Chapter 14

After being with Ryan the past few weeks, I'd been slowly starting to accept the fact that, while I might not be completely ready for it, I knew that sooner or later the two of us would be photographed together. We weren't exactly trying to keep our relationship a secret, and once that picture of us had surfaced after his cousin's wedding, I figured it was inevitable.

Just not right now. Not in this moment.

*SNAP*

I felt like a deer in the headlights as the camera continued to flash mere meters away from us, but as Ryan's arms wove their way around me, attempting to shield me from view, I snapped out of it.

"Abbie!" I yelled frantically, pushing myself away from Ryan as I headed quickly in her direction. I could hear Ryan following close behind, yelling something I couldn't quite comprehend, because in that moment, I really didn't care about much other than getting my daughter out of here.

My heart clenched painfully as I reached where she was sitting on the play structure, knees curled up to her chest, wide eyes, and a frightened look plastered across her face. "It's okay sweetie," I said softly, bringing my arms around her tightly in a means of comfort, "It'll be alright."

I almost forgot Ryan had followed me until he appeared behind me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder protectively. "Come on," Ryan said smoothly, his face holding a stern and serious expression, "We'd better get out of here." Silently asking me if he could take Abbie, I nodded, watching as he gently picked her up and rested her on his hip, muttering quietly to her that everything was going to be fine.

"The guy ran off," he started again, nodding in the direction of a car park, "But we should get going before he decides to come back." As his eyes met mine once more, I saw in them the words he refused to say.

If the photographer comes back, he won't be alone.

Nodding, it was as if my mind suddenly flipped its switch from manual to automatic, giving me absolutely no control over my actions. In fact, I'd spent the better part of the journey home coiled nervously against Ryan's side as he guided us swiftly through my neighbourhood streets without fail. It became apparent that, as I cast my gaze back over my shoulder every few steps, I was letting the paranoia of being followed sink in.

It came as a surprise to me, when Ryan steered us into a driveway, that we had managed to make it back to my house in record time, and all without being followed. As the three of us burst through the front door, closing and locking it behind us, my mind slowly started to register what had happened within the span of the last fifteen minutes.

There was a flash, followed by yelling and crying as the paparazzi managed to ruin one of the best moments of my life.

My eyes snapped towards my daughter, who still looked scared out of her mind as she clung tightly onto Ryan's shirt, tears slowly dripping down her face. Ryan sent me a sympathetic look as he shifted her in his arms, nodding for me to take her.

"Abbie sweetie," I spoke quietly, holding in my arms gently, "Everything's alright now. It's okay." As her tears slowed down and her sniffles began, I wanted nothing more than to be able to put a smile on her face.

"But you were scared momma," she whimpered, wrapping her arms around my neck tighter. My heart lodged in my throat as I realized that she wasn't crying for herself, but rather because she was scared for me.

"Oh sweetie," I sighed, rubbing my hand affectionately through her hair for comfort, "Don't worry about me, I'm fine."

Shuffling in the living room caught my attention as I heard Emily getting up and walking towards us. "So, how was your walk?" Her voice chipper as her footsteps became louder. "Did you have a good...?" Taking in the scene in front of her, her smile wavered and her eyes flashed with worry. "What happened?"

The panic of not knowing seeped into her voice, but before I could reassure her that everything was fine, Ryan spoke up. "We may have a slight problem."

Emily's eyes flicked from Ryan to me as she raised an eyebrow hesitantly. "What kind of problem?"

I grimaced, looking to Ryan for support as he placed his hand on the base of my back; however, I saw uncertainty clouding in his eyes. "Maybe we should go sit down," I mumbled under my breath, leading the two of them into the living room, only to see Dustin lounging on the couch.

And then I told them.

I explained how we'd gone to the park and, after thinking that nobody was around, had gotten caught by the paparazzi, who'd disappeared with the picture before we rushed home safely. Ryan helped fill in the gaps, recounting the details I couldn't quite remember, and as our story came to a close, I sat bouncing Abbie on my knee, waiting for a reaction.

"And you just let him get away?" Emily asked incredulously.

Before I could answer, a soft tugging at my hair stole my attention. "Can I go play upstairs?" Abbie asked softly. Having had time to settle down, she seemed to be back to her usual playful self as she looked up at me with wishful eyes, waiting for me to reply.

"Sure sweetie."

As an excited giggle passed through her lips, I let her down off my lap, watching as she readily hurried her way up the stairs before turning back to Emily.

"And yeah, what did you expect us to do Emily?" I replied.

"I don't know, but you could've done something!"

