Ready for Love
Ready For Love is on sale through the weekend!
ebook only.
After the untimely passing of her father, Summer Jones, was left trying to find normalcy without him. When the façade of her having it all together became too much to bear, Ryder Greene stepped in, and offered her the comfort she needed.
While being Summer’s escape, Ryder realized she unintentionally helped him too. She helped him consider the possibility of love again. After divorcing his first and only love, Ryder wasn’t sure he had any love left to give.
Two individuals suffering from grave losses came together and formed an impenetrable bond. She was his last hope for love. He was the breath of fresh air she needed to get back her life back on track.
The only problem?
Both were too scarred from loss to give love a fair shot. But when love called, running was no longer an option.
Excerpt
When my dad renovated the basement for my sixteenth birthday, he made sure it was a space I'd be comfortable in for as long as I wanted to stay here. He had walls built to separate my bedroom from the sitting area. Also, he added a shower to the bathroom. The laundry room was upgraded, so I could take clients during the early stages of my career. We painted the walls worldly gray. I'd never forget that name as long as I lived. My dad and I found the name comical. The two days we spent painting the once off-white walls were filled with jokes about potential names for paint colors. Everything about my sanctuary was special to me because my dad took the time to tailor it to my needs.
"This fits you."
After pondering over his statement, trying to figure out what it meant, I took a seat on my couch with a wide smile.
"I think so, too."
He took a seat next to me, stretching his arm behind me on the back of the couch. There was a glimpse of intrigue in his eyes as he stared at the black and white portraits I had lining the walls. As much as I loathed the person behind these beautiful pictures, they added to the ambiance and had sentimental value.
To the right of him were my record player and a picture of me and my dad. I was about eighteen when we took the picture. We went to the sunflower field for the day. It was one of the best days of my life. Just like the portraits on the wall, Mel's brother, and my ex, Cairo took the picture. There was once a time when you wouldn't see me without one of them at my side. Mel and I remained close, but Cairo was another long-ass, sad ass story.
Ryder grabbed the picture and looked at it closely. "You have his eyes," he said, as he continued to assess the picture.
I had a sunflower in my hand with the biggest smile on my face. My dad stood behind, looking down with a smile just as wide.
While leaning closer to him to get a better look at the picture, I nodded. "I do."
"You mind if I look through your vinyl collection?"
He placed the black-framed picture back on the table.
"Have at it."
With my legs tucked under me, I watched Ryder sift through my bins of vinyl records. Most were my dad's while the newer ones were mine. My dad's vinyl were as precious to me as my space in the basement. They were the one thing I fought for when Samera insisted on giving his stuff away. Packing up my dad's things was one of the hardest tasks I'd ever do. I didn't speak to Samera for days after she had the Salvation Army come to retrieve his clothes and shoes.
After looking through a few vinyl, Ryder stopped on Minnie Riperton's "Perfect Angel." With finesse, he removed it from the sleeve and placed it on the platter.
"Reasons" came on and I hummed along. As her light, angelic vocals filled the air, we nodded with delight. There was a small smile on the corners of his lips. I couldn't help but stare at them.The bottom lip was slightly bigger than the top. He licked his lips often and I wasn't sure why they never looked dry.
Ryder returned to his seat next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. He smelled just as good as he looked, too.
"My mom used to play this album all the time back in the day. We knew it was either time to clean or she was about to cook a big meal."
"It was one of my dad's favorites. He loved Minnie and Donna Summer." I got quiet again. Ryder placed his other hand on my thigh, his gaze penetrating, making my stomach churn.
"It's okay to talk about him." My gaze averted to his hand. "When my Big Mama passed, I was a mix of emotions. Anger mostly, because the person I loved most was taken away. I didn't talk about it for a while."
"It hurts too much right now," I admitted. "He was my rock. My best friend." My voice cracked, and Ryder pulled me onto his lap.
The feeling of his arms around me broke something in me. Tears fell from my eyes at rapid speed. The harder I cried, the tighter he held me. I hadn't cried like this in months; it was clarifying and frightening.
Was this all I needed?
A good cry and a hug?
After I got myself together, I went to the bathroom and ran cold water over my face.
I found Ryder posted up against the wall when I opened the door, scaring the daylights out of me. He squinted his eyes before pulling his bottom lip between his teeth. I sighed audibly and leaned against the doorframe.
"Feel better?" His forehead wrinkled, and brows furrowed.
"Surprisingly, I do."
He nodded. "Good. I should probably head out then."
"Yeah, it's pretty late."
I followed him to the door, my mind still whirring with thoughts of what just occurred.
"If you ever need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on, I'm here," he said light-heartedly. While tucking his hands in his pockets, he leaned against the wall.
"I'll keep that in mind next time I feel myself on the verge of a meltdown."
He chuckled then reached for the doorknob. "I mean that, Summer."
I nodded, feeling a jolt of butterflies in my stomach. Before he walked out the door, I called out for him. "Hey, what did you and Mel talk about before we left the pool hall?"
"Nothing you need to worry about." He smiled. "I'll talk to you later."
With that, he disappeared into the darkness. Against my better judgment, I thought about taking him up on his offer.