Rhythm & The Blue Line, Chapter Seven by PennLady - 01/04/2012

Description: Good news, bad news, and parents.

© 2011 All Rights Reserved


Four weeks later, on a Friday in the middle of January, Ryan was at work but all of her attention was on Lara.

"We got it?" Ryan kept her voice down as she gripped the phone. "Are you sure? Are you serious?"

"I know! I know!" Lara all but squeaked. "I'm sure, I'm so sure! I just talked to him and they mean it. Once we calm down, we need to find a lawyer. Trout said his dad will know someone; he'll ask tonight."

"Trout is so very handy, and connected." Ryan grinned. "Oh, my God. I can't believe it! Have you told the guys yet?"

"Well, I tried to call you first but you weren't at your desk and I didn't want to leave a message. So I called Nate and told him. He's going to tell Mitch; God, I wish I could see his face. Both of their faces." Lara laughed and Ryan couldn’t stop from joining her.

"This is just the absolute best news. Oh, my God." Ryan slumped back in her chair, euphoria leaving her drained. "Tell me again what he said."

Lara obliged. "He said he thought we had great stage presence, that our music was what they wanted, and he wanted to work out the details as soon as possible."

"Wow. This is just . . . amazing." Ryan couldn't believe it. The A&R guy that had been at the 9:30 Club had talked to them for a few minutes, then gone back to wherever A&R guys go. There'd been no word for a while, and they'd all decided that it was probably a bad sign.

Ryan had been bummed about it, but determined to keep going. Besides, other good things had happened, like all the YouTube videos people had posted from the show, and even a mention in the "Names & Faces" section of The Washington Post. That was due to so many members of the Caps being there, but Ryan didn't mind.

"I know. 'Wow' about covers it." Lara took a breath. "I know it will all sink in later, but right now it's like I'm just riding a wave or something."

"I know the feeling." Ryan closed her eyes and smiled.

"I think Trout was as excited as I was," Lara said. "He was all but bouncing off the walls. Hey, what do you think Brody will say?"

"I don't know." Ryan gave a short laugh. "I was just thinking that now I have someone to tell that will care, and who isn't in the band. It's such a novel concept." She was looking forward to telling him, to maybe some sort of celebration. Previously she'd only had Evan to tell, or friends like Annette.

"So, how serious are you guys?" Lara asked, half-teasing.

"Oh, I don't know." That was a tough question, and one she'd been avoiding thinking about. She felt herself getting more attached to Brody all the time, and it seemed mutual. They were both avoiding talking about it, she thought. On the other hand, if things were going well, maybe they should keep not talking about it.

"Come on, Ryan, talk to me."

"It's going really good." Ryan shrugged. "Really. I mean, I'm not sure I would have even bet we'd still be going out at this point, but it's nice. He's nice."

"From a few hints you've dropped, it seems like he's way past 'nice,'" Lara said.

"Well, that's all you're going to get from me, nosy."

"That's not fair. I've told you a lot more than that about me and Trout."

"And yet, somehow, I remain your friend."

"Oh, fine. Let's try another question: has he met your parents yet?"

Ryan made a strangled sound. "Not yet. I know, I know, it'll have to happen. Sometime. I guess."

"Ryan, are you kidding? They'll love him!"

"Yeah, I know. They'll probably adopt him. Maybe we can work an exchange, and his family can adopt me." She'd met Brody's family over the holidays and they'd been great. His parents had been the opposite of hers, pleased with and proud of all their kids, no matter what they did. It had been a kick to see Brody with his nephews, and the family had been thrilled to hear that Brody's sister, Carla, was expecting.

Brody's family had been a marked contrast to her own. Christmas had gone as it usually did. Her brothers came home for the semester break, and she even went back on Christmas Eve to stay the night. Her mother liked to have them home for Christmas, and Ryan counseled herself that it was only one night.

The actual holiday had been about as she'd expected. Her father and JT dominated the day and the conversation with football, Evan had hung out with them, and her mother had dropped none-too-subtle hints about Ryan meeting "someone special." Ryan had bolted back to her apartment at the first opportunity.

