You're My Everything
Chapter 2: Dinner for a Princess
Hayley sputtered trying to find a way to vocalize her surprise at Ryan telling her that he'd only known Hope for a few hours. The words were on the tip of the Hybrid's tongue, but no matter how many times she opened her mouth, no words came out and she closed it again. All the while, her eyes kept moving from Ryan to Hope and back, taking in how much care Ryan was using in holding Hope in his arms while she slept. He had been right though; Hope did deserve to have her birthday end well after everything else had gone so horribly wrong. But the length of time that Hope and Ryan had known each other wasn't what Hayley was truly concerned about. It was the fact that after such a short amount of time of knowing Hope, Ryan wanted to have them over so that he could give Hope the birthday dinner that he felt she deserved.
"3 hours?" Hayley finally asked.
"Yes. Hope and I only met this afternoon when I helped her get the book she was looking for down from the top shelf. We got to talking and hit it off. I do not blame you for assuming we had known each other longer. I can see how our interactions could give off that assumption." Ryan replied.
"And you know that she's only 15, correct?" Hayley questioned. "That if this friendship of yours continues into something more serious, that you cannot have sex with her for 3 years; no matter what she says?" She clarified.
"I am aware. Her being underage was one of the first things she mentioned to me." Ryan said.
"And you're okay with that? With waiting, if things progress?"
"Yes. Ms. Marshall, the length of time that Hope and I have known each other aside, I've already come to care deeply for her. I don't want to hurt her in anyway, and I know that if anything sexual were to happen between us before she turns 18, that me being arrested would hurt her. You have no reason to trust me, as you don't know me. But I have to believe that if your daughter didn't trust me already, that she wouldn't have come right back here. And for that, I ask that you trust your daughter."
"I do trust my daughter, Ryan. That's not something you ever have to ask me to do. And I'll have you know that as a mom, I consider myself to be a good judge of character; similar to that of dogs. And you do not set off any alarms."
"I appreciate that, Ms. Marshall."
"Please, Ryan, call me Hayley."
"Hayley."
Hayley moved to take Hope out of Ryan's arms, and Ryan instantly retreated, hugging Hope closer to his chest. Hayley's eyes went wide at the action, but she held her hands up and stepped back. Hope clearly felt safe enough with Ryan that she had fallen asleep in his arms, and Hayley wasn't about to deny a man the chance to hold the woman he cared for in his arms. God knows she could use that herself right about now. But Elijah was in France, not remembering any of the family and Declan... well, Declan didn't know anything about the Supernatural World, much like Ryan didn't. But the way that Ryan was holding Hope, it reminded Hayley so much of how Klaus had held their baby girl when he was given the chance to when she was still a baby. It hit Hayley with the realization that if Ryan ever got a chance to be a father, he would make an exceptional one.
As Ryan stood there, gently cradling Hope in his arms, he was hit with just how young she was. Asleep in his arms, she looked considerably younger than her 15 years, and Ryan mentally kicked himself for letting his thoughts from earlier get the better of him. Hope still had so much of her life to live before she should settle down, but he felt a pull to her. Something on what he could only describe as a spiritual level. Like they were meant to be together; meant to meet when and how they did. He didn't care about what she had endured in the past that had her attending the boarding school for troubled youth on the outskirts of town. Whatever it was, he would understand and accept it as a part of who she was. Because everything that she had gone through up to this point had turned her into the young woman that he was already falling for. He would accept her for who she is, no matter what. As he went to sit back down, Hope started to stir in his arms and Ryan leaned his head back to look at her face as she opened her eyes.
"Hey... how are you feeling?" Ryan asked softly as he brushed some of Hope's hair out of her face.
"Better... I think? How long was I asleep for?" Hope questioned.
"Not very long. By the time I realized you were asleep, your mom showed up." Ryan replied as he nodded in Hayley's direction.
