The Unexpected Series (Unexpected #1-3) (78 page)

His question catches me off guard. “Of course it’s okay. After what happened last night I don’t blame you for being worried.”

“So,” I start to ask. “A cop, huh?”

He shakes his head laughing. “Yea. I figured after giving them a run for their money I would pay for my sins by becoming one.”

I nod. “I see.”

“Plus,” he wiggles his eyebrows, “I’m kinda into the handcuffs.”

My mouth opens wide in shock but he pats my legs. “Get dressed. We’ve got to go.”

The large sip of coffee I take burns my tongue. “Where are we going?”

My feet are lifted as he stands and turns them to the side. “To be free.” When I don’t make a motion to move he says, “It’s a surprise. Come on. Jeans and a t-shirt.”

I quickly got dressed, excited to find out what he has planned.

After our first stop at a diner just off Dundee Road that I pass all the time but never go in Ryder starts heading down Milwaukee Avenue towards Rosemont. When he pulls into the parking lot I look at the tall building–confused.

“What’s this?” I ask opening the door and stepping out of the car.

The temperature has taken a nose dive and I pull my jacket around me tighter.

He walks over to my side of the car, holding his elbow out for me to take “iFly,” he says. “Indoor skydiving. I assume you have never been here.”

I shake my head side to side and nerves take over my body. When I was younger I wanted to go skydiving and bungee jumping but as I grew older I got scared and realized those were very stupid risky things to do. But this–this is perfect.

We walk in just as they open and are immediately pulled into a room where they give us an overview of the signals and rules. Ryder sits next to me, his leg rubbing against mine, sending old feelings shooting through my body. It’s distracting, and I’m afraid I’m going to screw up my flight because of my lack of attention.

His shoulder nudges mine. “Are you okay? You seem like something is wrong.”

“Perfect,” I tell him, nudging him back. “Just nervous.”

He reaches down and grabs my hand into his, our fingers wrapping around one another. I’m not sure friends do this, but it’s comforting and even though a lot of our skin isn’t touching I can feel my body humming. “Nothing to be nervous about. I’ll be right there.”

When the class is over, the instructor takes us to another room for us to put our flight suit on. As I put the pink and purple material over my body my nerves start to go into overdrive. I sit on the bench and lower my head between my knees trying to calm myself down. When I feel I have myself in check I walk out and find Ryder in the same ugly suit as me but his is blue and green. He spins around slowly. “Like what you see?”

I laugh. “Very sexy,” I tell him as I pull my hair back into a ponytail.

He takes my hand into his again and we are led into another room. Its ceiling reaches the height of the building and in the middle of the room is a large glass tube that is currently occupied by what appears to be a ten year old. She is flying, doing flips and spinning around as the air below her keeps her body floating. The tube is surrounded by onlookers and they all clap everytime she does a flip.

Seeing a kid do it doesn’t ease my nerves. If anything, it makes it worse. I’m going to look like a fool out there.

Ryder squeezes my hand. “You’ll be fine.” He comforts me, seemingly reading my mind.

When it’s our turn Ryder allows me to go first and watches as the instructor leads me inside the glass.

As soon as my body hits the air I go flying up. My body floats effortlessly. I close my eyes–nerves disintegrated–and imagine myself flying over the ground, seeing the curvature of the earth. When I was a teenager my reasons behind wanting to skydive wasn’t for the risk. It was to see how small we all our in this big world. To see how each and every one of us make up such a large space. I can see that under my eyelids. When I open them, my eyes immediately lock onto Ryder’s deep blue ones just outside the glass. His teeth shine bright underneath his wide smile.

He did this for me. He wanted me to feel free and right now I’ve never felt freer. I forget all the hurt, all the drama, and just smile knowing that he gets me like no one ever really has.

When my time is up, I excitedly run out to his awaiting arms and jump into them. He picks me up with ease and our lips collide without hesitation. My body tenses. It wasn’t intentional but the spark that it ignited lit me on fire.

We pull apart, his blue irises meeting my green.

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper.

He slides me down his body, dropping me to my feet and takes my cheeks into his hands. “I’m not.”

Placing a light kiss on my nose, he releases me and walks over to the instructor for his turn.

I stand there dumbfounded not only by the accidental kiss but also as I watch Ryder flip, turn and fly so high up in the glass that he disappears out of my line of sight. He’s had to have done this before.

After a few minutes of showing off, he walks out pretending to run to me as I did to him earlier. I outstretch my hands, laughing, as he mockingly tries to get me to catch him. This time though he purposely kisses me chastely on the lips.

My heart, the butterflies in my stomach, and mind all tell me I’m a goner.

T
he smile on Hadley’s face has made my week. Ever since she told me she feels like she lost herself I have made it my mission to figure out things that I could take her to do and show her that she can live life the way she wanted. The way she dreamed.

Last night was a game changer and a total mind fuck. I was shocked to see Hadley there dancing in the middle of the floor with Janie, our human resources girl. She looked amazing in that dress and that fucking slit up the side was my undoing. I watched her body sway and I wondered why the hell she was there. When a slow song came on I had to use the opportunity to snatch her up but I didn’t expect what followed to happen. I shouldn’t have been surprised that James was her boyfriend. The way he acted towards me after that first day I told him about Hadley should have been my first clue. When he had me change partners I was surprised. You just don’t put the new guy with a rookie. Granted I have been an officer for a few years now but I wasn’t experienced enough in the Buffalo Grove department to take on a brand new guy. Now James, or Braden, or whatever the hell his name has just has been promoted to Sergeant. I’m not sure what that will mean for my happiness at the station but if winning Hadley back means I have to find another one then I’ll look at the surrounding areas. I want this girl and I don’t care what it takes to keep her.