"An exchange like that would work," Lara said, drawing Ryan's attention back. "Then you could still go out. Because, I mean, if only one of you got adopted, that'd just be too weird."

Ryan laughed. "It would at that. I guess I'm glad we are where we are, then."

"Still, he'll have to meet them sometime."

"Yeah, I know. They know I'm seeing him; Evan let it slip not long after the gig at the 9:30."

"He let it slip? Were you hiding it?"

"No, not really. I just didn't want to deal with them. Dad has no interest in whether I'm dating, and Mom thinks every guy I see is husband material."

"I know, but you guys have been going out for a while now. He's got to meet them sometime."

"I know, I said I know. He came back from a road trip last night; maybe I'll get it out of the way this week."

Lara laughed. "I love how you make this into some major chore."

"With my parents, it is, and you know it." Ryan glowered at her desk.

"Okay, okay. Look, I have to go. I'll catch you at home later, and we'll have to see about this lawyer thing. I still can't believe it!"

"I can't either." Ryan's happier mood returned. "But we have to do it right, so we'll take it slow and talk to the lawyer and everything."

"Absolutely."

They chatted for another minute and said good-bye, then Ryan looked at the clock. An hour and a half left. She laughed at herself; she felt like a kid waiting to be let out of school.

She hoped Brody would be around, or at least awake. The team had just gotten back from a swing through Columbus and Detroit, with a stop down in Nashville before heading home. Brody had sounded beat when she'd spoken to him earlier. Still, he didn't have to be awake for long, just long enough for her to tell him about the tour.

It was odd to know she'd missed him—missed him a lot—while he'd been gone. Somehow, she hadn't expected to, but she'd found herself going to call him just say hi, or thinking about him before going to sleep and wishing he was with her. She guessed it was mutual; he'd called every day, and some days more than once. If she couldn't answer, he left messages that made her laugh.

What was she going to do? She hadn't had many boyfriends before, and none of those relationships had gotten to this point. She'd never felt this serious about anyone, and if she wanted to know he felt, she'd have to ask. She wasn't sure what answer she wanted.

Ryan shook her head and tried to focus on work.

x-x-x-x

The incessant buzz of his alarm clock usually had Brody up right away, but this time it took him a good ten seconds of flailing before he found the button to shut it off. The team had played the night before, eking out an overtime win against Nashville, and he'd almost fallen asleep in his clothes when he'd gotten home. He lay in bed a while longer before opening his eyes.

His day had so far consisted of going to sleep, waking up and trying to get oriented, then sleeping again. He dragged himself into a shower and felt more awake afterwards, or at least like he'd had enough sleep. There was a game the next night, but he knew he'd be back on track by the next morning.

The first item on his schedule was to see Ryan. He had a vague memory of talking to her that morning, and hoped he'd been coherent at the time. She'd laughed, he was pretty sure, and he took that as a good sign.

She'd been on his mind the whole trip. No previous girlfriend had ever occupied his mind like that, and it was weird; he'd made sure not to tell anyone, not even Bax. He understood guys like Cole and Obie having women on their minds; they were married. Tolya and Sara were pretty serious, so he got that, too. He wasn't sure if he and Ryan were at that point.

He pondered that as he dressed. Maybe they were. He hadn't planned on that, but he knew things didn't always go as planned—such as the pass he'd made in the last game. He'd intended it for Tolya, but it had been picked off by the Nashville forward coming out of the penalty box. Said forward had come within a hair of scoring, but the Caps' goalie, Risztak, had managed to get his glove in the way.

The phone ringing interrupted his thoughts, and he was glad for it, since his thoughts were all muddled anyway. He smiled when he saw it was Ryan.

"Hey, how's the rock star?"

"Good, actually. Really good." She sounded excited. "Listen, I'll be leaving work soon. Could I come see you?"

"Sure. Wait, what time is it?"

