Running from the Bad Boys

TAYLA

I was sitting in the coffee shop, poring over the text message on the cell phone my mom had given me.

I’d learned not to expect much from men anymore.

The coffee shop door chimed, and a tall man with dark hair, streaked with gray at the temples, strode in.

He was dressed in gray slacks, a white chef’s coat left open at the collar, and sturdy black shoes.

He approached the counter with an air of confidence, flashing a smile at the young barista.

“Zoey, I’ll have the usual,” he said smoothly.

Zoey blushed and quickly set about making his coffee.

I rose from my seat and walked over to him.

This was the moment.

The first time I’d seen this man in eighteen years.

“Ryan Goodman?” I asked.

He turned, and his green eyes met mine. It was like looking into a mirror, save for our gender differences.

“Shit,” he muttered.

“Do you know who I am?” I asked.

He licked his lips, then nodded.

“Tayla?”

Tears pricked at my eyes.

“I need your help,” I said.

“Here’s your coffee,” Zoey chimed in.

Suddenly, Ryan pulled me into a hug, and I broke down, sobbing.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” he asked, his voice resonating in his chest.

“Can we talk?” I asked.

He pulled back and smiled.

“Absolutely. You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for you to find me.”

He picked up his coffee and followed me back to the table I’d been sitting at.

He took the seat across from me and waited patiently as I wiped my tears.

“I’m homeless, I have no money, and I can’t ask my mom for help because she’s struggling too,” I confessed.

Ryan reached across the table and took my hand, his warmth offering comfort.

“I’ll help you. Whatever you need, sweetheart,” he said gently.

I felt a fresh wave of tears coming on.

“Why did you leave us?” I asked.

“Your mother was too much to handle, and she kept using you as a weapon against me.”

He looked down.

“Helen accused me of cheating every time I was away for my TV shows. She never believed me when I said I wasn’t. She threatened to run away with you all the time, and I could see it was affecting your upbringing.”

“Why didn’t you fight for custody or visitation rights?”

“Your mother threatened to kill herself if I did. I didn’t want her death on my conscience, and I didn’t want you to blame me.”

I looked down.

“I wanted to wait until you were an adult and could make your own decisions about me. I really want a relationship with you, Tayla,” he said.

“You do?” I asked.

He nodded, his eyes glistening.

“Mom said you have another family now?”

“I remarried a woman named Maria, and we have a son together named Jason. Maria knows all about you and wants to meet you too.”

“Really?”

Ryan nodded.

Tears streamed down my face, and I was overwhelmed with emotion.

“Don’t cry, sweetheart,” he said softly.

“I really messed things up,” I sobbed.

In an instant, his arms were around me again, holding me as I cried.

Once I’d regained my composure, I told him about Ben, about moving away to start a new life.

I told him about Walker and Hayden, about Dominic, and how I thought he was a bad guy. I told him about the deal I’d made with Dominic to save my life.

When I finished talking, Ryan drained his coffee and looked utterly shocked.

“I’m not sure…,” he began slowly, looking into my eyes.

“Which…man I want to kill first,” he finished, dead serious.

I laughed at his confession, feeling my cheeks heat up with embarrassment.

“You don’t judge me for my unconventional relationship with two men?”

“To be honest, I’m not thrilled about any man—fuck, I mean seeing my baby girl, let alone two or three. But if that’s what makes you happy and you’re not being hurt…I won’t condemn you.”

I gave him a warm smile.

“I do have a sudden urge to go man hunting with my steak knives!”

I laughed again, and he smiled at me.

“You are absolutely beautiful, Tayla. I’m so proud of you. I can’t believe I helped create something so perfect,” he said.

Blushing, I fidgeted in my seat.

A cell phone rang in his pocket, and he pulled it out.

“Jack?” he answered.

“Yes. No. Actually, no. You’re going to have to handle dinner service tonight. No, I’m not sick,” he said, glancing at me.

“Something far more important has come up.”

Ryan insisted I come back to his house to meet Maria, and he drove me in his BMW to a beautiful home on the outskirts of town.

He called Maria ahead of time, and by the time we pulled up, she was waiting for us at the front door.

Maria was petite, with red hair and big brown eyes.

She smiled as she approached me and pulled me into a hug.

“It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Tayla,” she said.

“It’s lovely to meet you too,” I replied.

Ryan kissed her on the cheek, and she smiled at him, full of love.

“She looks just like you and she’s absolutely stunning,” she told him.

Ryan smiled back at his wife, then at me.

“What can I say? It’s all my sexy DNA,” he teased.

Maria swatted him on the arm, and he pulled her into a hug, spinning her around and making her giggle.

Their affection reminded me of Walker and Hayden, and my chest ached.

“Come inside,” Maria said, touching my arm.

I followed them into the house, and they led me into the dining room.

Maria disappeared for a moment, then returned with a large pitcher of something pink and some glasses.

She poured us each a glass, then sat next to Ryan.

He told her everything that had happened to me, right up to our meeting in the coffee shop, and she listened intently.

“Of course we can help her. You can use the money you’ve been saving for the past eighteen years for her,” she said to Ryan.

Ryan smiled and looked sheepish.

“I know money can’t make up for eighteen years of absence, but I wanted to be able to offer you something if you ever decided to find me,” he explained.

“And you can have it even if you didn’t want a relationship with me.”

I smiled.

My mom’s cell phone started to ring, and I saw it was Jess.

I had given her my mom’s number in case of an emergency.

“Excuse me,” I said, standing up and walking away a bit.

“Jess?” I answered.

“Tayla? I have to tell you something.”

“Go ahead.”

“Last night, Walker came into my room and asked me where you were.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him you had gone to your mom’s. Are you there now?”

“No.”

“Thank god! I thought he was going to shoot me.”

“Walker?” I asked, shocked.

“Yeah. He shot at my wall twice, near my head!”

Shit.

“So he’s looking for me?” I asked.

“Yes. He seems pretty pissed, Tayla,” she warned me.

“I’m so sorry he did that to you,” I told her.

“It’s okay as long as you’re safe. Where are you?”

“I can’t tell you. I think it’s best if I don’t, but I am safe,” I assured her.

I didn’t want Walker coming after my dad now that I’d found him.

“Tayla? I think he’ll visit your mom, and if she knows where you are…” She trailed off.

Shit.

He could trace me here from my mom.

“It’s okay. I plan to move on soon, so he won’t find me,”

Walker must be furious, and he’d obviously found out about what Dominic and I had done.

Now he was looking for me?

“I have to go. Take care, Jess, and call if it’s important.”

I ended the call just as Ryan approached me.

“I need a place to hide for a while until things calm down,” I told him.

“Not a problem,” he said with a smile.

“I also need you to pretend that we haven’t met if anyone comes asking about me, okay?”

He nodded.