Wait For It

Chapter 2

2

Ryder, Cat reminded herself. “Excuse me,” he said, his voice a velvety cushion around her ears. “I didn’t see you.”

Of course he didn’t see her. Cat was as ordinary as they come and always overlooked. Between her mousy brown hair and matching eyes, her average height and build, Cat was nothing special to look at. Ryder was likely checking out one of the other moms who were dressed to impress, like Valerie.

But Ryder, he was something to look at. Cat tried to speak, but nothing came out. She was mesmerized by his sapphire blue eyes. His sunglasses were pushed into his hair, keeping it away from his face. Cat itched to knock his sunglasses aside and run her hands through his thick, dark hair.

“I’m Ryder,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m Kylie’s dad.”

Cat slid her hand into his and enjoyed the feel of his rough skin against hers. His grip was firm but meeting his eyes was what kept Cat in place. “I’m Cat. Lizzy is my best friend.”

“Nice,” Ryder said. “Is one of these kids yours?”

“Uh, no. I don’t have any kids.”

Ryder nodded as if he understood. Cat realized he still had a hold of her hand and gently pulled it back. She pressed her palm to her side and saw Lizzy watching them. Cat told Ryder, “I’m sorry, but I think Lizzy needs my help. Excuse me.”

Ryder watched Cat walk away and felt lost without her by his side. He knew bumping into her on purpose was risky, but she wasn’t looking at him so he did it before he had the chance to convince himself how stupid it was. He noticed her as soon as she got to the party, but she didn’t pay him any attention.

Ryder watched as Cat joined Lizzy handing out cake to the kids and parents. Cat was scowling. Ryder wanted to clear that look from her face with a toe-curling kiss, but he couldn’t do that with a bunch of kids around.

Kylie bounded over to Ryder and captured his attention. “Hi Dad. Do you want some cake?”

Ryder looked down at the piece of purple cake on Kylie’s plate. The cake itself was a light purple color and it was covered with varying shades of purple icing. It looked like Kylie was eating Barney. Ryder remembered when that was her favorite show. God was he glad that phase was over. Of course now she was seven going on seventeen so maybe Barney wasn’t so bad.

Ryder didn’t usually indulge in cake, especially purple princess cake, but with Cat handing out plates, he couldn’t seem to resist. “Yeah, I think I will get some cake,” he told Kylie. She beamed at him, thrilled her dad was enjoying himself.

Since they moved to River Pointe from Florida Kylie had assimilated into their new life seamlessly. Ryder knew getting her away from Blair, Kylie’s mom, would be the best thing for her. But Kylie could tell Ryder wasn’t as thrilled to be there as she was. She hoped her dad would make a friend at the party, maybe even Sam’s dad since Kylie spent so much time there anyway.

Kylie headed back to one of the lounge chairs by the pool and sat with her friends. Ryder watched as they got lost in the life of a seven year old, talking about their favorite music (Katy Perry), favorite TV show (Austin & Ally), and favorite movie (Teen Beach Movie). He couldn’t help but think all those things were too old for his little girl, but he knew better than to argue with her.

Ryder walked over to the cake table once the crowd had cleared. Lizzy was cleaning up the discarded plates and wiping down the purple frosting from the table. Ryder wondered if he would ever be able to handle a party like this. Then again he doubted he’d get the chance to ever throw a party like this. He and Kylie were in a two bedroom condo and he didn’t see that changing any time soon.

He stepped in front of Cat and asked, “Can I have some?”

Cat flushed at his words, thinking maybe he meant her. When he glanced at the cake on the table she forced a smile and nodded. Lizzy asked if he wanted ice cream with it and he declined. Cake was enough of a stretch. Ryder smiled at Cat and stepped away, wondering where his confidence went.

Lizzy leaned into Cat when Ryder was across the yard, “I think he likes you.”

Cat knitted her eyebrows together and told Lizzy, “You’re crazy. I think pregnancy brain has gotten to you again.”

