“I don’t really know what a large group of kids like you all eat, so I guess I’ll just order pizza or something,” Colin says.
“You don’t have to…” Ryanne starts.
“Don’t tell me you’re one of those girls that won’t let anyone buy her stuff,” Colin asks. He takes a step toward her and narrows his eyes. “Are you shy, little Hobbit?”
Ryanne opens her mouth to reply when everyone else answers for her. “I am not shy,” she says as she starts to blush. I can feel Ryanne’s magic crack around us as everyone laughs. That’s my cue.
I start to push Ryanne into the room. “I think now would be a good time to rest.” Turning to Colin, I say, “Ryanne’s a vegetarian, so make sure to order something for her.” I hear Ryanne start mumbling something from inside the room, but I ignore her.
Colin laughs, but nods. “Get some rest. I’ll come around when the pizza is here.” I close the bedroom door and turn around to face Ryanne. She’s standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed, and glaring at me. Her nose is crinkled in that cute way she always gets when she’s upset. I try to hide my smile, but I know that she can feel my emotions.
“I’m not shy,” she says.
“You are a little,” I tell her as I take a step forward. “Not as much as you used to be, but you still are.”
“I’m not shy,” she repeats.
I sit down on the edge of the bed and use my index finger to motion her in my direction. Keeping her arms crossed, she slowly walks to me. Standing in front of me, she says, “I’m not shy.”
“Maybe,” I tell her. “Maybe not. One thing’s for sure though. You’re cute when you’re upset.” I loop my index fingers through her belt loops and pull her the rest of the way. She comes willingly, but continues to glare at me. The amusement in her eyes doesn’t match the anger in her expression.
“You’re lucky I like you,” she whispers as I rest my hands on her hips. The anger slowly fades from her face as a new expression takes over. She reaches forward and pushes my hair to the side. “You need a haircut.”
I slowly move my hand up her arm, grabbing the strands of hair falling past her elbows. “Don’t cut your hair,” I tell her.
“I was actually thinking about shaving my head. Long hair is kind of a hassle,” she says as she takes another small step. Her eyes flicker down to my mouth as she leans forward slightly.
“Don’t,” I tell her. She looks up in my eyes and smiles. Stepping away from me, she walks across the room and grabs the television remote. Stubborn girl. Giggling, she turns the TV on. I continue staring at her. “That’s just mean,” I tell her. She sits down on the bed, crosses her legs, flips through the channels, and gives me her innocent smile. “You said don’t when I was about to kiss you.”
I sigh and lean back against the bed, lying down beside her. I open my arms and let her scoot over. She regards me warily, but comes closer. I wrap my arms around her and pull her against my chest. She turns on her side and continues flipping through the channels.
I can tell by her steady breathing that she’ll fall asleep soon. The hand with the remote falls against the side of the bed limply. With a sigh, Ryanne curls into my side. She’s already asleep. I take the remote from her and turn the television volume down.
Thirty minutes later, there’s a knock on the door. I glance down at Ryanne. She’s lying on my arm, so I can’t get up. “Come in,” I whisper yell, hoping that whoever is on the other side of the door will hear me.
The door opens slowly and Tom enters. “The pizza’s here if you guys are hungry,” he trails off when he sees Ryanne sleeping. “Since she’s sleeping, I’ll put some aside for the two of you.”
“Thanks Tom,” I say.
“Is she alright? On the surface, she seems fine, but she’s pretty good at hiding her feelings when she doesn’t want attention.”
“She’s fine until multiple people get angry or upset, I think. She can’t push all those feelings back. She starts experiencing them. She’s worried that she’s going to explode under all the emotions streaming into her.”
“We’ll see if Natalie can help her get a better handle on it.”
“Thank you for everything.”
He nods, understanding the meaning behind my words. Tom has basically dropped everything to help us. He originally came to us to help David and me train Ryanne. When Claire died, he attempted to fulfill her guardian-like role. Tom keeps everything and everyone in check. He tries to keep us out of danger. Ryanne loves Tom like a father; I can see that every time she looks at him, and I know that he looks at her like a daughter as well. We’re a large family now.