age as
me
! At first I didn’t even consider anythin’, then he reached out and took ‘er hand in his. One-second they were holdin’ hands, and the next he leaned over and they
kissed
!”

“
Double
fuck,” Alec whispered.

“I didn’t know what do,” she said, her lower lip wobbling. “I was scared he would see me so I just ran back to me car and drove back to me apartment. I rang me ma to see what she was doin’ and she said she was preparin’ dinner for me da, his favourite because he had been workin’ such long hours lately. She doesn’t know, Bronagh… how could he do this to ‘er? To our family? I hate ‘im.”

My heart broke for her, and for her unknowing mother.

“We’ll figure this out,” my sister said, consoling her friend.

I knew Bronagh was saying what she thought was necessary, but I could see from her face that she had no clue how she was going to help Alannah through this, but I knew she’d do everything possible to help her. We all would.

“About your car,” Aideen added, shifting the attention onto her. “I’ll ring me da and have ‘im hook your car up at his garage. Me brothers love you. Dante thinks you’re, and I quote ‘im, a goddess, so I’m sure he will work on it free of charge.”

Alannah pulled back from Bronagh’s hold and looked at Aideen.

“I’ll pay, I don’t want them to help me with no charge, but if it could be in instalments, that’d be perfect.”

Aideen said, “We’ll work it out, just don’t worry about it.”

Alannah nodded, but she wore her heart on her sleeve, and I could see worrying was all she would be doing. When I looked at her, I saw myself only a few months ago. She knew her whole life was about to change, and she wasn’t sure if she could handle it.

“Lana,” I said and stood up, feeling Ryder’s hand drop away from me. “Come with me, I want to talk to you.”

We left the room then, and went outside to the front garden where we could speak alone without being heard.

“Don’t bottle it up,” I said. “No good will come from holdin’ it inside. Trust me.”

Alannah’s shoulders slumped. “I know that’s why I told you lot.”

“I’m proud of you for that.”

She wiped her face with her hands. “I can’t tell me ma, this will kill ‘er.”

I didn’t want to tell her what to do so I just listened while she spoke.

“I think… I think I’m goin’ to talk to me da. I don’t know when, I’ll figure it out, but I need to talk to ‘im. Maybe… maybe I can make ‘im stop the affair… I mean, this could have been their first date together, right?”

Her mother said he had been working long hours recently, so I doubted it.

“Lana—”

“I can make ‘im stop,” she continued. “He will pick me and me ma over some little
thing
. I know he will… he just… he just made a bad decision. That’s all.”

She was killing me.

“Alannah—”

“It’s gettin’ late, I have to get goin’,” she cut me off. “I promised me ma I’d come by and help her bring her old clothes to a few charity shops. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, say bye to everyone for me, will you?”

She gave me a quick hug, and before I could say a word, she was walking down the driveway then across the road to where her car was parked outside Ryder’s house. I saw the damage to the back of her car and how smashed on her boot door was, and I hated that it was just another worry added to her list.

I watched her drive off, and when she was gone out of sight, I re-entered Alec and Keela’s house and went into the sitting room.

“She’s in denial,” I said, getting everyone’s attention. “She thinks she can make ‘er da stop cheatin’ on her ma. She is puttin’ pressure on ‘erself to keep her family together.”

Bronagh rubbed her face with her hands. “What are we goin’ to do?” she asked.

“All we can do,” I replied. “Just be there for her. Tellin’ her what to do will only result in a fight because right now, what she has decided is the only thing that makes sense to ‘er.”

Silence fell upon the room until Damien said, “I have to fix shit with her. I heard what she said to Dominic, and I need to fix it. I hate what I’ve done to her.”

“I understand you better than anyone,” Ryder said, “and my advice is baby steps. You’ve said you’re sorry a million times, and you give her space whenever she is around, but what you need to do now is let her know you’re here, you’re staying, and that you will earn her trust back.”

“How the fuck am I going to do that?” Damien asked on a groan. “She barely looks at me.”

“I can’t answer that, it’s something you’ll have to figure out for yourself, kid, but it’s obvious you do like her, so just stick to your guns.”

Damien nodded, then retreated into the company of his own mind so he could think. We spent the next few hours together and after Keela made us a big feast, we scattered around the house to digest our food.

Kane, Damien and Ryder went upstairs with Alec to look at a new weight set he bought. Dominic didn’t leave Bronagh, which was standard protocol since she hit the thirty-eight week mark in pregnancy. He refused to be away from her side in case she went into labour. He didn’t want her to be without him like Aideen went without Kane for the majority of her labour.

The conversation, as usual, switched back to sex.

