Page 94 of Say it Ain’t So

“Pops.” Rylan shook his head, then held his hand out to me. His lips curled up when I slid my fingers between his and he tugged me closer, though not quite as close as before. “Come on out here and meet my wife.”

“Wife, huh?” Ray opened the door and maneuvered himself until he was standing. He made his way over to us, then opened his arms the way he had back at Rylan’s apartment. “Welcome to the family, Joss. So glad to have you.”

I fell into his arms and held on for one of the best hugs I’d felt in years. “I’m so glad to be here,” I told him, my voice wavering as I tried not to cry.

When he edged back and let me go, Ray glanced over at Rylan. “I was thinking about joining Susie back at the hotel for a bit. Figured you two might need some time alone.”

Rylan’s smile split his face in two. “Get yourself a massage,” he said, bumping his fist against Ray’s shoulder. “And maybe a pedicure. Get those gnarly toes taken care of.”

“Just might do that.” He reached to shake Rylan’s hand, but Rylan pulled him into a hug.

“Thanks, Pops. Couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Nonsense. There’s nothing you can’t do. It just might have taken a while longer for you to figure it out.” Ray edged back, untangling himself from Rylan’s fallen crutches. “You call me later? Maybe the four of us can grab supper.”

“We can confuse Ma even more by telling her she’s got a daughter-in-law.” The two of them laughed, then Ray gave me one last hug.

“You take good care of my boy. And take care of yourself, too.”

“I will.”

Ray watched until Rylan made it to the door to my building before he drove away. It was slow going getting Rylan upstairs to my apartment, but he was determined to get there all by himself. I helped him to my bedroom, then settled him on the bed before I tugged his clothes off and stripped out of my own.

With Rylan’s ring on my finger, I climbed onto his lap, kissing him and touching him the way I hadn’t in too long. We made love to each other, savoring each moment in what was sure to be a long, happy life.

28

RYLAN

Every moment that went by without the world knowing how much I loved Joss was like a thousand needles pressed into my skin. We both wanted to tell everyone we knew, but we also agreed we should wait.

I needed to get to work. To prove to Lee that I was serious about getting better and coming back. I didn’t want him thinking I was just dicking around with his employee on the company dime.

In order to go back, though, I needed to build up my strength. And in the week Ma and Pops were in Chicago, I did just that. While Ma went shopping or sightseeing, or whatever the fuck she did, Pops and my physical therapist helped me learn how to get back up on my feet again. They showed me exercises to do and encouraged me to get back at it when it all felt too hard. Pops cheered his ass off when I finally got to the point where I not only didn’t need my wheelchair, but I also didn’t need help getting around my apartment.

The day my parents left was bittersweet. While I was beyond ready to get out of my apartment and back to work, I missed my pops before his plane even took off. But that first week back was so mind-numbingly boring, I almost would rather have watched Ma walk out of my apartment within twenty minutes of showing up, on repeat for eternity. The only thing I had to do was sit in my chair in the lobby and pick on Joss.

“Tonight?“ I asked, for the thousandth time.

“Yes, Rylan,“ Joss replied, her voice full of exasperation I both hated and loved.

She wanted to tell Van first. She felt it would be a betrayal of their friendship if she didn’t tell him in person. The problem with that was trying to pin him down. He’d been busy, not with any normal Bridgewater work—Joss could have scheduled him a night off, if that was the case. Instead, he was busy helping Lee track down Kelly.

Something I should have done. Something I would have done had I not gotten hurt.

“Are you okay to drive your truck home?” Joss asked quietly after glancing around. “Or do you want to take my car?”

With my lips pursed together, I glanced out the window beside me. I hated that I couldn’t use my own damn truck. I could drive it just fine. The problem was trying to get into it. It was a climb I hadn’t quite been able to manage, so Joss had taken to driving it and letting me take her car.

Nothing like keeping up appearances.

If we could just go public, this wouldn’t matter. If I could just manage to pull myself up, this whole thing wouldn’t be an issue anymore.

“I’ll take your car,” I muttered, upset with myself.

“Hey.” Joss rounded the front desk and came to my side, perching herself on the table I had my leg up on. “It’ll all be over soon, okay?”

She reached for my hand and brought it to her lips, and I fell in love with her all over again.