“Do you want to switch?”
She shook her head. “No, your legs are too long for the back seat. I fit fine. Just… Just restless, I guess.”
Vince smiled at her. “It’s okay, Bailey. You’re allowed to feel a little uneasy.”
“What if he’s a weirdo? What if he’s crazy or—”
“Does any of that matter?” Ryan asked. “He didn’t raise you. You don’t have to maintain a relationship with him if you don’t like him.”
“If it makes you feel any better, Bailey, I’ve done some reading up on the family. They’re perfectly respectable,” Vince said.
“I’ve done a little research myself. Problem is, the public image doesn’t always match the private one. Look at mine. Rosa Sikes has the world believing I’m a selfish whore who has no regard for anyone else and ran off with her brother-in-law.” Bailey smirked. “Because, you know, the media is always fair and honest.”
“The Rosa Trials is not the media,” Ryan said. “She has a rag show, and no one with any self-respect believes anything she says. She makes money spreading lies, and those fake-ass ‘trials’ are her way to make people believe she’s fair and honest.”
“And sometimes they work. Some people believe her trials are fair—”
“Smart people—people who count—know the difference.” Bailey and Ryan’s eyes met in the rearview mirror. “Anyone dumb enough to believe her bullshit isn’t someone you need in your life.”
He smiled, and his eyes crinkled. It was so familiar to her; it eased her nerves some. She would never have gotten through the last few months without him by her side. He was too good, and she wasn’t sure she deserved him. She turned again to look back at Lucas’ truck. All her friends were the best. But having a family, what would that be like?
“I’m happy to have siblings, but I just don’t know what to do with that.”
“Let things happen naturally, sweetheart. You don’t have to work at having a relationship. Just let it happen,” Vince said.
* * *
They checked in at the hotel once they arrived in Sacramento. Bailey couldn’t sit still for five seconds. After unpacking her clothes, she started pacing. Ryan’s eyes followed her, and he wished he could do something to make this easier on her.
She walked over to the sliding glass door and jerked the curtain open, then slid the door wide. A cool breeze washed through the room. It was cold in Sacramento, but nothing compared to South Lake Tahoe. When Bailey stepped out onto the small balcony, Ryan followed her.
“Pretty good view,” he said.
His eyes scanned the area and settled on a café where people could be heard laughing and talking every time the door swung open.
“Hey, do you want to go get a drink or something?” he suggested, recognizing her rising anxiety. “You look like a caged animal.”
She turned and gave him a faint smile. “No. I’m sorry. I’m sure my restlessness is getting on your nerves.”
“Babe, you’re not getting on my nerves at all. But I understand if you need to get out of your own head.”
Bailey lifted her gaze to the inky sky. “I have a family nearby. They’re out there, under the same sky.”
“They’re probably just as nervous and anxious as you are.”
“God, I wish Mom was here to talk to.” She closed her eyes as the cool breeze brushed her face. “What would she think about all this?”
“I’ve had the same thought.” He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He inhaled the lavender scent and felt his dick grow hard but pushed his desire aside. “The truth is, I don’t know what she’d think about it.”
“What do you think these people are like—my father and siblings? Do you think they’re like me?” She placed her hands over Ryan’s. “What have the last twenty-eight years been like for them?”
“I’m sure they’ve felt a huge void with you missing from their lives.”
“How weird is it I never felt that same void?” Bailey said, turning to face him. She rested her hands on the sides of his neck. “Thank you for being here.”
His hands traveled down her back, and he chuckled nervously. “Do you need a distraction?”
Bailey kissed the skin at the base of his throat and said, “I’d love a distraction.”
He wrapped his hands around her hips, lifted her off her feet, and carried her back into the room before lowering her onto the desk. Their mouths came together in a fusion of heat and softness. Bailey nipped his lips with her teeth and muttered, “I really, really need a distraction.”
Ryan grabbed the hem of her dress and ripped it over her head, his body heating rapidly at the feel of her teeth. It seemed crazy, but with all the madness going on around them, he needed her now more than ever. He needed the skin-on-skin contact, to hear her breathing in his ear and feel her pressed against him. He needed to be inside her.
He reached over and clicked the lamp off, and the glow from the open patio door grabbed his attention. A full moon lit the sky outside, and the strong breeze caused the sheer curtains to billow into the room. Ryan tugged at his duffle bag sitting on the desk to grab a condom, but Bailey stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“It’s okay,” she said. “The doctor sent me the final test results this morning.”
Ryan’s head whipped around to meet her eyes. “Wait, what? Did he say you were okay?”
She smiled and nodded. “Yes. I’m fine. Totally disease-free.”
Ryan rested his head on her chest, relief overwhelming him. Living with that hanging over their heads for the last several months was killing him. The thought of that son-of-a-bitch injecting her with drugs from dirty needles made him rage. If he ever got his hands on the bastard…
Bailey cupped his face with her hands. “Are you okay?”
He nodded, unable to speak.
She pulled his head up so their eyes were level. “I love you.”
Ryan leaned in, his mouth devouring hers in an
