Page 42 of Desperate Pucker (Denver Bashers #6)

Ryker

Ipat my hand over my stomach, which is aching from the massive serving of biscuits and gravy I just inhaled.

“Celeste, that was delicious. Thank you.”

She flashes a giddy smile. “I’m glad you liked it. And I hope it’s okay for me to say, but you have an impressive appetite.”

“I’ve heard that many times in my life.”

“I mean, it makes sense. You’re a tall drink of water.”

I hold back a laugh. Maddy raises an eyebrow at her mom. “Easy, Mom.”

Celeste holds up a hand. “I’m just sayin’.

It’s nice to cook for someone who eats like Ryker does.

” She turns to me. “My Madeline had to be so careful with her diet when she was a figure skater. I would cook for her, and she could barely eat much of it.” Celeste smiles at Maddy’s empty plate. “I’m so happy you ate all your food.”

Maddy gives her mom a warm smile. “I’m definitely getting my appetite back now that I’m not competing anymore.” She looks at me. “Ryker’s actually really good in the kitchen. He’s cooked for me a few times.”

Celete’s expression turns giddy as she looks at me. “Really?”

“I’m not as good a cook as you, Celeste, but I can whip up a few things.”

“His potato soup is phenomenal,” Maddy says. “And his chocolate chip cookies are to die for.”

Celeste gasps. “You cook and bake?”

I rub the back of my neck. “Yes, ma’am.”

Celeste looks at me with intrigue in her eyes again. “You’re quite a catch.”

She reaches over and grabs Maddy’s hand in hers. “My Madeline didn’t inherit my cooking gene.”

Maddy rolls her eyes good-naturedly.

“Both of my parents like to cook, so I grew up in the kitchen with them,” I say. “And I have two siblings who are a lot younger than me, so I cooked for them too.”

“What a sweet big brother you are,” Celeste says.

“He really is,” Maddy says. “He dropped everything to help his little brother with his car a few weeks ago.”

“Any big brother would do that for their sibling,” I say, flattered by how she speaks of me so sweetly.

Maddy’s smile dims. “Not every big brother.”

I instantly think of her older half-siblings. I notice Celeste give Maddy’s hand a squeeze.

Celeste shakes her head. Her expression twists like she’s in pain. “I really wish Madeline’s siblings were willing to have a relationship with her.” She sighs. “Sometimes I feel so guilty.”

“Mom, you don’t have anything to feel guilty about.”

“Yeah, you really don’t,” I say. Celeste looks surprised when she looks at me.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to give my opinion on a situation I’m not even part of, but…

” I clear my throat. I’m probably way out of line butting in like this, but Maddy’s mom seems really sweet.

She shouldn’t feel guilty for something she didn’t do.

“Maddy told me about her relationships with her dad’s side of the family, and it sounds like they’re responsible for how strained things are,” I say. “That’s not your fault. Or Maddy’s.”

Celeste flashes a sad smile and gives my arm a gentle squeeze. “You’re so kind to say that, thank you. I just know that whole situation is kind of a mess. And honestly, I do understand why Gregory’s other kids hold a grudge against me. I was the other woman.”

“But you didn’t even know that you were the other woman, Mom. Dad lied to you and said he was separated so you’d go out with him.”

Celeste’s shoulders fall when she exhales. “I know that, darlin’. I just mean that I can understand why they were hurt over it. What I don’t understand is why they hold you at a distance. You’re their baby sister. You had nothing to do with anything.”

That same sadness I remember seeing the night Maddy told me about her family flashes in her eyes again. My chest aches. I hate that she’s hurting. I hate that her older siblings have treated her so badly.

Maddy offers a small smile. “It’s okay, Mom. I have you. You’re all I need. You’re all I’ve ever needed.”

“Oh, darlin’. You’re all I need too. Best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Celeste grabs her daughter’s face and kisses her cheek. I smile at how wholesome the gesture is, how much love she has for her daughter.

She swipes a chunk of Maddy’s hair out of her face. “You know, my Madeline tried to dye her beautiful red hair blonde when she was a teenager?”

Maddy groans. “Oh my god, Mom. Not that story again.”

“I have to hear this,” I say.

Celeste turns to me. “She asked me a million times if she could dye it, and I said no. I mean, why would you dye such gorgeous hair?”

“Agreed,” I say. Maddy sticks her tongue out at me, and I laugh.

“I got made fun of for my red hair when I was a kid,” Maddy says. “I had a moment of weakness and bought a box of dye from the drug store and dyed it myself.”

Celeste laughs. “Her hair ended up turning rusty orange.”

Maddy starts laughing. “I looked like a carrot.”

I can’t help but laugh too.

“Would you believe she refused to take me to the salon to fix it?” Maddy says.

Celeste sits up, her posture defiant. “Of course not. Do you know how much a professional dye job costs?”

“She didn’t take me until I had earned enough money babysitting and doing chores for the neighbors to pay for it myself. It took me almost a month.”

“But you learned your lesson, didn’t you?”

“Don’t make rash decisions. Be thoughtful and careful always,” Maddy says in a half-annoyed, half-amused tone.

Celeste nods once. “Exactly.”

I stand up and clear the table. “You should go to the living room and visit. I’ll clean up.”

“What a gentleman. Thank you, Ryker.”

“It’s the least I could do to thank you for the delicious lunch you cooked.”

As I wash the dishes, I watch Maddy and her mom in the living room, chatting and laughing as they visit. Maddy unzips the garment bag and shows her mom the dress. Their voices go pitchy as they talk about how Maddy should do her hair and makeup. I smile.

I think about how I wrote Maddy off as an out-of-touch rich girl when I met her, how I assumed she grew up being spoiled and catered to by her billionaire dad. But she wasn’t. She was raised by a sweet and hardworking single mom.

Regret drags through my gut. I was wrong about so many things when it came to Maddy.