Feel My Love by Ash Johnson Read Free Book Online Page B

finger along my tattoo, and then back up to my eyes, and asks “So, where are the rest of graffiti marks on your skin, Brynnie?” 
    Oh no, even though I have an electric shock running through my body where he’s touching me, I’m definitely not showing him those.  I made sure that the majority of my tattoos weren’t visible so most of them are in spots that clothes can cover easily. 
    I sh ake my head at him and say “Most of them are hidden and not many have seen all of them.  We’d have to be a lot closer than we are for you to see them.”  I smile, but then realize I’ve made things a bit awkward because we aren’t close anymore.  If we were in a friendship like eight years ago, I would show him every single one of them, no hesitation, but we aren’t even close to where we were eight years ago. 
    I push my loose brown hair behind my ears and think of something to say that won’t make things more uncomfortable than they already are, but Ryan beats me to it.
    “So, how about a movie?  We can try to catch up a bit and laugh at a stupid silly movie for a while before I leave.”  I look at the clock on the wall and it says 1:15 a.m., but for some reason I am not tired.  “Sure” I say.  “Why don’t you pick a movie and I’ll make some caramel corn.”  I point to one of the shelves he was just standing by to show him where my DVD collection is and make my way into the kitchen. 
    On my way in, I think of something to talk about that shouldn’t be too conflicting.  “How’s your kid doing? Is it a boy or a girl?”  I ask, just realizing that I hadn’t talked to him since he and Amber found out she was pregnant.  Then I wince when I think of Amber.  If they’re divorced, she probably has the child more often than he does and this could end being a stickier conversation than I hoped it would have been.
    Ryan pulls Three Amigos , my all time favorite, from the DVD selection and makes his way to a bar stool at my kitchen island.
      “Well, I have two girls.  They are doing well, thanks for asking.”  Wow, two kids.  Wait- I thought he said they got divorced right after I left.  Did he have another baby with her after their divorce?  Or did he knock someone else up?  “Two?” I ask, and he must know what I’m thinking because he chuckles. 
    “They are twins, Brynn ; two girls. Just turned eight a few months ago.” Huh. Two girls.  I chance asking him more about his girls. “So, how often do you see them?  Do you get them on weekends or something?” His brows pull together in confusion, but then he nods once, as if he remembers that I know nothing of his life now. 
    “Uh, Amber left us all right after the girls were born.  She’s ne ver even seen them.  So, I get to play daddy and mommy to the girls by myself and a ton of help from our babysitter.”  Ryan smiles nervously which confuses me, but spins around to hop off of the bar stool and put the DVD into the player next to the television that sits on the bookshelf, effectively cutting off the conversation.
    I finish making the caramel popcorn and take my place on the couch next to Ryan, putting the bowl of goodness in between us to create a barrier so that I don’t try to jump his hot bones while we’re sitting here. 
    W e watch the movie in silence, laughing occasionally while I try my damndest not to look over at him, because every time I do, I fall under his spell a little more.  About twenty minutes into the movie, when he doesn’t laugh at a particularly funny part, I look over at Ryan.  He is passed out with his head thrown back on my couch, so I grab a pillow and blanket out of my guest room closet, take his flip flops off and help him lay down on the couch. 
    I stare at him for a moment after he rests his head onto the pillow, and realize that there is so much more to this man than there was the boy I left behind; and I want to know everything about him.

 
    Chapter 8
    Ryan
    I wake up on Brynn’s