Hope shifted in Ryan's arm quickly as she gave her mom a wide-eyed look. When she almost fell out of Ryan's lap at her sudden movement, she felt comfort in Ryan's touch when he quickly caught her and settled her back on his lap.
"Mom. What are you doing here?" Hope asked sharply.
"I came to make sure you were okay, and to tell you that Henry's okay. Alaric and Caroline have sorted it all out." Hayley replied, slightly taken aback by her daughter's tone.
"Why was Henry asking for me and only me?" Hope questioned.
"Because you're the only one that he felt safe enough talking to. He didn't realize that I was visiting you for your birthday. I talked to him, and he's okay. He's going to adjust to the changes at the school." Hayley explained.
"Then we're going out to dinner? Or are you and Aunt Freya still going to act like my birthday isn't important and that I don't exist? Because if that's the case, I'll just spend the rest of my birthday with Ryan. At least he wants to see me happy on my birthday." Hope said.
"Ryan's invited us to his place for dinner." Hayley said and Hope looked up at him.
"You did?" Hope asked in a small voice.
"I wanted to make sure your birthday ended on a happier note. If I overstepped, I'm sorry." Ryan replied.
"No one's cared this much about me this much." Hope said. "So you didn't overstep." She added. "Are we going?" She asked, glancing back at her mom.
"I need to talk to Freya, but I don't see why not." Hayley replied.
"Then go talk to Aunt Freya." Hope commented with a huff.
"The attitude is not necessary, young lady." Hayley said, narrowing her eyes at her daughter before turning her gaze to Ryan. "Do you need to inform your family that you would be having company over?" She asked.
"Not necessarily. I live in the apartment above the detached garage at my adoptive mother's house, so I technically don't have to let her know that I'm having company, but I usually do anyway, just so she's aware." Ryan replied.
"That would be appreciated."
With a nod, Ryan pulled out his phone as Hayley stepped outside to call Freya. Once they were alone, Hope gave Ryan a kiss on the cheek before resting her head on his shoulder.
"Thank you, Ryan."
"I told you earlier that I don't like it when you cry, so as long as you'll allow me to, I'll always do whatever I can to put a smile back on your face; no thanks needed." Ryan replied.
"Are you really going to let your mom know that you're having company over?" Hope asked.
"I've always tried to be a respectful son, so not letting her know would go against everything I've done since she adopted me." Ryan explained.
"What's her name?"
"Seylah. And I have an adopted brother, Landon. He's 15 as well and has a part time job at the Mystic Grill."
"Does he happen to be closer to my height with curly hair like you have?"
"He is and he does. Why?"
"I think he was staring at me earlier when I left to head back to school."
"I wouldn't be surprised if he was. You are extremely beautiful, and he's a teenage boy."
"It was creepy."
"Then it was definitely Landon." Ryan said. "I'll make sure to talk to him about not staring at girls for too long."
"Now if you were staring at me... that would be a different story." Hope commented as she slowly interlocked their fingers.
"If I was staring at you in public the way Landon tends to stare at girls, I would most definitely be arrested. So I'll keep my staring to a minimum, unless we're alone like this. But even then, I won't be disrespectful in my staring." Ryan replied as he ran his thumb Hope's pulse point on her inner wrist.
"I wouldn't mind." Hope said in a small voice.
"That wouldn't matter, Hope. If I'm seen doing anything that can be considered even remotely inappropriate with you in public, since you are underage, whether you've consented or not, it won't matter. I would be charged with sexual harassment of a minor, while you're deemed as too young to give knowledgeable consent. We'll have to be extremely careful going forward, even if we're just hanging out." Ryan said with a sigh as he ran the fingers of his free hand through Hope's hair.
"So clandestine meetings whenever I can sneak away from school. I can live with that."
Ryan hummed in agreement and pressed a kiss to the top of Hope's head. He was relieved that his thoughts from earlier were still taking a backseat to wanting to take care of Hope. He really didn't need a reaction to having her body so close to his.
