Chapter 257: Ryder
*I did offer to tell him who his father was. – Alana*
Chance messaged Ryder through the company messaging system on his computer. It took about twenty minutes, but he got a message back. Using the other messaging system on the computer he messaged both Werewolf and Karan.
*I need to go talk to Ryder. I asked for an appointment, and he gave me 2:30 this afternoon. Need Jax or Law to come out and sit the front while I’m gone. Not sure how long I’ll be out.*
Looking at the message he shook his head and then deleted it.
*Ryder asked me to come into the office at 230. Need someone to cover the front*
Sighing he deleted that also.
*Going into DS Holdings this afternoon. Need front coverage starting at 2*
Short, simple, to the point and truthful. Before he could change his mind again, he hit send. He got a thumbs up from Karan almost immediately. A few minutes later, Werewolf said that Law would be there at a quarter till.
He spent the next few hours questioning himself wondering if he should do this. He was so in his head that he didn’t even go to lunch. Karan had Cookie bring him a burger and fries when he brought hers. Her diet was thrown out the window and she found another dress that she liked. However, the more time they spent planning the wedding, the more Vegas looked good to her.
Chance was staring at his computer screen completely lost in thought. Not on what was on the screen. The screensaver had been activated some time ago and pictures from his phone rotated across. he looked up at the knock on his door.
“I’m here, whenever you need to go.” Law told him.
“Thanks.” Chance muttered as he closed his laptop and gathered some other papers and his tablet. He shoved everything into the backpack. he waved at Karan and then headed out the back.
Was he acting strange? Probably. Did he care? Not a bit. Were Law and Karan talking about him? Hell, he would be if the roles were reversed.
He had time before he had to be at the sky rise across town. DS Holdings recently moved into the building that Celt’s family owned. They were now in an office suite that covered the majority of the second floor.
He took the long way to the business district. In other words, he rode on his bike to clear his head. When Chance walked into the offices of DS Holdings ten minutes early, he was just as confused. The ride that normally cleared his head, did nothing today.
One of Trigg’s daughters, Claire, greeted him as he entered. “Hey stranger.”
“Hey girl.” He gave her a quick hug before she went back behind the desk.
“How’s the baby?” She asked smiling at him.
“What?” He asked confused, his mind automatically going to Michael.
“I was hoping that you swung by the nursery and saw my little guy.” Claire admitted as she pouted.
“Oh.” Chance could feel himself blushing. “No. Sorry.”
“That’s okay. Ryder said to go on back.”
“Thanks.” He went down the hall and knocked on Ryders’ door.
“Come on in and shut the door.” Ryder ordered. He sat behind his large desk in a blue oxford shirt with the collar unbuttoned and sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
Chance did as he was told and sat down in the chair across from his boss. Who, apparently, was also his father.
“Is this work related? Or finding me in your mom’s bed related?”
Chance shook his head. He opened his mouth a few times and he felt like a fish out of water. Closing his mouth, he sighed. When Ryder pulled out a bottle of whiskey, he readily accepted the tumbler.
“It’s a woman.” Ryder declared as he sat back in his chair and sipped his whiskey.
“Because I’m Chance?” He asked and Ryder laughed as he shook his head.
“It’s either a woman or a man. But you’re not like your brother, so it’s a woman. And I’m saying that because I have other sons. I’ve seen this look before.”
This brought up a question that Chance hadn’t thought of before. “Did your wife know?”
“About you?” Ryder asked with a grin and Chance nodded. “She was there. As Molly phrases it, your dad had a healthy appetite and that’s something that I’ve never really enjoyed.”
“A simple yes would have worked.”
“It would have, but now you’re not as tense about your woman problem.”
Chance smiled. “That’s true.”
“Your mom was telling me about your Duchess. Is that what this is about.”
“Yeah.” He took a deep swig of the alcohol.
“I’ll give you the same advice that I gave my other boys.” Ryder took another sip of his whiskey. “Be yourself. Be Timothy. Maybe that means you stop being ‘just take a Chance’ for a little while. Figure out who Timothy really is.”
“I don’t know who he is anymore.” Chance admitted quietly.
“This seems like a good time to figure it out.”
“You’re no more help than mom was.”
“Unfortunately, my boy, there are some things that you have to figure out yourself. No one else can help you.”
His computer chirped and he glanced over at it. “Sorry, Timothy, I have another appointment. Think about it.”
Chance nodded and then grinned. “Thanks James.”
“Anytime.”
Both men stood up and Ryder walked Chance out to the reception area where a well-dressed man stood.
“We’ll talk later.” Ryder said clapping Chance on the shoulder. “Mr. Renfro, we’ll be meeting in the conference room.” Ryder escorted the other man to the hallway as Chance left.
Stepping into the elevator he hit the floor of the Law Offices of O’Malley, Tulley and Birch. He stopped at the reception desk and waited for the little blonde to finish her for phone call.
“Mr. O’Malley, Mr. Lowery is here for you.” The woman said after ending her call and pushing another button. “Yes, sir.” She smiled at him. “Go on back.”
“Thanks.” Chance smiled at her and then headed down the hall to his brother-in-law and best friend’s office. Celt met him just outside his office with a grin splitting his bearded face. The Armani suit always made him laugh.
His hair was pulled back in a low ponytail that hung just below his collar. “Nice haircut.” Chance said as they walked inside the office and Celt closed the door.
“Yeah, dad made it clear that since I was coming back to the office, I should at least look like a lawyer.”
Celt sat behind his large custom desk as Chance sat in front of it. “How rude.”
“Right.” The large redhead rolled his chair over a couple of drinks from his refrigerator. “Not that I’m objecting to the drop-in, but why the hell are you here?”
“Remember me telling you that mom said that Coon wasn’t my biological father?” Chance accepted the soda and opened it.
“Yup. Offered to tell you who it was so you could go have a sex talk about your Duchess.”
“Not a sex talk.” Chance shook his head.
Celt was the only other person from his mom that knew he was staying at her house. And why. He had even made the other man swear not to tell his wife. Chance loved his sister. But when he found out that she was dating his best friend, he had been an absolute ass. He regretted now, Celt was good for Mia.
“So did you find out who it was?”
“I learned a lot.” Chance pursed his lips together and held back the laughter. “Dear old dad walked out of mom’s bedroom the morning of my birthday.”
“Well hell. How do you know it was him?” Celt asked before taking a drink.
“Because he told me not to expect any special treatment or nepotism promotions.”
Celt choked on his soda and spit it out into his trashcan. He coughed several times and then cleared his throat before coughing again.
“You’re a mean ass motherfucker.”
“I know.” Chance laughed.
“Ryder? Your fucking boss. Ryder.”
“It gets better.” Chance laughed. “Apparently Coon loved to eat pussy, and Ryder does not. Both wives got what they wanted.”
“Well, fuck.”
“Yeah, that’s what they were doing.” Chance said and both men burst out laughing.
“Damn, brother.”
“Yeah.”
“How’s the other thing going?”
He shrugged. “She didn’t kill me when I asked to put my number in her phone.”
“That’s an improvement.”
“I don’t know what it is about her. She pisses me off and all I want to do is growl and snarl.”
“At her?”
“At the world for her. But it usually ends up being her.”
