Page 44 of Twisted Bonds
"Are you okay with Mom and Cayley staying here?" I ask her.
"What? Oh yes, of course. This is your home," Ryan states as she looks at my mom.
"I don't want to be a bother…"
"You won't be bothering me one bit. I won't even be here." As the words leave Ryan's mouth, we all turn to her with a questioning look. She smiles slightly. "Since you are alive and well, Chloe, that makes my mother's marriage to Bain null and void, which means this is no longer my home. I'll be leaving tonight."
Twenty-Four
Bain
My chest feels tight—too tight—as Ryan's words replay in my head,"… I'll be leaving tonight."I can't let her leave. She belongs here—this is her home. It doesn't matter if my marriage is null and void; I still made a promise to Lacey that I would watch over her and protect her. Will it be hard if we aren't together? Of course, even though I agree that I must give my marriage to Chloe a chance, I will always love my pretty girl.
The truth is, she was Beau's first love, and they were good together. I will give her up if it means my son’s happiness. Regardless, her home is with us. Hell, her work is here; it would be pointless to move, only to drive back every day to come to work—unless…
"Your work is here, Ryan. It's pointless to drive back and forth," I tell her. "Huntley Manor is big enough for all of us."
Ryan gives me her beautiful smile. "Yes, it is. However, it's not all that big of a house when you live under the same roof as those you have feelings for. I also want to respect Chloe's feelings in this." She looks at Beau and then at me and Chloe. "I know the two of you aren't blind. Bain and I have had an agreement, but in recent weeks, it's developed into something more. Neither one of us was expecting it."
"We know, baby." Beau squeezes Ryan's hand. "Liam has been keeping tabs on the two of you since the new security was put in. He's been making us watch the two of you since he let me out of the basement."
My hackles rise. "What the hell did you just say?"
My son turns his attention to me. "I'm pretty sure you heard me this first time. Your vetting skills need work because Liam's guy is the one who put in your new security."
"Beau!"
Chloe and Ryan both hiss out my son's name, but I raise my hand. I understand his anger toward me, and if I'm honest, I don't blame him. I wouldn't want to give Ryan up, either. If it weren't for Chloe, I don't know if I would have been able to not fight for her. Hell, I still don't know how I will do it, but looking at my wife, I do remember the love I had for her all those years ago. We had a good marriage, even if I was gone quite a bit due to work.
"It's okay; he has a right to be mad at me," I say as I look at my son's heated stare. "We can't help who we fall in love with; you should know that Beau, and I'm not going to apologize for it either. We all have much to discuss and figure out where to go from here. I think the best thing is for all of us to think on this and talk to whoever we need to talk to before anyone makes irrational decisions." I take a chance and let my eyes settle on Ryan, where she nods and gives me a small smile.
"That sounds good to me," Beau states and stands up, pulling Ryan with him. "I'll be taking my wife home tonight."
"What do you mean? This is your home," I say earnestly as I feel my chest tightening up once again.
"No, the Hendricks' home isourhome. Unless you had it cleared out, it's where our stuff is at." My son makes it a point to remind me of their situation, so naturally, I go on the defense, especially when I can see the indecision on Ryan's face.
"You’re not married, Beau. I think it's best that if Ryan is adamant about leaving, she should return to the house alone. Give her space to think, son."
"I was gone for two fucking years! I want to spend some time withmygirl! There, is that better?" Beau sneers, and all I can do is shake my head.
"Ryan?" I question and raise a brow to see what her thoughts are.
God, I want to pull her into my arms and love on her. I bet she needs a session at this point, and who will be the one to give her what she needs for this? Beau's never wielded a whip in his life—that I know of.
"Maybe it's best that Beau and I talk in private. He's right, he's been gone for two years, and we owe ourselves this time. It's best that you andChloe talk without interruption as well. I'll call Liv and make sure she knows to stay away from the Manor until I'm able to talk with her tomorrow."
"Liv? Your old friend, Liv?" Beau asks.
"Yeah," Ryan replies. "I'll tell you about it later."
"Are you sure, Ryan? This is your home, regardless. You may be a Hendricks, but you're also a Huntley." I plead with my eyes, but it's useless; she's already decided.
"I'll rectify that as soon as Ryan is okay with it. I'll also have that secretary fired for lying about being our witness."
I have to give my son credit; he's definitely persistent when it comes to something he wants, or in this case—someone.
"Beau, can we talk about that in private, please?" Ryan asks, clearly annoyed by Beau's attitude.