"So... you now know a little bit about my life, what about you? You mentioned earlier that you don't get to see your father much." Ryan inquired.
"Well, I'm an only child. Product of a one night stand. My parents get along for my sake, at least for the most part, but when I was younger, something happened and my dad and three of his siblings had to leave to protect me, and they can't be near each other, or me. Which is a really hard pill to swallow, since my family has drilled into me since I was born that family is Always and Forever. So for them to have to stay away from each other and stay away from me, even though it's to keep me safe, it makes me feel like I've broken my family, instead of being the reason they were able to come closer together." Hope explained with a sigh.
"That doesn't sound, to me, like they don't love you, Hope. The fact that they have such a pact with each other, and they are doing what they can to keep you safe by staying away from you, that, to me, is the exact definition of loving someone. You're willing to do something that's hard to make things better for someone else." Ryan said.
"I still feel like I broke my family. For as long as I can remember, my dad hasn't been able to be around for one reason or another. I think combining all of the sporadic times my dad was able to be around throughout the years, it ends up being less then the consecutive time I spent with my step-dad when I was a baby. And I don't think there's ever been a time since I was born that every member of my family that's still alive has all been under one roof." Hope continued with a frown.
"Well... if you would like to, you're welcome to think of me as your family while you're at school. I'm not going anywhere."
"I'd like that. But are you sure you want to make such an offer after how short of a time we've known each other?"
"I know it's crazy, but it feels right, Hope. I just have this feeling that I can't explain. A feeling that tells me that we're supposed to be in each other's lives."
"That doesn't seem crazy to me. I've always believed in soul mates. That when two people are destined to be together, no matter what the circumstances are, no matter in what way they are destined to be together, that Nature will find a way to ensure those two souls will meet." Hope said. "There were a lot of extenuating circumstances that led to my parents meeting."
"Whomever I have to thank for leading your parents to meet, I will. Because if they hadn't, I wouldn't have the prettiest girl I've ever met sitting in my lap right now."
"You're going to spoil me, aren't you?"
"As much as you'll let me."
With a wide grin, Hope wrapped her arms tightly around Ryan's neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek. In this very moment, Hope was happier than she could ever remember being her entire life. And it was all thanks to Ryan. He wasn't letting their limited amount of time of knowing each other hold him back from showing her how much he already cared about her, and Hope didn't think she would ever be able to thank him enough for how happy he was making her.
"Okay, I've convinced Freya to come to dinner. She doesn't think it's a good idea as a whole, given what has transpired today, but she agrees that you deserve to be happy on your birthday." Hayley said as she slipped back into the store and locking eyes with Hope. "Once she gets here with the car, we'll follow you to your place, Ryan." She added. "Did you let your mom know that you were having company?" She asked.
"I got sidetracked, but I'll do that right now." Ryan replied as he shifted Hope in his lap so that he could use both hands to type out a text to his adoptive mother. "So, your family is all from New Orleans?" He asked, glancing between Hope and Hayley.
"Not entirely. My dad's family is actually from Mystic Falls. They just moved away years before I was born... I think my dad was still a kid when they moved away." Hope replied. "But my mom and I were both born there." She added, locking eyes with her mom.
"I don't think I've lived anywhere but here. Traveling has always been something that I've wanted to do, though." Ryan commented.
"We'll have to get you down to New Orleans in a few years." Hope offered.
"Hope..." Hayley said, a hint of warning in her tone.
"Mom, it's not like Dad would be there. And I said in a few years." Hope said with a sigh.
"Why would your dad being around be an issue?" Ryan asked slowly.
"Despite his absence for most of my life, he's extremely protective. He wouldn't approve of any guy. No matter the age difference." Hope replied.