“It’s difficult with you sometimes though, babe,” Dominic said to Bronagh. “I’m constantly torn between wanting to fucking
destroy
you, but I also want to bring you flowers and chocolates and treat you like a princess.”

Bro, TMI!

Bronagh didn’t bat an eyelid. “Why not do both?”

Sis, TMI!

“That right there,” Dominic snapped his fingers, “that’s why I love you.”

I laughed and so did Bronagh as he lowered his head and kissed her. It was adorable.

“I can’t believe you’re both having a little human being.” I said as I gazed at my sister’s extremely swollen stomach.

Bronagh smiled against Dominic’s mouth before turning her head in my direction.

“I know, I wish she’d hurry up. I’m goin’ to be down at the hospital with you first thing in the mornin’ to get induced if nothin’ happens tonight. I’m pregnant nearly forty-two weeks. Enough is enough.”

I knew she was miserable and wanted her baby in her arms, but I couldn’t feel sorry for her when I was so bloody excited.

I clapped my hands together. “I’m goin’ to be the coolest auntie
ever
.”

“Technically,” Dominic started, “you’re the
only
auntie since I have no sisters…”

“Finish that sentence, Slater, and you won’t be around long enough to see your child bein’ born.”

I didn’t need to look at the door to know Aideen re-entered the sitting room, her voice was enough for me to move my legs, with a smile on my face, as she dropped down next to me with a still sleeping Jax bundled up against her chest.

The kid slept a lot—like father like son.

“I’m goin’ to be her auntie, too,” she stated crossly. “Keela and Alannah as well.”

Without speaking, I reached my arms out for Jax, and Aideen gently lifted him from her chest, and passed him to me. I leaned back, and lay him across my chest. I couldn’t resist smelling his head, and it almost caused me to gobble him up on the spot. I leaned my cheek carefully on his head, and sighed in delight.

I could get used to this.

“Yeah,” Keela jumped into the conversation, regaining my attention. “Fuck you for suggestin’ otherwise.”

Dominic held up his hands when he realised he was outnumbered.

“My bad, I forgot.”

He was such a wuss when it came to us, and it amused me greatly.

I closed my eyes as I heard footsteps as someone descended the stairs. I listened to my family converse while I gently stroked Jax’s back, but opened my eyes when I felt like someone was watching me.

I locked my gaze on Ryder when I saw him leaning against the doorway of the sitting room; his arms were folded over his chest as he watched me with his nephew. I would have paid good money to know what was going through his mind, but I think I had a clue as to what he was thinking because I was thinking the same thing.

I wanted to come home and see him lying on our sofa with our baby on his chest. I
really
wanted that, and I knew in my heart that he did too.

With my gaze still on Ryder I said to Aideen, “Ado, take ‘im, will you?”

She took her son then looked between Ryder and myself and said, “I’ve a feelin’ the drought is about to come to an end, am I right?”

“Yeah, babe,” I said as I stood up, still staring at Ryder. “There’s about to be a fuckin’ storm.”

“Go get ‘im, mama.”

Without a second thought, I walked towards Ryder. His eyes flared with heat as he pushed away from the wall, and grabbed hold of my hand when I reached him. Without a word to anyone, he turned and together we almost sprinted out of the house.

“Don’t break him, Branna!” I heard a voice shout from behind us then, “I
still
want to be Ryder when I grow up!”

Ryder and I laughed until we got into his—no,
our
house. As soon as the door closed I turned to face him.

“I’m movin’ back in. Tonight.”

“Okay.”

“We aren’t usin’ a condom either, because I want us to have a baby.”

“Okay.”

“From this moment on, being a gentlemen is
over
. When we’re alone you touch every part of me. Every. Single. Fucking. Part.”

“Okay.”

“And I want to get married. Soon. We can figure out a date.”

“Okay.”

Every time I spoke, I took a step backwards, and every time Ryder replied, he took a step towards me.

“Just okay?” I asked. “You agree with everythin’ I’ve said?”

“Every. Single. Fucking. Word.”

Oh.

I blinked. “Do you have anythin’ else to say?”

“Yeah,” he said and shot forward. “I’m going to make you scream.”

My legs went weak, and before I submitted to him completely I said, “Promises, promises.”

With a promising grin, Ryder grabbed hold of me. I yelped when he picked me up, put me over his shoulder and beelined up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. Like the snap of my fingers we were in
our
bedroom, and he had me pressed against the bedroom door, pulling my clothes from my body as he dominated my mouth with his.

I matched his hunger and kissed him back, hard. My hands pulled at his shirt, and I heard some of the material rip. Ryder growled against my move, grabbed his shirt and continued what I started. He ripped the fabric from his body and tossed it behind him. I placed my hands on his bare chest and groaned when I slid them around to his back and felt rippling muscles contract under my fingertips.