His eyes were on me for a minute like he was gauging his words before he responded.“She’s your mother and I respect the role she has in your life but how she feels about me or you being with me is irrelevant in my decision to have you in mine. You think this is a horrible idea?”
I quickly shook my head before I confirmed,“I don’t know what I’m doing half the time because it feels too fast and too damn good to be real, but no, we are not a horrible idea.”
He smirked and leaned into my personal space.“You’re living your life and making mine better. That’s what you’re doing.”
My door was opened by Des and I sighed.“Let’s get this over with.”
Ryland caught my hand and pulled me back to him. His mouth was on mine for a kiss that had me prepared to risk it all to keep this man and these lips for as long as I could.
I saw exactly how this ambush was going to go when I stepped into my house and was greeted by my mother with a huge smile until she noticed Ryland behind me. I decided not to focus on her reaction.
“Hi.”I hugged my mother and squeezed her tightly. As soon as we separated, her hands were moving.
“You didn’t tell me you were coming home today.”
“It was last minute. I didn’t have a chance to.”
“Well either way, I’m glad you’re back.”
I cringed because I wasn’t back. At least not in the way she meant or was hoping for.
“This is R-Y-L-A-N-D.”I spelled his name, then followed it up with his arbitrary name and my mother frowned.
“You gave him a name sign?”
“No, ma’am. It was given to me in college when I took ASL. My teacher was deaf. Nice to meet you, M-S-C-O-L-E.”He stepped beside me and my mother’s eyes narrowed slightly, bouncing between us before she responded, brushing right past his greeting.
“It was nice of you to fly back with Somee but I’m sure it wasn’t necessary.”
Well shit. Let’s get right to this then.
“Can you get our things from the car and give me a minute to talk to my mother?”
Ryland nodded and stepped outside and the minute the door closed my mother was going in.
“Why is he here?”
“Because I’m not staying.”
“What do you mean you’re not staying?”
“Ryland’s here for personal reasons and I’m here to support him.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Somee, what are you doing?”
“Figuring out who I am and what I want.”I looked her right in the eyes and hers rolled.
“Because of him?”She scoffed.“You knew who you were before you ever met that man.”
“I’m learning who I am now, what I want for my future and what my life looks like outside of just this.”
“This…”She paused dramatically.“You mean your house. Your job? The people who love you?”
“And what you mean is outside of you and what you want for me,”I returned in frustration.
“I want you to be happy, Somee. I want you to be the beautiful, strong, and independent woman I raised you to be. Not someone who throws her life away for a man.”