With a nod, Ryan fell silent and wrapped his arms around Hope's waist, holding her close and nuzzled her neck. When Hayley wandered out of sight to look at some of the shelves, Ryan pressed a quick kiss to Hope's neck, just below her ear. Hope was just about to turn to face him a little bit more when his phone vibrated and she was hit with a shot of jealousy. Glancing briefly at the screen, Hope let out a sigh at seeing that it was just a response from his mom. Before she could ask him what the text actually said, Hayley came back around the corner.
"Freya's here."
"I'll go with Ryan." Hope said quickly.
"No, Hope, you won't." Hayley replied.
"Why not? You and Aunt Freya were having a silent conversation earlier today. If I go with Ryan, the two of you could actually vocalize it." Hope argued.
"I am trying to be fair, and trust you, Hope, but I will not be able to do much of anything if anyone sees you getting into, or out of, Ryan's car. You will be coming with me and Freya." Hayley said firmly.
"I need to drive my brother home from work, anyway. And I'd prefer to keep him away from you. Knowing Landon, if he so much as suspects something's already happening between us, he won't hesitate to call Sheriff Donovan." Ryan said. "Plus, you were also the one that said we shouldn't be in a car alone together, Princess." He whispered directly into Hope's ear, causing her to turn and pout at him. "Don't give me that look, Hope." He warned.
Hope's pout only deepened in response, but her blue eyes were sparkling and Ryan groaned internally. His earlier thoughts were starting to return now that Hope wasn't as upset as she had been, and he wasn't going to be to take care of his growing erection until after dinner. Because there was no way that he was going to try and get off in the car, since he now had to drive Landon home, and he wasn't going to try and get off when he got home, since Hope's mom was going to be there, and there was no way that she would buy him thinking of something else other Hope. In fact, Hayley struck Ryan as the type of mom who could, and probably would, murder him for thinking of someone else when her daughter was right there. And he didn't want to cross Hayley. When Hope stood up and held out her hands to help him up, her pout still firmly in place, Ryan accepted her help before throwing caution to the wind and lightly kissing the pout away.
"You're trying to make this more difficult for me, aren't you?" Ryan asked as he rested his forehead against Hope's.
"That depends... is it working?" Hope whispered back.
"Very much so. And now I have to go pick up my loser little brother from work while sporting an erection that I can't, and won't, explain."
"We should get going. We don't want things to get too late since Freya and I are driving home tonight." Hayley commented from the door, pretending very convincingly that she hadn't just heard the conversation that transpired, but Hope knew better.
"Right. Uh, you two go ahead so I can lock up, and then I'll be right out." Ryan said, slowly releasing his hold on Hope's hands.
The second they lost contact, Hope frowned. Every spot of her body that had been in contact with Ryan's body now felt extremely cold and she didn't like it. It was too close to the feeling she had gotten as a child when the Hollow had first started trying to take over her body. A chill that ran bone deep. She really hoped that Ryan was feeling it to so that way she knew it was because they were already missing the body heat the other provided, and not because 2 members of her family were close to each other when they shouldn't be. Walking over to her mom, Hope gave her a worried look.
"Mom, do you know where Dad is right now?" Hope murmured.
"Somewhere in Europe, I think. Why?" Hayley asked.
"I'll tell you in the car." Hope replied.
"Hayley, before we head out, I just want to thank you for trusting me, even if it's just slightly right now. It truly means a lot to me." Ryan said.
"Most of my trust is being placed in my daughter. But you gave me your word that you are willing to wait to have sex until Hope turns 18, if things become serious. So I'm holding you to that." Hayley replied before leading Hope out of the store.
'I'm so screwed.' Ryan thought as he closed up the store and headed for his car, catching Hope's eye just as she was getting into the back of her mother's car and gave her a wink.
Legacies – YME – Legacies
The second that the doors closed behind Hayley and Hope, Hayley turned and gave her daughter an expectant look. Glancing between her mother and her aunt, Hope let out a sigh.
"Are we absolutely sure that Dad hasn't been to see Uncle Elijah?" Hope asked slowly.