“Well, I think you like him.”

“Like I told you before, he’s just like all the others. It doesn’t make sense to put myself or Sam through it all over again. And it doesn’t matter because he isn’t interested.”

“Yeah, okay,” Lizzy answered in a disbelieving voice.

Lizzy took in the scene in her backyard. She was happy so many girls had shown up for Sam’s party. She knew once the baby came that Sam would end up taking the back seat for a while. She would no longer be an only child and Lizzy worried it would be difficult for her. Having this many kids here for her last party as an only child was a testament to what a great kid Sam was. And Lizzy was proud.

Cat too looked around the yard. She had always thought this place was like home. Cat grew up in a house similar to Lizzy’s. She loved houses like this with large backyards, a pool, a fire pit, and a nice patio with plenty of seating. Cat wanted a house like this one day, but she knew buying something so big without kids to fill it up would just depress her. She was happy in her cottage, but it felt empty most days without a family to fill her four bedrooms or play in the yard.

Ryder tried to catch Cat’s eye but she wasn’t looking at him. It drove him crazy to have her ignore him, but he knew it wasn’t just that that had him watching her. At first glance she looked completely average, but the more Ryder looked at her, the more he saw the amazing things that made her special.

Without Cat watching him Ryder knew he could check her out and not worry about getting caught. He started at her feet and the high heels she’d worn. They were silver encrusted with crystals across each of the seven straps that twisted over her foot. Her toenails were painted sapphire blue, just like Ryder’s eyes. If she wore heels like that to a kid’s party, he could only imagine what she would wear on a date. His gaze travelled up her tight khaki capris, over her bulging calf muscles to her strong thighs that told him she was likely a runner. He loved a woman with thick legs. The twigs he usually encountered could barely stand up, but thick, strong legs reminded Ryder of a woman who can take care of herself.

Her legs gave way to hips and an apple bottom Ryder wanted to run his hands down. He saw something rectangular in her pocket and figured it was her phone. Her white blouse with large print blue and pink flowers was loose enough that Ryder couldn’t get an idea of what kind of shape she was hiding on top. Her breasts teased him from the top of her shirt, begging him to kiss the ivory globes peeking out of her shirt.

Cat had her long chocolate colored hair pulled up into a flirty ponytail, the kind that always looked messy but was intentional and totally sexy. Ryder loved that look, especially when it was paired with f**k Me Heels like Cat had on. He was dying to see her in only those heels and her hair piled on top of her head. Cat’s eyes were the same deep brown color as her hair with flecks of gold in them. When she smiled the gold swam in the brown and nearly made Ryder dizzy wanting her.

He had to have her as his own.

How she managed to be single this long was amazing to him. Ryder knew the other guys were missing what was so obvious in front of him. This woman was one that would make him crazy and drive him mad. She was someone he would spend days and nights learning just so he could be with her. In one glance, Ryder was falling in love with Cat.

Ryder sat back while the party started to slow down. He’d been there for three hours and knew the girls were getting tired in the pool. He’d be exhausted too if he hadn’t had Cat to watch most of the afternoon. Instead he found himself not wanting to leave.

Kylie and Sam were the last ones in the pool. The other girls had left and it was clear the party was over. Kylie whined, “Dad, can I please stay a little longer?”

Ryder looked at her blue lips and knew she had to be freezing. Lizzy said the pool was heated, but the air was cold. After all, it was only May, and in upstate New York, May was chilly.

“I’ll tell you what? I’ll help Mrs. Greenwood clean up while you girls swim a little more. Then maybe we can ask Sam to stay the night with us tonight. If her mom and dad are okay with it.”

The girls shrieked and said, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Ryder smiled at the girls and headed over to Lizzy. “What can I do to help?”

Lizzy looked around the yard then back at Ryder. “Honestly, would you mind helping with the chairs? Aaron usually does it, but I know he’d love the help. We usually only keep out four chairs around the table over there under the umbrella and six lounge chairs by the pool. The rest can go into the shed.”

