Winter break is finally here and Ryder is moments away from meeting my family.
I’m kind of freaking out but sort of in a good way.
I spent hours on the phone with Mom talking about Ryder and she seems really excited to meet him.
She promised she would get Dad on board before we arrived so hopefully she’s managed to do just that as she hasn’t replied to any of my texts today.
Ryder seemed nervous during the entire flight to Aspen and to be honest, I would be worried if he wasn’t nervous.
Not only is he meeting my sister and my parents but also the majority of the people that I call family.
That’s a pretty intense first meeting.
I’ve never introduced a guy I’ve been dating to my parents before. I wouldn’t worry about introducing someone to Mom but Dad is another story.
There’s no telling how he will behave and I just hope that he doesn’t try to be all macho and say if you hurt my daughter…
Ugh, that would be the worst.
I would only put someone that I truly cared about through that and that only emphasizes how important Ryder has become in such a short space of time.
We’ve only known each other a few months but we just clicked straight away.
Okay, maybe not straight away seeing as he was the asshole who stepped on my foot but once I got over that, everything fell into place.
Ryder insisted on driving the rental car to the lodge but then he started ignoring me, saying he was concentrating on driving in the snow.
It was actually cute seeing him like that.
I’m not sure if he had ever driven in the snow before or if it was because he is super nervous about this trip but either way, I spent the whole drive staring at him like a creep. He had this stern expression the whole drive, like our lives were at risk and it was adorable.
I never thought I would associate words like cute and adorable with Ryder but that’s exactly what he is. On the outside, he seems like this giant tough guy but there’s so many layers to him and I love uncovering them all.
We checked into our room a little while ago and Ryder has been busy organizing our stuff but I think he’s trying to delay the inevitable.
I caught him in the bathroom running his hands down his shirt and taking a few deep calming breaths. I felt kind of bad for him so I pretended I didn’t see him and have been waiting patiently for him to settle down.
Finally, he stands in front of me. “Okay…I think I’m ready.”
Standing up, I wrap my arms around his neck and place a gentle kiss on his lips. “Thank you for doing this, I know it can’t be easy.”
He places his hands on my ass and squeezes roughly, “I’ll take my payment later.”
Giggling, I jump up and wrap my legs around his waist. “Don’t worry, I’ll make the payments worth your while.”
He grins then tries to shake me off him, “Don’t turn me on just before I meet your parents. I’m terrified enough that your dad is going to hate me.”
Jumping down, I do my best to reassure him, “He’s not going to hate you but he’s not going to be impressed that we’re sharing a room. We just need to make sure Mom is with him and everything will go smoothly.”
He nods, “Okay, let’s do this.”
Holding out my hand, he interlaces our fingers and we leave our room, making our way towards the restaurant where we are meeting everyone for lunch.
When we walk into the room, it looks like we are one of the last people here. Great, I was hoping we could start introductions off slowly.
He points across the room at one of my uncles, “Holy fuck, is that Cage Mathews?”
“You mean Uncle Cage and yes, yes it is.” The thought never crossed my mind that Ryder would be a football fan.
Uncle Cage played in the NFL for quite a long time, first with Seattle and then he moved down to Atlanta. Uncle Cage still lives down there with Aunty Rosie and their three kids, Sofia, Flynn and Lyla.
We have been down to stay with them a few times and they come up to Seattle when they can.
It’s easy to forget that Uncle Cage was football royalty.
Wait until I tell him that Uncle Kyle’s cousin Symon is married to Nick Kensington, another NFL great.
He turns to look at me with wide eyes, “You didn’t tell me you have an uncle that is football royalty.”
I shrug, “I didn’t think you were a big sports fan.”
Plus, it’s not something that I like to tell people. Guys can get all weird and ask me to get him to sign stuff for them.
When dating talk turns to football, it’s a bit of a mood killer.
“Well, that’s mostly true but I was into football when my parents were alive. That’s how I know all about Cage Mathews, my dad supported the Falcons.”
“Okay, full disclosure, he lives down the street from his old teammate, Nick Kensington and we would hang out with him and his kids when we would visit. Nick’s wife is actually my Uncle Kyle’s cousin.”
His mouth drops open in shock, “I thought you said you gave me a rundown of everyone. What else have you left out?”
“Nothing, I think.” Although I only gave him a very brief overview of people so chances are I did leave something else out.
Just then a large body stands in our way and I look up to see my dad.
Fuck, where’s Mom?
He wraps me up in a fierce hug, “It’s good to see you Olivia.”
