Page 14 of When You Stayed
Ellie pulled back and then flicked her eyes to a spot behind me. “Lucky for you, we’re all here tonight, which almost never happens.”
I felt his heavy gaze before I turned. Ford stood there, wearing an easy smile, but it wasn’t aimed at me, it was for my parents. Unfortunately, it was breathtaking. His eyes lit up when he smiled. His teeth were white and straight, which was no surprise, as I recalled how he’d been in braces for two years in high school.
A rock crashed inside my belly as his lips seemed to flatline the moment he saw me watching. Why did he hate me so much? He was there that night of the proposal, when I’d rushed over to the club to yell at my father. When I had barged into the office, Ford was there, sitting with his sketchpad out. He was drawing a neighborhood from the looks of it, or a house. His eyes had lifted when I entered the room, and instead of disdain, surprise had brightened his hazel eyes. I remember because it made my feet falter, and I nearly fell because Ford not frowning at me had made my belly swoop, which wasn’t something I should have felt so soon after breaking up with Connor. My dad never asked him to leave, even as the most private of details from my life were hashed out in front of him. Ford said nothing to me about my fake proposal or the fact that Connor had disappeared the next day. Maybe he blamed me.
Perhaps all this time, he assumed I had broken his best friend’s heart, and I was the reason Connor left without saying goodbye.
“Royce, honey, you remember Ford?” My mother sidled up next to me, with her hand tugging mine. She was acting as though we were children and not both in our midtwenties.
I tried to play it off like it didn’t bother me, but Ford wasn’t speaking up.
“Of course I remember him. We’ve known each other since birth.”
Mom added, “I know, but you two haven’t really been around one another in a few years. Since graduation, right?”
Since he’d witnessed my father give away my future only for it to land back in his lap as a burden.
“It’s been a few years,” Ford finally said, as if he weren’t the one to always draw back, pull away and never be in the same room as me. His eyes shimmered the smallest bit while he seemed to fight another one of his smiles. If I didn’t know any better, which I didn’t—I’d say he enjoyed smiling as long as it wasn’t me it was directed at.
“Dinner is ready!” Callie called from the kitchen.
Mom turned away first, leaving me standing there with Ford towering over me. When had he gotten so tall? I raised my brow at him, encouraging him to speak, but he pushed past me toward the table. I watched the leather on his back, feeling an odd sense of familiarity settle into my core. That patch was like a beacon, directing me home. It only reminded me he shouldn’t be here.
Callie had made a delicious meal of chicken marsala that had me reaching for seconds. Ford sat across from me, which was horrible because I had a front-row seat to watching his jaw move, creating an awareness that I didn’t like. His brown hair was trimmed nicely, so it was off his neck but looked tousled on top, his brows were thick, matching the color of his hair but pairing almost artistically with his hazel eyes. My gaze trailed down to his nose, straight, almost model-like, and then that jaw that I’d memorized as a preteen from how many glances I’d snuck of him. After I’d turned fifteen, I’d stopped and couldn’t care less about him, but now…
Now, it felt like I couldn’t stop looking.
Ford Ryan was fucking hot.
“The dance is really intricate.” I caught the tail end of Ellie’s sentence while she wiped at her mouth demurely.
“She’s already been offered a showcase,” Callie proudly explained while Wes flicked his eyes affectionately toward his daughter. This felt mildly uncomfortable as it seemed the Ryans had decided to brag about their children’s accomplishments, and unfortunately my parents had absolutely nothing to be proud of when it came to me aside from my being able to book incredible bands. Perhaps I should mention my volleyball skills from high school were still pretty decent, and my teamwould be the one to be on at the next club cookout. I was also really fucking good at sudoku.
Taryn had gone to college for some sort of marketing degree, but she wasn’t using it in the traditional sense. However, her millions of followers and the paycheck she cleared from her views certainly should be bragged about, although I knew she’d never want that.
“That’s awesome, Ellie.” I smiled while biting into my chicken.
Ford took the opportunity to ruin the evening. “What about you, Royce? What have you been up to?”
Why was he speaking to me? He never spoke to me, and now, this…a blatant offense. “Well, I’ve been busy down at the Hollow.”
“As an intern, right?” Ford followed up, and I hated how the dark green hue of his shirt made his eyes practically glow under the lights.
I smiled. “Nope. I get a paycheck now.”
“She’s up for a promotion. Rodney is stepping down.” My dad added unhelpfully.
“Is that so?” Wes declared as if Dad hadn’t already told the entire club what Rodney had told me. I knew he had because that was how the club worked. Nothing was private, and no one had any secrets. Which meant Ford was also aware of Rodney’s ultimatum…I didn’t like that he was privy to my private business, while I knew nothing about his.
Dad and Wes suddenly burst into conversation around the other various shops in Rose Ridge that were either closing or opening something new. I was grateful the focus was off me and finished my second helping by scraping my plate.
“Ford, what about you? What have you been up to?” I confidently tossed back at the man across the table from me.
Dad and Wes stopped their conversation while Mom and Callie exchanged a glance, and Ellie checked her phone.
“Not much.”
I couldn’t help flicking my brow up again, silently egging him on to say more than four words. When he didn’t, I set my fork down.
