his chest. “I’m sorry for
what I said to you the other night. It was wrong, and I only did it
to push you away.” He swallowed hard and worked up his courage.
“What if I told you I want you as much as you want me? Have for
years….”
Her breathing hitched, her shoulders
tightened, but she still didn’t look at him. “That’s bullshit and
you know it. I’m not buying it, Ryan, and I’m not coming back with
you, or sleeping with you if that’s what you’re after. You had your
chance.” She shook the skillet extra vigorously over the eye on the
stove, sliding the egg around like a hockey puck, showing the level
of her agitation. “Give it up and just go back.”
“ That’s not bullshit, Twy. It’s
the truth,” Ryan replied evenly. “And trust me. Saying that to you
is not for the purpose of sleeping with you. That’s what I am
trying to avoid. Going there would be bad for both of us, and for
the family. We can work this out, if you’ll just talk to me instead
of running off.” A weight seemed to float off of his shoulders, but
plopped back down when she slammed the skillet on the stove and
turned her angry blue eyes on him.
Her hand shook as she glanced down at the knob
to turn off the burner. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?”
Twyla growled, shooting him an angry glare as she tried to brush
past him.
Ryan grabbed her arm. “We need to work this
out, honey. For us, and for the family.”
Her angry blue eyes locked on his and the
corner of her full lips curled. “ My family is fine, and I am
now too. There’s nothing to work out. I hopped off the
merry-go-round when I left you in Tulsa. You have nothing to worry
about now. It’s over, Ryan.”
It wasn’t over by a long shot. His heart
squeezed in his chest and he swallowed hard. “I know it pisses you
off, but I think of them as my family too. They are my
family.”
Hell, Ryan had lived with the Taylors since he
was a sixteen-year-old runaway. Thank God when his mother found him
she had the good sense to just leave him there. Lord knew what
would’ve happened if she’d have forced him to go back and live with
her and her new husband. He’d probably be in jail for killing the
man.
He almost had when he paid her a visit when he
was eighteen. Ryan hadn’t been back since, in twelve years, but he
knew they’d moved to a small town outside of Houston. Just far
enough from the Taylors’ home in Dallas, his home base when he
wasn’t on the road, for him to keep his distance. The restraining
order Clarence James had gotten against him was a sure visit to
jail if he couldn’t keep that distance.
The irony that the courts had awarded the
abuser the restraining order against the person trying to save the
abused wasn’t lost on Ryan. The system sucked, as far as he was
concerned. But until his mother chose to step up and save herself,
he couldn’t do anything to help her. Somehow he’d managed to stop
worrying about her every day a few years ago. That didn’t mean he
didn’t worry though. He just tried not to let it consume him like
he had before.
Twyla sighed heavily, and jerked her arm from
his grasp. “Fine, they’re your family too. I won’t be around much,
so tell mama I love her when you see her.”
She went to turn away, but Ryan grabbed her
shoulders and spun her back around. “You are my family too,
Twy!”
She shook her shoulders free. “Then you’re a
perverted son-of-a-bitch, because you just told me you wanted me a
minute ago. Make up your mind, Ryan. I’m dizzy from this shit.
Enough is enough. Just leave me alone!”
Ryan was just as dizzy as she was from it. He
was confused, frustrated and about at the end of his rope here. He
wished she’d just talk to him…or at least listen. The problem was,
now that he’d admitted the secret he’d kept for ten years, he had
no idea what else he wanted to say to her. And Twyla was right, he
was a perverted son-of-a-bitch evidently, because he couldn’t
what I said to you the other night. It was wrong, and I only did it
to push you away.” He swallowed hard and worked up his courage.
“What if I told you I want you as much as you want me? Have for
years….”
Her breathing hitched, her shoulders
tightened, but she still didn’t look at him. “That’s bullshit and
you know it. I’m not buying it, Ryan, and I’m not coming back with
you, or sleeping with you if that’s what you’re after. You had your
chance.” She shook the skillet extra vigorously over the eye on the
stove, sliding the egg around like a hockey puck, showing the level
of her agitation. “Give it up and just go back.”
“ That’s not bullshit, Twy. It’s
the truth,” Ryan replied evenly. “And trust me. Saying that to you
is not for the purpose of sleeping with you. That’s what I am
trying to avoid. Going there would be bad for both of us, and for
the family. We can work this out, if you’ll just talk to me instead
of running off.” A weight seemed to float off of his shoulders, but
plopped back down when she slammed the skillet on the stove and
turned her angry blue eyes on him.
Her hand shook as she glanced down at the knob
to turn off the burner. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?”
Twyla growled, shooting him an angry glare as she tried to brush
past him.
Ryan grabbed her arm. “We need to work this
out, honey. For us, and for the family.”
Her angry blue eyes locked on his and the
corner of her full lips curled. “ My family is fine, and I am
now too. There’s nothing to work out. I hopped off the
merry-go-round when I left you in Tulsa. You have nothing to worry
about now. It’s over, Ryan.”
It wasn’t over by a long shot. His heart
squeezed in his chest and he swallowed hard. “I know it pisses you
off, but I think of them as my family too. They are my
family.”
Hell, Ryan had lived with the Taylors since he
was a sixteen-year-old runaway. Thank God when his mother found him
she had the good sense to just leave him there. Lord knew what
would’ve happened if she’d have forced him to go back and live with
her and her new husband. He’d probably be in jail for killing the
man.
He almost had when he paid her a visit when he
was eighteen. Ryan hadn’t been back since, in twelve years, but he
knew they’d moved to a small town outside of Houston. Just far
enough from the Taylors’ home in Dallas, his home base when he
wasn’t on the road, for him to keep his distance. The restraining
order Clarence James had gotten against him was a sure visit to
jail if he couldn’t keep that distance.
The irony that the courts had awarded the
abuser the restraining order against the person trying to save the
abused wasn’t lost on Ryan. The system sucked, as far as he was
concerned. But until his mother chose to step up and save herself,
he couldn’t do anything to help her. Somehow he’d managed to stop
worrying about her every day a few years ago. That didn’t mean he
didn’t worry though. He just tried not to let it consume him like
he had before.
Twyla sighed heavily, and jerked her arm from
his grasp. “Fine, they’re your family too. I won’t be around much,
so tell mama I love her when you see her.”
She went to turn away, but Ryan grabbed her
shoulders and spun her back around. “You are my family too,
Twy!”
She shook her shoulders free. “Then you’re a
perverted son-of-a-bitch, because you just told me you wanted me a
minute ago. Make up your mind, Ryan. I’m dizzy from this shit.
Enough is enough. Just leave me alone!”
Ryan was just as dizzy as she was from it. He
was confused, frustrated and about at the end of his rope here. He
wished she’d just talk to him…or at least listen. The problem was,
now that he’d admitted the secret he’d kept for ten years, he had
no idea what else he wanted to say to her. And Twyla was right, he
was a perverted son-of-a-bitch evidently, because he couldn’t
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