"What would make you think that he has?" Freya questioned.
"When Ryan and I let go of each other inside, I felt a bone-deep chill run over most of my body. I want it to simply mean that it was because I already missed his body heat, but I've only ever felt that deep of a chill once before... and that was when the Hollow first started trying to take over my body. And I'm afraid that it might mean that Dad couldn't help himself and went to see Uncle Elijah." Hope explained as tears stung at her eyes.
"Listen to me, Sweetheart. If your father had gone anywhere near your uncle, there would have been other things that would have happened. But if it makes you feel better, we can call Rebekah and see if she and Marcel saw anything end-of-the-world-y has happened around them." Hayley said.
"No... let's not bother them. I'm probably just waiting for the other shoe to drop and putting too much thought into it." Hope replied.
"Are you sure?" Freya asked.
"Yeah. Let's just follow Ryan to his place for dinner."
Legacies – YME – Legacies
Ryan drove the short distance from the bookstore to the Grill. The entire time he was waiting for Landon to come out to the car, Ryan kept glancing back towards where Hayley's car was still sitting. He needed them to start following him before Landon got into the car, or else he would have to explain to Landon why he was waiting. And he didn't want to tell Landon anything about Hope. From what Hope had told him, Landon had already seemed to have developed a crush on Hope, even though he had only seen her from a distance, and he really didn't want to give his little brother more reason to crush on Hope. Hope was Ryan's Princess, and knowing how Landon was with girls, Ryan didn't want Landon anywhere near his Princess. It was possessive, Ryan knew that, but he wanted to protect Hope as much as he was able to, and for the time being, the only way he knew how was to keep Landon away from her.
"You'll never believe what happened today." Landon said as he slid into the passenger seat.
"That depends on what you're about to tell me happened." Ryan replied, letting out a quick sigh when he glanced in the rear view mirror and saw the other car move.
"I saw the hottest girl ever, walk out of the bookstore, and she glanced over at me and I could tell she wanted me." Landon replied.
"How could you possibly tell that she wanted you if you were at work and she was walking out of the bookstore?" Ryan asked. 'She so doesn't want you. She made it perfectly clear that she wants me.' He added in his mind.
"Just the way she looked at me. But you must have interacted with her. She had red-ish hair, a nice rack, probably on the shorter side. Do you know her name?" Landon asked and Ryan gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white to keep from beating up his idiot brother.
"I know which one of my customers you're talking about, but no, I don't know her name. And you really shouldn't objectify women like that, Landon. It's rude." Ryan said, his eyes darting to the rear view mirror.
"Whatever. When she turned around and looked at me, I noticed that she was wearing the school uniform for the boarding school for troubled rich kids. So I'm sure that if manage to get her to talk to me, I can get her to into bed with me." Landon commented.
Ryan jerked the car to a stop and turned to glare at his brother. He felt like he would puke if he listened to another word of Landon's crude plan to get to Hope. They hadn't even made it out of town square, and Ryan was through with listening to Landon.
"Get out." Ryan demanded.
"What? No way! Mom told you to drive me home." Landon argued.
"I will not sit here and listen to you talk about a girl that you've never actually met in such a way. Either get out and walk the rest of the way home or shut the fuck up." Ryan said, his jaw clenched. "The choice is yours."
"You can't tell me what to do. You're not my dad!" Landon exclaimed.
"You're right, I'm not. But this is my car, and if you are in it, you follow my rules. So again, get out or shut the fuck up. Which is it going to be?"
Landon let out a huff, folded his arms across his chest and slumped in his seat, but kept his mouth shut. With a tense nod and a glance in the rearview mirror, Ryan continued driving home. As he drove, he was thankful that Hayley was keeping some distance between them so as to not draw Landon's attention. When they got to the house, Ryan pulled into the garage and Landon shot him a glare before getting out and slamming the door. Ryan had no doubt in his mind that Landon was going to go inside and complain to Seylah, but he didn't really care. He was an adult, and while he lived on the same property as his adoptive mother, he didn't live under her roof. Not to mention his mind wasn't on his immature little brother's antics at that moment. Because the second he heard the door to the house slam shut, he noticed Hope, Hayley and Freya getting out of their car across the street.
