Ari rubbed her hands up and down her arms. "Sam will die in that kind of environment."
Zoe nodded. "From what I've got on paper, I agree. We're going to have to see what happens beyond the basic introductions. Ryan understands she's a sensitive kid despite her tough exterior. Once she knows the truth, he's going to have to spend more time with her here. Then we'll have to talk about what comes next."
"I hate it," Quinn muttered.
Zoe nodded. "Join the club."
"When do we break the news to Mom and Dad?" Ari asked, resigned.
"Sam has plans to sleep at her friend's tonight. We'll double-check and if Mom and Dad are home alone, we'll fill them in then." Zoe laid her head in her hands, not wanting to face her parents with the dreaded news.
Especially after she'd spent the night with the man who could take Sam away. And what a night it had been. She still recalled every intimate moment, each sensual touch.
Zoe groaned. Quinn had suggested she stick close to Ryan as a means of measuring him as a person and keeping him from revealing all to Sam. Her mother had suggested the same, her motive being for Zoe to cozy up to the so-called social worker who'd ultimately determine Sam's placement. Although Zoe had gone along with their suggestions, she'd never fooled herself into believing she'd been with Ryan for completely selfless reasons.
The attraction had been potent from day one and had exploded between them last night. So had emotions she had no business feeling. Even if she put his relationship to Sam aside, that didn't change her reservations.
She and Ryan couldn't be more different. He was a conservative man with a life and expectations far removed from her own. He lived in a city that was a solid four hours away. And he evoked an intensity of feeling that could cause untold upheaval in a life she was just beginning to reclaim.
Heaven only knew what kind of damage he could cause if she let him into her heart.
* * *
RYAN WALKED BAREFOOT DOWN to the beach, wishing he could share the gorgeous night with Zoe. Instead, he found himself alone. Because it was early evening, the sun lovers had headed inside, but there were still large groups of people hanging out by the water. The frothy waves hit the shore and rolled back, relaxed and easy— unlike how Ryan was feeling at the moment. He rolled his shoulders, but the tension remained.
He was a short time away from achieving everything he'd come to New Jersey for and yet the victory was bittersweet. In getting what he desired, he'd be hurting people he'd come to like and respect. Worse, he was falling hard for a woman who had every right to want distance between them.
He kicked at the sand in disgust and when his cell phone rang, he was grateful for the distraction.
He pulled the phone out of his pocket and flipped it open. "Hello?"
"Ryan, how are you?"
"Uncle Russ. I'm fine."
"You don't sound fine."
Ryan could picture the scowl on his uncle's face. "I never could put one over on you, could I?"
His uncle chuckled. "That's because I'm older and wiser. Now talk to me."
He told his uncle about Sam, about how much her attitude reminded him of his sister, about how she tried to act tough, but had a soft heart for animals and about her relationship with her foster family. "She's a great kid," he summed up, knowing that great didn't nearly cover all Sam's attributes.
"Of course she's great. She's got Baldwin blood running through her veins," Uncle Russ said, chuckling.
"I suspect she's great in spite of that fact," Ryan said bluntly.
His uncle cleared his throat. "Well don't you worry. I'll make her feel like she's part of the family and who knows? Perhaps your parents will come around. Does she know who you are yet?"
"Good question."
Ryan glanced at his watch. Zoe had called him earlier to say she planned to gather her parents and give them the news. Telling Sam could come later. On the phone, Zoe had been cool and distant, something he both understood and hated at the same time. Though he had no idea whether she'd be in touch with him after she delivered the blow to her parents, his stomach rolled in anticipation.
"Sam should be told soon," he info rmed his uncle, taking no pleasure in his own words.
After Sam knew, then the real challenge would begin. Trying to convince her of his sincerity. Trying to get her to appreciate his position as family not enemy.
"Do you need me? I can come down, you know." Uncle Russ had always been there to offer his support.
The gesture brought a lump to Ryan's throat. He might not have much of an immediate family to speak of, but he'd always had Uncle Russ. He hadn't realized how much he needed to hear a friendly, familiar voice from home, but speaking to his uncle now helped him feel more grounded and cemented to the life he'd temporarily left behind.
He glanced up at the setting sun and closed his eyes, grateful for what he did have and determined to let Sam share in the same things.
"Ryan, are you there?"
"I'm here. No need to visit just yet. Maybe when the initial shock blows over. We'll see."
"Well, I've got to run. My dinner date is here," his uncle said.
Ryan grinned. The consummate bachelor, Uncle Russ never had the same dinner date more than a few times, and he wondered who the lucky woman was this evening.
"Have a good time." Ryan paused, unsure of how to speak his feelings after a lifetime spent keeping them inside. "Before I hang up— "
"Yes?"
"Thanks for being there."
Silence followed for a moment before Uncle Russ spoke. "You're the son I never had, Ryan. Always remember that."
His uncle's declaration was welcome at a time when Ryan felt adrift from everyone and everything. He hung up and settled into the sand to watch the last of the sun set on the horizon.
He needed time to think about the fallout sure to come, and mentally say goodbye to Zoe, the woman he felt certain he was about to lose.
Chapter Seven
WITH ALL THE FAMILY CHANGES on the horizon, Zoe was lured to the wall of photographs going up the stairs in her parents' home. Though unorthodox, her own childhood had been a happy one, as documented by the assorted pictures facing her. Part of the reason she'd never moved out of her parents' house was the feeling of warmth and security she found here, something she never thought she could find anywhere else.
Since her old job had kept her on the road sometimes for days on end, she hadn't missed having a place of her own until recently. And, she admitted, it helped that her parents no longer kept tabs on her, and that she liked their unstructured life.