Wake My Heart (Jasper Falls 1)

“I’m moving the table like you told me to do!”

His mother scoffed. “Well, get in here and meet Ryan’s lady friend.” She smiled. “He’ll be back in a second. Ryan, you didn’t tell me you were dating such a pretty girl.”

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck. Nothing, not even his tattoos, hid the way his blush burned down his cheeks and chest. “Mum, this is Maggie O’Malley.”

“O’Malley?” A man who resembled an aged, thinner version of Ryan appeared. “What the hell are you doing messin’ with an O’Malley?”

“Liam!” his mother snapped. “Ryan, why don’t you make a pot of coffee so we can have a nice visit.”

“This isn’t a visit, Mum.”

“I put a bag of groceries on your counter. A bin of coffee’s on the top.”

Defeated, Ryan sighed and stepped toward the door.

“Don’t leave me,” Maggie begged, catching his arm. His mother seemed terrifying, and his dad obviously hated O’Malleys.

He took her hand and walked her past his parents. She looked back when they didn’t follow. Ryan grumbled a string of curse words under his breath as they marched into the kitchen.

She did a double take of the new table. “This is nice.”

“What?” He glanced over his shoulder, as if just noticing the chrome trimmed table sitting in the center of the room. “Oh. Yeah.” He rummaged through the bag and unloaded the coffee, slamming cabinets as he hunted for a coffee filter.

“Are they just waiting in there?”

“My mum’s cleaning. She’ll be here in a second.”

As if conjured by his certainty, his mother appeared, her arms full of dishes. “You shouldn’t leave meat out, love. Where’s your Tupperware?”

“I don’t have any.”

“Horseshit. Your Aunt Maureen gave you a whole bin of her older stuff.”

“I haven’t unpacked it yet.”

His mother tsked. “Well, maybe you can find it when you go put on a shirt.”

Maggie backed to the far side of the room, which also happened to be where the door was located. Her hand fumbled for the knob, her mind solely focused on escape.

Ryan’s eyes narrowed on her as his mother began scrubbing dishes. He crossed the kitchen and pulled her away from the door. “We’ll be right back.”

Maggie skipped after him as he towed her through the hall and up the stairs. A quick glance into the living room told her his father was still there.

“Your dad hates me,” she hissed as soon as they made it to his room.

“He doesn’t know you enough to hate you.”

“Well, he hates O’Malleys.”

He pulled a fresh shirt out of a drawer. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

Easy for him to say. No one gawked at his name. “How long will they stay?”

“If my mother had her way? Forever.”

“I’m serious, Ryan. I’m not ready to meet your family.”

He sighed and turned to face her. “I’m sorry. I had no idea they’d stop by.”

“Obviously.”

He crossed the room and hugged her. “Please stay. I know they’re a lot, but they mean well.”

“Your mother probably thinks I’m a hussy.”

He laughed. “My mother thinks you’re a godsend. There’s literally nothing you can do to avoid being her favorite person in the world right now.”

Her anxiety came to an abrupt halt. “R—really?”

“Yeah. Try not to bolt when she starts mentioning her china set and heirlooms she’s been holding onto in hopes of one day having a daughter-in-law.”

Her eyes widened as he walked out of the room. “You’re kidding, right?” When he didn’t answer, she called, “Ryan?”

Chapter 31

Maggie took her time returning to the kitchen. Despite it being eight in the evening, the house smelled of fresh roasted coffee and… Was that cake?

“There she is!” Ryan’s mom stood from the vintage table and filled a mug with coffee. “How do you take your coffee, love?”

She glanced at Ryan who only shrugged, as if to say there was no sense in fighting once the smothering started—sort of like being choked to death by a boa constrictor.

“Just black, please.”

Rosemarie nodded and put down the creamer. “Would you like a slice of cake? I made cinnamon strudel. It’s one of Ryan’s favorites.”

Discovering his favorite dessert triggered something inside of Maggie. She cherished the information and wanted to taste the cake so she nodded.

“Thank you.” She took the warm mug and held it in both hands, breathing in the rich scent, as if she might inhale a bit of courage with the caffeine.

Curious about what one of Ryan’s favorite desserts might taste like, she carefully sat beside him at the round table. Rosemarie placed a sweet-scented slice on a plate in front of her.

Ryan grinned and took a large bite from his own serving. Traces of toasted cinnamon and caramel filled the kitchen air with an intoxicating scent.

Maggie sipped her coffee and paused to savor the bold taste. “This is really good coffee.”

“It’s from Ashlynn’s market. She has a machine that grinds the beans fresh.”

Maggie didn’t know who Ashlynn was and looked at Ryan in question.