“It’s nice to see you too Dad.” During our hug, I look around the room frantically for Mom. I can’t see her but I do get Aunty Jessica’s attention and wave dramatically.
She takes the hint and runs off, hopefully to find Mom.
When he pulls back, he takes a deep breath then turns his attention to Ryder. “So, you must be Ryder. My wife tells me that you are dating my daughter.”
“Yes sir,” he holds out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Dad grips his hand and shakes once before letting go.
He’s about to open his mouth when Mom finally makes an appearance and crashes into his side.
She seems frazzled, which she should be, I told her to make sure that she was standing next to Dad no matter what today.
Opening her arms, she gives me a big hug and whispers in my ear, “I’m sorry, I ducked off to the bathroom.”
I whisper back, “Just please keep him under control.”
Mom pulls back and looks at Ryder, “Well, it’s so nice to meet you Ryder. Olivia has told me so much about you.”
Dad grumbles, “Really? She hasn’t told me anything.”
Mom glares at him then throws her arms around Ryder, he seems startled by the affection but he better get used to it.
He’s about to hug most of the people in this room.
Ryder returns Mom’s hug but quickly pulls back after glancing at Dad. Dad hates other men touching Mom, he’s super weird about it. That’s something that I probably should have told Ryder too, no doubt he’s freaking out now. “It’s nice to meet you too Mrs. Van Der Woodson and I can’t believe how much Olivia takes after you.”
Mom smiles at the compliment but Dad doesn’t seem impressed. “What are you trying to say about my wife?”
Ryder startles, “Um, just that, well, Olivia said she looks just like her mom but when people say that they normally just mean similar.”
Dad opens his mouth again but Mom jabs him in the side.
Fucking Dad, it’s not like Ryder is trying to say Mom is hot. He needs to chill out.
“You can call me Eva and you can call my husband Mason. There’s no need to be so formal around us.”
Uncle Kyle pops his head over Dad’s shoulder and I cringe in anticipation. “Is this the dude that’s fucking your daughter Mason?”
Dad growls and elbows Uncle Kyle in the stomach then turns around with his hands balled into fists.
Mom stands between them and starts whisper yelling at them both but I start running to the other side of the room, dragging Ryder along with me.
Hiding behind the rest of my family, I double check we are hidden from view. “I am so sorry Ryder, I told you that Uncle Kyle likes to wind people up but I never expected him to say that.”
Ryder runs his hands down his shirt, “Yeah, that was, um…yeah.”
Aunty Jessica walks over to us with a pale expression, “Eva just told me what Kyle said and I’m so sorry honey, I made him promise to be on his best behavior but well,” she shrugs and I know from personal experience that no one can stop Uncle Kyle when he gets an idea in his head, not even his wife.
“It’s fine but I think he gave Dad a heart attack.” It’s not Aunty Jessica’s fault that Uncle Kyle can’t keep his mouth shut.
Ryder mumbles under his breath, “He’s not the only one.”
Poor Ryder, he really thought I was exaggerating when it came to my family but now I’m sure he can understand why I complain so much.
We spend the next thirty minutes walking around the room making more introductions until we are finally ushered to the table.
I make sure we sit at the very end by some vacant seats to give Ryder a bit of a breather.
When he is sure no one is paying us any attention, he leans over and whispers in my ear, “I know you warned me Liv but holy shit.”
Cringing, I whisper back, “I know, I’m really sorry but I promise I’ll make it up to you tonight. All you have to do is lie back and enjoy the ride.”
“Rides,” he emphases the s at the end, “Plural.”
Oh he has nothing to worry about. He has more than earned his brownie points for today, he’s been such a good sport about everything.
After Uncle Kyles comment, I thought he might run for the hills but he hasn’t left my side since we got here.
We’re interrupted by chairs scraping across the ground.
I look up to see Uncle Alex and Aunty Ryleigh pulling out the chairs opposite us. “Sorry we’re late. You must be Olivia’s boyfriend.”
“Yeah, Ryder,” he stands briefly and holds out his hand to shake Uncle Alex’s but then Aunty Ryleigh runs around the table to introduce herself and give us both hugs.
When she sits down, she gestures to the end of the table. “Olivia, you wouldn’t have met our newest arrivals yet. They have been with us for four months now, this is Jake, Asher and Aurora.”
I wave politely at three very uninterested faces, “Hi, I’m Olivia and this is my boyfriend Ryder.”
They don’t say much in return and the oldest boy Jake, only grunts.
Ryder is looking at my aunty and uncle in confusion, “I’m sorry, newest arrivals?”
