“Well, we have an extra bedroom,” I responded, because that was the best thing I could think of to say.
“Are you serious? You’re okay with this?” The elevator opened to the ground floor, and he moved to get out. He was looking at me as if I’d just handed him a check for ten million dollars.
“If Ryder is up for it, we have the space, so of course. He’s your family, and so he’s part of my family. You’ve done a lot for me, and for Sloane.” He opened his mouth and then closed it, at a loss for words. Then he grabbed my face and kissed me fiercely. We hadn’t kissed like that since the situation started with Ryder, and I’d missed it, even though it had been less than two days.
“I love you so much that I can’t breathe sometimes. How did I find you?” His thumbs skimmed my cheeks and he smiled so big, I thought his face might crack. I was smiling too.
“eBay.”
He leaned forward once more and kissed each cheek and then the tip of my nose and the middle of my forehead.
“It’ll take some getting used to, having him around, but it will only be temporary. I’ll get him set up with his own place, and get his ass employed and he’s going to get his shit together whether he wants to or not. And then we can go about our merry way.”
The last part made me laugh as I imagined Lucah and I skipping through a field of wildflowers.
“Now we just have to break it to Ryder.” Lucah said as he hailed a cab.
“Oh, I’m sure he’s going to be thrilled about it.”
That was an understatement.
“You are f**king kidding me!” Ryder said when Lucah pitched him the idea. We’d stopped at Ryder’s favorite taco place to pick up a bunch of tacos to soften the blow, but it didn’t really work. He’d known something was up. Sloane had gone to make a few phone calls, and April and Tate were out in the hallway talking about something kid-related.
“I am not moving in with you. I’m not some stupid kid. I’m an adult. I have my own f**king life.” His face was getting red, but so was Lucah’s.
“Yeah, you do Ryder, and look where you ended up. In the f**king hospital. You can’t keep living this way, and I will be damned if I’m going to let you f**k your life up any more than you already have. What would Mom and Dad think?”
There was a charged silence after Lucah’s outburst. The two men were nearly shaking, they were so worked up. I was torn between thinking that I should leave them to it, and staying to make sure they didn’t get into it. On the plus side, we were already in a hospital.
I stayed.
The rage simmered and I thought it was going to explode, but it didn’t. Ryder looked away from Lucah and out the window.
“I’m not trying to punish you, Ryder. I’m f**king trying to keep you alive. And like it or not, I’m all you’ve got. Me and Tate. I can’t lose any more of my family, I can’t. Don’t make me have to.” Lucah’s voice went from loud to soft and intense. Ryder kept glaring out the window, but I could tell that he was fighting a losing battle. He might be a grown man, but he was still Lucah’s little brother. Something like that didn’t change, no matter how old you got.
“You don’t have to talk to me, that’s fine. Give me the silent treatment. Get it out of your system. But when you leave this hospital, you will be moving in with us, and you will be going to counseling. If you can’t comply with that, then I will be very happy to tell the hospital that you can’t be responsible for yourself and need to be admitted to a treatment facility. Trust me, that place probably isn’t going to have food cooked by Sloane Harris every night.” At the mention of Sloane’s name, Ryder startled, just a microscopic amount.
“I am going to get some coffee, and I will be back.” Lucah left the room and I followed him.
“What’s going on?” Tate said, looking worried. Lucah explained the situation as Sloane came back with coffee for everyone.
“Are you sure you’re up for that? It’s going to be like having a full-grown toddler in your house. I would say he could come and live with us, but I think that might make things worse, and I don’t know about having him with the girls.” I could understand that, absolutely. Which was why letting him stay with us was really the only option, and the best option.
“We’re up for it, aren’t we, Sunshine?” Lucah slung his arm around me. “We probably won’t even notice he’s there.” That was the biggest lie I’d ever heard, but I didn’t call him out on it because I wanted to believe it.
“He could stay with me,” Sloane said, looking at the coffee cup in her hand.
I had the urge to scream, NO, but Lucah cut in for me.
“He’s my brother. My responsibility—” He was then cut off by Ryder standing in the doorway of his room, hanging onto his IV pole.
“I’m not anyone’s f**king responsibility, and I’m sick of you talking about me out here. So if you’re going to do it, go somewhere else.” He turned around and I hid my eyes because his gown was tied in the back, but not very well. There was a lot of exposure.
We all stood there silently after Ryder called us out.
“On that note, I think we’re going to head home,” April said. “We’ll talk about . . . everything at some other time.” There was more hugging and then they left.
“I also think I’m going to head home. I have a lot of laundry to do. Keep me updated.” More hugs for Sloane and then it was Lucah and me and a surly Ryder.
“I’m thinking maybe we should both spend the night at home. Give him some space. The nurses are watching him and the doctor is always on call.” Ryder had to meet with a psychiatrist and would have to continue doing so for a little while to make sure that he wasn’t harming himself further. They were also changing his medication.
“I think that would be a good idea. He’s kind of been in a fishbowl lately.” We both spoke in low voices so Ryder couldn’t overhear.
“True. I’ll go tell him we’re leaving. Why don’t you stay out here?” I nodded and he went to say goodnight to Ryder. Only a few minutes later he was closing the door and shaking his head.
“This is going to be interesting.”
The realization that Ryder was going to be moving in with us the next day hit both of us as soon as we got back. We had a bed in the spare room, but we hadn’t really decorated it or anything. Plus we were going to have to feed him, and . . .