I hope you enjoy the next couple of posts. I think that things are just getting interesting. Hopefully you'll find there are a few surprises. And I'd be interested to hear what you think of Julie by the end.

Ryan fronts the enemy

Next morning Ryan woke early. Even after their workout he'd had trouble sleeping. Thoughts of Julie were never far away. Marissa was curled around him and he loved the feel of her against him. He knew he could never get enough of it. He lay there thinking about what to do with Julie and decided he couldn't put it off any longer. He started to extricate himself from Marissa and she stirred.

"What are you doing?" she asked sleepily.

"Go back to sleep. I'm just going to go and pick up breakfast and your favourite coffee from Starbucks. I won't be long." He bent over and kissed her as she turned over and went back to sleep.

---

Ryan quickly pulled on some clothes and drove to the Mermaid Inn. He knew if he thought about it too much he might chicken out. He walked inside the office and found out which room Julie was in and then started to walk towards it. He had no idea what he was going to say to her. A million different things had been going through his mind but he just knew he couldn't put it off any longer. Whatever was going to happen would happen. He would just have to deal with it. Whatever 'It' was. He felt bad about getting his family involved. It was time for him to sort this out himself.

He stood in front of the door and knocked. He waited a few minutes and there was no answer. He started to think that maybe she wasn't there. She may have gone to get breakfast herself. He knocked again.

"Just a moment." He heard from inside the room.

Ryan looked at the doorknob as it started to turn and thought about taking off. Maybe he wasn't ready for this at all. He was about to go when the door suddenly opened and Julie stood before him in a towelling robe with wet hair.

"Ryan !" Julie stood there dumbfounded.

It took Ryan a minute to find his voice. He hadn't seen Julie for over 7 years but she hadn't changed at all. She was still a very attractive woman – at least on the outside. Now that he was here in front of her, part of him wanted nothing more than to just walk away. He knew that she was responsible for all the pain and heartache that both he and Marissa had been through over the last few years. Where would they have been without her interference?

"Julie." He waited for her to compose herself. She was obviously shocked to find him there. It felt good to know that he had unsettled her with his surprise visit. "I thought we should talk."

"Um. I really…" Julie looked around outside wondering if she needed witnesses. Ryan had been a hothead when she had first known him. What if he decided to take his revenge out on her physically? There was no one in sight. Was that why he had decided to drop by unannounced?

"If you'd prefer I can just walk away. But that will be it. I won't try again. I'm not even sure why I'm even giving you this chance. If Marissa had it her way, we would never speak to you again."

"But she has to…" Julie started.

"She doesn't have to do… anything. You forfeited your right to have anything to do with her when you lied to us to break us up." Ryan waited for his words to sink in. "So do you want a chance to try to explain or shall I just leave?" Ryan added noticing her reluctance to invite him in. "I don't have to come in. We could…go for a walk?"

Julie didn't know what to do. She had thought she would have a chance to talk to Kirsten and maybe even Sandy first and make her excuses and perhaps get them on her side. And then if possible Marissa. But she hadn't planned on talking to Ryan at all if possible. She really wasn't ready for this. He had totally unsettled her. "Um. I just…"

Ryan was starting to get impatient. She looked like she didn't want to talk to him.. But if nothing else he deserved an apology and he wasn't leaving without it.

"Make up your mind Julie. You can either ask me in or we can do this in the middle of the car park. I really don't care either way."

Julie looked at the car park and noticed the Mercedes convertible. It must have been Ryan's. It stood out among the other vehicles parked there. It was probably worth about the same as all of the other cars put together. She really didn't know what to do. Ryan seemed to have matured so much. She now realised that he wasn't about to beat her up he really did just want to talk. "Okay. Come on in."

She closed the door behind him and then turned to him. "If you'll just give me a minute to put some clothes on?"

"Sure." Ryan replied as Julie grabbed some things off the bed and disappeared into the bathroom. He looked around the room and then picked up the remote control and turned on the TV.

