Chapter Seventeen - Sweet Tooth

I sigh contently as I turn a page of the book I'm reading under the spring sun. After weeks of miserable and cold weather the sun has finally come out to play. My mood instantly brightened this morning and after having breakfast I quickly completed all the office work for today before venturing out to the swinging bench some distance away in the back. The afternoon sun has reached its highest point and I smile as the rays warm up my skin.

"I knew I'd find you here." I look up to see Ryder walk up to me with an amused look in his eyes. Smiling sheepishly, I curl my legs towards me so he can sit on the swinging bench.

"It's calming. I like it here." I reply before turning another page of the book.

"The family house is crazy." He nods as he rests his head against the wood. "I can understand why you escaped."

I giggle when I remember what had happened this morning. At exactly eight o'clock, numerous alarm clocks started blaring in Theo's room. Noah had guzzled down the orange juice before running out the door with a mad grin on his lips just as Theo came stomping down the stairs with a murderous look in his eyes. It had taken both Michelle and Evan to break the two apart but even after that they kept arguing and Noah eventually had to leave for school before he ended up running late.

I steal a glance at Ryder and my gaze roams over his serene expression. He has his eyes closed as he enjoys the sun's rays caressing his skin while a cool breeze ruffles his hair slightly. It's something different than the usual brooding man. But I look away quickly because I don't want to get caught ogling him. From the corner of my eye I watch as he sits up before staring at me. Eventually, I can't ignore him and look up expectantly.

"Will you come with me to Canada?" Ryder's sudden question brings me out of my thoughts.

I sit up and face him with wide eyes. "M-Me?"

"Yes." He smiles while his fingertips trail over my bare arm. "It's only for a few days but I think you'll enjoy it."

I look away and think if it will be a good idea to leave. Seth knowing where I am looms over my head like a time ticking bomb. Maybe leaving for a week will throw him off my tail? I wonder to myself.

"We can visit Vancouver if you want?" Ryder adds which immediately makes me perk up in interest.

"Really? You wouldn't mind?" I ask as my voice fills with hope.

He chuckles and shakes his head as his bright eyes glint with something unbeknownst to me. "I don't mind at all, angel."

I blush at the endearment before nodding. I'm excited to be visiting the place my mother spent most of her life in. "When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning." He replies before jumping to his feet and pulling me up. "So, you should better get packing."

I laugh before picking up my book and rushing off to do just that. My mood has instantly lifted over what the following week is going to bring, Seth Morgan long forgotten.

***

The next morning Ryder wakes me up around six. I end up falling asleep again right after he closed the door until my alarm blares five minutes later. With a heavy groan I get up to turn it off. Stretching I walk into the bathroom and brush my teeth, washing my face with cold water to wake me up before dressing in the outfit I picked out last night.

Putting my hair up into a ponytail I slip on my tan colored coat and grab the small suitcase Michelle gave me before leaving my room. Making my way downstairs I thank Michelle as she ushers me to the dining table to have some breakfast. We eat quickly before bidding goodbye to the family members that are awake and driving off in Ryder's sleek black car.

I stare out the window and watch the scenic landscapes pass us by before we reach the heart of Dallas. Eventually, we reach the airport in time to check in our luggage. After some time of waiting in the terminal in boredom I stand and make my way to the window to where three planes getting ready for flight.

"Which one are we on?" I wonder curiously since Ryder has the boarding passes.

"The blue jet." I feel him come up behind me and his front press against my back.

My eyes widen when I realize that we're taking a private jet. I turn to Ryder only to find him looking down at me in amusement with a devilish smirk on his lips. He takes my hand and intertwines it with his and if my eyes could widen any further I'm sure they would have popped out of my head by now.

He guides me to the gates where the staff are waiting for us. I watch as they tear off pieces of the boarding pass before handing them back to Ryder who puts them into a large leather wallet. We make our way onto the plane which is the epitome of luxury. The interior is warm and inviting in a cream and black theme. There are single, reclining seats in addition to a long couch, television screens and much more.

I look around in awe while taking a seat by the window just as the pilot and air hostesses greet us. It'll take a little over three hours to reach Toronto where Ryder has his first meeting at twelve in the afternoon.

"I'll probably finish by four so we can go out for a walk and dinner?" He looks up from his laptop that he's powered on.

"That would be nice." I nod with a smile before looking out the window of the plane.

We take off and climb higher into the sky. I watch in fascination as numerous clouds pass by while catching glimpses of the land beneath us every now and then. But a short while later I find my eyelids drooping as sleep catches up to me. I don't struggle and let myself fall into the dark abyss waiting to be colored with dreams.

When I wake up sometime later I'm immediately disorientated but what confuses me even more is that I find myself on a bed in a different room. Quickly, I sit up and look around before realizing that this private jet also has a bedroom. Shaking my head in amazement I make my way out of the room wondering how successful the Jackson family really is.

"Sleep well?" Ryder looks up from his laptop as soon as I enter.

"Yes, thank you." I smile as I take a seat on the couch. "Have you been working all this time?"

He nods which makes me frown. Doesn't he take breaks at all?

