Page 60 of The Moment He Saw Her

“Uncle Ry, I made you and Phoebe new curling hats,” Ally said.

“No way!” Ryder took the hat his niece held out to him. “I didn’t know you could knit.”

Behind the girl, her father was mouthing the words, “She can’t.”

“I love mine,” Phoebe said, producing it from her pocket and pulling it on.

It was lime green with a red stripe… or Ryder thought it was meant to be a stripe, but it was more of a zigzag.

“So you stay warm when you both kick the?—”

“Do not finish that sentence, Ally,” Phoebe said.

“Sorry.”

Ryder immediately put the hat on his head too and noted that every adult in the room managed not to laugh hysterically.

“I think there is no way we can’t win wearing these,” Ryder said solemnly. “Don’t you think, Phoebe?”

“Never in doubt,” she said with a straight face, even if her hat was crooked.

“I can feel it’s going to be my lucky hat. Thanks, kiddo.” Ryder bent to hug Ally. Her arms went around his neck and held him tight, and that was a feeling he’d never tire of.

He remembered the nights he’d go to Brody’s when he was exhausted and take Ally into bed with him so her daddy could get some sleep. He’d watch her and wonder if one day he’d have a child just like her. He’d wanted it with a fierce pull of longing deep inside him.

“We have practice later, Ally, so Ryder and I will wear them then, just to get a feel for how warm they are. But you need to be ready because the others may like them so much, they will want them too.”

“Maybe we can knit everyone on the Lyntacky teams matching ones,” Robyn Duke said, which had her granddaughter nodding enthusiastically.

“I think you should make your uncles something to wear in the relay too,” Zoe said. She then received several death stares, which she of course ignored. “Like thick headbands.”

His sister was going to pay for that.

“She may not have time now that she’s got all that other knitting to do,” Ryder said while Sawyer, Brody, and Dan nodded around him.

“But those hats are so cool and would help your uncles to win,” JD said solemnly, backing his woman up.

He felt Libby move and then watched as she followed his mom back to the stove.

“Can I help you, Robyn? It’s the least I can do seeing as I’m an uninvited guest at your family dinner,” she said.

“You’re welcome here anytime, Libby, and I invited you,” his mom said, smiling. “Now, there’s a basket in the pantry. If you could get that out and put the rolls from the oven in there, that would be a great help.”

“She’s nice,” Birdie whispered.

“You’ve met her a handful of times, Birdie, you can’t know that,” Zoe said.

“Makes good coffee, comes from money is my guess. Surely she can’t be too hard to find on the internet?” Brody said.

“Her shit is hers alone. If she wants us to know, she’ll tell us. You all butt out,” Ryder said, jabbing a finger at each of them.

“You’re very protective of her considering there’s nothing between you,” JD said.

“Leave him alone,” Uncle Asher added.

“All right, everyone, wash your hands now,” his mom said.

They all did as she ordered—arguing was fruitless and always had been—and sat again.

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