"If we would've waited to see if he came back, he probably wouldn't have come alone," Ryan reasoned, extending his arm that previously lay behind me on the couch so that it wrapped securely around my shoulder, pulling me into his warm embrace.

Emily's eyes shifted between Ryan and I. "But aren't you worried?" she asked, an overflowing amount of concern coating her words.

I bit my lip, knowing the consequences of what could happen as a result of those pictures, although I had truly had no idea what could be done about them.

"Honey," I heard Dustin mutter towards his worried girlfriend, "Why don't we leave them be for a while?"

As Emily reluctantly agreed with him, standing up to give us a bit of privacy, I sent Dustin a small, yet grateful smile, watching as he nodded in return before following his girlfriend into the kitchen.

Turning to Ryan, I looked up at him, trying to decipher what was going on inside his head, but all I could see was a sea of worry and guilt within his deep blue eyes. This wasn't a reassuring revelation as my heart began to beat faster, uncertainty about our situation flooding my mind.

I ducked my head, letting some of my hair fall down to cover my face, my eyes studying my hands that were clasped together anxiously in my lap.

"I should go," Ryan said, breaking the silence that surrounded us.

The sound of his voice, so detached and emotionless, caused me to shutter as I dared to meet his eyes.

"What?" I asked, my voice cracking as I waited to hear the words once again, hoping that I'd somehow heard them wrong the first time.

"I said I should go," he repeated, his voice wavering this time as he made a move to stand, his eyes fixated on the front door.

I couldn't let him leave though.

"Wait," I croaked out, my voice too filled with emotion to stay steady. His movements halted as I reached out to place my hand on top of his. "Don't go."

Ryan turned back to me, and as I saw the worry and guilt once again in his eyes, I knew that I still had a chance to fix this. A small chance, but a chance none the less. He sighed, turning his palm over to meet mine, intertwining our fingers tightly. "I shouldn't have come back here with you. It's not safe for me to be here right now."

"What are you talking about?"

Messing his hair up as he ran his free hand through it, frustration radiated off of him. "The people who want those photos are only around because of me. I took you and Abbie to the park because I was worried something was bothering you, and all that got me was more to worry about." He exhaled heavily, shaking his head. "I should've been more careful, I should've tried to stop him, I just..."

"Hey, hey, hey, you did nothing wrong," I spoke softly; trying to reassure him that he'd done more than enough. Bringing my hand up, my thumb softly touched his chin as my fingers splayed gently across his cheek. "It wasn't your fault that some people just don't understand the meaning of the word privacy."

"But..."

"No buts," I shook my head, "I've known for a while that getting photographed with you was a possibility and I've come to terms with it. I want to be with you, and not just the guy that sits here with me acting like a normal person. I want to be with the guy whose face is on thousands of screens and graces the covers of magazines. The guy who is so successful because he works hard for what he loves."

"Zoe," he said gently, cracking a small smile as he leant into my touch, "I have to go."

My insides crumbled as his words felt like a shot to my heart. "What?" My voice was tight as I struggled not to fall apart in front of him.

"Not that I don't want to stay," he rushed to continue, seeing quickly that I'd misunderstood his words. "It's just that if we were followed, by any chance, I don't want those people to know where you live," he explained. "My car's still outside and if anyone comes looking around the neighbourhood, they'll recognize it."

"I need to go."

"Then let me come with you," I suggested quietly. "I don't want you to leave."

His eyes softened. "You have Abbie to think about," he replied. "She's going to need you tonight, and that's okay."

"What if she came with us?" It seemed as though my question shocked him, as his jaw unhinged and his eyes bugged out. "Umm, Ryan?" I started again, "Did you hear what I said?"

"Yeah, I just," he stammered, pausing to take a breath before he continued. "You would really be okay with that?"

A small smile played on my lips. "Yeah, I mean she's really been missing Rocky, and it's almost her bedtime anyway so she'll be tired as soon as we get there, and..."

Ryan cut off my nervous rambling, leaning in to steal a quick kiss off my lips, effectively cutting me off.

"In that case, I think I'd like that, if it really is okay with you," he said as he pulled back, a smile gracing his face.

I bit my lip, trying to contain the grin that threatened to appear. "It's okay with me."

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Half an hour later Abbie and I were sitting in his car, on the way to his house. After explaining the situation to Emily and packing up a few necessities, like clothes and a toothbrush, I'd moved Abbie's car seat to the backseat of Ryan's car before we were off.

