Secrets And Lies

Chapter 38: This Is It

Axel

"You ready, Darlin'?" Mike draped his arm around his daughter, as the four of us walked up the driveway of the place she used to call home.

Ryan was a nervous wreck. I didn't blame her. When she went to get her jeep the day she moved into our house, she had waited outside while Quade got her keys, so she hadn't stepped foot in this house since she walked away. Ryan didn't look back that day, not even a glance. And now she was staring at the yellow house, nervously biting her lip. She took a deep and audible breath.

"I don't have a choice." She gave a weary smile.

"Don't worry Ry, we gotcha." Quade pulled her into a side hug. "She won't try much with us three here."

"He's right. And if she does, I'll hand you some food to throw at her." I winked, making her and Mike laugh.

Quade opened the door and left it that way for the rest of us. Nothing visually had changed, but the atmosphere had. It was cold and quiet. Not at all full of life like it was when Ryan had lived there. The tension in the air gave me an uneasy chill at the base of my spine. I wouldn't be surprised if that was due to the fact that Lynn was here.

"Lynn, get down here," Mike shouted up the stairs.

A few seconds later there was the sound of a door opening and closing, followed by sharp, controlled footsteps.

"What you doing here?" Lynn asked.

She was dressed in a navy blue suit, her Auburn hair pinned neatly on her head. She looked like she normally did. Unaffected.

"Did You finally come to your senses?" She made her way past us and into the kitchen.

At least Ryan would be within reach of plenty of ammo.

"I came to my senses back in December, you should really catch up to the rest of us." Mike crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Ryan remained silent, still assaulting her lower lip. I turned her to face me, "Don't do that..." I whispered and gently tugged her lip from her teeth with my thumb.

The flesh that was clamped between her teeth was now swollen, teeth marks evident. "We will be out of here soon," I assured.

She nodded in response, then turned around, studying her parents who were quietly arguing.

  I rubbed her shoulders when I saw how tense she was. Knots were forming up and down her shoulder blades. I kept my eyes on the woman that Ryan and Quade had the misfortune of calling 'mom'.

"Does Ryan have any mail here?" Quade, running out of patience, interrupted his parents.

He didn't wait for an answer before he left the room and made his way to the den.

Lynn's gaze followed Quade before it fell back to her husband.

"Why would she care if she had mail here or not? She is the one who left. She should have thought about that before she went and lived in sin with her boyfriend." Lynn eyed me up and down.

"Ryan left because of you. And 'she' is right here. How about acting like it?" I fumed. 

How could she talk like Ryan wasn't standing right in front of her? She didn't acknowledge that her daughter was in the house.

She ignored my comment. Lynn's lucky she wasn't born without a certain appendage,  otherwise, her ass would be on the ground.

Instead, I wrapped my arms tightly around the amazing girl standing in front of me. I could feel her muscles slowly relax into my embrace. Not all the way, but more than she was.