New Beginnings (114 page)

“So?”

“She could do all those things if you guys were still together, couldn’t she?”

“Of course,” I said, trying to tamp down my frustration. “I’d never stand in the way of Mac’s happiness.”

“Then let her know that. Think about how you can support her goals. If she wants to work out, offer to work out with her. If she’s trying to live a more active lifestyle, go hiking or jogging with her.”

I had to admit I was stunned by Nex’s suggestions, mainly because they made sense and I hadn’t been the one to think of them. Nex wasn’t known for being the level-headed, rational one. I was. “Go on.”

“You said you don’t want her working for Baxter. I can’t say I blame you. But you can’t just tell her you don’t want her working for him. Present her with other options, so you come off as the supportive husband.”

“I am a supportive husband.” I cracked a smile when I realized my brother had actually helped me. I felt a hell of a lot better than I had when he walked into my office. “Have you been watchin’ Dr. Phil instead of working or what?”

He laughed. “Na, I’m datin’ a shrink.”

My jaw dropped. “You’re dating a shrink or you’re seeing a shrink? Big difference, little brother.”

He pushed off my desk, strutting to the door. “You’re welcome, smart ass.”

Mackenzie

“I still can’t believe you spent the night at Ryker’s,” Molly said, spraying her legs with sunscreen.

She’d come over to use the pool and work on her tan, as she often did on Sunday afternoons before Ryker dropped the boys off. I normally appreciated the company after being alone most of the weekend, but today I would have preferred the time to collect my thoughts before facing Ryker again.

I knew our talk on Friday night had changed everything. He wouldn’t be dropping the boys off with just a casual greeting. He might want to stay, talk, maybe even have a barbeque as a family. I didn’t know how I felt about that. I was anxious to spend more time with him, but I feared it may be too soon to include our kids in those plans.

“It just kind of happened.” I leaned over, slapping her arm. “Bug,” I lied, when she frowned at me. I was punishing her for setting me up with the human garbage disposal. “I doubt I would have ended up at Ryker’s at all if not for you.”

“Me?” she asked, adjusting the brim of her floppy hat. “What did I do?”

“What the hell were you thinking, setting me up with that guy?”

“What was wrong with him?”

“Aside from the fact he was a mama’s boy with no manners, who clearly hates kids? Nothing, I guess.”

“Your standards are too high,” she said, tipping her head toward the sun. “You’ve been out of the dating game too long. You think all guys are like Ryker: big, strong, handsome, rich—”

“You hate Ryker,” I reminder her. “Why all the praise all of a sudden?”

“I don’t hate him,” she said, adjusting her oversized sunglasses. “I just think he’s been taking you for granted for too long. He didn’t realize a good thing when he had it. Now that it’s too late, he wants another chance. Well screw him!”

Molly was as opinionated and overbearing as she accused Ryker of being, but I put up with her because she’d been my best friend since the ninth grade. Besides, I had no problem telling her to back off when she’d crossed the line. Like now. “I’ll decide whether or not to give Ryker another chance, Molly. Not you.”

“You would actually consider giving that man another chance after he practically ignored you while you were living together?”

I appreciated the fact that Molly always had my back, but she was never willing to cut Ryker any slack and that was a problem, because I was determined to give him the benefit of the doubt moving forward.

“People make mistakes,” I reminded her. She’d made plenty with her former husband, but she would never admit it. According to her, it was all Richard’s fault.
He
was impossible to live with. “I’m certainly not perfect.”

She groaned. “Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Excuse Ryker’s bad behavior by claiming responsibility.”

“I don’t do that!”
Did I?
“I’m not saying Ryker was the perfect husband, but I wasn’t perfect either.”

She reached for my hand. “Honey, name a single time you weren’t there for him when he needed you.” When I didn’t respond, she said, “Exactly! You were like Martha-freakin’-Stewart, and he was more concerned about maintaining his six pack than his marriage.”

I regretted telling Molly that Ryker often retired to the basement gym in the evening to workout rather than spend time with me. “I could have gone downstairs to work out with him.”

“You said you didn’t know how to use all that equipment at the time and he didn’t have the patience to show you.”

