Broken Protector

Chapter 32: Motherfucking crazy drunk

"So, Keeva, how exactly did you meet my son?" Ella asks, "He never tells me anything." She sends a dirty look towards Ryder but he does smirks lazily. He was laid across the couch with his head in my lap.

I was stroking his hair while talking to his mother. I smiled as I remembered the first time I met him. "It was the last day at my old school," I begin, "Ryder, apparently, was passing my school at the time that I was.." I trailed off, frowning.

"She was being bullied, I stepped in to help her," Ryder speaks up, not opening his eyes. "Keeva, stop frowning," he orders, his eyes snapping open to stare up at me. I forced a small smile before continuing.

"Anyway, Ryder fought the bully for me and than we meet again here on my first day," I finished. Ella's eyes flickered between me and Ryder, probably taking note of my forced smile and Ryder's intense eyes watching my every movement.

"That wasn't a one time thing, was it?" She demanded. I bit my lip, looking away, "No," I said quietly, "It's been going on since I was thirteen." Ryder sits up and cups my face in his hand. "Keeva, princess, it's okay," he whispers. I raised my eyes to his, blinking back my tears. "It was in the past. He won't hurt you anymore," he murmurs, leaning his forehead against mine.

"I know, it's just," I paused, searching for the right word, "Hard." Slowly, Ryder leans in and brushes his lips across mine. "I'll never let him hurt you. We're learn to get through the last together, princess," he whispers when he pulls away.

I let out a soft laugh, "I can't tell you how much I love you," I whisper back, my cheeks heating up. He grins boyishly at me, "You're so adorable."

"Just sitting here, feels like we're interrupting something sacred, almost," I hear Carlisle whisper to Ella. "We are interrupting something sacred," Ella whispers back, "I never thought i would see the day where my baby-boy is in love for the first and last time."

Ryder chuckles softly, closing his eyes, "You know, we can hear you, Mom, Carlisle," he says loudly. He sits beside me, pulling me into his lap while he smirks up at them. They rolled their eyes at him.

"So Keeva, I've heard a lot about your mother but where is your father?" Ella suddenly asks. Everyone and everything literally froze. Carlisle and Ryder were staring at me as I calmly open my mouth, "He's in jail," I said bluntly, "For child abuse."

For the first time in my life, instead of looking away, I stared Ella straight into the eyes, silently daring her to say something. She was clearly shocked, "Oh, my dear, your own father beat you," she says, eyes wide.

"Mom!" Ryder growls. I paid a hand on his thigh, silently telling him to calm down. "It's okay, Ryder," I whisper. His golden eyes flicker to me and I could see how hard they were. Ella takes my others hand, "No parent should ever beat their child, Keeva," she whispers, "It's not right."

Ryder was still incredibly tense, and I was getting antsy about the subject. Ryder never has liked the subject of my father being brought up, most of the time, his anger gets the best of him and he ends up getting into a fight with someone or storms out.

I grasp his wrists when he moved them to lift me off his lap, "No, Ryder," I whispered to him. Looking up at Ella, I give a grim smile, "Ella, I appreciate your concern and whatnot but I would rather move away from this subject, please," I tell her.

She nods slowly, sneaking a glance at Ryder who was breathing hard, indicating his anger. His wrists jerk from my hands and in a panic, I twist around and lock my arms around his neck. Ryder reaches his hands up to his neck and to grasp my own wrists.

"No, Ryder, please!" I pleaded. He inhales sharply, "Baby, I need you to let go of me," he breathes, his voice sounding strangled with anger. Carlisle lays a hand upon my shoulder, "Come on, Keeva," he whispers, gently prying me from Ryder's neck.

As soon as I'm away from him, Ryder shoots from the couch and out the door. Angry, I shove away from Carlisle and dash upstairs.

******

Hearing a large crash from downstairs a few hours later when everyone was asleep, I quietly crept down to see what was going on. I gasped at the sight that greeted me.

In the middle of the living room, in front of the fireplace, Ryder sat with shards of a Broken vase around him and a beer bottle in his hand. His back was to me and his shoulders were slumped.

"Ryder, babe," I called out softly. His hand jerks up and turns towards me. "Who's there?" He slurs. I sigh, rubbing a hand over my face, "It's me, Keeva," I answered. Ryder stared at me blankly before turning back around. "Go back to sleep, don't waste time on this fuck up," he spats bitterly.

I frowned and walk over to him, "Ryder, what are you talking about?" I whispered, brushing some glass shards away so I could sit next to him. Ryder takes a sip of the beer and ignores me, "Just a drunken boy, a high-school fuck up," he mutters. I reach a hand out to grasp ahold of the beer bottle, gently taking it from Ryder's hands.

"What happened?" I ask gently, setting the bottle down next to me. He let's out a aggravated sigh, "I said go back to sleep!" He yells. I didn't flinch, completely use to his drunken outbursts. I watched as he ran a hand through his hair. "Just leave me alone!"

Before I could stop him, Ryder swipes the beer back and seeing it was empty, he throws it at the wall. I did flinch at the sound of the shattering bottle though. "I'm sick of this shit!" He bellows, getting to his feet while I cowered, "I'm having to constantly watch what I do because you get scared so easily!" He rages, "You're so beautiful and you deserve better, so much better! You didn't deserve to be beaten until your scared of your own shadow!"

I scramble back when he turns on me, "If I raise my voice, you flinch. If I make a sudden movement, you flinch. If I raise my hand, you flinch. If I get angry, you flinch. If I throw something in a angry matter, you flinch!" He spats at me, "You even flinch at a slamming door!"

Choking on a sob, I accidentally cut my hand on one of the broken vase shards. "Ryder-" I started only to be cut off. "My father thinks I'm a fuck up and to be honest, I am! I couldn't protect Mom when he hit her or Annabelle when she was bullied or you when you got hurt!" He whispers, turning away from me, "I'm not good enough for you."

Crying from the pain in my hand and heart, I screamed at him, "Shut up, Ryder, and get your ass over here and kiss me!" Shocked, Ryder strides towards me and hauled me up. Immediately, my lips are crashed beneath his.

When he pulled away, I press my non-bleeding hand to cheek and peer into his eyes, "Ryder Reyn King, I love you for who you are," I whispered fiercely. "Nothing will change that. Ever." Ryder closed his eyes, tightening his arms around me as a strangled sob seemed to fall from his lips.

"No one deserves you, Keeva Rose," he whispers back to me, "But God, do I love you." I could hear the desperation in his voice, in his words and I helplessly press myself to him, longing to be as near to him as possible.

Ryder reopens his eyes, blinking his gorgeous golden eyes at me, "By the way, I'm like," he pauses, his eyebrows furrowing, "Motherfucking crazy drunk," he finishes.

I giggled, half relieved, and half hysterical. "Well, let's get you to some water, Mr. Motherfucking crazy drunk."

Ryder grins at me before looking down at my bleeding hand, "No first, we're taking care of your hand," he says sternly, "Now." I gulped at the thought of having the glass pulled from my hand.

Uh-oh.