"It's, um, a little after five. Sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"No, no. I'm just trying to get myself awake. Would you be up for meeting somewhere? I need dinner, you need dinner, and I don’t have anything here. I cleaned stuff out before I left."

"Can I talk you into take-out, or ordering in?"

"Yeah, no problem. Everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah. I just don't feel like going to a restaurant. Mostly I don't feel like dealing with people. It's been one of those days at work."

"Am I not people?"

"You're the only person I'd like to see."

Brody smiled at that. "That's nice to hear. Sure, why don’t you come up here whenever you get back? I missed you, you know."

"Okay. That sounds good. I missed you, too."

"All right, then. I'll be here."

"Thanks, Brody. Bye. See you in a while."

He put the phone in his pocket and went to the kitchen drawer that held the take-out menus. Maybe they could try Indian. He hadn't had that in a while, and thought Ryan would probably like it, or at least be willing to try it. She made up for her inability to cook with her curiosity about new foods. He was flipping through the menus when the phone rang again; he answered without looking at the display.

"Have to work late, sweetheart?"

There was a pause and then a man's voice said, "Not tonight, baby."

Brody groaned. "Hi, Rick. Sorry."

"What was that all about?"

"Ryan called a few minutes ago to say she was leaving work, so I thought she was changing plans. What's up, man? Or did you just call to hassle me?" Brody wandered into the living room and sat on the couch.

"No, you just gave me an opportunity to hassle you."

Rick was teasing, but there was little humor in his voice. Brody frowned; something wasn't right. He got a nervous feeling in his stomach. Had something happened to their parents? To one of Rick's kids? "Is everything okay, Rick?"

"Well, yes and no. I mean, I'm fine and so are Amy and the kids, but . . . oh, hell. Amy and I are separating. I just wanted you to hear it from me."

"Oh." Brody was silent for a minute. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too."

"So what happened?"

"It's not all of a sudden, if that’s what you mean," Rick said. "I don't know. It's one of those things where little problems pile up and then you have this huge mountain of problems that you can't get out from under."

"But everything seemed so cool at Christmas."

"I know, and I'm sorry. It wasn't completely an act, but we were trying to keep everything quiet. We were still talking and thinking about what to do. That weekend I told you Amy took her kids to her mom's? That was the real starting point. She said we needed time to think, and so she went there while I stayed home. I did have to work, but still, I needed to think about things."

"Did you guys try, I don't know—did you talk to anyone? A counselor or something?" Brody tried to wrap his brain around the news; Rick and Amy were one of the most stable couples he knew.

"Yeah, we tried, and we still are, but we thought separating at this point is best for everyone. Amy and I are so tense, and we snap at each other all the time even though we try not to. You can tell the kids know something's wrong, even as young as they are. I'm moving into an apartment this weekend; Dad and Josh are going to help me." Rick sounded resigned.

"But—but what was it?"

"It was a lot of things, I guess. We drifted apart some. I'm working a lot, I think that was the last straw. Amy works too, of course, and she was getting mad at me taking on overtime. And—never mind, there's just a bunch of other stuff on top of it and, well, this is where we are."

Brody sank back on the couch. He'd never heard his brother like this and wasn't sure what to say. "I'm really sorry, man. I had no idea."

"I know. Sorry. No one did; we wanted it that way. Well, Carla had a feeling, but you know how she is. Practically psychic."

"Yeah, I know."

"Look, Brody, I have to go. Thanks for listening."

"Not a problem. Call me anytime."

"Thanks. I'll send you my new address soon, and my cell and email won't change. Take it easy, and good luck, okay?"

"Okay, thanks. And seriously, call me if you need to."

"All right. Later, kid."

Brody closed his phone and sat on the couch, staring at the wall. He wasn’t sure any family news short of his parents divorcing could have surprised him more than this.

He'd never thought about Rick and Amy having problems. If he had, he guessed, he'd supposed they had them just like anyone else. He would never have considered they had anything serious enough to lead to separation. It was lucky, he thought, that he and Ryan didn't have problems like that.