Damn her for throwing that back in my face. Thank God I hadn’t told her about our problems in the bedroom. She would have viewed that as grounds for divorce, for sure. “Look, Mol, I know you care about me and you only want me to be happy, but I’m not ready to end my marriage. In fact, last night helped me realize I don’t want to date anyone else.”

I knew I had to tell her that Ryker and I were going to try working on our marriage. If I didn’t, she would keep trying to set me up with her single friends from work, and I couldn’t risk that.

“What do you mean you don’t want to date anyone else?” she asked, lowering her sunglasses to peer at me over the top of the frame.

She reminded me of my mother when she did that. Mom was a seamstress who wore bifocals, and she was forever peering at me over the top of her lenses. Every time she looked at me like that, I wanted to squirm.

“Ryker and I are going to work on our marriage, you know, start dating again.”

Molly slapped the side of her head. “My ear must be plugged. I could have sworn I just heard you say you’re going to start dating your soon-to-be ex-husband.”

I rolled my eyes while reaching for a fashion magazine on the table between us. “You know I’ve never seen a lawyer about divorcing Ryker. We’re not even legally separated.”

“Which I think is ridiculous. Without a legally binding agreement, he could get pissed off at you and just stop sending those big checks every month. Then where would you be?”

“Ryker would never do that. He’s committed to taking care of his family.”

“Don’t be so naïve,” Molly said, slipping her sunglasses back in place. “Don’t you know how vindictive men can be during a divorce? You think you know them, but as soon as lawyers get involved, they become someone else. Suddenly, they’re fighting over your china collection, which they didn’t even know you had until they saw it listed among your assets.”

“Another reason not to get lawyers involved,” I muttered.

“A lawyer will protect your ass when Ryker decides he’s tired of paying for all this,” she said, waving her hand around the large treed backyard.

“Molly.”

Molly’s head snapped back when she heard Ryker’s voice.

“Oh, uh, hi,” she said, scrambling to sit up. “We didn’t hear you come in. What are you doing eavesdropping on us anyhow?”

Ryker moved to the front of our loungers and pushed his sunglasses up on his head. He was wearing a fitted black T-shirt that showed off his colorful tattoos and bulging biceps, along with a pair of low-slung, faded jeans and motorcycle boots. He looked mad enough to spit nails, and I didn’t know about Molly, but I was breaking out in a sweat and his anger wasn’t even directed at me.

“You need to mind your own goddamn business,” he said, his voice low and lethal. “And stop filling my wife’s head with garbage.”

Molly reached for the cover-up at the bottom of the lounge chair, raising her chin in defiance. “Mac was my friend long before she was your wife, Ryker. Just remember that. And if you think I’m going to let you treat her like crap—”

“Stop!” I held up my hands. “I’ve listened to you two argue enough to last a lifetime.” I looked at my friend. “You know I love you, but you need to respect my right to make my own decisions.”

“But I’m just looking out for you,” Molly said, looking deflated.

“By trying to convince her that I’d leave her high and dry?” Ryker asked, clenching his fist. “What kind of person do you think I am?”

“It’s nothing personal,” Molly said, slipping her cover-up back on. “You’re a wealthy guy. It’s not like you guys had a prenup. You could stand to lose a lot if you divorced. Why wouldn’t you want to save your marriage if it meant saving you millions?”

“I did not,” Ryker said, his jaw clenched, “just hear you imply the only reason that I want to save my marriage is because of money.”

I knew this could go downhill. Fast. “Molly, I think it’s time for you to go. I need to talk to Ryker. Alone.”

“Fine.” Molly reached for her sunscreen before slipping her feet into her flip-flops and tossing her towel over her shoulder. “I’ll call you later.”

I waited for her to leave before I said to Ryker, “I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s not your fault,” he said, sinking into the lounge chair next to me. “She’s always been a pain in the ass. Nothing’s changed.”

“I know you don’t like her,” I said, the warning evident in my tone. “But she’s always been there when I needed her.”

“Unlike me?” he asked, turning to face me. “That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it?”

“Do you really want to do this right now?” I was beginning to feel like we’d started losing instead of gaining ground this weekend.