Uncle Alex looks across at Ryder, “We’re foster parents.”
“Oh,” Ryder says, looking very surprised. “I had no idea,” he glances at me and I grin sheepishly at yet another thing I forgot to mention. “I was in the foster system from nine years old until I aged out.”
The three children look up at Ryder with keen interest.
Aunty Ryleigh doesn’t look overly shocked by this news and I have no doubt that her and Mom have been talking about me. “Where were you based? In Boston?”
“Um, all over the country really, I got shipped around a lot.” Ryder hasn’t said much about his time in foster care but he seems intrigued by my aunt and uncle.
Uncle Alex shakes his head, “I hate it when they do that.” He gestures to the three kids, “These three are siblings and have been to three different homes in the last year. They were going to spilt them up so we offered to take all of them.”
Ryder looks over at the children, “You guys are lucky to be placed with someone who takes you to Aspen for a ski trip. Liv tells me that they come every year so I imagine I’ll see you guys next year too, maybe I’ll even join you on the learner slopes. I have no idea how to ski.”
Jake grunts, “We’ll see.”
Aunty Ryleigh told me that most of the foster children they get don’t trust that they won’t send them away again.
It breaks my heart to see these kids and think of Ryder being one of them.
He won’t tell me about the families he was placed with or how many foster homes he lived in but I can’t imagine he would have been placed with someone as great as Uncle Alex and Aunty Ryleigh.
Unless someone’s biological relative steps up and wants the children back then they do their best to hold onto every single child that comes into their care.
I’m trying not to read too much into the fact that Ryder said he would see them again next year. I’m sure he was just trying to reassure the kids that they had a home now but it feels nice that he’s thinking that far into the future.
Over the next twenty minutes I watch as Ryder slowly relaxes back into his chair.
He looks far more comfortable now than he did when we first walked in here.
If Dad and Uncle Kyle can keep themselves under control then this is going to be one amazing week.
Ryder seems like he would fit in well with my family but that only makes me anxious that something is going to go wrong.
He seems too good to be true sometimes.
He came into my life at the perfect moment but I’m worried that perfect doesn’t last.
By the time lunch is over, it’s so late that all I want to do is hang out in our room for the rest of the afternoon.
I forgot how much I have to talk at these things, everyone wants to know what I’ve been up to even though Mom or Dad would have told them already.
Showing Ryder exactly how much I appreciate the effort he has put in today sounds like the perfect way to spend the afternoon. As an added bonus, I won’t have to do any more talking.
When we try to make our escape, we are blocked by none other than Tyler.
He always seems to unknowingly fuck things up for me when it comes to Ryder.
Laura isn’t with him and he seems more agitated than usual. “Where’s Matty? I thought she would be here by now.”
“Um, in Switzerland with Blake.” How does he not know this?
It takes a moment but Tyler’s face drops in pain, “What do you mean Switzerland? She was supposed to come home, it’s our winter ski trip, we come here every year.”
“I’m aware of that Tyler but Blake only had limited time off and they decided to go to Switzerland instead.” It’s not that big of a deal. If I had the choice, I would have picked Switzerland too.
Tyler gets frustrated and starts pulling at his hair, “But she’s supposed to come home. She hasn’t been home since she took off at the beginning of the summer.”
“Yeah but it’s Switzerland.” Do I really have to say any more than that?
He swears under his breath, “But she promised she would come.”
My eyes narrow in suspicion, “Why is this such a big deal to you?”
He glances sideways and I have a feeling there’s something he’s not telling me.
I think it also has to do with the fact that Laura is suspiciously absent while he’s bringing up Maddy.
Last year I got the impression that Laura was slightly jealous of Maddy and every time I would bring her up in conversation when I went down to visit, she would change the subject.
Tyler gets defensive which only adds to my suspicion. “It’s not, it’s just that I expected to see her and I’m surprised that she’s not here.”
“Well, there’s always next year.” As much as I would love to stand around and try to work out what my brother’s problem is, I have a boyfriend that I would like to fuck.
Trying to step around him, he holds out his hand, “I just don’t understand why she’s not here.”
I emphasis each syllable, “Swit. Zer. Land.”
How does he not get this?
Not taking the hint, he keeps talking, “But that’s not the same as spending the holidays with your family.”
Looking at Ryder, I say, “I give up. Do you want to add anything here?”
Ryder shakes his head then looks over my shoulder to signal that Laura is walking over to us.
When Tyler sees her, he straightens and clears his throat.
Shady mother fucker.