Would they? The idea brought him up short. Rick said part of his and Amy's problems came down to his work schedule. Rick's work schedule was nothing compared with Brody's; Rick worked the occasional overtime, but at least he could come home every night. Rick didn't travel for days at a time for work like Brody did.

Ryan had never complained about Brody's traveling, but would she?

x-x-x-x

Ryan knocked on Brody's door, bursting to tell him about the tour. Word had gotten around, and she'd gotten congratulatory calls from Annette and others, but it wasn't quite the same. She was about to knock again when he opened the door.

"Hey, come on in." Brody held the door open for her.

"Thanks." Ryan's excitement dropped a few notches. Brody looked and sounded far different than he had on the phone earlier. "You okay?"

"Sure. What's up?" He closed the door.

"I, um, I have news."

"Yeah? Good news?"

"Yeah. We got picked up for the tour." She couldn't stop a grin.

"Hey, that's great."

Ryan was taken back at his muted reaction. "It is. Ah, Lara called today and told me. We're all pretty excited. I'll be anxious and all in a few days, but for now it's kind of wild." Her own enthusiasm was down considerably.

He nodded. "That's fantastic."

"Thanks." Ryan felt deflated; she could see he was preoccupied and his smile looked forced. "So, how was your day?"

"Okay. Just recovering from the trip."

"You did sound tired when I talked to you earlier."

He shrugged. "It's the downside of all the travel. Sometimes your internal clock just gets all messed up and it takes a little bit to reset it. I'll be good tomorrow."

"That’s good." Ryan blanked on what to say next. Brody sounded so flat, unlike himself.

"You up for some food?" Brody didn't hassle her on her eating, another wrong note.

"Sure. And, maybe a movie or something?"

"Yeah, maybe. How does Indian food sound?"

"Like something new and different. I've never had it before."

"How'd you manage that? There are tons of Indian restaurants around here."

She shrugged. "I don't know, just never came up I guess. My parents think ethnic food begins and ends at Chinese. With the band, we tend to do that or Thai or pizza."

"Want me to help you pick from the menu, then? Some Indian stuff can be pretty spicy."

"Sounds good."

They sat on the couch and went over the menu. After Brody placed the order, Ryan reached over and put a hand on his arm. "Are you okay?"

"Hmmm?"

"It looks like something's on your mind. Is anything wrong? Do you want me to go?"

"No, no. I'm sorry. I just—I got some bad news after I talked to you before."

"What happened?"

"My brother called. He and his wife have decided to separate. It's just a huge shock. I mean, Rick and Amy." Brody slumped back onto the cushions. "I can't believe it."

"Oh, wow. I’m really sorry."

"Yeah, me too. Rick said they were keeping it low-key, and they're going to see a counselor, but he's moving out."

"Do you think they might get back together later?"

"I don't know. I mean, I hope so."

Ryan didn't know what to say; she felt as though everything was off-kilter. Brody was the one who knew what to say, who always had a joke to cheer her up. She didn't think she'd ever seen as upset as he was now.

"It's just so hard to believe." Brody was incredulous. "They seemed to have it all and be handling everything really well. I mean, I know it can't be easy with both parents working; it wasn't easy for my parents. But they did it, so I guess I figured Rick and Amy would, too."

"They still might, though."

Brody shook his head. "I don't think so. Rick sounded like he thought it was over. I keep thinking how Bax has his family in Boston, but they seem okay. If Bax and his wife can keep it together, with all the traveling and separation, how come Rick can't, when he doesn't have to do any of that?"

"It's tough, but everybody's different." Ryan thought for a minute. She'd talked with Bax a few times when she'd met Brody and his teammates after games and he seemed like a good guy. "Bax is older and has a different perspective on it. Maybe your brother and his wife just need to get some perspective."

"Maybe." Brody didn't sound convinced.

The food came and Brody suggested she try the chicken biryani. "It's probably not as spicy as what I ordered," he told her. "Might be good to start slow."

Ryan nodded and took a bite. It was good, but it was hot. "Water, please," she said as she gulped air.