"Are you hungry? The plane will land in an hour or so." He asks and after I nod he calls out the air hostess to order food.

Once I convince Ryder to take a break we eat and chat while watching a movie. After we're done Ryder goes back to his work while I finish the rest of the movie until we land. I watch the plane descend from the sky and onto the smooth tarmac, jostling slightly before halting. We have finally landed in Toronto, Canada.

We get off the plane and make our way through the airport to where a driver is waiting for us in the car park. After greeting him and putting our bags in the boot we set off to the hotel we'll be staying at. It's not that long of a drive and I spend my time taking in the sights before we park outside the entrance.

As I hop out and thank the driver I look up and struggle not to let my jaw drop over how luxurious the building is. When we walk into the lobby I look around at the fancy decoration while Ryder checks us in. He turns to me with an amused grin when he sees me admiring everything in amazement. I smile sheepishly before following him to a lift that takes us up to the twentieth floor.

The first thing I notice as we enter our suite is the large window providing a view of the city skyline. I feel unease and dread flicker within me at the thought of looking down from this high up so I make sure to avoid going near it. The suite is quite spacious with two bedrooms each with their own bathrooms, a sitting area and a large balcony.

"Will you be okay while I go for a meeting?" I hear Ryder ask while I'm putting my bags down in my room.

"Yeah." I smile as I turn to him. "I'll be fine."

"Alright, I'll be back in an hour. We can go for dinner afterwards." He states before leaving.

I hear the door shut and silence ensue. With a deep exhale I start unpacking before deciding to shower. I head into the bathroom and turn the water on before quickly stripping and stepping under the warm, steady stream. After washing my hair and body I get out and dry myself before moisturizing.

I blow dry my hair and throw it up into a ponytail before putting on an over sized jumper which I tuck into my black jeans and completing the look with sneakers. I put some minimal makeup on and while I'm getting my bag ready with some essentials I hear Ryder come back in.

"Hey, you ready?" He asks as he stands in the threshold of my room.

"Yeah, do you need to change or anything?"

"Just let me grab my jacket and then we'll leave." He runs off to his room and I take one last look in the mirror before leaving.

I meet him at the door and we make our way downstairs to a driver waiting for us in a sleek silver car. We get in and Ryder rattles off an address before we drive off. The restaurant is in the heart of the city so it isn't a long drive and we arrive within ten minutes. I follow Ryder inside and we're quickly guided to a table near the bar. The decor is minimal yet modern which I love and when I look to the right I see the city's skyline again. We order some red wine and Ryder goes for the steak while I choose a pizza and fries.

"This is nice. Have you been here before?" I ask when the waiter arrives with our drinks.

"I come here every time whenever I'm in Toronto." He replies with a smile.

"Ah, so it's a favorite." I muse and he chuckles.

"Yes." He grins cheekily before taking a sip of his wine. "You need to try the desserts, they're the best!"

"Alright, we'll have some after." I laugh at his excitement before our food arrives.

We chat about his time here while we eat and I can tell how much he loves Canada. But as we're halfway through dinner I notice a group of men eyeing me repeatedly from a few tables down. I squirm in discomfort when the brown haired one turns around, stares straight at me and then smirks before saying something to his friends.

"What's wrong?" Ryder frowns in confusion and before I can avert my eyes he turns and catches the men staring at me while chuckling to themselves.

"Ryder –" I protest when he stands and watch as he walks over to them.

He leans down and because his back is turned to me I can't make out what's saying. But what I do see is every man's expression turning frightful and the color draining from their faces. I watch on in slight shock as Ryder pats the brown-haired man quite harshly on the shoulder before turning and walking back to me.

"What did you say to them?" I whisper and he glances at me in amusement.

"Why are you whispering in a noisy restaurant?" He whispers back and my eyes widen before I smile shakily. "Just told them to stop staring that's all."

"Sure." I reply in a skeptical fashion.

There's no way he only told them to stop staring! But I let it be and we resume our conversation from earlier. After having our food, we do order dessert and I watch his excitement increase when his dessert called 'death by chocolate' arrives. He digs into the molten cake with vanilla ice cream on top and streusel scattered at the base. But I watch his eyes widen in surprise when my dessert arrives which is a candy apple, matcha cheesecake in the shape of an actual apple. It's also accompanied by raspberry mousse which tastes just as delicious as it sounded when we were ordering.

"That's so cool!"

"You've never had this?" I ask as I take a bite.

"No, I always go for chocolate." He grins boyishly and I realize chocolate is his weakness.

"Try some." I offer and watch as he takes a bite.

"I'm ordering this next time." He declares as he passes his chocolate dessert to me.

"You'd leave chocolate?"

He thinks about it for a few seconds before shaking his head. "Nope. I'll order both."

I burst into laughter and he joins in. We spend the night enjoying our desserts and admiring the view before heading home. We've planned to go sightseeing tomorrow before his next meeting in Vancouver so we'll be heading there after two days. I already can't contain my excitement over seeing the place where mom grew up.

Update schedule is: twice weekly whenever I find time!

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