Page 53 of Loathing Ryan
She had waited until the third night after I got home to break the news to me. They both sat me down at the dining room table and told me that they were engaged and Derek would be moving into the house.
I played it cool, trying not to freak out about the fact that my mom was going to be marrying a man who was not my dad. But inside, I was definitely freaking out. It took everything in me to keep a straight face and put on an excited front. I really was excited for her, but at the same time, it was going to take some getting used to.
I felt like I had it under control, but then, to make matters worse, shealsodropped the bomb that she was pregnant, and I would be getting a little sibling in addition to a new stepfather.
Needless to say, that extra piece of information threw me over the edge. She was three months along already. I tried not to let that knowledge bother me that she must have known for a while now and had chosen not to tell me, but it still stung a bit. I had politely excused myself after muttering a quick congratulations, and ran upstairs to call Izabel.
Even the sound of her voice had my nerves settling.
Though our time stranded out in the woods together was short in the grand scheme of things, she had become my lifeline. I missed having her around all the time. I missed her getting mad at me over nothing and her sarcastic attitude.
“Heya, Bells,” I said when she answered.
I heard her breathy laugh and instantly relaxed. “Hey, yourself. What are you up to?”
I ran my hand through my hair and leaned back against my pillows with a loud sigh. “Missing you. You free?”
There was rustling on the other line, and then the sound of a door closing. “Sure, what did you have in mind?”
I was already up and off my bed, grabbing the keys to my car off my dresser. “I’ll pick you up. Text me your address?” I bounded down the stairs, hollering a quick goodbye to my mom and my future stepfather, and then slid out of the house.
Izabel and I said a few more words to each other before hanging up. Within a minute, my phone was chiming with a text containing her address. I plugged it in and peeled out of the driveway, heading toward the one person who I knew could cheer me up.
When I pulled into her driveway, I texted her and let her know I was here. A few minutes later, she peeked out of the front door and gave me a sheepish wave. I rolled down my window when she came up to it. Her cheeks were flushed bright red, and her eyes a little glazed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked right away.
Her fingers were knotted together as she leaned through the window into the car. “My parents want to meet you. Or well—” she hesitated. “My dad does.”
I couldn’t help the grimace that formed on my face, but I didn’t argue, rather pulling the keys out of the ignition and hopping out of the car. Izabel’s eyes were wide, as if she was expecting me to not be okay with this. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her into me. “Come on, Bells. Let’s go introduce me to your dad.”
Her arm wrapped around my back, and she placed her other on my stomach as we walked inside. “I am so sorry about this, in advance,” she mumbled.
I chuckled and kissed the crown of her head. “All part of the deal, babe.”
I released her as soon as we stepped foot inside the house. Her father was seemingly waiting for us in the foyer, his arms crossed, and a stern look on his face. He was a bit taller than me, his shoulders much broader. I swallowed thickly and straightened up.
“Sir,” I said, hating how my voice cracked a bit. Holding a hand out, I did my best to be polite. “I’m Ryan. Nice to meet you.”
Her father eyed my hand suspiciously before he finally took it, giving me a good shake. He raised an eyebrow and looked at me sideways. “You’re the guy, huh?”
“Most likely,” I said, unsure of what exactly I was being accused of.
“The one who saved my daughter?” he said, taking me off guard as he finally released my hand.
My eyes flashed to Izabel, who looked just as surprised as me. I cleared my throat and said, “I think saying we saved each other would be a more accurate assumption.”
At last, her father dropped whatever pretense he was putting on and then clapped me on the shoulder. A woman I could only assume was her mother peeked out of the kitchen and walked down the hall, giving me a wide smile. “Well, either way,” her father said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. You may call me Dan, and this is my wife, Cara.”
“Nice to meet you both,” I offered, dipping my chin to Izabel’s mother as a greeting. She gave me another big smile, and then shared a secret look with her daughter, who pressed herself into my side.
“Where are you two off to tonight?” Dan asked me, eyes lasering in on where Izabel leaned into me.
“Just the park, sir,” I said. “Nothing too exciting.”
“Alright. Well, home by eleven, Izzie, okay?”
“Okay,” Bells said to her dad, then shot me a grin. She took my hand, yelling goodbyes to her parents as she dragged me out of the house.
