Merrily Mated(10)

Phone still in hand, another call came through. A reservation for Christmas Eve. The honeymoon suite. Layna had a moment of awwwww while her heart squeezed tighter. She loved serving newlyweds. Until now, it was sort of a those who can’t wed serve the wedded thing. It’d be different this time, knowing it was something she could have but not with the one she wanted.

She wondered where Ryan was now. If he’d gotten to Memphis okay. Whether he’d eaten enough. Did he have a place to sleep. Hopefully he didn’t try to rough it in his truck until he went on the road with his buddy. Men did stupid shit like that sometimes.

The phone rang again. This was exactly what she’d hoped for. Enough work to keep her sane.

She sighed, clicking on the receiver. “Lake Haven Lodge, Layna speaking. How may I help you?”

***

Ryan pulled into the Walmart parking lot on the south side of Memphis, finding a spot at the back and pulling his truck home. He had a little more than an hour to kill before he had to meet Trent and he intended on getting some shut eye. The driving had exhausted him enough he figured he could fall asleep without thinking about his cougar. About how her lips yielded to his. How she felt under his fingertips. The way she gasped for air when it was over.

Shit. He’d gone over and over that kiss the entire drive east. There was nothing left to examine.

He pulled the hood up on his sweatshirt, yanked the sun visor down on the windshield, and tried to settle in. He’d spent three hours driving in this seat so it was easier said than done…

In his pocket, a phone buzzed, waking him. Ryan glanced at the clock to find he’d dozed for a half hour.

He dug for his cell, but came out with the wrong one. His old one. In his other pocket, he found the new one Beth had given him and saw her picture flashing on the screen.

He sat up straighter, rubbing his eyes awake, and slid his thumb across the screen to answer the call.

“Beth? Everything okay?”

“Yeah, fine. Did I… did I wake you? You sound drowsy.”

Ryan gave his head a shake, hoping to clear it, and looked out the window at the still dark sky.

“Ah… no, I was just resting before I meet Trent. Why are you up so early?”

She yawned, trying to talk through it. “Little Cat couldn’t sleep. He wanted to talk to you. But if you aren’t up to it, we understand. I’ll explain to him that you had to drive all night.”

Rhys. The three-year-old cub didn’t quite understand when Ryan told him he’d be gone for a while. They were buddies. There were tickle wars and hide-n-seek daily.

He’d miss the little guy.

Pain bloomed behind his sternum.

Becoming an uncle was one of the highlights of Ryan’s life. A defining moment he had never been able to set aside. It made him realize how necessary it was for him to have kids of his own. He needed to be a father as much as he needed to breathe.

He might be human, but he was ruled by his own set of instincts.

“No, it’s fine. Put him on.”

“You sure?” Her voice sounded wobbly.

“Yeahhh,” Ryan murmured, pushing his head back into the back of the seat and grinning. “Let me at him.”

Heavy breathing filtered through the speaker and then a careful, “Helwo.”

“Hey there, bud. What are you doing up before dark? Don’t you know your mama needs her sleep?”

“I knows, Unca Ry. But I couldnut stay asweep.”

“You couldn’t, huh?”

“Nope.”

“Why’s that?”

“Cuz I knows you arenut here anymore, an I miss you. So mommy said I could cawl.”

Ryan squeezed his eyes closed at his nephew’s sad little voice.

“Well, your mommy’s right, bud. You can always call. Anytime you want. Now, I need you to be a good helper for mommy today, you hear?”

“Uh huh,” Rhys said, his voice sounding brighter. “Cuz she’s gotta young growin’ inner?”

“Yeah. But also because she’ll give you extra candy if you do. Tell her Uncle Ry said so.”

Happy baby giggles blasted through the phone, and the pain in Ryan’s chest throbbed harder even though he smiled wide. Damn, he’d miss seeing those belly laughs in person.

“Alright, now. Give the phone back to your mama so she can yell at me.”

More giggles and then, “Lub you, Unca Ry.”

Ryan bit his lip, giving himself a moment to steady his voice. “Love you too, Little Cat.”

“Buhbye.”

“Bye.”

A second later, Beth’s voice came through. “That was low, Ryan Robertson. Low, I tell you.”

“What?” he scoffed. “You know you have all that leftover Halloween candy to get rid of. Besides, he needs something to keep his mind off the change. He’s tough. He’ll be okay.”