Read Online Romance: Her Fighter by Penny Ward - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Penny Ward
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Chapter 11
Dinner with Mom was delicious, both in taste and company.
Eric was nice enough and I could tell right away that he and Mom adored each other.
They were good with just being a couple. I noticed there was no talk of marriage or engagements at all.
It made me smile.
“Are you going with Eric when he leaves town again?” I asked Mom that evening when we returned to the apartment.
She smiled at me, her face transforming into one of pure bliss as she said, “Yes, which brings me to another concern, Claire. I don’t think I’ll be returning to this apartment often. Would you like to take over my lease if we okay it with the complex manager?”
I would, and we spent the next hour hashing out details together.
We were about halfway through when a hard knock resounded on the door.
Mom glanced down at her watch. “Interesting. Eric’s back early. I guess his meeting went faster than he thought.”
She stood up and went to the door, but when she opened it, it wasn’t Eric waiting at the door.
It was Ryan.
“What are you doing here?” I asked from where I sat on the couch.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Dear, who is this young man?” Mom asked.
I could tell she was already smitten with him, even if she didn’t know who he was.
With a groan, I stood and went to confront the two.
“Mom, this is Ryan. He was the guy I told you about that I’ve been seeing—until today that is.” I glared at him. Then I smiled at her. “Ryan, this is my mother, Evelyn.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Evelyn,” Ryan said, shaking her hand with a charming grin. “I really need to speak with your daughter. Is there any way I can steal her away from you for a bit?”
Mom liked him. I could tell in the way she lied to Ryan.
“Oh, would you look at the time. Hun, I hate to leave you, but I just remembered that Eric said he’d meet me down in the lobby about now.” She smiled at Ryan in apology and hugged me. “We’ll talk later, dear.”
She gave me a wink and slid past Ryan out the door, taking off down the hall with a swing of her hips and a hum upon her lips.
Mom!
I did not want to be stuck here with Ryan.
“What do you want?” I snapped.
He looked down at the floor. “I wanted to explain.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I think I get the picture, Ryan, really. There’s no need to explain yourself. You can leave now.”
I started to close the door, but he didn’t budge from the frame.
“No, Claire, I don’t think so. Nothing happened. Patricia always comes in before matches. She’s—” He waved his arms in the air as he tried to find the words to describe her.
Words I could easily say.
“A bimbo.” My lack of emotion showed in the word.
“Yes,” he agreed. “Wait. No. All she wants to be is arm candy for the matches. In the past, she’s been mine, and she expected the same thing this time because that’s our usual arrangement.”
“Ryan, you really don’t have to explain. It’s none of my business what you do with your side girls.”
He growled, running his hand through his hair and finally burying his face in his hands. “I don’t want side girls, Claire. That’s what I’m trying to explain. I want you.”
For a moment, I simply stared at him.
Then I started laughing uncontrollably.
“You’re kidding, right?” I asked. I covered my mouth to stifle more giggles. “That’s rich. Really rich. What are you, in love with me?”
His face sobered as he gazed at me. “Yes.”
The words caught me off guard.
I blinked at him, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
What had he just said?
“Excuse me?”
He entered the apartment.
I let him.
What else could I do?
I was still in shock upon hearing his words. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, watching my reaction as he said, “I love you, Claire.”
That was not true.
It couldn’t be
Chapter 11
Dinner with Mom was delicious, both in taste and company.
Eric was nice enough and I could tell right away that he and Mom adored each other.
They were good with just being a couple. I noticed there was no talk of marriage or engagements at all.
It made me smile.
“Are you going with Eric when he leaves town again?” I asked Mom that evening when we returned to the apartment.
She smiled at me, her face transforming into one of pure bliss as she said, “Yes, which brings me to another concern, Claire. I don’t think I’ll be returning to this apartment often. Would you like to take over my lease if we okay it with the complex manager?”
I would, and we spent the next hour hashing out details together.
We were about halfway through when a hard knock resounded on the door.
Mom glanced down at her watch. “Interesting. Eric’s back early. I guess his meeting went faster than he thought.”
She stood up and went to the door, but when she opened it, it wasn’t Eric waiting at the door.
It was Ryan.
“What are you doing here?” I asked from where I sat on the couch.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Dear, who is this young man?” Mom asked.
I could tell she was already smitten with him, even if she didn’t know who he was.
With a groan, I stood and went to confront the two.
“Mom, this is Ryan. He was the guy I told you about that I’ve been seeing—until today that is.” I glared at him. Then I smiled at her. “Ryan, this is my mother, Evelyn.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Evelyn,” Ryan said, shaking her hand with a charming grin. “I really need to speak with your daughter. Is there any way I can steal her away from you for a bit?”
Mom liked him. I could tell in the way she lied to Ryan.
“Oh, would you look at the time. Hun, I hate to leave you, but I just remembered that Eric said he’d meet me down in the lobby about now.” She smiled at Ryan in apology and hugged me. “We’ll talk later, dear.”
She gave me a wink and slid past Ryan out the door, taking off down the hall with a swing of her hips and a hum upon her lips.
Mom!
I did not want to be stuck here with Ryan.
“What do you want?” I snapped.
He looked down at the floor. “I wanted to explain.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I think I get the picture, Ryan, really. There’s no need to explain yourself. You can leave now.”
I started to close the door, but he didn’t budge from the frame.
“No, Claire, I don’t think so. Nothing happened. Patricia always comes in before matches. She’s—” He waved his arms in the air as he tried to find the words to describe her.
Words I could easily say.
“A bimbo.” My lack of emotion showed in the word.
“Yes,” he agreed. “Wait. No. All she wants to be is arm candy for the matches. In the past, she’s been mine, and she expected the same thing this time because that’s our usual arrangement.”
“Ryan, you really don’t have to explain. It’s none of my business what you do with your side girls.”
He growled, running his hand through his hair and finally burying his face in his hands. “I don’t want side girls, Claire. That’s what I’m trying to explain. I want you.”
For a moment, I simply stared at him.
Then I started laughing uncontrollably.
“You’re kidding, right?” I asked. I covered my mouth to stifle more giggles. “That’s rich. Really rich. What are you, in love with me?”
His face sobered as he gazed at me. “Yes.”
The words caught me off guard.
I blinked at him, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
What had he just said?
“Excuse me?”
He entered the apartment.
I let him.
What else could I do?
I was still in shock upon hearing his words. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, watching my reaction as he said, “I love you, Claire.”
That was not true.
It couldn’t be
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