Road to Reason (9 page)

She would have to remember that about Ryan. He had been around the block a few times. She wasn’t his type and she knew it. Today was proof, yet again. She just needed to keep that in mind at all times. 

Ryan was only helping her out. There were no strings attached.

Yes, they were dating. And she guessed they could be considered boyfriend and girlfriend, for now, but he didn’t have a good track record and she wasn’t about to let herself fall for him. 

Because even though she was enjoying her time with him, it was only temporary.  Short term. It would only lead to heartache in the end if she thought more of it than it was.

Kaitlin thought for sure after the Tulip Fest Ryan would take her back to her place and they would have sex. 

But nope.  Just more endless kissing, with a little bit of petting thrown in. More than enough to leave her wanting.

Only he never made a move to go any further. She knew he was turned on—it was evident. Kind of hard to miss when he was lying across her on the couch. Yet he always seemed to pull back and leave when she asked for more.

He did that more times than she cared to admit. Left her wanting more.

They had been dating for over three weeks now.  She’d lost count of the number of times he took her out and brought her back home, kissed her senseless, let his hands wander, worked her up and walked out the door.

She was frustrated. Not only was she frustrated because she was still a virgin, but now she had sexual frustration to add to the mix. Something she had never felt before. 

On the up side, they seemed to be getting along great.  She was having the time of her life with him.  He really
was
a romantic. Fancy restaurants, flowers, holding hands, quick kisses, candlelit dinners at home.  Her home—she had yet to see his house. 

Maybe he was just being cautious since his family and hers both lived on the lake.  There would have been a significant chance of someone seeing them together there.

She just wished she knew what he was waiting for.

***

Ryan knew exactly what he was doing, and what he was waiting for. Even if the waiting was killing him.

He hadn’t gone this long without sex since he was in high school, and even then he wasn’t sure he ever went this long before.

It had been three weeks of hell dating Kaitlin. Seeing her all dressed up looking sexy and hot, touching her, kissing her, having her ask him for more.

But each time he walked away.  It wasn’t only the last three weeks dating Kaitlin, but he hadn’t been with a woman in the two weeks prior. Not since before she asked him to be her first lover.  Over five long weeks ago.

He was trying to do this right. He had never intended to wait this long. Except two weeks ago, a few days after Tulip Fest, he had a moment of panic when Alec stopped in to see him in the office. 

They were just casually talking about the plans for the gazebo, when Ryan made the mistake of asking about Alec’s family. “How is everyone doing? Your parents, brothers, sister?”  He had hoped Alec wouldn’t see through the question by throwing the whole family in there.  He still didn’t know what possessed him to ask in the first place.

“Everyone’s good.  My parents keep throwing hints out about grandchildren to Phil. It’s actually kind of amusing to watch him skirt the issue.” Alec laughed.  “My parents don’t see it, but I know my brother; I think Linda is going to be a thing of the past pretty soon.  Ben and I are hoping, at least.”

“They’ve been together what, five years?” Ryan asked incredulously. He couldn’t imagine dating someone that long.

A few months had been his record, by then he started to slip away ever so slightly, so as to not leave broken hearts behind.   He may have had a reason for his aversion to relationships, but he was always honest and upfront.

He always told whoever he was dating it wasn’t serious, but the minute it started to turn that way, he ended things.

“Something like that. Honestly, I’ve never felt Phil was really invested in her. I think she’s a convenience.  Someone to go to on lonely nights. She pursued him pretty hard. He fell for it, but I don’t think he is anymore. Falling for her ways, that is.”

Ryan knew the Lindas of the world.  Had spent plenty of time with them himself.  Which was how he became a master at ending things before they turned into more. “How about Ben?  He seemed good last time I saw him,” he commented.

Ryan knew the family was worried about Ben since he got out of the Navy. It had been Ben’s life, his world, and they were worried he wasn’t handling the death of his best friend well.  Ryan could understand that; he couldn’t imagine losing anyone that close to him. 

