Page 42 of Faking It Right
“Yeah, you can,” he said, his tone full of innuendo.
No matter how confused I was, at least I could always count on Harley to make me laugh.
Chapter Ten
HARLEY
I hummedto myself as we walked through the front door, holding the treasure haul Ryker had snagged at the bookstore. It had been exactly what he’d described, a hidden gem with floor-to-ceiling shelves and that intoxicating old book smell that made bibliophiles swoon like starry-eyed lovers.
“You weren’t kidding about that place,” I said, setting the bag down on the entryway table. “I thought I’d never get you out of there.”
Ryker’s boyish grin was all boyish charm, crinkling the corner of his eyes. “I warned you. Once I’m there, time becomes a suggestion.”
“You’re back!” Jacinta’s voice rang out from somewhere in the house before she appeared, wiping her hands on a colorful apron over her sundress. “Perfect timing. I could use an extra set of hands.”
Danson appeared behind her, toolbox in hand. “And I could use yours, son. The garage door is acting as cooperative as a cat at bath time.”
Ryker shot me an apologetic smile. “Duty calls. You okay with my mom?”
“I promise I’ll take good care of your boy,” Jacinta declared, linking her arm through mine. “We’ll have a blast, won’t we, Harley?”
“Absolutely,” I agreed, giving Ryker a flirty smile that made his cheeks flush. Flustering him was becoming my new favorite hobby.
Jacinta shooed him toward his father. “Go help your dad before he decides to fix it himself and we end up with a nonfunctional garage door that doubles as modern art.”
Danson chuckled. “She knows me too well.”
“After this many years of marriage, I should hope so,” she replied with a snicker.
As Ryker and his father made their way out to the garage, Jacinta guided me toward the kitchen. The spicy scent of what could only be her famous apple-cinnamon crumble wafted through the air.
“I’m redecorating the breakfast nook,” she announced, gesturing to a half-assembled collection of framed photos sprawled across the kitchen table. “I’ve been meaning to update the wall for ages, and now that you’re officially part of the family as Ryker’s boyfriend, we need to make room for you.”
Pressure bloomed in my chest, making it hard to find my voice. “That’s sweet of you.”
“Of course.” She waved it off, but her warm smile twinkled in her eyes. “I’ve always considered you family, even before you and Ryker figured things out.”
She handed me a hammer and gestured at a collection of nails. “Would you mind helping me hang these while we chat? Sawyer and Gia are off on a date night, leaving me short on my usual helpers.”
“I’d be delighted to.” It felt good to be useful and part of something as personal as the family photo wall. My own parents had never been the type to display photos or show much interest in my life at all.
As we worked, Jacinta supplied frame after frame, each one a time capsule of their lives. In one, a gap-toothed seven-year-old Ryker held his first guitar. Another captured his teenage self, all gangly limbs and a reluctant smile as Sawyer pulled him in for a hug. There was a group shot of the four of them smiling on vacation.
“Oh, this is a classic,” Jacinta said, handing me a photo of Ryker at about five, stark naked except for a superhero cape and a pair of his father’s work boots. A strategically placed stuffed animal bravely preserved his modesty. “He went through a phase where he refused to wear clothes because they restricted his superpowers.”
I burst out laughing. “Please tell me there are more of these.”
“An entire album. I’ll show you later. Oh! And there’s the time he gave himself a haircut the night before third-grade picture day. He looked like angry squirrels had attacked him.”
I carefully hung the frame, still chuckling. “I’m filing all of this away for future blackmail.”
“Oh, I’m counting on it,” she replied with a giggle. “Someone has to keep that boy humble.”
We worked in comfortable silence for a moment before she handed me a more recent photo. It showed Ryker and me at last year’s family Christmas celebration, both of us sporting outrageous holiday sweaters. Looking at it now, I could sense something in the way we leaned toward each other with cozy familiarity.
Jacinta observed me studying the image. “I knew it even then.”
“Knew what?”
