Love Online(57)

What? “What happened?”

“I don’t want to get into it now, if that’s okay. My being here isn’t about me.”

Well, that was definitely interesting fucking news. An unsettled feeling came over me. But regardless, she was right. Now was not the time to discuss it. I couldn’t handle anything that was going to stress me out before having to see my father’s body.

I would allow Mallory to be a friend to me tonight and not overthink it any more than that.





CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO




* * *





EDEN




Part of the road had been blocked off to help control traffic. My Uber driver couldn’t get anywhere near the funeral parlor, so he had to drop me off down the street.

There was a line all the way down the sidewalk to get into Sterling McNamara’s services. I knew Ryder’s father had been a bigwig in this town, but I guess I never really got it until now.

I’d decided not to tell Ryder I was coming to Los Angeles. I didn’t want him to feel like he had to make accommodations for me or worry about me in any way. He had enough on his plate. But now I was sort of regretting not mentioning anything to him, because I had to stand in line with everyone else, and I worried I might not make it in before the viewing hours ended. It was going to be at least an hour before I got inside the place.

I thought about texting him, but I didn’t want to be disruptive. He was likely receiving guests, shaking hands with people and wouldn’t be able to leave to come let me in. I remembered how it was when my mother passed away. Even though she didn’t have a crowd of people at her wake, the responsibility of the entire event fell on me. I was sure it was no different for Ryder.

So, I resigned myself to waiting with everyone else. I could wait. This wasn’t about me; this was about showing my support for him.

Looking around at all of the fancy people in their expensive clothes, I felt out of my league. The woman in front of me was holding a handbag I knew cost more than my mortgage. Meanwhile, I’d put on the only black dress I owned, the same simple sheath I’d worn four years ago to my mother’s funeral. There’d been no time to go shopping prior to coming out here. I’d just brought one carry-on bag of things thrown hastily together.

I looked around at all of the exotic cars and inhaled the cloud of expensive fragrance. This was Ryder’s world, so very different from mine. Those differences were clearer than ever right now.

After almost a full hour, I finally made it to the entrance. A sea of people dressed in black blocked my view of the casket, and of Ryder—or at least of where I assumed he’d be standing.

When I finally spotted him, he nearly took my breath away. Ryder from a distance, so tall in his perfectly tailored dark suit, was a sight to behold. His hair was gelled a bit differently, but he looked incredible all dressed up. He was shaking hands and leaning into the embraces of people, one by one. He looked a little out of it, like he was just going through the motions. I remembered all too well how that felt. I wanted to hug him, be there for him, protect him from all of these people. I couldn’t get to him fast enough.

My eyes then moved to the woman standing next to him. I’d already been nervous to make my presence known to Ryder, but the sight of her caused my stomach to full-on drop. Because she wasn’t just any woman. If my memory served me correctly, that was Mallory.

Isn’t it?

I squinted to get a better look.

Definitely Mallory.

Her eyes were unmistakable, and her long, black hair fell to just below her breasts—medium-sized ones, smaller than mine. She was much taller than I was but shorter than Ryder. She had her hands crossed in front of her and seemed to be watching every interaction he had as if she were some sort of gatekeeper.

I’d wanted to be the one to protect him, to be by his side tonight, but apparently she had the same idea.

My heart beat so fast.

What the hell is she doing here?

They broke up.

My mind raced, filled with some crazy scenarios. What if they’d never really broken up at all? Or maybe she’d come to comfort him the past couple of days, and they’d gotten back together. Maybe that’s why he’d been distant.

The line in front of me kept getting shorter, and I was running out of time to decide how I was going to deal with this. It was only a matter of seconds before Ryder would spot me.

Should I just act like she wasn’t there? I couldn’t confront him about her at a time like this.

Breathe, Eden.

The moment his eyes met mine, I wanted to burst into tears. I felt so many conflicting emotions. Then a smile spread across his face, and his eyes never left mine even as he greeted the last few people before me.

When Ryder finally embraced me, it was like I fell into his arms and evaporated into his body. Mallory no longer seemed to exist. His heart beat so fast against my chest.

He held me tightly as he whispered in my ear, “I can’t believe you’re here.”

I closed my eyes and breathed him in. His body was warm against my skin, which had been riddled with goosebumps moments ago. It felt so incredible to be in his arms—I’d done nothing but long for that for forty-eight hours straight.

“How did you manage to get away?” he asked.

“A friend is watching Ollie.”