Getting out of the car himself, Ryan motioned for them to hurry. Mostly he just wanted Hope to hurry before Landon happened to look out one of the front windows and saw her. Because if that happened, Landon would know that Ryan lied to him, and then the accusations would start flying, and it would only be a matter of time before Sheriff Donovan came knocking on his door. He didn't want that. What he wanted was to have Hope back in his arms, give her as good of a birthday dinner as he could, and give Hayley and Freya, and Hope, a heads up on what Landon had said. And Hope didn't disappoint. The second she saw him motioning her over, Hope ran directly to him and threw her arms around his neck. Despite the obvious age difference, anyone looking at them in that very moment would have thought that they were long term lovers who hadn't seen each other in a while. Pressing a kiss to Hope's forehead, Ryan held her close and glanced up at Hayley and Freya.
"Thank you for keeping some distance between the cars. I would have felt horrible if your car had been wrecked when I slammed on the breaks earlier." Ryan said.
"Why did you slam on the breaks?" Hope asked.
"I'll explain upstairs. But for one, I was ready to strangle my brother."
Hope's eyes went wide at Ryan's comment as he led them all into the garage and closed the garage door before leading them towards the back towards a door on the far side of the structure. She had already had a bad feeling settling in the pit of her stomach where Landon was concerned, but Ryan's tone put her on edge even more. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know what Landon had said, because the way that Ryan was holding her close to his side told her enough: Landon had been talking about her, and Ryan hadn't liked the thought of his brother talking about her. It wasn't until Ryan had let her, her mom and aunt into the apartment and he closed and locked the front door behind himself that he saw him relax.
"What was your brother saying about me?" Hope asked in a small voice.
"He was objectifying you, and saying how, since he noticed your uniform, that if he could get you to talk to him, that he could get you into bed with him." Ryan replied as he wrapped his arms around Hope's shoulders and hugged her tightly.
"What did he say, specifically?" Hayley asked.
"It was so crude that I don't even feel comfortable to repeat. But he's convinced that by the way Hope looked at him, that she wants him." Ryan said.
"The way he was staring at me creeped me out." Hope commented.
"I know, but I didn't want to tell him anything about you, so I couldn't tell him that. I also told him I didn't know your name, which is why I was motioning for all of you to hurry up the driveway so that there was less likely of a chance of him looking out one of the windows and seeing you." Ryan explained. "If he saw you here, after I told him that I didn't know your name, he would know that I lied, and would immediately go to Sheriff Donovan. I am determined to protect you as best as I can, and if that means making sure my brother is never around you, then that's what I'll do."
"So I'm starving... what are we having for dinner?" Freya asked.
"Right." Ryan said as he moved around Hope towards the kitchen. "I have the ingredients to make chicken parmesan, if that works for all of you." He commented.
"That sounds delicious. Do you need any help?" Hope asked.
"This is meant to be your birthday dinner, Hope, you should relax." Ryan said, shooing her towards the living room.
"Fine... but don't say I didn't offer." Hope replied.
"I'll help." Freya offered and Ryan nodded.
"Hayley, Hope, feel free to watch something on TV, or pop in a movie." Ryan said.
As Ryan got out the ingredients that he and Freya would need to make the dinner, he contemplated asking her about Hope's father. But he didn't want to overstep with anything, since at this point, he had no reason to know any more about Hope's family than she'd already told him, but the fact that her father's absence on her birthday had made her so upset, Ryan couldn't stop thinking about why he wasn't around.
"Um, is it okay if I call you Freya?" Ryan asked a bit awkwardly.