A replay of Entertainment Tonight from the previous night was showing and they had some shots of a couple of actors being hounded by the paparazzi. Ryan smiled to himself. He could only imagine what the paparazzi would make of it if they found out that he was in a room at a sleazy place like the Mermaid with none other than his girlfriend's mother. It would keep them going for quite a while. Hell he thought ... they didn't even know for sure that he had a girlfriend. He started to have some misgivings about not telling Marissa that he was coming here. After all they had been through; the last thing they needed was for either one to lose the trust in the other that they had built up. He had just not wanted to worry her. Plus he knew if he had told her where he was going then they would have had another disagreement about whether to talk to Julie or not. He didn't want that. He understood that Marissa didn't want to talk to her mother but Ryan still wanted to hear what Julie had to say for herself.

---

Julie changed and then looked around the small bathroom wishing there was a back door that she could sneak out of. She wondered if she stayed there long enough would he get tired of waiting and leave. Unfortunately she didn't think so. The sight of him had really shaken her up. He had always had a rough attractiveness to him even though she had tried to deny it. But he had definitely improved with age. She could see why Marissa would be interested in him. Hell any woman would. He wasn't a 'pretty boy' but he just oozed sex appeal. All of a sudden Sandy's words came into her head. Were they really 'going at it like rabbits'? Who could blame Marissa if she got the chance? Julie wouldn't mind betting that Ryan would know his way around a woman's body. Nobody grew up in places like Chino without picking up those sort of things. He would have started young. She wouldn't mind finding out for herself just how good he was. She wondered if maybe this could be the way to break Ryan and Marissa up once and for all. She knew she was still an attractive woman. Luke had certainly never complained. Maybe if she could get Ryan in to bed; then not only would it undoubtedly be enjoyable, but she knew that Marissa would never have anything more to do with him. It may be her only hope.

She took her clothes back off and put her robe back on making sure that the tie around her waist was barely together and she turned back and opened the door.

Ryan was sitting on the end of the bed watching the TV. He looked up.

"Sorry I just forgot something." She said and moved over to the end of the bed where he was sitting. She reached over in front of Ryan and made sure the robe parted at just the right time so Ryan got a face full of her bare breasts as the robe fell apart revealing her in all her splendour. She waited for him to react. He didn't move. She didn't know what to do. She had imagined that he would take the next step. She bent to bring her lips to his and he turned his head and got up off the bed.

You could almost see the steam coming out of his ears he was so angry. "You disgust me! If you weren't Marissa's mother this might almost be funny. But…" he shook his head. "You are unbelievable. I thought we could do this like civilized human beings but I can see that that's just not possible for you. Maybe Marissa was right. Maybe we don't need to have anything more to do with you. I had thought that maybe you would have had some sort of excuse for your behaviour before but after this I'm not sure I even care. I know you hate me. But did you honestly think that I would have any interest in you? I was hoping your love for Marissa would have made you want to fight to keep her in your life. But after this I doubt it. Have a nice life Julie. Just remember it was your choice to do it without your daughter." He turned and made his way to the door.

"Ryan. Stop. Please. Give me a chance to explain." Julie cried as she clutched the robe around her with one hand whilst trying to stop Ryan walking out the door with the other.

He hesitated and looked back at her. "I just did that Julie and look at what you tried to pull. I came here for an explanation and an apology and you do this. Give me one reason why I should give you another chance?"

Julie hung her head. "Because… I do love Marissa….You may be the only person that could understand how special she is. I'm guessing that you'd do anything to keep her in your life…well that's what I did." She looked up at Ryan and continued. "Please…. I'm sorry…. Just give me a minute to get changed. I promise I won't try anything again."

Ryan stood on the balcony outside the door and wondered whether he could trust her. He couldn't believe what she had just tried on him inside.

