Sweet Caroline {Ryan Blaney} ✔️

seven

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Lydia's heart pounded loudly in her ears as she twisted her key in the ignition, she let her car idle for a moment as she struggled to find enough composure to drive. She hadn't known what else to do besides leave -- she had done it once and it had worked out and Lydia desperately hoped that it would work again.

She had watched the realization spread across Ryan's face -- the shock of his world as he knew it crumbling around him. Part of Lydia felt bad but another part of her knew that this had been the right choice and leaving was the right choice too. Things had become so complicated in a matter of seconds and Lydia had withdrawn.

Lydia's eyes drifted up to the mirror at the little girl still grinning wildly in the backseat, completely oblivious to what had happened. Lydia was thankful for that, thankful that she had been blissfully unaware that she had hugged the man that she had shared half of her DNA with.

But when Caroline surprised Ryan with a hug, Lydia could see Ryan's anger-filled eyes soften and fill with love. That had made Lydia question all of this, question leaving but that ship had sailed -- it wasn't like she could go back in there and ask to talk to Ryan. She reminded herself of the phrase that she had often repeated to herself when her resolve wavered. It was for the best.

Lydia let out a shaky breath as she grabbed her shifter but a loud rap on her window stopped her from putting her car in reverse. Lydia jumped a little, her eyes flying up to see who was outside of her car.

Her stomach dropped at the sight of Ryan. Part of her knew that she could just drive away but a more logical part of her knew that she needed to face Ryan and hope that at the end of this, he would let them drive away and continue their life as if nothing had happened.

"Momma, it's Ryan Blaney!" Caroline squawked from the backseat. "Ryan Blaney is outside our car."

Lydia found herself nodding. "I'm going to see what he needs. You stay put." She glanced down, making sure the air conditioning was on in the backseat to keep Caroline cool.

Ryan stepped back as Lydia opened her door, stepping back out.

"We need to talk." Ryan choked out as Lydia shut her door.

Lydia nodded slowly, studying Ryan. He was still as handsome as she remembered him but she couldn't help but notice the dullness of his eyes, the worry lines etched into his forehead.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Ryan's voice had an edge of desperation. "She's my daughter, I should have known."

Lydia bit her lip, trying to figure out how to answer this question. "Maybe I did?" She shot back, her mind drifting back to the desperation she felt when Caroline had gone through a phase where she didn't sleep. The phrase it was for the best had been abandoned and Lydia had found herself typing a desperate plea to Ryan on Instagram. She had apologized and asked for help. The message had been read but he had never responded. "I messaged you on Instagram when Caroline was a baby because my postpartum depression had made me so desperate. The message was marked as seen but I never heard from you. Looking back, I think it was for the best."

Ryan's brow furrowed as he processed what she had said. "What?" He choked out. "Lydia, I never read that message."

Lydia shrugged, "I don't know what to tell you then."

Ryan leaned against her Equinox, running a hand through his closely shaved hair. "Please believe me when I say that if I had read that message, things would have been different." He looked up at Lydia, tears threatening to spill over.

Lydia found herself nodding. She didn't know why but she believed him. Maybe it was the obvious pain in his eyes, maybe she just really wanted to believe that he hadn't ignored her and her plea for help.

"I don't want to miss anything else." Ryan's eyes settled on Caroline who had found a discarded toy in the backseat to occupy her. "I want to be her Dad."

A new wave of panic hit Lydia. Caroline was happy, well adjusted and throwing this on her -- that one of her favorite drivers was her dad? That would blow her life up in ways that Lydia was not prepared to handle. "Ryan, I --"

"No, Lydia. She's what, five? I've already missed five birthdays, five Christmases, five everything. You're not going to keep her from me." Ryan's voice lowered. "Please don't keep her from me." Desperation seeped through his voice.

A thought popped into Lydia's mind -- causing her chest to tighten in the beginnings of a panic attack. Ryan had money, he could hire a team of the best family law attorneys and get full custody of Caroline if he really wanted to. Sure, she was a family law attorney but that just gave her a front-row seat to cases where the parent who could afford the best lawyer won, no matter the circumstances.

Losing Caroline would devastate Lydia, she knew that it couldn't be an option. She hoped that maybe if she allowed Ryan to be apart of Caroline's life, that would keep him happy enough to stop from pursuing full custody. Eventually, Lydia knew that they'd need some type of custody agreement but they'd get to that.

Lydia knew that they needed to do this slowly, to allow Caroline to be able to adjust to what was going to become her new reality. "We need to do this slowly." Lydia's words echoed her thoughts. "Build a relationship with Caroline and then we'll start leading her to the conclusion that you're her father."

Ryan nodded slowly. "I'll do whatever it takes." His pulled his phone out of his pocket, tapping on the screen for a moment before handing it to Lydia. "Your number?" He prompted when Lydia hesitated to take it from him.

"Right." Lydia frowned a little, taking the phone from him and punching in her number.

"Only took six years to get it." Ryan chuckled as he took the phone back from her. His eyes met Lydia's and Lydia couldn't help but wonder what had caused his once bright eyes to dull so much. Ryan tapped his screen before looking up at Lydia. "And now you have my number too."

Before Lydia could say anything, a small hand pounded on the window. They both glanced over, laughing in unison at Caroline's face smushed up against the glass.

Ryan reached over, opening the door. Lydia's stomach tightened, unsure of what Ryan was going to say or do.

"Ryan!" She jumped out of the car, into Ryan's arms. Ryan caught her, holding her as Caroline wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist -- almost like a little koala. "What are you doing here?" Lydia could see Caroline's nose wrinkle over Ryan's shoulder. "And why are you talking to my mom?"

Ryan chuckled a little, "I was just asking your mom if she could bring you back so I could show you my cars."

Lydia relaxed, thankful that Ryan had listened to what she had said about taking things slow with Caroline. For a brief moment, she couldn't help but marvel at how comfortable Caroline was with Ryan and how comfortable Ryan was with Caroline. It was like their bond had been instant and that made Lydia's heart swell.

"Momma, can I?" both Caroline and Ryan looked at her. The similarities in their faces knocked the wind out her. Sure, she had always known that Caroline favored Ryan but seeing them side by side? It was indescribable, it made her stomach churn. "Momma?" Caroline prodded.

"I think that would be awesome. I have Monday off, maybe Ryan could it then?"

"Can you?" Caroline shifted her gaze to Ryan.

Ryan nodded, "Monday would be perfect."

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