Page 98 of The Moment He Saw Her

“What shit? That’s just you avoiding talking about your feelings,” Sawyer said, snagging two beers and handing them to JD and Brody. He then took one for himself.

“Right, because you’re such an open book,” Ryder said, staying where he was and not giving in to grabbing a slice of that pizza that clearly had double cheese and jalapeños, just like his family loved.

“We’re not talking about me,” Sawyer said calmly.

So calm that Ryder thought about simply punching the smug look off his face.

“I danced with Libby in the street before coming here,” Dan said around a mouthful of pizza.

Libby is still in Lyntacky.He told himself that wasn’t relief washing through him, but he knew that for a lie.

“You should swallow that mouthful before talking,” Ryder said, ignoring the ache in his chest at hearing her name. Because if he was annoying his family, they couldn’t start in on him, which was the sole reason they were in his house.

He’d allowed himself to get close to Libby, and today they’d made love, and now she was inside his head. The feel of her was imprinted on his hands, and the taste of her on his lips.Fuck.

She lied to me.

“Don’t think we don’t know how good you are at avoiding conversations that involve you or anything personal you don’t want to talk about,” Zoe said, licking her fingers.

Ryder’s stomach rumbled. His insides might feel like they’d been through a wash cycle, but nothing put him off food, even Libby.

The look she’d given him when he’d arrived downstairs to see that shithead, her father, grabbing her arm had been desperate… tortured, even. He’d wanted to slay dragons for her then. And her brother, he’d just stood there and watched. What was that about?

Ryder would do whatever it took to keep Zoe happy. He knew that wasn’t reasonable, but it was how he felt. His mom, Birdie, Phoebe, and Ally—all of them were under his protection.

“So, let’s hear it,” Zoe said.

“What?” Ryder said, pushing off the doorframe and stomping to the table. He then grabbed a slice of pizza and returned.

“If you think being over there will stop them from interrogating you, think again, bud,” JD said. “They’ll just yell louder.”

It had been his small rebellion because he knew what was coming.

“Come on, Ry, it’s inevitable, so give in and talk to us,” Sawyer said.

He sighed and then moved to sit on the footrest his mom had told him he needed beside Dan.

“What? You can’t sit on the floor because you’re better than me?” his little brother asked him.

“Shut up, and I will always be better than you.”

“So what’s the deal with you and Libby Gulliver because we know there is one,” Zoe said.

“Look, I get you all like to be in my face, and this is the first time I’ve cared about… Fuck,” Ryder sighed.

“So you care for her?” Dan asked.

“No.”

“Yes,” JD added. “And I’ll add that she’s a good person, Ryder. The woman who worked her ass off for me sweeping my floors and cleaning out the restroom?—”

“You made her do that?” Ryder roared at him.

JD smiled. “Just changing the hand towels is all, bud, not the other stuff.”

Ryder bit into his pizza to stop from speaking. He hated how irrational Libby made him feel. He’d never felt like this before. Looking at his siblings, he suddenly understood what they’d gone through. Their need to fight the battles of those they loved…love?Surely not. He hadn’t known Libby that long, so he couldn’t love her.

“So, from where I’m sitting, across from you,” Brody said, “I can see she hurt you, and you being you, that cuts deep.”

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