While Abbie was content humming along to the music flowing quietly from the speakers, I sat fidgeting in the passenger's seat, watching as Ryan every so often glanced in the rearview mirror. From what I could tell, we hadn't been followed, but that didn't stop Ryan from taking plenty of side roads on the way to his house. I couldn't even break the awkwardness, as I didn't know what to say. I felt a little weird knowing that I'd actually be staying at his house tonight, because even though I'd been over there multiple times, I'd never stayed the night.

Before I had enough time to worry about where Abbie and I would sleep, Ryan finally turned onto an all too familiar road, pulling into his driveway before killing the engine. Not many words were said as we climbed out of the car, Ryan grabbing the bag I'd packed while I helped Abbie out of her car seat before heading straight inside.

As the door opened and the lights flickered on automatically, the barking started up and a broad grin lit up Abbie's features as Rocky rounded the corner, scurrying playfully around our feet.

"Hey there buddy," Ryan chuckled, leaning down to pet Rocky for a few seconds, "Miss me?"

A loud, pronounced bark was all he got as a reply before Abbie let her excitement take over and sat down next to Rocky, pulling him onto her lap as he looked up at her with wide, playful eyes.

"Can I pway with him before bed?" Abbie asked, her eyes sparkling.

Ryan looked to me first, raising an eyebrow. I shrugged in response, knowing she still had a bit of time to kill before her bedtime. "Sure Abbie, you know where the toys are" Ryan replied, smiling down at her as he nodded to the other room, "Try to tire him out before bed."

She let out an excited squeal. "Come on Rocky!" she said as she stood up, watching as the dog followed her as she scuttled her way out of sight.

"So... did you want to put a movie on?" Ryan asked, pushing his hands deep in his pockets, shoulders hunched, as he waited for my reply.

I bit my lip to conceal the laugh that threatened to escape. It was amusing to see him looking so unsure of himself, whereas I was used to seeing him so confident and comfortable, especially in his own house.

"Sure," I smiled, watching as some of the tenseness in his shoulders dissipated. "What do you want to watch?"

"It doesn't matter to me," he shrugged, "Just put whatever on and I'll be down in a few, I'm just going to put your bag upstairs."

I nodded, standing up on my tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek. I saw the vague outline of a smile grace his lips as I stepped back, turning towards the hallway that led downstairs.

Stepping down off the last step, I headed straight for his movie collection. From all the times that I've been over here, I'd come to realize that even though he owned an extensive DVD collection, he didn't own any of his own movies. I'd once asked him about it and he'd just explained that, after experiencing all the work that was behind each film, watching it back just didn't do it justice.

After picking out a comedy that I vaguely remembered watching a few years back, I popped it into the DVD player, letting the trailers run through as I made myself comfy on the couch. Despite what had transpired tonight, as I sat relaxing in Ryan's lounge, I couldn't help but feel at ease. Since I'd met him, there hadn't been many moments where being around Ryan made me feel uncomfortable, which may have been the reason why, although I could've very well stayed home tonight, I'd chosen to seek comfort here.

Completely content, I turned as the sound of footsteps hit my ears, watching Ryan as he flicked the lights off before plopping down beside me on the couch. Curling my legs up underneath me, I fit my head into the crook of his neck as his arm wove its way around my shoulders.

"What movie did you pick?" he asked quietly, watching as the last of the trailers faded from the screen.

I leaned my head back slightly, looking up at him. "You'll see," I smiled, before snuggling back into a comfortable position.

The movie was just as funny as I remembered, and as I sat there laughing with Ryan, the time seemed to get away from us. After what felt like no time at all, I shifted away from Ryan, turning my head towards the stairs at the pitter-patter of tiny footsteps.

"Abbie," I started, glancing to the clock on the wall to see that it was much later than I'd assumed. As she walked over to me, rubbing her eyes tiredly with the back of her hands, I continued. "Where'd Rocky go?"

"He's sleeping," she yawned, leaning against the couch. "Momma, I'm tired."

I saw Ryan lean forward out of the corner of my eye, pausing the movie. "All that playing tired you out, eh?" he asked as Abbie shifted her tired eyes towards him, nodding her head slowly. "I'll tell you what; you and your momma can sleep in my bed tonight, and when you wake up tomorrow morning, I'll make you guys pancakes for breakfast."

Despite being tired, excitement still sparkled in her eyes. "With chocolate chips?"

Ryan nodded, a proud smile on his face. "With chocolate chips," he confirmed.

"Okay," Abbie said, releasing a huge yawn as I stood up. Picking her up, I placed her securely on my hip before turning back to Ryan. "Goodnight Ryan," she muttered quietly, resting her head against my shoulder.

"Goodnight Abbie."

"I'll be back down in a little bit," I said softly.

