“I didn’t, but I’m also not naïve. I know who you are and what that means for me being in your life.”
“You don’t have to be cool with any of this. It’s fucked up.”His jaw was tight as he spoke and signed the words.
“Oh trust, I’m not cool with any of this, but I’m also well aware that there isn’t much I can do about it. Your team’s working to do damage control, right?”
“Yeah…”
I shrugged.“Then we focus on what we’re going to tell Rylee and deal with the rest later.”
He stared at me for a minute without saying anything.“I’m fucking up your life, but I promise if you ride this out with me, I’ll make it better.”
“You most certainly will. My travel wish list is increasing by the minute. I feel a much needed island vacation surfacing to disconnect from the world and drink my frustrations away with very pretty and expensive tropical drinks. There’s only a month left of school, then our schedule is wide open.”
“May is the start of my on field workouts, but I’ll figure out a way to make sure we’re catching flights.”
My brow inched up slowly.“Oh, I’m sorry, did you assume when I said ‘our’ that included you? Mine and Rylee’s schedules will be wide open.”
Ryland grinned sexily.“You got that. I know a few places that might work, and anything involving the two of you,consider me permanently attached. Our equals me and you, us with baby girl. What I tell you about playing silly games?”
Before I could answer, he turned his head at the same time the back door of the Range was pulled open by one of the carpool monitors. Rylee giddily climbed in.
“We had dancers today. They showed us how to stand on our toes and jump. They have classes and I can go if you sign me up.”She beamed while her hands moved wildly. After her spiel, she slipped her arms from the straps of her backpack and yanked it into her lap. While she unzipped the bag and dug through it, Ryland spoke to Rylee’s art teacher. It must have been her week to work pickup. They rotated all the teachers to make sure the load was shared across the staff.
“Dance?”He spoke and signed at the same time and she did the same when she responded.
“LibertéAbstraite was here today with several of their dancers to help teach rhythm and movement in music class.”
“I take it Rylee enjoyed having them here?”I signed.
“She did! I think you guys might have a ballerina in training right here.”She smiled proudly at Rylee. “Have a good evening and we’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
“You too, thank you.”
She closed the door and Rylee removed a flyer along with a colorful, postcard-sized advertisement from her backpack and shoved them at me. The front had multiple beautiful black dancers, male and female. The back had a list of programs and activities. While I examined the summer schedules and classes they offered for spring, Ryland motioned for Rylee to put her seatbelt on.
While Ryland pulled away from the car rider line, I leaned between the seats and signed to Rylee.“You want to take dance?”
She nodded wildly while her hands were moving.“They said I could if you sign me up. Will you sign me up?”
“I don’t know, kid, they might not be ready for all your moves,”I teased and a smile blossomed on her pretty face.
“It’s different than our dance parties. They wear pretty skirts and dance on their toes. But the skirts are pink and not purple like the one you got me. I asked if I could wear my purple one and they said I can in class, but not when we do recitals.”
I grinned.“Pink is not that bad.”
She wrinkled her nose.“You like pink. I like purple, but I’ll wear pink if you let me go to the classes.”
Rylee was so distracted with all the details about her day that she hadn’t noticed the crowd of people just outside the gate as we passed through. Ryland did based on the stiffness in his jaw and shoulders. There were four men dressed in all black posted up to make sure those who didn’t have access weren’t able to slip through the gates. I was glad they were there because several of the reporters must have recognized Rylands’ Range and rushed it as soon as we reached the gate. The security team managed to keep them at bay. As soon as we turned onto the street in front of the school, I glanced at Ryland and responded to Rylee about signing her up for dance class.
“I think we can make that work.”
She lifted both hands next to her head and shook them to express her excitement before she had her eyes on Ryland.“You can’t come to our dance parties, but you can come to ballet because they have boy dancers.”
When his eyes turned to me, I assumed he missed most of what she said because he was focused on the road. I repeated it and he laughed as I bit down on my lip to hide my smile.
Just that fast, she moved on and was asking for smash burgers for dinner but wanted me to make them because Joywouldn’t know how to do it right. I guess Joy hadn’t completely taken my spot in the kitchen.
“Sure can.”