Stopping at Nothing Read online

  Now that you’re eighteen, I think that it’s time to go our separate ways. We’ve never been that close and to be honest it will be easier for me to move around without you. You’ll finish high school in a couple of weeks and figure things out. You’ve got a good thing going with that Holden boy. It seems like you take after your mom a little bit, huh? LOL.

  Take care of yourself.

  Wow. I don’t even know how to feel right now. I’m hurt that she would just leave me behind like this. She just dumped me somewhere and moved on without me without a second thought. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since, like she said, we were never really that close but still, she’s my mom.

  I’m also pissed off that she would compare me to her. We are nothing alike and I’m not using Ryker for his money or what he can do for me. I love him and he loves me and we’re going to be together forever, not just a few months.

  I ball the note up in my fist before shoving it into my pocket and once again picking up my bags and heading down the stairs. I walk out the front door without looking back and almost run into Ryker as he comes up the steps. He must have gotten tired of waiting for me. As soon as he sees me, he grabs the bags from me and loads them into the trunk before he opens the door for me. I slide into the car and we ride in silence to his house. I think that he must sense that something is wrong because he’s holding my hand and rubbing his thumb along my knuckles as he drives with his other hand.

  He pulls into the garage and helps me from the car before grabbing my bags from the trunk and heading into the house. He carries them up the stairs and right into his bedroom and then his closet. I follow him into the room and lay down on the bed. He drops the bags in the closet before he comes back and joins me on the bed. He brushes the hair away from my face as he leans up on one elbow and looks down at me.

  “You ok?” He asks.

  I reach into my pocket and hand him the crumpled note. He takes it from me and reads it.

  “That bitch. Auden you are nothing like her. You are smart, caring, and so beautiful, inside and out. I love you. She’s an idiot who never realized what an incredible daughter she had and she doesn’t deserve you.”

  By the end of his speech, tears are running down my face. I launch myself at him and he falls onto his back as I burrow my face in his neck. He holds me to him and lets me cry into his shoulder. Once I’m all cried out Ryker scoops me into his arms and carries me into his bathroom. He sets me down on the counter before turning to the bathtub and starting the water. He adjusts the temperature before coming back to me and helping me undress. Then he carries me over to the tub and helps me slide into the water.

  The way he’s taking care of me right now makes me want to start crying all over again. No one has ever tried to take care of me or think about what I need. No one but Ryker.

  I soak in the tub for a little bit and Ryker disappears only to come back and help me up from the tub and into pajamas. Then he carries me to bed where he has a tray with some soup and bread on it. I smile gratefully up at him as he adjusts the tray over my legs.

  We eat together in silence and once I’m finished, he moves the tray from my legs and comes back to tuck me in. He lays down behind me and spoons my smaller body with his. I turn in his arms and rest my head on his chest. He kisses the top of my head and we lay together, cuddling, in silence until I drift off to sleep.

  This isn’t how I pictured moving in with Ryker would go. I’m drained from the long day. I’ll deal with all of this tomorrow but for right now, I just want to cuddle with Ryker and get some rest. I just want to lay with the man I love tonight.

  Chapter Eleven

  Ryker

  I hold Auden in my arms as she sleeps and I promise myself that I will never leave her. I want to spend the rest of my life taking care of her and making sure she has everything she needs. Making sure that she knows that she is loved and wanted.

  I can’t believe that her mother would think that Auden was anything like her. I’m glad that I never met the woman now. Who just abandons their own daughter without even saying goodbye in person? Auden is nothing like that and I know that once we have kids, she will be an amazing mother. Our kids won’t have a childhood anything like hers, or mine for that matter. They will always know how much we love them.

  Thinking about our kids brings my mind to the fact that Auden could be pregnant. We’ve never used protection so the chance is pretty high that she could be carrying our child right now. I move my hand around her hip and place it on her lower stomach as I think about starting a life with her. God, I want that. I close my eyes and drift to sleep, dreaming about having kids with Auden and making her my wife.

  I wake up with Auden wrapped around me. I could get used to this, I think as I lay there and listen to her even breathing. We only have a few minutes left before the alarm will go off and we have to get up for school. I stroke her hair softly and she starts to stir right as the alarm starts to ring. I hit snooze and look down at her as she blinks sleepily up at me.

