Ryder the Love Expert | Protector 2.1

Chapter 53

BTW, there was a time skip between chapter 51 and 52. 51 was near the end of April and 52 was in the middle of June, so that's why Rose is already 7 weeks old.

Chapter 53

       As soon as we walked into my house, I was bombarded by Tulip. "I missed you, Ryder!" she said, then she saw Mae. "Mae! I missed...." She then spotted Jerome. "No. No no no. Get out."

       I sighed. "Tulip, I told you that Mae and Jerome are staying until we can move into our apartment. You need to learn to be nice to Jerome."

       "Yeah," Jerome said, opening a container he was holding. "Look, I made brownies."

       "Did you poison them?" Tulip asked suspiciously.

       "No, why would I....Just have one, Tulip," he said. "I made them as a truce."

       She glared at him and the brownies before finally taking one and biting into it. "Okay," she said once she swallowed the bite. "I'll try not to be mean. But I'm still...."

       "Watching me? Yeah, I know," Jerome said.

       "Good, keep thinking that," Tulip said.

       The rest of my family walked over and Jerome immediately smiled when he saw Rose, who was being held by Dad. "Aww, a baby," he said. "They're so cute. I want one. Even though I'm seventeen."

       "Then find a baby mama, easy solution," Alan said.

       "Sorry, no can do," Jerome said. "I don't roll like that. Girls just....aren't my thing."

       "Oh," Alan said. "You hear that, Nolan? Girls aren't...."

       "That's enough, Alan," Mom said as Nolan gave Alan a look, telling him to shut up.

       "Wait," Tulip said. "That means....Yes! Jerome can't ruin Maeder! I finally like you, Jerome."

       "Man, I should have told you that a long time ago," Jerome said.

       "Thank you for letting us stay here," Mae said. "I really missed Miami."

       "And I had to get away from my parents," Jerome said.

       "What happened?" Dad asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

       "I don't mind," Jerome said. "Long story short, I came out of the closet to my parents and they kicked me out of the house."

       "Wow, I'm sorry," Dad said. "I can't even understand why some parents would do that to their own kid."

       "It doesn't really matter that much," Jerome said. "I was planning on moving down here anyway, so yeah. I made brownies by the way. Mae thinks it's the best thing to ever be on the planet since music."

       "It is," Mae said. "It's like....I can't even describe it. That's how good it is."

       Jerome held out the container and everyone tried a brownie. They were really good. I ate a lot of them on the way back here until Jerome slapped my hand and told me to stop being a pig. I couldn't help it. They were really good.

       "That's it, I'm dead," Orchid said. "They're really good."

       "These definitely have to be on the menu at Ryder and Mae's wedding," Nolan said.

       "No," I said. "No way. You two aren't planning any more weddings."

       "You're lame," Jerome said.