Free Stealing Ryder by V. Murphy Page A

knowing her heart was breaking and there was next to nothing I could do about it.
    “I didn’t mean to. I promise , Harper. Come out here. Come today. I need you, please.”
    “I’ll think about it , Ryder,” she said, and clicked the phone off. I guess it was better than a no.
    I stripped down and got in the adjoining shower. I was becoming my father. A miserable prick who messed up in every way possible. A man who hated anyone but himself. I needed to stop. I needed Harper more than she could even imagine. I needed to taste her, to make love to her, to feel her right next to me. I loved her, so why was I always messing up around Kylee?
    When I got dressed, I headed downstairs ; Knox laughed and poured me a cup of black coffee.
    “Big day tomorrow, bro,” I said, looking over at Kylee and Savannah, who were playing with Evelyn.
    “Yeah. I can ’t wait.” He stared at Savannah. He loved her, needed her, and did everything for her; so why couldn’t that be me?
    “You nervous? Ever think you’ll fuck this all up?”
    I was hoping he could indirectly give me something to go off of.
    “Never. When you love someone, you don’t fuck up, you just know.”
    Shit. He was right. I needed to get out of here, clear my head. Get away from Kylee and all this shit. I knew exactly where I needed to go. I went to Evelyn , kissed her on her head, and asked Knox if I could borrow his Lambo. He threw me the keys and I headed out the door.
    I couldn’t deal with knowing how badly I'd fucked up with Harper. This wasn't the first time, but I'd make damn sure it would be the last. I was pissing the second best thing—behind Evelyn—to happen to me away.
    I revved the engine, holding the stick shift in my hand as I pressed the gas. Damn, I needed a car like this. I sped down his driveway and onto the street, driving out of Sugar Land and back towards Houston.  The top was down and I could feel the wind around me, but I didn’t give a crap. I was on a mission. I knew where I needed to go.
    I drove to Reliant Stadium and sped past the employee entrance, flashing my old badge. It wasn’t a game day, so it was quiet. I pulled up to my old spot, and threw the car into park. I missed the feeling of exhilaration, knowing you’re approaching the field. Ironically, it was eerily quiet, but I could imagine the pass coming down the middle as I dove to catch the ball and running it to a touchdown.
    I walked onto the field, explaining to the security guard who I was and how I was here for old time’s sake. The green Astroturf under my feet crunched, and the white lines chalked on the field had me aching to play. I loved the game. It was my life here. The guys were my family; the field was my home.
    I looked up into the now -empty stands and could feel the crowd roar around me, chanting the team’s mantra, and screaming my name. One game. One game was all it took to lose everything. I never blamed Kylee for losing in that game, but it was the day I found out Evelyn was mine. I was distracted, didn’t know where the rush was coming from, and ended up on the bottom of the pile.
    I could almost hear the roar of the crowd as I walked to the sidelines where the team would sit. I glanced up, knowing Pat, my agent, would always be to the top right, usually glaring at me…that asshole.
    I remember ed spring training, and going out and getting shitfaced after we completed sets of sprints. It was a dream, but that’s all it would ever be: a dream.
    I walked around for a while , and sat down in one of the bleachers in the first row. I really needed Harper here with me. It wasn’t the same without her, and I was sick of messing up.
    “Set up, man ,” I said out loud. I was being an ass and imitating the same thing my ole’ man did. He had a one-track mind, nothing but his goals, his dreams, and his life he imagined for me mattered. It wasn’t the same without her, and I was sick of fucking up.
    I pulled out my phone and sent a text to