Page 20 of Riding Free

Every fucking inch of her.

I feel her hands cup my cheeks before she rises to her toes, and then her mouth is on mine. It’s a brush of a kiss, not deep enough or hard enough for my liking, but it still makes my cock twitch.

“That’s what couples do, and I would love to be your first date.”

I grunt, wrapping my arms around her tighter, holding her close. Pressing my mouth against hers, I kiss this woman. My woman. Even if she’s not ready to admit it yet, she is. And in a week, she’ll be in this house and, more importantly, in my bed.

The family I never thought I’d have will all be under one roof. It’s an urge that I don’t think I could ever really comprehend until it happened. Just an hour ago, I found out that I’m a father, and now I want to have Thea here with me. I want Keely in my bed, and I want my baby under my roof.

It’s so fucking essential to me right now that I don’t know how I’m even going to sleep tonight without them here. A basic instinct, I guess. Mine. They’re mine, and it’s my responsibility to care for them, to watch over them, and to protect them with every fucking fiber of my being.

And I will.

I would kill anyone for them—to protect them.

CHAPTER

FIFTEEN

KEELY

That was the most intense afternoon of my entire life. Once I’m in my car, after dropping Brock off at his bike back at that pool, I head home… to my parents. The entire drive there, I start to panic. My hands begin to tremble, and I start panting as I think about what my parents are going to say once they realize who Thea’s father is.

Maybe I should just tell him that we can’t be together. That it would be too hard. That I need to work on myself and find my footing again. A laugh bubbles from my chest at the thought of telling Brock a single thing.

I have a feeling he’s not someone you tell anything to. He’s the man who tells things to people, not the other way around, but I can’t see how this can work. How my parents are just going to smile and accept this whole thing.

But Brock also isn’t going to let me sit around and think of excuses, because he’s coming over in two hours to take me out. I have two hours to confess to my parents that I’ve, by happenstance, run into Thea’s father, and that now he wants to date me for a week while he fixes up his place before Thea and I move in with him.

They’ll totally be on board with that. Why wouldn’t they? I can’t imagine they wouldn’t.

Ha. What a fucking joke. They’re going to lose their shit, which, to be fair, I’m pretty sure I would do the same with Thea if she came to me with this absolute shit show of an idea. In fact, I might slap the shit out of her, if I’m being totally honest. So I shouldn’t be upset if they want to do the same to me.

I’m going to have to show them that this is the right move, though. Even if I’m not completely sure I’m making the best decision, I’m doing it. I can’t explain how right it feels. It has since the moment he made that asshole leave Fat Boys bar a year ago.

I’m drawn to Brock in a way that I’ve never been drawn to anyone.

I’m not sure it’s healthy or real. I don’t know if we’re going to fly or fail, but I also can’t sit around and wonder about the what-ifs my entire life. Just like I knew I had to leave Boulder City and move to California, I know that I have to accept this offer, that I have to try.

And being with him, in that shithole he calls home, because let’s be real, it’s not just a bachelor pad. That place is a damn disaster, but being there with him felt right. Being anywhere with him feels right.

By the time I get to my parents’ street, I’ve realized that I’m no braver than I was before I left. I’m no closer to a rational explanation. At least not one that my parents are going to buy, accept, and be happy about.

I pull into my spot in the driveway, which is as far over to the right as possible, to give my parents enough room to come and go as they please. I don’t turn the engine off after I’ve parked.

Instead, I stare at the closed garage door and try to brace myself for what’s going to come. Because I know what is headed my way is a lot of yelling and lectures—so many lectures.

I’m used to it by now, but I want my parents to believe in me, to support me, and it seems like my whole life, I’ve been nothing but a disappointment. My brother is the perfect one. Camden was and always will be perfection to them. I’ve learned to live with it, but right now, I really don’t want to hear it, though I have no doubt something is going to be said.

This will no doubt be more of the same. I disappointed them when they found out I was pregnant with no idea of how to find the father. I will disappoint them when they find out who Thea’s father is, and then even more so when I inform them that Brock wants us to move in with him in a week.

“Well, Thea, are you ready for this?” I ask.

She doesn’t answer, obviously. Turning the car’s engine off, I open the door and hurry to the back seat to take Thea’s car seat out. Reaching for the diaper bag, I carry it in the opposite hand.

The Nevada sun slams down against my skin. Even though it’s turning to dusk, it’s still hot as balls out here. Hurrying into the house, I close my eyes the moment the door closes behind me.

I inhale a deep breath and let my head fall backward slightly, letting it bounce against the door. Pressing my lips together, I part them and let my breath out slowly. I can hear my parents chatting in the living room.