Page 7 of Ryder

“Scarlett, can I have some more chocolate milk?” Charlie asked.

He had a brown milk mustache over his lips, and it was adorable. Charlie was very much an old soul, but he still managed to remind me that he was a little boy.

“Sure, buddy,” I said, pouring him some more of the chocolate goodness.

“When is Ryder coming back?” Isaac asks, walking into the kitchen.

I stifle my laugh and stop myself from rolling my eyes at the mention of Ryder. I would love to say never, but that would be selfish on my part. These boys idolized Ryder, and I would never do anything to hurt them.

“I’m not sure. He never really gave me a specific time,” I said, placing the milk carton back inside of the refrigerator.

Stepping out of the kitchen, I pulled out my cell phone to call Jenna. Tonight, I was off my shift, but I wanted to check in with her about Ryder.

After the phone rang several times, she finally answered.

“Hey,” she said, sounding a little breathless. I forgot it was evening, and she had two young kids to take care of. Being single, I tended to forget that people had other obligations once their jobs were over.

“Hi, I’m sorry to bother you at home,” I said, feeling guilty now.

“No problem, what’s up?” Jenna asked. I could hear her kids in the background.

“Well, Ryder Raven showed up here this morning, unannounced to see the boys. I asked him to come back this evening, but he hasn’t shown up yet,” I told her.

“Oh, he had mentioned he wanted to spend more time mentoring the boys. I can have Travis give him a call if you want,” she offered.

“No, that’s alright. I just wanted to let you know what was going on,” I stated.

Maybe I was making too big of a deal out of this whole ordeal.

“Are you sure?” Jenna asked again.

“Yes, I’m sure,” I said.

We ended our call, and I sat down on the living room couch. The rest of the boys were out back playing with Allison, and I hoped that Ryder stayed true to his word. If he let them down, I would hunt him down and hurt him myself.

Taking a few moments to text my roommate, Jen, I enjoyed a few minutes to myself before I went to stand and return to the kitchen where I had left the boys.

Suddenly, the roar of an engine caught my attention. It wasn’t lost on me that my heart did a little skip, and my head jerked to the side, glancing out the window facing the street.

Isaac and Charlie came rushing out of the kitchen, almost knocking me back onto the couch as they raced past me and to the front door.

I could hear the boys outside yelling and shouting as they bound into the house.

Thankfully, I had managed to find time in my day to shower and dress in a pair of tight, denim jeans, and a red flowing shirt. My hair was swept to the side in a french braid, and I had on a light layer of foundation and mascara. I was sure I looked like a completely different person today. Ryder probably wouldn’t even notice me.

The front door opened and in walked the boys with Ryder smiling and laughing with them.

“Scarlett, Ryder Raven is here again,” Lucas cheered, his face beaming with happiness.

“I know, that’s wonderful,” I said, trying my best to put on a smile.

Allison walked in and smiled brightly. She was happily married to a police officer. I knew she thought Ryder was a hottie too, but she just smirked at me.

“So, what are you here for?” Ethan asked Ryder, never taking his eyes away from him.

“Well, I was hoping to talk with you guys before this weekend’s races. I really wanted to get to know you all before inviting you to join me as my racing team,” Ryder said.

I walked them into the living room where we all sat around the many couches in the room. If Ryder was bothered by our mismatched furniture, he didn’t show any disdain. He sat down and placed his helmet on the floor beside him.

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