“Sure, no problem.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“No, not at all. Kylie wants to stay a little longer, but there’s no reason for me to sit around and let you do all the work. By the way, I told the girls we would ask if Sam can spend the night with us tonight. I figured it would give you and Aaron a break. After being on your feet all day I imagine you could use a break.”

“Seriously? Yeah, that sounds amazing. Are you sure they won’t be too much trouble?”

“No, not at all. Besides, all this swimming will probably have them asleep early.”

“True,” Lizzy laughed. “Thanks Ryder. That’s really nice of you.”

“My pleasure,” Ryder answered. He turned toward the chairs on the pool deck first. He wanted to get as much done as he could quickly to help Lizzy. Plus, when Aaron finished saying goodbye to his parents and came back out, Ryder wanted to make sure he had most of the work done. He knew Aaron had to be worn out too.

Cat watched from behind Lizzy as Ryder carried chairs to the shed. She let herself dream about his tight muscles and bulky frame covering her body and making her feel. She wanted to feel something. It had been too long since Cat had any interaction with a man, but she knew Ryder was the last one she needed to be messing with.

Cat turned away from Ryder and started wiping down the tables. She wiped down the tables and chairs quickly, trying to do whatever she could to help out. Once all the tables were clean, Cat flipped the first one onto its side and slid the locks up to fold the legs into the bottom of the tabletop. She lifted the table but knew it would be a struggle to get it to the shed.

She tried shifting the weight of the table and was surprised when it suddenly seemed lighter. She looked behind her and saw Ryder lifting the back end of the six foot table. “I had it,” she said.

“I was just trying to help. It actually saves me time to have them folded up so if you don’t mind folding the legs underneath, I can come and get it.”

Cat again found her mind drifting to something else she wanted Ryder to come and get. She dropped the table without a word and walked back to the patio. She flipped the next table over and folded the legs up, then moved onto the next one.

Once she’d collapsed the four tables on the patio, Cat started folding up the extra chairs. Ryder carried the tables to the shed and returned to get the chairs leaning against the side of the house. Once Cat folded the last of the chairs she picked up two chairs under each arm and carried them to the shed. She passed Ryder on his way back and let herself get lost in his sapphire eyes again. But only for a moment.

Cat’s arms were starting to ache by the time she carried the last set of four chairs to the shed. Ryder was inside, assessing the space when Cat walked in. “Thanks,” he said. She mumbled, “You’re welcome,” and turned to leave.

“Cat, wait,” Ryder said, following her out of the shed.

She stopped and faced him. She was tired and starting to sweat even though the air was cooling off in the late afternoon. She really wasn’t in the mood for whatever he was going to say. Not when she’d been fantasizing about him all day and knew nothing could ever happen.

“Listen, I was wondering if I could take you out sometime?” Ryder asked. He knew it was a weak proposition but being so close to her made him anxious. Passing by her carrying chairs for the last ten minutes turned him on more than it should have. But watching her breathing heavily and seeing her hair beginning to stick to her sweaty neck made him want to make her feel that way in his bed, not in a backyard that didn’t belong to either of them.

“Why?” Cat asked. She had learned most guys who asked her out right after they met just thought she was attractive. She wasn’t interested in being someone’s Ms. Right Now. She knew that’s what Ryder was thinking and she wasn’t going to put herself through that.

“Why?” he asked, confused. He’d rarely been turned down before and he certainly hadn’t ever been asked why he wanted to take someone out. “Well, because I think you’re beautiful and you intrigue me. I want to get to know you better.”

Cat blew a breath of laughter through her nose. She shook her head, disappointed that he was exactly who she thought he’d be. “I don’t think so Ryder. I’m flattered, but it’s not a good idea.”

Cat turned on her heel and walked into the house. Ryder stood watching her go, wondering what he said wrong. And how in the world he was going to fix it.