"Take you time."

And I did. Walking upstairs, I pushed open the door to Ryan's room to see the bag I'd packed lying on top of his duvet. Grabbing the essentials, I helped Abbie change into her pajamas before brushing her teeth and pulling her wild blonde hair into a ponytail at the back of her head. Normally it would've required a short bedtime story to get her brain to wind down and her eyes to droop low, but as I tucked her into Ryan's queen size bed, no story was required. Within minutes her breathing had leveled out and her eyelids drew shut.

Leaning over her, I placed a small kiss on the top of her head, gently rearranging the covers before retreating from the room.

Venturing back downstairs, I stopped short as I came across Ryan. Now in the kitchen, his back was facing me as he stirred two mugs that sat next to one another on the counter. He must have heard my footsteps, as he looked over his shoulder, a faint smile on his lips as he took me in. "Hey," he said, his voice soft and sultry.

"Hey." I eyed the mugs on the counter carefully as the sweet smell of chocolate hit my nose. "What happened to watching the movie?"

"The movie's still on," he admitted. "I just thought that after the day you've had, some homemade hot chocolate wouldn't hurt."

My heart warmed at his gesture. "Thanks," I replied, taking the mug he held out to me. Cradling the warmth between my hands, I brought the murky, chocolate liquid up to my lips and took a sip, releasing a sigh as I swallowed. "This is exactly what I needed."

Taking the mugs of hot chocolate back downstairs, we settled back into the couch as the movie started up once again.

"So, did Abbie have any trouble getting to sleep?" Ryan asked, turning to face me with a curious look. "I know sometimes kids don't like sleeping in a bed that's not their own."

"And where did you hear that?" Pink dusted across his cheeks as he brought his mug up to his lips, mumbling a reply into his drink. My eyes grew amused at his embarrassment. "What was that?"

He sighed. "I may have read it online."

Even though his reply was mumbled, I was able to pick up on his words without any difficulty.

A bubble of laughter escaped my lips before I bit my lip, concealing my smile as I saw his eyebrows rise. "Abbie's fine. She was already half-asleep when I tucked her in," I explained. "Thanks, by the way, for offering your room. You didn't need to do that."

"It's fine." He shook his head, cracking a smile. "Besides, Abbie deserves the best, and my bed is the comfiest one in the house."

"Still," I paused, "Where are you going to sleep?"

Ryan waved off my comment. "There's two spare rooms upstairs, plus the couch in the den upstairs is pretty comfy."

Rolling my eyes, I sat my mug steadily on the coffee table before leaning forward and pressing my lips against his softly. It wasn't a long kiss, but there wasn't much else I could've said to show him how much I appreciated him. Pulling back slightly, I could still feel his warm breath fanning my lips. "Thank you."

From this close, I could see as his eyes darkened, his gaze locking me in place. Unable to help myself, my hands trailed up his chest to wind around his neck, my fingers sliding their way into his hair as my eyes fluttered shut.

Desire buzzed through me as I felt him draw closer, and as his lips finally met my own, it was as though the scenes that surrounded us faded into nothingness. His arms drew me closer to him so that our bodies were flush against one another, so that I could feel his heart beating faster through his chest and he could feel mine.

As our lips moved against one another, slowly and without hesitation, his tongue swiped across my bottom lip, delving into my mouth passionately as I met his enthusiasm with my own. Feeling cramped in our current position, I slowly leaned backwards, not once breaking the kiss as my hands trailed around to the front of Ryan's shirt, clenching the fabric between my fingers as I pulled him down on top of me.

Ryan's hands started to venture downwards. He trailed them slowly over my shoulders, across my ribs, and just above my hips before pushing the fabric of my shirt a tad higher, exposing the skin underneath as his fingers splayed out. Everywhere he touched seemed to spark a reaction from me, a pool of heat and desire building in the pit of my stomach.

It was when my legs wove their way around his waist, and his hands slowly started to inch upwards, that his mouth left mine.

My eyes were still closed and my breathing shallow as I felt his head dip, his mouth brushing the skin below my ear. "We should stop."

Not fully coherent, I was too focused on the man that was currently sucking softly on my shoulder. His teeth lightly nipped at the skin and the slickness and warmth of his tongue quickly followed. "Mhmmm," I murmured incoherently.

He chuckled, which sounded like a melody as I lay there beneath him, wanting nothing more than continue what we were doing. I knew that if we did however, we might not be able to stop.

Pulling away from my shoulder, he dropped one last kiss on my lips before hoisting himself up onto his arms so that he hovered me. Slowly opening my eyes, I traced my tongue slowly across my own lips, watching as Ryan's eyes zeroed in on the movement.

