Page 27 of Me For You
Her eyes rolled before she responded,“Yes. Good games mean you can afford to pay the bills. I have a vested interest in you paying the bills since Rylee will be in your care.”
I chuckled.“So it’s not about me and just about being able to afford taking care of Rylee?”
She shrugged but smiled smugly so I signed,“You’re full of shit, but just to ease your pretty mind, whether I have a goodgame Sunday or not, I can pay the bills. I’m smart with my money. Have been since I entered the league.”
I wouldn’t tell her the reason I was so fiscally smart was because I refused to ever be placed in a situation where I had to depend on anyone, my parents or Felicia. After being shuffled around as a kid, and although my situation was a success story, I needed the ability to remain independent. No one would ever be in control of my destiny ever again.
“What I’m hearing is Rylee and I will be flying first class to Crescent Falls for our first ever plane trip.”
“Our?”I signed quickly.“You’ve never been on a plane before?”
“Nope. This will be my first.”
I grinned before I responded,“I’ll see what I can do then.”
We ended the video call and the first thing I did was pull up the app to charter a private flight to Chicago. I would have to add their passenger information once I got there. For now, I just needed confirmation that they both were coming back with me on this trip.
Chapter 6
Somee
Iswear I blinked and from Friday when Ryland last called until now moved so quickly. He hadn’t video called again but sent texts to check in, mostly around early evening when he knew Rylee would have her homework completed and finished dinner. I also assumed it was when he was settled from practice, training, and meetings.
Ryland and I exchanged a few texts about the process of getting Rylee and me packed and ready to leave by Sunday. He provided a flight schedule after I emailed him all of the required information. That was pretty much all that was exchanged between us while he and Rylee engaged in a shared coloring app he found and invited Rylee to participate in with him.
It was sweet that he was considerate enough to find a way to engage and connect with Rylee. One thing was for sure, Ryland was making it hard to not like him. I wanted to, I really wanted to, but no matter what irritated me about him, I always circled back to the same realization. He truly was a good guy. He didn’t have all the answers nor did he have things all figured out when it came to moving Rylee to Crescent Falls with him, but at the very least, I had to give him credit for making the most of a terrible situation.
He sent over a list of candidates for security to travel with Rylee and me when we weren’t with him. The idea of needing security gave me pause but Ryland assured me it was more of a precaution than necessity. He did not want to take chances with leaving Rylee exposed.
Whether I liked it or not, Ryland Parks was a well-known celebrity, which meant the potential for anyone connected to him to fall under scrutiny. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that layer being added to Rylee’s life or how she would adjust, but I had to lean into what Marlee always assured me. She was smart, resilient, and would adjust.
That was likely the case but the bigger question was would I.
Over the past week, my thoughts had been consumed by a sexy, cocky, and pushy football player who lived rent-free in my head. He also made multiple appearances in my bed by way of very spicy dreams that had me waking up feeling emotionally drained and needy. Sexually needy and frustrated. After having the man in living color in my dreams, my hands did not suffice when trying to ease the tension caused by the things I envisioned us engaging in.
Dreams were one thing, but living in his home, having so much access to my point of contention, was going to be a problem. My goal was to focus all of my energy on Rylee. I was also well aware that facilitating their bond would be a task because Ryland made it abundantly clear that he planned on utilizing every free moment he had to get to know his sister, which meant either I’d stay out the way and give them time to build their bond or be stuck right in the middle of their family reunion. Neither option sounded tempting, so instead of allowing myself to overthink, I decided to focus on something I enjoyed. Football. Never mind the fact that my team was getting their asses handed to them by his team.
I huffed and reached for the bowl next to me but my nails made contact with the plastic bottom. I sent a narrowed glare at Marlee who was brushing crumbs from her fingers after having finished the last of the chips.
When she noticed my glare, a smile split her face before she signed,“Sorry, you know I hate these games. I’m only here for the snacks.”She paused and dropped an arm around Rylee’s shoulder and tugged her tiny frame into her side, causing Rylee to grin before Marlee signed,“And the snuggles.”
I rolled my eyes and my hands were in motion. “Well, next time I’m going to make entry a two bag minimum.”
“Fair enough,” she returned. I turned my eyes back to the TV just in time to catch the next play. My hands sliced through the air in aggravation.
“Come on, that’s holding.”
My Tigers were down by two with six minutes left in the fourth quarter and we needed this win. We shouldn’t have even made it this far after being a wildcard but we made it all the way to the Conference Championship game. If we got past the Sharks, we were on our way to the Super Bowl.
Marlee got my attention then asked,“Who’s holding?”
I cut my eyes her way, knowing she didn’t care but I explained anyway.“Forty-five. He had him by the jersey.”
“But isn’t that the point of defense? To keep them away from the offense by any means necessary?”she signed back.
“Yes but…you know what? Never mind. You don’t really care.”
I was back to focusing on the game but also seated on the edge of the sofa, elbows on my knees as I leaned forward, hopeful. We needed this win. Next to me, Rylee scooted to the edge of the sofa and mirrored my position. I grinned at her wearing a Sharks jersey.