He clearly doesn’t want to talk about Maddy in front of Laura.
Laura wraps her arms around Tyler’s waist and stares up at him. “Did you ask them about dinner?”
Tyler’s eyes widen slightly, “Uh, no, not yet.”
Oblivious to Tyler’s reaction, Laura turns to us and asks, “Did you guys want to join Emily and us for dinner tonight? We thought it would be nice to get to know Ryder without your parents around.”
“Yeah, that would actually be really nice.” I’ve barely spoken two words to Emily since we’ve been here and I’m dying to catch up with her.
She beams, “Great, we’ll meet you guys near the front at around seven and we’ll drive into town.”
“Sounds perfect and until then, don’t disturb us.” I wink to make sure there is no confusion.
Tyler fake gags, “Yuck, let’s go Laura.”
Taking Ryder’s hand, I start to lead him back to our room. “That was weird with Tyler, right?”
He nods, “Yeah, something’s definitely going on there with those two.”
“What do you mean? With Tyler and Laura?” Does he mean he thinks they are arguing or something?
When we first talked to them earlier, everything seemed fine.
“No, I mean Tyler and Maddy. I’ve never seen the two of them together so I can’t be sure but from the way Tyler was acting, it was like they use this holiday as a secret hook up spot or something.”
Holy fuck.
Complete shock washes over my body and I stop walking.
Could there be some truth to what he is saying?
I wouldn’t think that Tyler would cheat on Laura but I have suspected for a while now that something has happened between Tyler and Maddy.
When she hooked up with Grayson, I got the feeling she wasn’t a virgin but apart from Tyler, there’s no other guy she would have hooked up with.
Ryder stops a few feet in front of me and turns around, “I shouldn’t say stuff like that out in the open. I could be way off base so let’s talk in our room.”
Walking in silence to our room, I wait until the door shuts then start listing every thought in my head at a rapid pace. “Tyler was acting weird, a little too weird for someone who is disappointed that they won’t get to see their friend for the holidays and the way he said she promised she would be here, that was odd too. I can’t imagine a family holiday would be a very likely place for a hook up because I mean, there’s family everywhere so there’s a huge risk of getting caught and Tyler has brought Laura the last few years, but I always suspected that they had hooked up at some point. Do you think I should tell Maddy that Tyler was really weird and see what she says? She will be with Blake so she probably won’t be honest with me, so I could wait until later when they are back in Italy but maybe I shouldn’t bring it up at all. It’s not really my business if they hook up and do I really want to know if they are having some kind of affair? That would put me in an awkward position as-”
Ryder’s lips crash down on mine, silencing me instantly and it doesn’t take long before I become so distracted that I’m kissing him passionately and pushing him towards the bed.
The backs of his legs hit the mattress and he topples backwards onto the bed, taking me with him.
I land on top of him and bring my legs up so I’m straddling him.
He places his hands on my thighs but speaks before I can start kissing him again. “I’m sorry for putting that idea in your head, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“But you could be right.” The more I think about it, the more it makes sense.
How is Ryder so perceptive?
“I also could be wrong,” he shakes his head. “Look, let’s forget I said anything and enjoy our trip, I’m sure it’s nothing.”
He may be onto something but he’s right that we need to enjoy our trip. I can mull over Tyler and Maddy when we get back to Boston. “Yeah, you’re right and I need to give you your payment for lunch today. You were a really good sport so thank you.”
He grins, “It’s actually nice watching you with your family. You guys are obviously close and it must be nice to be a part of something like that.”
“Yeah, it is,” I say softly.
As much as I complain about my family, I love them to pieces.
I couldn’t imagine losing them like Ryder lost his parents.
It would have been awful to have your life ripped apart at such a young age but he still managed to grow into one incredible man.
He looks down at his chest, “Thank you for letting me be a part of it too.”
If Ryder wants to be a part of my family, then I’m all for it. “You are very welcome. Now, don’t speak again until we have to go to dinner and for the love of God, let me touch your dick. I can feel it pushing against my pussy and I desperately want to sit on it.”
Placing his hands behind his head, he grins up at me, “I seem to recall you saying that all I had to do was lie back and enjoy the ride.”
“Oh, so it’s like that is it?” I joke.
Nodding his head, he stares at my breasts. “Uh huh and I have a feeling that I’m going to enjoy every second of this roller coaster ride.”
Undoing his belt, I grab at his jeans roughly and hiss, “Damn straight you are.”
With both of us grinning like fools, I strip us of our clothes then spend the next few hours giving Ryder the best damn ride he’s ever had.