Brody gave her a small smile and handed her a piece of naan bread instead. "Here, try this. And take some of this for the rest of it." He gave her a small container.

She ate the bread, then took a deep breath and chanced a drink of water. "Okay, better. What's in that?"

"Plain yogurt. It'll help cut the heat like sour cream does with Mexican food. Water spreads the heat around, so you're better to drink milk or have something like this."

"Good to know." She tried another bite, this time with the yogurt. "Yes, much better. Man, if this is spicy, I don't think I should try what you have."

"Well, there's plenty of yogurt if you get adventurous."

"I think I've had enough adventure for now."

They ate in silence for a while. Ryan decided she liked it enough that she might try it again, provided there was an ample supply of naan and yogurt. When they were finished, she helped him sort through the leftovers and clean up. Brody was quiet during the whole process, and Ryan was stumped on what to do.

"Look, I can go if you want," she said.

He turned and put a hand on her shoulder. "No, I'd like you to stay. Besides, we haven't had dessert yet."

She smiled. "That sounds great. But it can be simple. I'm good with cookies."

"Please. Like I'd give my girlfriend mere cookies." He scoffed and sent her into the living room. A few minutes later he came out with two bowls and handed her one. "See, it's cookies and ice cream."

"My favorite."

"Nothing but the best. Here, a toast to Imaginary Grace and the tour." They clinked their spoons together. "I really am happy for you, Ryan, and the others. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm not; I'm just not great company right now.

"That's okay."

Brody found a movie and they watched as they ate. Ryan couldn't concentrate on the movie. She wondered if she should bring up meeting her parents, or if she should wait. The problem with waiting was that she knew if she didn't do it now, she'd continue putting it off and then the waiting would become as bad or worse than the actual event.

She ate the last of her cookie and glanced at Brody. He was staring at the television but she could tell he wasn't seeing it. It was too bad about his brother, she thought. She remembered when Lara's parents had divorced, and it had been pretty ugly, with Lara in the middle. She hoped that Brody's nephews made out okay; she didn't know if it was better or worse that they were younger than Lara had been.

Once more she debated asking Brody about meeting her parents. It's not like he has to go tonight, she thought. I'm just asking if he'd be willing at some point in the near future. That's not so bad. I hope.

"Hey." She nudged his arm. When he didn't respond, she did it again.

"Hmmm? Sorry, what?"

"I had a favor to ask, if you don't mind. Nothing that has to happen immediately or anything."

"Sure. Shoot."

"Would you be okay with meeting my parents? Sometime?"

He gave her a half-smile. "Sure, no problem."

Ryan felt panic rise despite his positive response. "I'm not trying to pressure you, just so you know. And I'm not trying to, I don't know, look for more of anything. I just thought it's been a little while and Evan said something to them and so Mom's asked a few questions and it'd just be easier if you met them." She was out of breath when she finished.

"Ryan, it's fine." He patted her arm. "I don't mind, really. Just let me check the schedule and we'll work something out."

"Okay. Thanks." She was relieved asking him was over; now she could focus on worrying about the event.

"You met my family, so it's only fair."

"I guess. Let's talk about something else."

He squeezed her arm and they went back to watching the movie. Ryan tried to remember what they were watching, but there was nothing too distinctive. Cars sped along roads, sometimes against traffic, and various things exploded in beautifully choreographed sequences. She couldn't have cared less, and every time she glanced at Brody, it was obvious he didn't either.

"We can turn this off," she said.

"What?"

"The movie." She turned towards him. "Neither of us is watching, so we might as well turn it off."

"Sorry. I guess you're right. I just can't focus."

"It's okay. As far as I can tell, there's not much worth focusing on."

Brody turned the set off. "I am sorry, Ryan. Rick's phone call really threw me."

"It's okay. I was just thinking I should cheer you up. You're usually the cheering me up, though, so it's a little weird."

Brody chuckled. "I hadn't thought about it that way."

"Well, let's see what I can come up with." Ryan made a show of thinking of what to do, which made him smile, and then she climbed onto his lap. He put his hands on her hips to steady her as she straddled him.