“No, I don’t.” He leaned forward, rubbing his eyes before replacing his sunglasses. “Sorry, I’m in a mood. I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”

I wanted to ask if he’d lost sleep thinking about what had happened between us the night before, as I had. “That’s okay.” I pointed at the small pool house. “It’s pretty hot out here. I still have some of your swimsuits in there if you feel like taking a dip.”

“Are you asking me to stay?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder.

“If you want to.”

“I want to.”

I smiled, grateful his back was turned so he couldn’t see how pleased I was to be spending more time with him. “Where are the boys?”

“They went across the street.”

“To the Andersons’?”

“Yeah.”

“I think Zane has a thing for their daughter, Brittany. Has he said anything to you about her?”

He stood, peeling his T-shirt off and making my mouth water. “Nope.” He toed his boots off, losing the socks too. “Be right back.”

I watched him walk away, wondering why he seemed so distant. I could understand why his argument with Molly might have put him on edge, especially if he hadn’t slept well, but I didn’t want our time together to feel strained.

I padded over to the bar fridge and pulled out a longneck, his favorite brand. I wanted him to know that I hadn’t tried to eradicate all traces of him from the house we’d shared. I popped the top off, withdrawing a vodka cooler for myself. I wasn’t big on empty calories these days, but it was hot and I needed something to take the edge off.

“I thought you might like one,” I said, holding up the bottle as he crossed the patio.

“You read my mind.” He grinned as he held up my bottle. “When did you start drinking these?”

“Mike suggested them. Fewer calories than most cocktails.”

His eyes scanned my black bikini as though he were seeing it for the first time. “You definitely do not have to worry about counting calories.”

I felt a flush move over my body. God, I loved it when he looked at me like he couldn’t wait to get me naked. “Thank you.” I held up my bottle. “What shall we drink to?”

“How about making up for lost time?”

I smiled, curling one arm around his neck to bring his head down to meet mine. “I like the sound of that,” I whispered just before our lips collided.

After we finally broke apart, he took both of our drinks, setting them down on the outdoor kitchen counter before leaning over. Before I realized what he had in mind, he’d tossed me over his shoulder and was heading toward the pool. I was screaming like a little girl, slapping his back and vowing to get even.

Unfazed, he tossed me in the pool with a chuckle before diving in after me.

By the time I finished swearing and sputtering, I started splashing him relentlessly, forcing him to capture my arms behind my back. Mmmm. I’d forgotten how much I liked being at his mercy.

“Behave yourself,” he whispered in my ear before his hot tongue traced the shell while his thick shaft found its way between my legs. “The neighbors are going to think I’m trying to abduct you.”

“I thought you didn’t care what people think,” I teased. Whenever I’d warned the boys to keep it down in the backyard or turn their music down so as not to disturb the neighbors, he reminded me that life was for the living and the neighbors could wear earplugs if they didn’t like it.

“I don’t care, but I thought you might.”

“I care a lot less than I used to.”

When Ryker moved out, everyone had an opinion and I heard about it, whether I wanted to or not. That forced me to develop a thick skin. To smile politely and tell people that Ryker and I were getting along fine, but I appreciated their concern.

“I always admired that about you,” I said, balancing on my toes while looping my arms around his neck.

“What’s that?”

He backed us against the pool wall, encouraging me to wrap my legs around his waist. It was a highly inappropriate position for two people who’d sworn off sex until the time was right, but I had to admit I was more excited and aroused than I’d been in a long time.

“You’re not afraid to take risks, and you don’t care what people think. I think that was the main reason I fell in love with you.” I smiled when his lips swept over my neck. “That, and this.” I squeezed his butt, which seemed as hard now as it had then. It wasn’t fair that he’d gotten even sexier with age, while I’d started to resent every passing year.

He quirked an eyebrow, his lips twitching. “Are you saying you just wanted me for my body?”

“Among other things.” I rocked my hips forward while nipping his lower lip. I knew I was being naughty, starting something we couldn’t finish, but it felt good to flirt with him again, feeling the weight of arousal and knowing if he could, he wouldn’t hesitate to take me to bed.