"Well isn't that a shame," I said, my voice barely audible, yet filled with lust.

"What?" Ryan's eyes searched my face curiously, waiting for a response.

My lips tilted upwards as I nodded towards the television, where the credits of the movie were scrolling up the screen. "We missed the movie," I replied in amusement.

Ryan's eyes shone with happiness as a smile graced his face. "I wasn't even paying much attention to the movie anyways," he spoke, bringing a hand up, his thumb caressing my cheek.

I could feel the heat creep up my neck, a pink tint appearing on my skin as Ryan ducked his head, bringing his lips back down onto my own.

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Opening my eyes, I felt slightly disoriented as I was met with darkness. Rolling over in the bed, I saw that Abbie was still sleeping soundly beside me, but for some reason, despite the hour, my body appeared to be wide-awake.

Rolling out of the bed, I was careful not to wake Abbie. Setting my sights on the kitchen, I headed downstairs, only to glance and see that, according to the wall clock near the stairs, it was just after six in the morning.

Stepping down onto the landing, a frown creased my forehead as I noticed the lights in the kitchen were on. Guilt swam in the pit of my stomach as I turned my head, focusing on the couch. There was a pillow and a few blankets thrown over it, as though Ryan had slept there throughout the night after giving up his own bed to Abbie and I. Although the couch didn't look especially uncomfortable, the fact that it seemed to be, at the least, a few inches shorter than Ryan, had me regretting accepting his generosity.

Turning my feet towards the kitchen, I figured that's where I'd find Ryan. And I did, but he wasn't alone.

The man that stood across from Ryan seemed like a professional and was dressed for business, despite the early hour. His eyebrows rose as he noticed me enter the kitchen, his eyes studying me for a few seconds before turning back to Ryan. "So, I'm assuming this is Zoe?"

As his gaze returned to me, I suddenly felt self-conscious, standing there in just my pajamas. I tugged at the bottom of Ryan's sweatshirt, wishing that the fabric spontaneously grew a few inches to cover my shorts and legs.

"Zoe, this is my manager, Travis." Ryan sighed stressfully, waving a hand between the two of us. "Travis, this is my girlfriend, Zoe."

"Nice to meet you," he greeted, to which I nodded in reply. "But I'd better get going considering I have a meeting in less than an hour. Remember what I told you." He looked pointedly at Ryan after his last comment, leaving me slightly confused as Travis walked passed me, heading for the exit.

When the front door slammed shut behind him, Ryan looked towards me, worry in his eyes. "Did we wake you up?"

I yawned, shaking my head. "Don't worry about it, I woke up on my own," I explained. "Why was your manager here so early anyways?"

Ryan shook his head, stepping closer to me before his head landed on my shoulder. "He was just being his usual self, not wanting me in public without Chad following me around 24/7," he grumbled. "He called and woke me up about two minutes before he walked through the door."

"I'm guessing this is about the photographer?" I asked softly, resting my hands on his hips.

"Yeah," he sighed, moving his head so that his forehead rested against mine. "But I do have some good news."

"Really?"

He cracked a smile. "Travis tracked down the guy in the park. Apparently he was trying to sell our photo to a local magazine, but Travis was able to intercept it and pay him off before he could."

I raised an eyebrow, my forehead crinkling as I did so. "And that's a good thing?" I asked hesitantly.

"Isn't it?" He frowned. "I thought you wanted to keep our relationship away from the public."

I bit my lip. "I mean I do, but..." I trailed, not being able to find the words to explain.

There was no debating on whether or not I wanted to be with him, I knew I did, but I was also aware of the price that came with it. I would have to give up my privacy, as well as step completely into a world that I was currently overlooking from the sidelines. I didn't know what the consequences of my choice would be, but for him, I thought it just might be worth it.

It was as if Ryan could see the inner workings of my mind, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. His concentrated gaze suddenly widened and his frown disappeared, a soft smile taking its place.

"I get it," he said softly, bringing his hand up to brush through my hair. My unruly, bedhead ridden hair. "Let's just see how this goes, and we'll deal with the obstacles as they come."

His lips came down to capture mine briefly, and even with the lightest of pressures, his lips were intoxicating. The threat of morning breath circled the back of my mind, but I couldn't fight past the fire that he lit within me. He pulled away after a moment or two, his eyes bright, roaming my face intently.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

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Another chapter finished! And even though it seems like this story may not have a lot of action left, trust me, it's only about half finished, so there is a lot more to come for Ryan and Zoe (as well as more than you may expect from me :P)

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