"That's not a bad start," he said.

"Good to know." She braced her hands on his shoulders and leaned down to kiss him. His fingers dug into her skin, but she didn't care; she liked to feel him respond to her. When he tried to take control of the kiss, she drew back and pressed her lips to his neck. He groaned in approval and she smiled to herself. She decided to up the stakes and rocked her hips against him.

"I think I'm feeling a little better." His voice was rough.

"Good. That's the idea." Ryan pressed her lips to his again and worked on unbuttoning his shirt.

Brody wasn't willing to be passive; he kissed her jaw, and then moved to her neck. After a moment he stopped, much to her disappointment.

"Wait. Why are you wearing this?" Brody reached up and put a finger in her collar and tugged. "This is totally in the way."

Ryan laughed. "It's a mock turtleneck, and in case you've forgotten, it's the middle of January. Even you have to admit it's cold out."

"Maybe. It's still in the way."

"Sorry." She pulled the shirt off. "Better?"

He shrugged out of his own shirt. "Much."

They both laughed as Brody lay back on the couch and pulled her on top of him. She combed her fingers through his hair as she kissed him again. He tangled his fingers in her hair and deepened the kiss. She jumped when he nipped a path down her neck, and couldn't help but rock her body against his when he cupped her breast. He rubbed his thumb over the soft material, drawing a soft moan from her as he went back and forth over the hard nub underneath.

Ryan decided it was time to advance things again, so she reached back and unclasped her bra. She laughed as she tried to slide it off without breaking their kiss. Once she'd managed, she sighed in approval as she lay back on top of him. She loved how he felt against her, warm and strong.

She drew back for a breath but Brody kissed her again and pressed his body against hers. Ryan dragged her nails over his chest as he moved his hips; she felt him hard and ready under his jeans. She reached down to undo his pants.

He hissed out a breath as her hand reached in and she stroked him with a steady rhythm. He stopped for a moment with his forehead on her shoulder and breathing hard, and she felt his heart racing like hers. He murmured something and hooked his fingers in the waistband of her skirt.

"What?" Ryan was still breathless.

"I said, thank God for skirts." He pushed down and stopped. "What the—what is this?"

"What is it this time?"

"This. Wait." He pushed at her shoulders and she raised up. He frowned. "You're wearing stockings?"

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Let me repeat: it's cold outside."

"Jesus. Here I thought this was going to be easy with the skirt." He curled his fingers into the elastic waistband and began pushing the leggings down, working them over her hips as laughed. He got them off one leg and said that was enough before pulling her back to him.

Ryan repaid the favor by pushing his jeans down, and he lowered his hands to help, then slid one hand between her legs and let his fingers slide into her. She gasped and dug her nails into his shoulders as he teased her, bringing her close but not letting her come.

She was about to protest when he moved his free hand; he dug around to find his wallet and dropped it to the floor when he had the condom in hand. She sat up as he ripped the packet open and put the condom on, then moved so that she was over him. They both groaned as he slid inside. Ryan leaned down to kiss him once more.

His lips met hers, rough and urgent, and she let him lead this time. He began to move faster, and Ryan felt her body tighten and then she came almost before she was ready for it. She gripped him tighter, searching for his lips again as he grasped her hips and kept moving. Ryan tried to take a breath and managed a quick one before a second orgasm washed through her. This time she felt Brody tense as well, and then he dropped his head back as he came as well, holding her to him and breathing hard.

Ryan closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest. His heart beat slowed after a bit and the rhythmic sound lulled her almost to sleep.

"I, um, I guess we should get up," she said.

Brody's arms tightened around her. "Why?"

"I was thinking maybe I should go back to my place."

He shifted so he could look at her. "You don't want to stay here?"

"I do. I just didn't know if you wanted me to."

He laid back on the couch. "Yeah, I do."

x-x-x-x

It was almost two weeks later before Ryan could find a night clear of hockey and basketball games, not to mention a time where she had no rehearsal scheduled.

