Up In Flames

Chapter 24

"All done!" Emma shouted with a toothy grin and proudly displayed her clean lunch tray. "Cookie?"

Rory was listening to a voicemail from Happy as she pulled the box from the cabinet and handed her daughter a few animal crackers. He was canceling, one hour before he was supposed to arrive, and Rory was furious. It was a good drive so he had to know hours before he even called that he wouldn't make it but he only called at the last minute.

"Sweetie, I'm sorry." She said, pressing a kiss on top of her head. Emma had no idea Happy was meant to visit but she'd been constantly asking for Daddy and it was breaking both of their hearts.

"We're going out anyway." Rory said as she began to pack a bag. "Maybe we'll go to the lake." Looking up for a response, Rory laughed to see Emma focused solely on her animal cracker. "We don't need him here and one day baby, we won't want him here either."

--

Rory loaded Emma up and took the trip to the lake. She set them up not far from the waters edge and slathered the child with sunscreen before heading toward the water.

They splashed and laughed for a while before Emma attached herself on Rory's hip as they waded a bit further into the water.

"What do you think, Emmy?" Rory looked down at the bottom half of her tattoo peeking out from her bathing suit. "Maybe Mommy should start fresh and get this thing removed." One thing couldn't be removed but the shaw covered her scars for the time being.

"It hurts more." She heard from a male voice behind her. "The removal, I mean. Fresh starts are only sometimes painful but not too bad."

When Rory turned she was greeted by a man, tall and built with dark hair and covered with tattoos. Attached to his hip was a little girl with light hair and bright green eyes.

"Honestly, I can't see how'd you know." Rory said with a smile as she looked at his bare, inked chest.

"I had one taken off my leg. It was awful. Besides you got it for a reason, there's no denying your past so why get rid of it?"

The left corner of her mouth turned up into a half grin. "I'm Rory, this is Emma."

"Ryder." He offered her his hand. "My daughter is Gwen."

"She's adorable," Rory said before tapping her finger on the little girls foot. "Hi Gwen." The child responded by splashing around excitedly. "She looks like you," Rory commented.

"Her eyes and hair are her mother's though. Sorry to say, little Emma looks nothing like you," Ryder joked. "But she's beautiful all the same."

Rory couldn't help her attraction, Ryder was incredibly handsome, but she hated feeling that way.

"Daddy Daughter day?" Rory asked, bouncing Emma in the water.

"Yeah. I'm playing hooky from work, it's been so rainy I wanted to take her out. She spends a lot of time with my mom while I work so I took advantage of the sunshine."

"That's sweet. Ems was supposed to be with her dad today but something came up so I decided to make it special anyway." Why did she say that? Rory tried to shake the goofy feeling away but it proved to stick.

"Well, I'm sure her disappointment didn't last then. We're heading in but you're welcome to join us for a juice box of you want." Ryder pointed toward the bright pink set up by the water line.

Rory shrugged and nodded holding Emma by her waist and gliding her over the water as they made their way to shore.

"Do you come here a lot?" The toddlers sat with juice and a snack under the umbrella while Rory and Ryder enjoyed the sun on their skin.

"As much as I can. Few times a month, at least but not always with Gwen. What about you two? I haven't seen you before, I'd remember."

Rory giggled and looked away from him as her cheeks flushed. "We just moved here from California actually, it's been six weeks, so no."

"And how do you like it?"

"It's different." She remarked talking about more than just Tucson.

"Different can be good."

Rory nodded and looked back as Emma began to whine. "I think someone is tired." She scooped the girl up. "We should probably go."

"Us too. If she misses a nap it does not make for a happy evening."

"No, it doesn't. Thank you for the juice."

"Thank you ladies for the company." Ryder stood up as Rory got to her feet with Emma and he offered his hand again. "Maybe we'll run into each other again."

"Maybe we will, I'd like that."

"We make it less than maybe. How about I call you, we can grab coffee or something?"

Rory nodded and rattled off her number for him before heading back. When she was sitting with Ryder it didn't hurt and she didn't think about Happy but as soon as she finished loading the baby and their things in the car, she was ready to sob.

"It was his call you idiot." She mumbled turning out of the parking lot. "He pushed you away. He hurt you."

--

When Rory and Emma arrived home she saw one of the SAMTAZ old ladies parked in her driveway. They were overbearing, the men and the women, and Rory actually missed the SAMCRO hands off approach. She chalked it up to wanting to impress the mother charter but it was grating on her nerves.

"Next time I'm out could you park on the street so I can get into my spot?"

The women looked confused for a moment. "Oh, oh shit, sorry."

"What's up?" Rory wasn't going to invite the woman in if she did she'd never get rid of her.

"Just checking in."

"Did Happy send you? He flaked today so I'm not surprised."

"Benny did, but Happy asked him. He knew you'd be pissed but he's coming in the next few days, maybe next week, it's business."

"He'll come for business but not for his daughter. You can tell Benny to tell Hap to go to hell."

"Rory, please, you have to understand."

"Oh, I understand." She hollered back. "Also, tell him we don't need his money either. Cash doesn't make a father, I'm done taking his money."