Love Unscripted (70 page)

I couldn’t help but smile at Ryan. Boys and their toys! He reached into a cabinet mounted on the wall and pulled out the car keys, unlocking the doors to his precious car.

He was already hopping in the driver’s seat when his father yelled at him again. “Aren’t you even going to invite Taryn into the house first?”

“
I just want to make sure she starts,” Ryan defended.

I held up my hand to his father and tried to dismiss his anger. “It’s all right. Let him start his car. He won’t be able to think of anything else.” I set my backpack down on the ground next to my suitcase.

A turn of the ignition and his car roared to life. The smile on his face was so huge it was like he died and went to heaven.

“
Hop in. Let’s go for a ride,” he yelled over to me.

I ran for the passenger door.

I slipped down into the black leather bucket seat and snapped on my seatbelt. Ryan revved the engine and the car vibrated and purred beneath us. His long fingers wrapped around the gear shifter with white-knuckled anticipation.

He, of course, had to squeal the tires when he pulled out onto his street, causing the rear end to fishtail a bit. Look out neighbors, the crazy Christensen kid is back in town!

He drove out on some long back roads lined with farms and cornfields, driving too fast most of the time. He made a left turn and mashed his foot down on the gas, shifting forcefully through all the gears. At one point we were slightly airborne over a little knoll in the road. His driving was dangerous and exciting. I knew he’d been looking forward to this adrenaline rush more than anything.

Ryan from Pittsburgh was home.

“
Did you have fun?” Ellen asked when we came through the kitchen door with our bags. She was busy making dinner. “Ryan, take your bags upstairs,” she ordered.

Bill was sitting in a dark brown recliner chair in the family room that was off of the kitchen. He was reading the newspaper and peeking over the top of it to occasionally watch television. It made me smile, fondly remembering my own father sitting in his favorite chair reading the newspaper.

I followed Ryan up the tan carpeted stairs to his room. He smirked at me as he pushed the last door on the right open with his shoulder. His old room had one four-paned window centered on the wall that overlooked the front yard. He flipped on the bedroom light, illuminating the lamp that sat on the single nightstand next to the bed. The light cast a shadow on the plain beige walls and new tan carpeting.

He had a dark oak desk with an old computer and printer sitting on it. On top of his tall wooden dresser were two baseball trophies and a small decorative lamp. And in the corner of his room stood a wooden coat rack, long empty of coats and clothing.

A tinge of sadness flowed into my chest. His room, the room he spent all of his life growing up in, was obviously cleansed of most of his things. He didn’t have an apartment, a house, or even an old bedroom that was
his
anymore. All the fragments of his existence were boxed up and put aside or forgotten.

I understood why he was dying to get in his car the moment we arrived. That car was the only thing that was his… truly his. More importantly, I now knew why he moved in with me so quickly and was rushing the thoughts of building a house by a lake. My love was desperately craving a home… a connection… a safe haven to call his own - for he had nothing in this world but a suitcase and another lonely destination.

I dropped my bag off my shoulder and grabbed the front of his jacket with both of my hands. I wanted him to feel the depth of my love for him through my lips. I was desperate for him to realize that he was no longer alone in this world; that as long as I had a breath still left in my lungs I would provide him shelter and be his safe haven in all this uncertainty.

He slipped his fingers underneath my jacket and pushed it back over my shoulders. His coat came off next. He walked backwards to the bed, pulling me down with him. We kicked our shoes off and twined our clothed bodies together, passionately kissing each other.

“
I love you,” I murmured on his lips, staring directly into his open eyes when I said it.

“
I love you too,” he breathed back.

I rested my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat while he softly stroked my hair. He kissed my head several times and wrapped his arms around me tighter, conveying his own message of love back to me.

All too soon our unspoken conversation was interrupted by his mother’s voice. She was yelling up the stairs that Nick and Janelle were here.

“
Hey, Brother!” Ryan greeted Nick with a hug. I stayed off to the side, smiling and waiting to be introduced.

Ryan and his brother had similar features, but Nick took after their father more than Ryan did. Nick had darker brown hair and was just an inch or two shorter than Ryan in stature, but close your eyes and you couldn’t tell which one was speaking. The similarity of their voices was uncanny.

Ryan hugged Janelle next, kissing her on her cheek.

“
Hey movie star!” she kidded him. “How are you doing?”

Janelle was just a little shorter than I was, but she was adorable. She had highlighted light brown hair, which was straight and cut blunt at her shoulders. She wore trendy black framed glasses and had a captivating smile.

“
Nick, Janelle, this is Taryn.” Ryan beamed.

Nick pulled me in instantly for a big hug. “It’s so nice to meet you! Welcome to the family!” he whispered in my ear.

“
Thank you! It’s nice to meet you too!” I uttered back.

Janelle and I hugged next. She too welcomed me to the family. Ryan had already captured their daughter, Sarah, in his arms. The baby started to cry.

“
She hasn’t seen you in six months, Ryan,” Janelle said, taking the baby from him. Poor Sarah was still crying.

“
How old is she?” I asked.

“
Ten months,” Janelle answered.

“
She’s beautiful!” I tugged gently on her lacy outfit. “Look at the pretty flowers on your dress.”

The baby stopped crying and looked at me.

“
Hi Sarah! It’s so nice to meet you! You look so pretty in your little dress!”

The baby smiled at me. Janelle looked at the baby then looked at me, smiling too.

“
Can I hold you so mommy can take her coat off?”

Janelle leaned the baby towards me and I lifted her into my arms.

“
Hi there! Do you want to go for a walk?” I paced around the living room with Sarah. She started to babble at me, telling me a big story and I answered her with sweet comments of my own.

I took her little coat off while she cooed at me.