"What else would you call me?" Freya inquired with a tilt of her head.
"Normally I would have gone with 'Ms.' and then whatever your last name is, but at this point, that seems a bit too stiff and formal." Ryan admitted.
"Yes, Ryan, you can call me Freya."
"Thank you. Now, I know I have no reason to ask, but with as upset as Hope has been today, with the absence of her father being the underlying issue, I can't help but wonder about it. Why has Hope's father been so absent from her life?" Ryan questioned slowly, choosing his words carefully.
"If you are as serious about protecting Hope as you claim to be, then you do have a reason to ask, because there's no way for you to protect her if you don't know certain things. And the first thing that you need to know, Ryan, is that my brother is a very antagonistic man, and he's made a lot of enemies in his life. Ever since he found out that Hayley was pregnant with his child, he feared that one of his enemies would go after the baby. But when Hope was younger, a long lost, distant relative on Hayley's side of the family went after Hope. They had allies on their side, and to divert their attention from Hope, her father and my other three siblings each drew a section of the allies away and have had to stay away for the last 8 years." Freya explained, her eyes drifting to her niece. "For the first couple of years, Klaus kept in contact with Hope. Called her on her birthdays, responded to her letters, and then when she was 9, something happened, and Klaus went radio silent when it came to Hope. He's kept in contact with the rest of us, but with Hope, nothing." She added.
"Hope made it sound like he's been out of her life for longer than that. Almost as if he's been away since she was born." Ryan commented.
"For various reasons, Klaus was not able to be with Hope. And that did start when she was born." Freya replied. "But those are reasons that you'll need to talk to Hope about." She continued. "My brother's absence in Hope's life aside, Hope has been through a lot in her life, and she needs someone that will be there for her no matter what. And from the way that she's been acting today, I really wish that you can be that person for her. Just promise me that you'll keep an open mind when it comes to things that Hope has to tell you about herself." She finished.
"Of course." Ryan said with a nod.
After putting the chicken into the over, Ryan and Freya made their way into the living room where Hope and Hayley were watching Pride and Prejudice. When Ryan sat down on the couch next to Hope, she moved to crawl into his lap and rested her head on his shoulder. Wrapping his arms lightly around her waist, Ryan pressed a kiss to Hope's forehead before turning his attention to the movie.
"Has your birthday improved at all, Princess?" Ryan murmured into Hope's ear.
"Thanks to you, yes." Hope replied.
"You're welcome." Ryan said. "Hopefully dinner lives up to everything else I've done today to make you feel better."
"Do you cook on a regular basis?" Hope asked.
"I do."
"And how often does the smoke alarm go off when you cook?"
"Not very."
"Okay... and has anyone ever gotten sick from eating your cooking?"
"No."
"Then I'm sure it'll be amazing. It smells amazing already."
"Why not hold off on making such a praising review until you've actually had some of the food? It'd make me feel better if you did."
"If you insist."
Ryan pressed another kiss to Hope's forehead and settled back against the couch. He had one arm wrapped around her lower back and one hand resting on her thigh. He was mindful that both her mother and aunt were sitting a few feet away, but when no one told him to move his hand, he kept it where it was, making sure to not move it along Hope's thigh. If he could behave and get Hayley and Freya's approval, then Ryan hoped that, if he were to ever meet Hope's father, that he would be able to get the older male's approval as well. He wanted to be the person that took care of Hope. He wanted to be there for her whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on. He had already started to fall head over heels for the girl in his lap, and he would be damned if he did anything that hurt her.
When dinner was ready soon there after, Ryan reluctantly moved Hope off of his lap and got up to set the table and get the food set out. When the three women made their way over, Ryan pulled out the chairs for all of them, capturing Hope's hand in his and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. The twinkle in her eyes that shone when she smiled up at him had Ryan's heart skipping a beat. He knew, in that moment, that there was nothing he wouldn't do to keep a smile on Hope's face.