Page 28 of Comforted By The Mountain Man
I trace that same finger now at his jaw, hoping he doesn’t need me to spell it out.
“Fuck, Sierra. Good luck getting rid of me now,” he whispers, bending over and kissing me.
Another first. Rounds two, three, and hell, I lose count.
We utilize every ounce of the three hours before Ryder gets dropped off at Asher’s. Watching my boy, after Asher and I showered—a second time; the first ended up in another round—as he eyes this cabin with wonder, running to explore every room for zero-point-two seconds before jumping to the next, creates an ache in my chest.
Worry and joy in equal measure.
We could get used to this. And that scares the hell out of me.
8
ASHER
The morning light filters through the garage windows as I watch Ryder carefully stack another wooden block on his tower. Two days. Two perfect days since Sierra and I crossed that line from whatever we were before to something deeper, something that feels like forever. We haven't left the property since then and I'm in no hurry to change that.
Sierra's still sleeping upstairs, exhausted from the thorough attention I gave her last night. The memory of her gasps and moans sends heat through my chest but I push it aside. Right now, it's just me and the kid who's somehow managed to wrap himself around my heart just as tightly as his mother has.
"Look, Mr. Asher!" Ryder holds up his creation proudly. "It's a castle for Hulk!"
I examine his work seriously. The wooden blocks I cut and sanded years ago for potential future nieces and nephews have found their purpose sooner than expected. "That's impressive architecture. Hulk's going to need a strong castle to keep the bad guys out."
"Yeah!" He positions his action figure on top of the tallest tower. "And if they try to get in, Hulk will smash them!"
The fierce protectiveness in his four-year-old voice makes me smile. This kid has been through more than most adults, but he's still got fight in him. Still believes in heroes.
"You know what makes Hulk really strong?" I ask, settling down on the garage floor beside him.
"His muscles?"
"That's part of it. But the real strength comes from protecting the people he loves. That's what makes someone a real hero."
Ryder considers this, his small face serious. "Do you protect people you love?"
"I try to. It's one of the most important jobs a man can have."
He nods solemnly then surprises me by crawling closer and leaning against my side. "I'm really happy we came here."
"Yeah? Why's that?"
"Because you make Mommy smile. She smiles all the time now and she doesn't look scared anymore." He pauses, fiddling with Hulk's movable arms. "I don't miss my dad."
The admission is quiet, matter-of-fact, and it hits me harder than I expected. "No?"
"No. He wasn't nice to Mommy. He yelled at her a lot and he made her cry." Ryder's voice gets smaller. "And he always made me keep secrets from her."
Every protective instinct I have roars to life. I keep my voice gentle, non-threatening. "What kind of secrets?"
Ryder's shoulders hunch inward. "Am I gonna get in trouble?"
"No, buddy. You're never going to get in trouble with me for telling the truth. Ever. I promise."
He searches my face, looking for any sign that I might be lying. Whatever he sees there must satisfy him because he nods and continues.
"Sometimes he said we were going for ice cream but we never got ice cream. We went to these houses with mean ladies and they would put me in a room with cartoons I didn't like." His voice becomes even quieter. "They made weird noises from the other room and I couldn’t hear everything on the TV anyway. And then when we got home, I had to stay away from Mommy because Dad said if I told her where we really went, she would be mad at me."
White hot rage floods my system. That bastard. That absolute piece of shit took this innocent kid to his hookups, traumatized him, and then made him lie to his mother about it. Made him think Sierra would be angry with him instead of heartbroken that her son was being used as cover for Oscar's cheating.
