Page 73 of Tall, Dark, & Ginger

Ridley searches my eyes, his lips parted, and the truth slams into me. I’m in love with him. Real love. The kind I hoped for but never found until now. Holy shit. Now what?

His gaze softens as he slides his hand down my back. “We can talk more later. Ready to go back inside?”

I nod, still dazed by the realization. I can’t fuck this up. Not with Ridley. I’ll just bide my time and hope eventually he catches up with me. At least I know he wants to stick around. That’s enough to keep me going.

We enter the busy restaurant and I hurry back to the kitchen, filled with confidence and a sense of purpose I’ve never felt before. Carlos taps my arm as I join him.

“You okay, boss?”

I nod, smiling. “I’m good. Really good.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

RIDLEY

It’s nearlymidnight by the time Wren wraps up in the kitchen. I already told the guys I’m leaving when he does and thankfully tonight’s crowd is manageable. He comes out to the main area dressed in a simple black Moby’s t-shirt and jeans, but there’s a lightness about him that wasn’t there before. It must have felt so good telling Trent to get fucked.

A smile lights up his face as he shuffles over to me, easily accepting my offered embrace. Wren presses against me, nuzzling his face into the crook of my neck.

“Do you have to stay a while?” he asks, pulling back enough to meet my gaze.

I shake my head. “Nope. I’m ready to go.”

After a quick round of goodbyes, we exit the bar and head down the sidewalk, the noise generated by Moby’s becoming fainter the farther we get. It’s a warm night, and there are a few people out, but not many since it’s still a pretty quiet town overall. Since Moby’s opened though, a few more businesses have started advertising later hours, including a drugstore and a taco truck that conveniently opens when our kitchen closes. A few people linger outside at the picnic tables by the truck, laughing and wolfing down carbs to soak up the alcohol.

Wren slots his fingers through mine, swinging our hands together and grinning.

“Feeling good?” I ask.

He nods, glancing at our feet for just a second before looking straight ahead. “I never thought I’d confront him, you know? I wasn’t going to seek him out because I thought it was a waste of time. I didn’t see that it doesn’t matter how he took it. It matters how it felt for me to stand up for myself for once. Now I think I’m ready to face my mom and sister.”

He hasn’t talked much about his family, and I don’t pry, but his comment has me curious. “Do you want to tell me about them?”

Wren nods, chewing his bottom lip for a second. “I didn’t see it until I started therapy, but Trent is a version of my mother. Selfish, manipulative, only interested in what she can get. She uses my sister to poke at me because she knows I’m more likely to take my sister’s call than hers. They use guilt to get things from me, and honestly, I’ve been waiting for one of them to call after the morning show segment assuming I must be a millionaire now and demand money.”

“They haven’t?”

He shakes his head. “No, but they will. It’s just what they do. If I don’t give it to them, the verbal abuse is unbearable. I’ve gone without dinner a few times in my life to give my last twenty bucks to them so they’d go away.” He scoffs. “They don’t even need the twenty dollars. They do it to control me, and I let them, but I’m not going to anymore.”

“That’s pretty major.”

“Are your parents nice?”

“They’re alright. We have a comfortable relationship but not super close or anything. They’re enjoying life closer to my sister and her kids.”

“But they aren’t mean to you?”

“No, and I’m sorry that your family is.”

“It’s okay. I can see it now and that’s a good thing. I’ll be ready the next time one of them calls me.” He squeezes my hand. “But now I know why I gravitated to men like Trent. His toxic kind of affection felt familiar to me. It’s what I thought it was supposed to be like.”

“And now?”

“Now I know it’s not. I know I should expect respect and support. I deserve someone who will hold me up when life gets hard, not kick me when I’m down.”

“Absolutely.” Does he know that’s who I am for him or is it too soon for him to see it yet?

Fuck, I want to tell him how I feel about him so badly. It’s hard not to blurt it out on this sidewalk right now, but there’s a strong chance that it’ll overwhelm him. I should follow his lead, but I don’t know if I can.

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