“He says he’s fine. But you know Ben. Always says he’s fine.  Katie is keeping him on his toes though,” Alec said, smirking.

“What do you mean?” he asked cautiously.

“Ben is positive she has a boyfriend, but she is being tightlipped about it.  Driving him insane. He says he’ll get it out of her. The two of them were always close. Probably as close as Phil and I, to be honest.”

All it had taken were those few words, however innocent, out of Alec’s mouth two weeks ago. So Ryan decided he wasn’t going any further with Kaitlin until her family knew of their relationship.  She hadn’t made any comments about wanting to tell her family, so he didn’t bring it up, either.

But until everyone knew, and accepted it, they would be continuing as is. Celibate.

***

“Got a minute?” Thomas asked Ryan early Tuesday morning.

“Of course,” Ryan answered. “I could use a break.”

“How’s it going? Working on the Fremont case?”

His father knew he was burning the candle at both ends trying to find any dirt he could on the murder victim, Jason Briggs. “It’s going.  I’ve been able to track down a few of his ex-girlfriends, but so far I haven’t been able to get anyone to meet or talk to me yet. But I’m not giving up.”

Ryan was determined to show the judge and jury what a dirt bag Jason really was.  Anyone who preyed on women and children deserved his own special place in hell.

“I’ll let you get back to it. I just came in to remind you about the party this weekend.” His father cleared his throat and looked a bit uncomfortable for a moment.  “Your mother would like to know if you are bringing a guest.  You know she hates to have someone sprung on her last minute.”

Michele Mathews loved her boys, and she wanted them happy, but she hated when Ryan showed up unannounced with a woman on his arm.  Mainly because those women tended to annoy his mother in their attempts to trap her son.

He had been so busy, between work and trying to carve out time to spend with Kaitlin, he completely forgot the Memorial Day weekend was coming up, along with his parents’ annual party.  “Actually, yes I am.”

He had been trying to find a way to get Kaitlin to come out in the open with their relationship and it seemed he found it.  It was time in his mind. More than time.  He was starting to feel guilty about hiding it from his family. He didn’t like keeping secrets, not really, and this shouldn’t have been a secret to begin with.

“What’s her name, so I can at least let your mother know that much.”

Here goes.  “Kaitlin Harper.” He waited for his father to react. And wasn’t disappointed.

“Kaitlin Harper? As in Katie? William and Isabel’s daughter?” he asked wide-eyed.

“Yes.”

Thomas sighed, turned his back and walked a few steps to close the door. “How long has this been going on?”

“Almost a month.” Ryan had a moment of panic that his father was so angry he was going to walk out the door without talking to him. He shouldn’t have thought that, but everything concerning Kaitlin had been putting him on edge.

“And who knows? Does her family know?”

Ryan saw the hurt in his father’s eyes. “No. You’re the first.  As soon as you leave I’ll call her and let her know the cat is out of the bag. Trust me, the news will spread fast.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Thomas warned. 

There was a family friendship on the line if things didn’t work out, or worse yet, got ugly. The Harper boys were very protective of their baby sister and everyone knew that, especially Ryan. “I do.  I hope I have your support.”

“You’ve always had my support,” Thomas confirmed.

“But not always your approval,” Ryan said, hedging.  His father had always been honest with his children before, and Ryan was counting on that now.

“No, not always. Not when it came to your choice in women. But you’re an adult, and it’s your life.”

“Exactly,” Ryan agreed.  “But what about now? Do I have your approval?” Ryan held his breath. He didn’t realize how much he needed to hear his father say yes.  How much needed the man he looked up to his entire life to stand behind him right now.

“Of course you do.  But please be careful with her.  She isn’t like anyone you’ve ever been with before.”

“I know,” he said softly.

***

“It’s time, Kaitlin. I’m sorry it happened this way, but maybe it was the push we needed,” Ryan explained into the phone. “I asked my father to not say a word to anyone, that we wanted to handle it our way with no interference from our parents.  He agreed as long as I went to dinner tonight and personally told my mom.”

