Page 42 of Summer of Love (Costas Sisters 2)
The man always had provided the affection his parents failed to give, and he was grateful. But he couldn’t afford to have him here now, messing up any headway he might have made with the Costas family. Or more important, with Sam.
Ryan stepped back. “It’s always nice to see you, but I thought we agreed you’d wait till I told you it was a good idea to come here.”
The other man leaned against the railing overlooking the parking lot. “You seemed down when we spoke last night, and I thought you could use the moral support.”
“So you drove all this way in the middle of the night?”
His uncle inclined his head. “I told you. You’re the son I never had.”
“And I appreciate the support.” More than he was able to express at the moment, despite his mixed feelings about Uncle Russ joining him here.
“I intend to be here for you every step of the way.”
Ryan glanced at the sky, wondering when the hell his life had gotten so damn complicated. Then, resigned to the inevitable, Ryan turned to his uncle. “Want to go meet your niece?”
His uncle’s face lit up in a way Ryan hadn’t seen in years. “Just lead the way, son.”
Zoe paced the family room, angry at Sam and furious with herself. Early that morning, the family discovered Sam was gone, missing from her bedroom and nowhere else in the house. No matter how many alternatives they discussed, they could come to no other conclusion than she had run away from home. Common sense told them that Sam had bolted the same way she’d done before, to test the family’s loyalty and desire to have her around.
Normally they’d wait her out, give her some time to think, and then find her in an obvious place. She’d be lectured, then grounded, just as Ari or Zoe had been as children—proof to Sam that she was one of them. But in this case, her fear of being taken away was valid, and nobody had wanted to give her too much headway in her escape.
Zoe had anticipated the teenager withdrawing, so why hadn’t she insisted on sleeping in her room last night instead of leaving her alone? She slammed her palm against the table in frustration, then shook the sting from her hand.
She hated being the one home waiting in case Sam called or showed up, but her parents had gone knocking on her friends’ doors, Quinn and Ari were checking other places Sam might go, like the youth center around the corner, and Connor was asking around at local hospitals.
Zoe walked to the window and glanced out to the street in time to see Ryan pull up in his fancy BMW. God, he was the last thing she needed now. He was also the one person she wanted desperately. It would help to have his shoulder to cry on because despite that they each wanted Sam in their family, they both had her welfare at heart. She needed to share her fear with him now.
She opened the door and watched Ryan…and an older man she didn’t recognize as they strode together up her front walk.
The stranger’s presence prevented her from acting on her stupid impulse to fling herself into Ryan’s arms for comfort and reassurance. Odd things to expect or desire from the man whose very presence had caused the upheaval.
He strode forward with confidence, wearing the suit he’d had on the first day they’d met. He was clean shaven, and his hair was neatly combed. His appearance made him look more like the uptight man she’d met at the birthday party than the relaxed guy she’d spent time with lately. Yet his appeal was certain and unnerving, and not even the ultra-conservative look changed the fact that the man was drop-dead gorgeous and caused Zoe’s awareness levels to soar.
“Zoe? What’s wrong?” he asked.
She pulled her thoughts together and forced a smile. “What makes you think anything’s wrong?”
He stepped closer, so he could speak directly to her, whispering for her ears alone. “Because I know you and while your smile might say one thing, I see something else entirely in your eyes.”
Her internal radar went on the fritz when he stepped closer, and she smelled his familiar, sexy cologne, while her stomach churned, warmed by his concern and understanding. Still, he hadn’t introduced her to his companion, and he held himself apart from her in a way that told her their intimacy seemed to be in the past. Reminding herself that she’d pulled away from him first didn’t ease the sting.
“You told her, didn’t you?” he asked, guessing accurately.
“Come on in, and I’ll explain.” She pushed the front door open wide and gestured inside.
When they were all seated, she inclined her head toward the older gentleman. His salt-and-pepper hair gave him a distinguished air. “And who is this?” she asked.