“
Say hi Uncle Ryan!” I waved her little hand at him. Ryan was forever smiling at me.

“
Where’s my little peanut?” Bill asked for his granddaughter. “Come to grandpa!” He took the little girl out of my arms.

Sarah didn’t like it; she started to cry again.

We all moved into the family room, and Janelle set up a little play area on a blanket on the floor for her daughter.

Sarah was still crying while being passed around from person to person. Ryan tried holding her again but she didn’t want any of it. Her little face was turning red. I sat next to him on the couch and started talking to Sarah. I was glad she stopped crying so Ryan could enjoy holding her.

“
What is it with you and kids?” Ryan asked me. “You’re like a freaking drug to them.”

His comment was absurd. I rolled my eyes and dismissed his question.

“
See? Watch.” He held the baby away from me and she started to cry. He moved the baby next to me and she stopped. He repeated his little test and she cried when he held her away. The third time he did it, Sarah cried in both places.

“
There goes that theory,” I kidded him.

“
What are you doing to my poor child?” Janelle yelled.

“
Experimenting,” Ryan replied. “Every time we’re around kids, they’re drawn to Taryn like a freaking magnet. Watch!”

I thought he was making a big deal out of nothing.

He held Sarah away from me; she was still crying. Then he put Sarah on my lap. I stood her up on my legs and held her to my chest. Sarah grasped my heart necklace in her tiny fingers.

Ryan grinned at me smugly when Sarah stopped crying. He held his hands out. “See what I mean?”

“
It’s not me, it’s this necklace,” I defended. “Maybe it has special powers.”

“
No, I think it’s you!” Ryan chimed back.

Sarah was busy playing with my necklace. Her little face puckered up with frustration when she couldn’t get my pendant in her mouth. I made a funny face back at her which caused my nose to tickle. That’s when I caught the scent of something else. I held her little bottom closer to my nose to confirm my suspicions.

“
I’m not a drug, Ryan, I’m a laxative.” I stood up with the little girl to get her changed.

“
Did she poop?” Nick snorted when he asked.

“
Yep. Constipated children seek me out wherever I go.” I laughed.

“
Bet Ry was a bit constipated when he stumbled onto you!” Nick joked.

“
I was definitely backed up, that’s for sure,” Ryan mumbled under his breath, adjusting the waist of his jeans. “But I sat on Taryn’s lap for a few minutes and then I felt better.” Ryan grinned at him devilishly and Nick cracked up laughing.

I smirked at Ryan’s comment.

“
What?” he questioned my reaction.

I handed Sarah to him. “Here, go do another rite of passage,” I suggested jokingly.

“
What? Do you want me to change her? I don’t care.” He was all cool and confident.

“
She’s eating solid foods now, Ry. Sure you won’t gag?” Nick asked.

“
Give her to me,” Janelle instructed. “I’ll take her upstairs. We don’t want the superstar to get his hands dirty!”

“
You punks don’t think I’m up for the challenge?” Ryan questioned assertively.

“
Ten bucks says you gag,” Nick taunted. “What do you say, Dad? You want in on this bet?”

Bill reached into his pocket, searching for money.

“
I’ll take that bet!” Ryan retorted. “Both of you!” He pointed.

The entire family followed Ryan upstairs to Nick’s old bedroom. Janelle placed a pad down on the bed and readied a new diaper. The rest of us stood around watching. All eyes were on Ryan, waiting for his reaction.

He undressed Sarah down to her diaper and had to ham it up by cracking his knuckles and wiggling his fingers.

“
I should get the camera,” Nick mused.

“
Nicholas!” Ellen scolded.

“
What? Do you know how much money I could get for one picture of the movie star changing a poopy diaper?”

Janelle and I started laughing.

“
Not as much money as you could get for a pair of his dirty underwear on eBay,” I mumbled.

“
You both suck! You know that?” Ryan was peeling back the tape on the diaper and had to stop because we were teasing him.

“
Taryn,” Nick whispered, “Gather up some of my brother’s ass-stained shorts and sell them quick so we can all go to Hawaii for Christmas.”

“
You’re a dick!” Ryan looked directly at his brother. We were all laughing. “You can all just shut the hell up and get your money out!”

Janelle slapped a few wet-wipes in Ryan’s hand.

“
Okay, I’m going in,” Ryan announced.

“
Is that what you say to all your women?” Nick teased.

Ryan was laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe.

“
Boys!” Ellen yelled. “Poor Sarah is waiting! Change her diaper already!”

“
Nick, go get the scuba gear.” Ryan had tears coming out of his eyes.

“
Forceps, lantern, flame thrower…” Nick spit out his words with laughter.

“
Move, I’ll do it.” Janelle was getting impatient.

“
No! I got this!” Ryan gasped between laughs, trying to pull himself back together.

He hesitantly pulled the diaper back, briefly exposing the green explosion that awaited clean-up.

“
Oh!” Nick shouted loudly.

“
Damn baby! What are they feeding you?” Ryan teased.

“
Beer and eggs with a side of peas, obviously.” Nick laughed.

Janelle dove right in, cleaning up her daughter.

“
Now stop. I can get it.” Ryan elbowed her out of the way. “They sell these baby wipes by the truckload, right?”

“
Yeah. We buy that stuff by the pallet,” Nick volleyed, laughing. “We don’t mess around with the single tubs anymore.”

“
You could always take her outside and hit her ass with the hose,” Ryan suggested.

“
Nah, we save that for when she’s got the shit smeared all the way up her back,” Nick answered.

“
I’ll take you both outside and hit you with the hose,” Janelle warned. I couldn’t stop laughing at their banter.

Ryan had the baby all cleaned up and was wrestling with the new diaper when he told his dad and brother to pay up. He handed Sarah off to Janelle.