“I guess you’re right; it’s time. My mother did mention something about the party a few days ago and I sort of brushed it off when you didn’t bring it up.”

She didn’t want to tell him she’d been hurt that he hadn’t asked her to go.  Now she was at least relieved that wasn’t the case.

As soon as she hung up with Ryan, she went to her father’s office to break the news to him. Surprisingly he seemed fine with it.  At least she thought he was after he got over his initial shock. 

The next call was to her mother, because her father said he wasn’t letting her out of the office until she told her mother personally.

He didn’t think Isabel would believe him if he broke the news to her. Again, surprisingly her mother seemed pretty mellow about it, too. That was after a moment of silence on the phone, where Kaitlin had to ask if she was still there.

After both her parents knew, she swore them to secrecy so that she and Ryan could inform everyone else tonight. She would let her parents know once everyone that was important in their lives knew. Then they would be free to talk amongst themselves.

Which she knew was going to happen. She just hoped what they said wasn’t too bad, because she wasn’t changing her mind about Ryan. And nothing they could say would make her.

Ben was going to be the toughest nut to crack, so he was her first target. 

“I’m glad you could come to dinner tonight,” she said, reaching up and giving him a kiss on the cheek when he arrived at her house that night. 

He was so handsome.  Her favorite brother. Though she would never tell Alec and Phil that. But Ben was the closest to her in age, even though he was four years older. Alec and Phil had the twin bond thing going so that left her and Ben for each other. She was glad of it, actually hoped to use it to her advantage tonight.

She watched him open her refrigerator and bend over from his six-foot-two-inch height and grab a beer.  He was still dressed in his work clothes—since he came directly from there. Well, if jeans and a black shirt with AMC security embroidered on the front was considered a uniform. 

As the Director of Security at Albany Medical Center, he didn’t need to dress in a uniformed shirt, though he did. He’d never been the suit-and-tie type of person and he liked to make his presence known, stating who he was. 

Thankfully he left his gun in his SUV. At least she thought he did.  She didn’t see it on his belt, but for all she knew he had another one on his ankle. She’d never asked him about any of his missions as a Navy SEAL, and she didn’t want to know.  But she knew he almost always had a firearm on him.

“Thanks for inviting me. It saves me from getting takeout tonight or eating in the hospital cafeteria again.”

Rather than look for a bottle opener in the drawer, he popped the top of his beer on the ring he always wore on his right hand. She never inquired about the silver band with the intricate design on it, either. All she knew was he’d never been without it since he left the service.

“Nothing fancy tonight, just steak and baked potatoes on the grill.”  She knew he would be happy with that. He had always been a simple eater, never a gourmet foodie.  And after being in the service he would eat just about anything.

“Sounds good,” he replied, then sat on the couch and propped his long legs on her coffee table. Crossing his ankles, he reached for the remote. 

She leaned over and grabbed it out of his hand. “Hang on a minute. I need to talk to you. Let me just go check the potatoes on the grill first though.”

He nodded and frowned at her. “I better not be getting another lecture.”

“What?” She stopped and turned. “No, not that. Something else,” she said, then walked out of the room.

She came back in and was just ready to sit on the couch next to him when her cell phone chimed. Detouring to the table, she picked it up and glanced at the words that appeared on the screen from Ryan.
Lucas and Jack down, all’s good. Going to my mom’s now. Should be fine.  Good luck with your brothers.

She couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face and typed back quickly.
Starting with Ben right now. I’ll call you later.

“Message from your boyfriend?” Ben asked with a smirk.

Too late she realized he had been watching her face while she replied back to Ryan. He’d been dropping hints about her having a boyfriend for weeks, but she had been close-lipped over who she was dating. That was after he
finally
got her to admit she was even dating someone. Since then he’d been watching her for clues, she knew. “Actually, yes.” She took a deep breath. “That’s why I asked you come over tonight.”