sequel to "Westside" read that first!
Dylan Jessica Caldwell is a 17 year old gang leader. But she has a secret. Her mental health is not good. No matter what she looks like on the outside, she's always having an internal battle with herself.
Ryder...
"Ry," I cry, tears in my eyes. "I have nothing to wear to lunch with your mom."
He comes into the closet, grabs overalls, a crop top, air forces, and hands them to me.
"You don't need to be fancy, princess. Change and let's go." I put the outfit on and look in my full length mirror. You can definitely tell I'm pregnant, but it's a good outfit so whatever.
I walk out of my closet and go to my little hanging jewelry thing. I put my promise ring on again and play with it for a second. I took it off when I showered so it didn't tarnish.
"Mi amor are you ready?" Ryder comes into the room and I nod. We go downstairs and I get in his car. Everyone decided to go to the beach again today. I'm feeling more tired lately so I opted out. We start driving to the restaurant where we're meeting his mom.
After the death of his cousin Jasmine, Rose wanted Ryder to move home. He was happy living at the mansion, and he refused. He even said that his mom has had more money since he moved out, which I know is a big deal because they didn't have a ton of money to begin with.
"Hi Miss Lynch," I hug his mom. "How are you?"
"Hello dear. I'm doing well, thank you. And you?"
"I am pretty good," I smile. "How are the girls?"
She immediately starts talking about how the twins are mad that they don't have a girls hockey team at the high school and how they're going around getting signatures to start one. We sit at a booth, Ryder next to me, and I look at the menu.
"Hi I'm Donna, I'll be your waitress today. Can I get you started with some drinks?" A chipper woman asks.
"Two sprites please," I say with a smile and Rose orders a diet coke.
"So. How did it go with decorating Kiara's room?" She asks after we order our food.
"It went great!" Ryder exclaims. "We finally finished and it looks amazing!"
"That's so exciting! How did you design it?"
"We painted the walls a soft pink and today we're going to hang up some cute animal prints. We also added a cozy rocking chair and a beautiful crib," I put my hands on my knees to stop them bouncing.
"And we got this amazing mobile thing that plays lullabies and has little stars that light up. It's so cool!" Ryder adds.
"That sounds perfect! Did you have any trouble picking out everything?"
"Not really," I shake my head. "We had a lot of fun looking at different options and deciding what we wanted."
"Yeah, it was a team effort. We both wanted to make sure everything was perfect for Kiara."
"I'm sure she'll love it," Ryder's mom says warmly. "Are you guys ready for her arrival?"
Ryder looks at me. "We're getting there. We still have a few things to do, but we're excited and can't wait to meet her," I laugh lightly.
"Yeah, we're both a little nervous, but I think we're ready for this," Ryder's hand finds mine under the table and he squeezes it gently.
"You two are going to be great parents. Keep me updated if you ever need help, okay?" She smiles.
"Of course Mom," Ryder smiles at her.
"How far along are you?" She asks.
"I think about 28 weeks," I look at Ryder and he nods. "Yeah 28 weeks."
"Getting close to the third trimester," she claps her hands excitedly. "Do you guys have everything you need? I kept some of the twins old baby stuff, like the car seats and the stroller and stuff if you want to take a look at it."
"Oh that's really-thank you," I interrupt myself as our food arrives. "That's really kind of you Ms Lynch but we've already picked out a car seat and a stroller. It's being delivered soon." I eat one of my fries.
We talk about general things next. The weather, politics, I get to hear more embarrassing Baby Ryder stories, and I get to hear all about her new job. By the time we're done talking, it's easily been two hours.
"This was great Ms Lynch," I hug her again. "We really should try to do this more often. Say hi to the girls for me!"
"That I will dear. And thank you again for buying lunch, you truly didn't have to." I wave her off.
"It's my pleasure. Have a great day!" We get in Ry's car and he starts the drive home. I'm looking out the window until my phone buzzes and I see a text from Maddy.
Mads: AXELJDFJJDDBJDBDJD
Dylan: AHHHH IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU GUYS!
Mads: how tf did you understand that
Dylan: i'm fucking magical
Mads: clearly
Dylan: gotta go, i'm tired and i wanna nap real bad. peace out girl scout
I walk upstairs, one hand on my belly, and put on comfier clothes. Then I snuggle up under a blanket and start watching a movie. Ryder comes into the room and pulls me onto his chest.
"I can't believe we're only 12 weeks away from becoming parents," he mumbles. I nod sleepily.
"Ryder?"
"Hm?"
"Have you thought at all about...I don't know. Marriage?"
"Of course. I think about marrying you all the time. But I'm not marrying you until we're older. I want to be sure I can make our wedding perfect you know?"
I just nod, smiling. And then I drift to sleep.
ENTER DREAMLAND
"I never thought that I'd get this. I always thought that my life was set for me. Be a leader, do what you're told, and be ruthless. But five years ago, everything changed. Five years ago, I met a boy on a motorcycle. He bought me ice cream because he said I intrigued him." Our guests laugh and I continue my speech. "Five years ago, I got pink paint poured on me when a boy pranked me. Five years ago, I went with my best friends to a school so I could get revenge on the boy who pranked me."
I see Ryder covering his mouth as tears slip down his face.
"Little did I know that that prankster would become my husband." I laugh as I wipe my tears. "You have shown me a world that I thought I'd never see. You've shown me how to love, how to be loved, how to be a good mom, and how to be a better person. You make me a better person, and for that I can never ever thank you enough. I love you Ry."
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