Right now, though, taking it slow seems to be my best option, however, that little accidental kiss isn’t helping.

“You looked like Charlie and his grandpa when you flew up to the ceiling.” Hadley giggles from beside me in the car.

I laugh, confused. “What?”

“You know,” she starts, shifting in her seat to turn her body towards me. “In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when they drink that drink and it causes them to float to the ceiling.”

I think about that scene in the movie and laugh again. “Oh, yea. That’s funny.” I reach over squeezing her thigh and wink. “Can I call you my Chocolate Factory?”

Her brow scrunches in confusion, a stray hair falling into her face before she blows it away. “Why?”

I face the road again, turning left at the light. “So I can own you.”

She’s quiet and when I am stopped at another red light I look over. “Did I say something wrong?”

“You can’t own someone, Ryder.”

“I think that’s untrue.” I reach out pulling her chin so she is looking back at me. “You’ve owned me since our first kiss.”

Her tongue darts out to wet her lips and she snatches her lip up between her teeth. I’m mesmerized by the action until someone honks their horn. She doesn’t say another word until we reach her apartment.

She lets out a soft sigh looking up to her door. “Do you want to come in?”

“I can’t. I promised my sister I would stop by.”

“Okay,” Hadley responds and I can hear the sadness in her voice. I don’t know what it’s about but I’m hoping it’s because she doesn’t want me to leave.

I tap her hand gently. “Unless you want to join me.”

She smiles and I reverse out of the parking lot.

~~

W
e arrive at my sister’s house thirty minutes later and as soon as I’m out of the car I’m greeted by two crazy girls. My nieces Macy and Marcy come barreling out of the house towards me. Their four year old bodies knock me down into the snow and they circle their arms around me as much as they can.

“Uncle Ryder!” They both scream simultaneously, blowing out my eardrums.

“M and M!” I yell back, playfully throwing them off of me into the yard. They take advantage and begin making snow angels.

Hadley walks up beside me after I get to my feet, smiling. “Twins?”

“Yup,” I answer, leading her up the sidewalk to the front door. “Identical ones. Macy and Marcy.”

“Cute,” she comments as the girls mow us down to get into the house first.

Veering to the right, we enter the kitchen where Julia is making lunch. She looks up–her blue eyes tired from working late nights bartending–finding Hadley next to me. She wipes her hands on her apron.

“Hadley,” she says extending her arms and bringing her in for a hug. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. Ryder has told me so much about you.”

Julia was a sophomore when Hadley and I dated. She never knew about our secret relationship until after our dad died. He passed away from a heart attack just after the guy who knocked Julia up left her to become a single mother of twins. After he died there were a lot of questions on why my relationship with my dad crumbled during senior year.

When Hadley left and her parents wouldn’t cough up her whereabouts, I was heartbroken and distraught. I thought my dad could help find her. He was a lead investigator after all, but he yelled at me for even thinking about “that man’s bastard child.” I confronted him about leaking private information on Hadley’s dad to keep him from promotions at his job at the bank. He never moved up past a teller because my dad successfully kept him there. I barely spoke to him when I came home from college. When he died, I regretted almost every word I had not said to him but never the words he did hear from me. I loved Hadley, hell I still do, and feel that she is worth all the trouble and harsh words.

I watch Hadley’s face blush when all Julia can do is just stare at her.

“She isn’t an exhibit at the art museum, Jules. Stop freaking her out.” I laugh, pulling her in for a hug.

She playfully slaps my arm. “I know. I’m just excited to meet the famous Hadley.” She walks back over to the stove. “I was getting tired of seeing that Wendy chick here.”

The air in the room stiffens. I haven’t hidden anything from Hadley when it comes to Wendy but she doesn’t know that we’ve slept together a few times just to scratch the itch. We both have a mutual understanding that we are in love with other people but need a little release here and there. Wendy has only met Julia twice and those were both when she was dropping off the twins at my house to babysit. Besides the very minimal sex we’ve had, Wendy is like a best friend. Never once has she pushed for more, not that I would give it to her. I think Julia is trying to get me into some trouble. It’s not going to work.

I glance at Hadley, who looks almost murderous. Maybe it will work.

I lean over and whisper in her ear, “You look fucking hot when you’re jealous.”

Her vicious eyes turn on me. “What do I care? We’re just friends.”

The girls come flying into the kitchen and tackle me again. This time I stay standing. I pick them up, one in each arm, and walk into the living room spinning them around in a circle until they scream for me to stop.

A dizzy Macy asks, “Are you babysitting us today?”

As a single mother Julia not only has the bartending job but also has a waitressing job during the lunch shift on weekends. This supplements the income she gets from assisting at the girls’ preschool. When I can help out on the weekends and weeknights I do. I also send friends to see her at work who leave astronomical tips since she won’t take money from me. Though she couldn’t go to college, she does still owns her own home but money is always tight. I’m proud of her. Once she had the girls, she would never take a cent from my mother either, even though my mom has an abundance of it.

“Of course! What kind of uncle would I be if I didn’t watch my favorite nieces and play hide and go seek and dress up?”

“Can we paint your nails again Uncle Ryder?” Marcy asks, effectively revoking my man card.

Hadley’s laugh fills the room.

“Who is that girl?” Macy asks.

I smile when I find Hadley in the door frame watching us. “That’s Hadley,” I tell them.

Marcy pulls on my shirt so I can lean down and whispers in my ear, “Is that your girlfriend?”

I turn my head to whisper back but loud enough so Hadley can hear. “I wish she was my girlfriend.”

“EWW!” The girls erupt into laughter and run to their rooms.

Walking over to Hadley, I lower my face to hers. Her breathing accelerates with each inch I get closer. “Have I told you how beautiful you look today?”