"We'll go for that walk you suggested." Julie said, knowing she had no chance of getting him back inside her room.

Ryan wasn't sure what to do. He was so angry with her. But he did know that he would do anything for Marissa. He didn't know if that meant that he would ever be able to get along with Julie – they were just too different. But something in him suspected that in years to come Marissa would regret having cut off all ties with her mother. Unfortunately, as Ryan well knew, you couldn't pick your family. And Julie was all Marissa had. Ryan knew that if they were ever going to speak again then he would have to come to terms with what Julie had done. "Okay. You've got five minutes and then I'm hoping in my car and driving off. So it's up to you." He stated.

---

Julie hastily threw on some pants and a shirt and slipped her feet into some sandals and made her way back out to the car park. Ryan was sitting on the bonnet of his car when she walked up to him.

"So where do you want to go?" Julie asked.

"How about the pier?" Ryan replied still not sure whether this was a good idea or not. He was trying to calm down and not lose his temper with her. "I guess we could always get a coffee."

Julie smiled. "Coffee sounds good. Although I think I could use something a bit stronger to calm my nerves."

Ryan looked at her surprised that she could actually smile at a time like this. She never ceased to amaze him. It's just it was often for all the wrong reasons.

---

Ryan bought two coffees from a street vendor and they walked towards the end of the pier an uneasy silence between them.

Julie looked over at him." I'd like you to promise me that you'll never tell Marissa about what happened back there."

Ryan considered what she had said. "I don't think I have to promise you anything." He had no intention of ever telling Marissa but that was out of consideration for Marissa not Julie.

"If you don't and you try to tell her, I could just as easily say that you came on to me. There were no witnesses." Julie stated.

Ryan looked at her and shook his head. "You really have no idea do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"At this very moment your credibility is zero. Actually below, if that's possible. The chance of anyone believing anything you say is virtually impossible. Thinking about it, I don't know why I have even bothered to come and talk to you. I should have realised that something like this would happen. I guess I am still that naïve boy that you lied to back in New York. I should have known that you don't know how to tell the truth. You couldn't even lie straight in bed. I had so hoped that you would have some sort of excuse for what went on before. But I guess that was the naïve part of me as well. Plus…why would I be interested in you when I have Marissa at home waiting in my bed?"

Julie realised that everything he'd said was true. Maybe she had underestimated him. She started to feel guilty. Looking at it from his point of view she could see how it must seem. She turned her eyes away not wanting him to see that what he had said had really got to her.

"What do you have against us?" Ryan asked. "Or is it just me? Was getting Marissa away from me your only motivation? Was I that bad for her? I know you never approved of us as a couple but surely you realise that I love her. No one could ever love her more than I do. I had imagined that maybe your dislike for me came from the fact that I came from Chino; that you somehow imagined that I would end up back there with Marissa; with 4 kids before we were 30. But you of all people should know how good life away from there can be. I was never going to mess up the chance that the Cohen's had given me. I know what's it's like on the other side of the tracks and I'm not going back there. At least, not to live. That inferiority complex that you worked so hard to give me, made me work that much harder. But surely now, you must realise, that I can look after Marissa. She need never work another day in her life. I will love and cherish her forever. Does that make any difference to you or do you hate me so much that even the money doesn't matter? I thought that was all that did matter to you?"

Julie waited until he had finished; going over everything that he had said. "I…I…just...it was.." she didn't know where to start.

"Julie talk to me. We have to have this out once and for all. Marissa has decided that she never wants to talk to you again. But I felt that I needed to work out why you would feel so strongly about me. What have I ever done to you to deserve the treatment you have given me and in turn Marissa? Because anything you do to me affects her as well."

Julie looked at him. She was stunned by the young man standing in front of her with eyes like the ocean. He obviously loved her daughter with an intensity that Julie could only imagine. "Ryan, it's not….it wasn't …just… you."

"Then tell me. Why would you do such a thing to us?"