Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 100441 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100441 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
“Lucky we cut that shower short.” Ryder shoves his pile of clothes at me. “Go throw them upstairs.”
“Maybe next time we should ask her for a specific time she’s coming back.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Ryder’s too distracted trying to get to his daughter to notice he just agreed to a next time.
One night without her and he already misses her.
I take the stairs while he flies into her arms and Maggie watches with a smile on her face.
In her civilian clothes, she’s a lot less intimidating, but damn, they make a pretty family.
I kinda feel like I’d be intruding on that if I went down there, so I hang back at the top of the stairs.
Maggie spots me while Kaylee tells Ryder all about what she did with her mom last night. “You’re here. On a Sunday.”
Kaylee turns to see who Maggie’s talking to, and her little face lights up.
I walk down the steps to meet them in the foyer. “Silly me. I thought it was Monday!”
Maggie laughs like she doesn’t believe me.
Kaylee eyes me skeptically.
Ryder steps in. “Daddy is helping Lyric record some music. He’s here to use the studio.”
Kaylee looks like she believes him.
Maybe she’s figured out I’ve been hiding vegetables in her food and now all trust between us is gone. Or maybe she’s smart enough to know people generally don’t mix up days.
“Can I watch?” Kaylee asks.
“I wouldn’t mind watching,” Maggie says.
Ryder’s bluff is being called, and I’ve got nothing. I look at him, waiting for him to shut it down.
“Uh, sure.”
Okay, that’s not shutting it down.
“Umm, I don’t know how I feel about an audience,” I say.
“Didn’t you perform at a bar last night?” Maggie asks.
“That’s different,” I argue.
“How?”
“I, uh, don’t know.”
Ryder smiles. “Lyric gets nervous around people who intimidate him. You should take it as a compliment.”
Maggie seems happy about that.
“And now I’m going to do a magic trick and disappear. ’Kay?” I go to walk away, but Kaylee looks up at me with her big green eyes.
“Pwease, Lyric?”
Aww, fuck. No one can say no to that face. I think it’s physically impossible.
“Fine. Let’s do this.”
Ryder kneels to Kaylee’s level. “I have a super-brilliant idea. What if you and Lyric record together?”
Her gorgeous face lights up. “Really, Daddy? But I’m not allowed in there.”
“I want to be able to hear you two sing ‘Into the Unknown’ whenever I want. And if you record it, I won’t have to beg you guys to sing it for me.” He turns to Maggie. “If that’s okay with you.”
“As long as it doesn’t end up in a label’s hands, I’m cool with it.”
Ryder gives her a derisive look. “Never.”
Kaylee jumps up and down and turns to me. “Can we, can we, can we?”
I smile. “I’d love to.”
“I’m so not missing this,” Maggie says while eyeing me in challenge.
It’s like I can read her mind, and she’s saying, “Show me what you’ve got.”
And now I’m back to being intimidated again.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ryder
Lyric pulls me aside on our way into the studio. “I know I usually like the lights up when I record, but can you kill the light in the sound booth? Thanks.”
I can’t help the chuckle that falls from my mouth. “Are you really that intimidated by Maggie? I don’t get it.”
Lyric bites his lip.
“Is it the military thing, or—”
“No. She’s your daughter’s mother, and if she hates me, there’s no way you and I ever have a chance.”
“You want her to like you. Oh, that is so fucking adorable.”
“Shut up,” he mutters.
“Get in the booth.” I shove him.
We get a stool for Kaylee to stand on so she can reach the microphone, but she’s glancing around the room with a panicked look in her eye.
“You okay, bub?” I ask.
She nods, but I know she’s not okay.
“Want Lyric to show you how it’s done first? You can stand here next to him and watch.”
She nods again.
I smile at Lyric. “She might have your nerves. Gonna show her how to overcome it?”
Lyric feigns confidence I can tell he doesn’t actually feel. “For sure.” He holds up his hand for her to fist-bump. “We got this.”
The way she listens to Lyric and trusts him is amazing, and the way he pushes through his own issues to reassure her warms my gut. I have to pull myself away before I lean in and kiss him after the big deal I made about keeping this from Kaylee for now.
Maggie’s smiling when I take the seat next to her, but I ignore her. She stares at me as if awaiting an explanation while I get everything set up.
I dim the lights and hit the intercom. “Ready to give me something a cappella to play with before doing it properly?”
Lyric throws me a thumbs-up even though he can no longer see us.
“Rolling.”
Lyric starts at the soft verse but is animated and makes sure to keep glancing at Kaylee.