Page 66 of Desperate Pucker
He looks up at me, his eyes big.
“Great timing, huh?”
He scrubs his free hand along his face. “Jesus.”
The urge to clam up and shrink into myself zooms through me, but I fight it. Ryker opened up to me about his ex. I want to be honest with him now too.
“I found out he was cheating on me for most of our relationship,” I say. “I was heartbroken. I threw myself into training for the Olympics to distract myself, and that worked for a while. But then everything came to a head.”
I’m quiet for a second as I remember it all. Ryker gives my hand another soft squeeze. My skin tingles. I swallow at how good it feels, how his massive hand swallows up mine. How warm and comforting his touch is.
“I was reeling from my breakup. I was starving myself because my coach at the time was really critical of my body. She wanted me to be as tiny as possible when I competed at the Olympics. I had surgery on my injured ankle a few months earlier, and I rushed my rehab so that I could compete. I was running on painkillers and maybe a thousand calories a day.”
When I look up at Ryker, his eyes are wide. “Shit, Maddy. That’s awful.”
I huff out a breath. “And then my dad showed up out of the blue to watch me skate.”
His brow furrows like he’s confused.
“I wasn’t expecting him to be there,” I say.
“Your dad never watched you skate before?”
“Nope. That was the first time ever. He called me the night before my short program and said he was coming to watch me. I was a bundle of anxiety and nerves.”
“But you’re his daughter,” Ryker says.
“Yeah, but it’s not that simple.” I swallow back the emotion in my throat. “He was married with kids when he met my mom. He lied to her and said he was separated to get her to go out with him.”
Ryker’s eyes go wide. “He had an affair?”
“Yup. Typical billionaire behavior. Fucking around on his wife and getting another woman pregnant.”
Recognition flashes in his eyes.
“I’m an affair baby. My mom raised me as a single mom. She got child support, and he paid for all my schooling and figure skating growing up. I was fortunate in that way. Money was never an issue for me. I always had everything I needed. But he never spent much time with me. He had his older kids to focus on. He never really felt like my dad.”
For a long second, Ryker just stares at me, a mystified look on his face.
“You were his family too, Maddy.”
“I never felt like it.”
“That’s fucked up.” He reaches over and tucks my hair behind my ear. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine.” There’s a bite in his gentle tone. My chest aches at how much he feels for me, how much he cares about my pain.
“He’s tried to make up for it over the years,” I say. “He bought me this apartment when I turned twenty-one. He got me my job with the Bashers.”
Ryker shakes his head. “You got that job because you’re an incredible skater and teacher. Look how you’re helping me. I wouldn’t be able to play like I do without you.”
Warmth swoops through me, hearing him give me credit for his ability as a hockey player.
He pulls me onto his lap, careful not to bump Bruce. I rest my hands on his shoulders, and he cups my face in his hands.
“I was wrong about you, Maddy,” he rasps. “I’m sorry.”
