Sweet Caroline {Ryan Blaney} ✔️

fifteen

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"Mom, am I going to get to see Ryan again?" Caroline asked, her big blue eyes looking up at her mother. "I really like him."

Lydia sat down on the edge of Caroline's bed. "Of course you are." She smoothed a curl down. "He really likes spending time with you."

"Really?" Caroline's face lit up, her body wiggling in excitement. "But why?"

"What do you mean why?" Lydia was a little confused at her daughter's question.

"Why does he spend time with me?" Caroline questioned, her little brow furrowed as she waited for her mother's response.

Lydia's stomach twisted a little. She knew that it was only a matter of time before Caroline would start asking questions but she hadn't expected them to be so soon. "Well..." Her voice trailed off for a minute, trying to think of an answer that would satisfy her daughter without really diving into exactly what had sparked Ryan's sudden interest in Caroline. "You know, I think that is a question we should ask Ryan the next time we see him."

Caroline nodded slowly, happy with that answer. Lydia sighed a breath of relief, thankful that Caroline would probably forget that question long before they saw Ryan. "When can we go watch Ryan race?" She asked.

"You are full of questions tonight." Lydia stood up. "I'll see what I can do about going to a race, okay? But you need to get to sleep." Lydia pressed a kiss on her daughter's forehead before turning towards the door.

"Goodnight, momma," Caroline called behind her. "I love you."

"Goodnight, Caroline, I love you too. " Lydia shut her bedroom door. She shuffled down to the living room, collapsing on the sofa. She could tell that the conversation where she had to explain exactly why Ryan was suddenly a part of Caroline's life was looming and she was dreading it. She had no idea how she was going to be able to explain to Caroline why Ryan hadn't been in her life before this without ruining Caroline's relationship with her or Ryan.

Her phone on the coffee table buzzed, indicating an incoming phone call. She grabbed her phone, Ryan's name filling her phone screen.

"Hello?" She answered, uncertainty washing over her. She had no idea why Ryan was calling and a part of her was worried that something had happened and Stacy had found out about Caroline or he had decided that he no longer wanted to be a part of Caroline's life.

"Hey." Ryan breathed through the phone, sounding equally as nervous. "Did Caroline have fun today?"

Lydia's uncertainty melted away with Ryan's question. This is what healthy communication between co-parents looks like. "Of course. I meant what I said earlier about her adoring you. She really wants me to take her to a race weekend."

"The Roval is next weekend," Ryan suggested. "I'd love it if you guys were my guests."

Lydia crinkled her nose. As much as she wanted to say yes, she was worried about how that would look for Ryan, especially considering that Caroline was unmistakably a Blaney. "Ryan..." Her voice trailed off a little. "People are going to notice." She whispered.

"Right." Lydia could practically see the furrow in Ryan's brow as he tried to find a solution to this problem. "I don't care. If anybody asks, we can say that she won a contest."

Lydia nodded, shifting her phone to the other ear. She thought back to what Ryan had said about how Caroline wasn't his dirty little secret. That had surprised her but she could tell by the sincerity and hurt in his eyes that he was honest about that. "Okay." She paused for a moment. "Caroline is starting to ask questions."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"She wanted to know why you're spending time with her," Lydia explained. "I told her that was a question for you so hopefully she forgets but it at least buys us a little time."

"Right." Ryan went quiet. "How are we going to tell her? We need a game plan."

"You're right." She agreed, biting her lip. "I guess the best thing to do is to sit her down. She's going to have a million questions." Lydia rubbed her temple. "I don't know how I'm going to explain this to her." Her voice cracked at the end, tears welling up. "She's never going to understand and she's going to be so upset with me."

"Hey, it's okay." Ryan's voice was soft. "She's still young so she's not going to understand but when she's older, she's going to understand that you did what you thought was best for her." He reassured her. "It's going to be okay."

Lydia sniffed back a few tears. A wave of guilt washed over her. Ryan was a good man and he hadn't deserved this, he hadn't deserved to miss out on a single moment. "You're a good man," She echoed her thoughts. "I'm really sorry. I don't know if I've apologized but I'm really sorry, I should have tried harder to get in contact with you so you at least had a chance to be there."

"You don't have to apologize." Ryan murmured. "I'll admit that at first, I was angry but it doesn't matter what I've missed, all that matters now is that I won't miss anything else."

"I'm glad it was you, Ryan." Lydia heard herself saying. It was true -- Lydia had no idea if any other man on this earth would have taken all of this in stride the way that he had but she was glad that he had. He was the reason this hadn't turned into some sort of nightmare the way that Lydia had imagined.

"I'm glad it was me too." Ryan agreed. "I have to go. Let me know another time for me to see Caroline, okay? I'll get the details for the race too."

"Sounds good." Lydia agreed. "Bye, Ryan."

She ended the call, settling back on the sofa. Her mind replayed Ryan's words of reassurance but Lydia found herself caught up in the warmth in his voice, the evident caringness that he had shown toward her. She didn't understand why he was so sweet to her, he certainly didn't have to be.

Her mind drifted into a daydream, one of the three of them. They were a family -- a happy one. Lydia tried to shake it off, dismiss it as impossible but she found her heart yearning for it. It didn't help that Ryan was borderline perfect -- so sweet and kind to the both of them. She could see it in his eyes, she knew that he still wanted her. She had no idea if it was a good idea to even think about dating Ryan because there was so much at stake.

But another thought crept into her mind.

What if they worked out?

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