  “Morning.” I say huskily.

  “Morning.” She says back with a small smile.

  I lean down and press a quick kiss to her lips.

  “How are you doing today, darling?” I ask gently.

  “I’m ok. It hurts that she left me behind but we were never really that close anyways. Plus, now I have you.” She says before she leans up and kisses me.

  “Yes, you do. I love you, Auden.”

  “I love you too.”

  We kiss some more before the snoozed alarm goes off and we reluctantly pull apart and drag ourselves out of bed and into the bathroom. We wash each other off quickly before pulling on our uniforms and heading down for breakfast. Estelle has eggs and toast already laid out for us when we slide onto the bar stools. We eat quickly and then head out to the car. We pull up to school a couple of minutes later. We only have a few weeks left before we graduate and I can’t wait to be done with this place and to get to spend all of my time with Auden at our home.

  I’ve been keeping it a secret, but I told my parents about Auden a couple of weeks ago and they told me that they’re not coming home and ended up giving us the house. It might sound like a nice gift but I know that they never really liked this house or this town. I’m sure that they’re happy to be rid of both and that they can pat themselves on the back for doing something for me and feeling like parents for five minutes. I have enough money in my trust fund that Auden and I could go anywhere we wanted but I think she actually likes this small town and our house.

  The other secret I have is the ring I bought from the jewelers a month ago. I know that Auden is it for me and I can’t wait to propose to her and to see her walking around with my ring on her finger. I’ve got it planned all out for after high school graduation. I know that there will be lots of parties but since that’s not really our scene, we’ll go out to dinner and then come home where the house will be filled with flowers. I’ll get down on one knee and ask her to be my wife and she’ll say yes and then we’ll spend the rest of the night making love. I can’t wait.

  Graduation Day

  We throw our hats into the air after the longest commencement speech of my life. As soon as we do, I turn to Auden and wrap her up in my arms.

  “Congratulations, Baby.” I whisper into her ear.

  “You too, Ryker.” She whispers back to me before brushing her lips softly against mine.

  I grab her hand and we wind through other students and their parents to my car. We head right to the restaurant and the waitress leads us to a secluded table in the back. We talk and laugh all throughout dinner and when she goes to the bathroom, I slip my cellphone out and text to make sure that everything is set up at home. When I get the all clear I slip my phone back in my pocket and pay the bill as Auden comes back to the table. I hold my hand out to her and she instantly slides hers into mine.

  I lead her out to the car and we drive home as she talks about how excited to be done with high school she is and how good d
inner was. I didn’t think that I would be nervous for tonight but my hands are sweating as I park the car in the garage and go around the car to help Auden out. My heartrate picks up as I lead her into the house. I feel the ring in my pocket as I hear Auden gasp behind me once she sees all of the flowers.

  I turn to her and drop down onto one knee, keeping a hold of her hand, I look up at her as I slide the ring from my pocket.

  “Auden, I love you. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I would be honored if you would be my wife. So please Auden, would you make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?”

  I expect to have to hold my breath for her answer but her response is instant.

  “YES!!” She screams and she launches herself at me. I easily catch her and roll so that she lands on top of me. I slip the ring on her finger as she smashes her lips against mine. She starts to tear at my clothes before I can even catch up and I swoop her up in my arms and practically run up the stairs and to our bedroom with her.

  We collapse onto the bed, each shedding our clothes as fast as possible and a minute later I’m sliding into her slick warmth. We both moan together as I sink balls deep into her. She’s soaking wet for me and I start to slide easily in and out of her tight heat. Her nails dig into my back as I continue my tempo. I look down and see my ring on her finger as her hands rest on my chest and that’s all it takes to set me off. I reach between us to rub her clit as I pump my seed deep inside her. At the first spurt and touch of my fingers on her clit she goes off like a rocket, screaming as she creams all over my cock.

  I roll to my side so that I don’t crush her as we catch our breath.

  “I love you, Auden. So much.”

  “I love you too, Ryker.”

  We smile at each other and I know that this is the start of our happily ever after. I will spend the rest of my life loving and protecting, laughing and fighting and making up with this girl.

  The End.