As they rode out to Chantilly in his car, and the weather was gray and damp, typical of early February. Brody glanced over at Ryan as she stared out the window and fidgeted, tapping her foot on the floor.

"You're not one of those people that steps on imaginary brakes, are you?" he asked.

"What?" She looked over at him, confused.

He smiled and shook his head. "I was just trying to see if you were nervous about my driving."

"Oh, no. Sorry." She fiddled with the fringe on her purple scarf. "Just nervous."

"I'll be on my best behavior, I promise."

"No, that's not it. I've told you that before."

"It'll be fine." Brody couldn't understand why she was so nervous about this. He could accept some general anxiety, but Ryan had been antsy about this for days.

"Yeah, fine. It'll be fine. Just don’t say anything about the band, and it'll be fine."

"Ryan, come on. I get that you're not doing what they expected, but they'll come around."

She gave a short laugh. "Yeah, right. I just haven't been patient enough for the past four or five years."

"Well, you know, in my family, when Eileen said she wanted to go in the Peace Corps, that didn't exactly go down easy for some of us."

"Brody, you don't get it." Ryan huffed in frustration and threw her head back against the seat. "My parents are not like yours. They aren't waiting for me to finish going through a phase. They think I'm being stupid, and that I'm wasting my time and my education, not that they thought much of that, either."

"Okay, I'm sorry." He reached over and patted her leg. "Let's forget about it. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm sorry." She took a deep breath. "Don't misunderstand. I'm not saying I was neglected or abused or anything like that. Not at all. My parents are decent people. But at the risk of sounding like a melodramatic teenager, they don't understand me. They never did. If it isn't sports, Dad's not interested. Mom's happy to be the fifties-era housewife and just goes along with him."

Brody nodded and dropped the subject. They pulled up in the driveway and Ryan stared at the house for a minute before undoing her seatbelt. Brody came around to open her door and she smiled at him.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more," she murmured. At his puzzled look, she explained. "Shakespeare, Henry V, Act Three. I was an English major. See, it comes in handy."

He chuckled and took her hand as he led her up to the house.

x-x-x-x

Brody sensed Ryan's tension all through dinner. She seemed to be waiting for something bad to happen, but he couldn't figure out what. Her mom was sweet, and insisted he call her Judy. Her father, Jim, was a big man, and it was easy to see the football player he'd been.

Judy made spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread, and after dinner, they moved into the living room before having dessert. Judy brought out coffee for everyone and Brody thanked her as he took his and added some cream.

"So, I hear you've met Evan," Judy said as she sipped at her coffee.

"Yes, I did. He's a tall guy," Brody said, drawing smiles from Ryan's parents. "If he's half as good at basketball as Ryan is at her music, he must be something to watch." He felt compelled to say something complimentary about Ryan. The conversation over dinner had centered around her brothers, and he noticed that her parents hadn't said much to their daughter since they'd arrived. Nor had she said much to them; it was weird.

When he'd brought Ryan to meet his family, chaotic as it had been over the holidays, everyone had talked, sometimes at each other, sometimes over. No one had been ignored.

"Evan's the best guard to come out of his high school in twenty years." Jim thumped his hand on the table for emphasis. "The only problem is the NBA making him stay in school. He could be playing in the pros right now."

"Oh, sweetie, you know he'll be fine." Judy patted her husband's hand.

"College can help," said Brody. "I mean, I wouldn't trade my years at college for anything, really. It was a great time to make friends and learn from the coaches in a much less stressful environment." He didn't know what else he might say to bring Ryan into the conversation.

"But you got drafted, right? Before you graduated?" Jim prompted.

"Um, yes, I did. But I would have finished it out if I hadn't been drafted that year, and tried again the next." Brody felt a little uncomfortable with the questions, but saw no reason not to be honest.

"There, see." Jim gestured towards his wife. "Getting degrees is overrated."

"Now, Jim, you know some kids wait until after college to go pro," Judy admonished. "It doesn't hurt."

"I'd have to agree," Brody said. "College can be a big help. I know a lot of guys who got their degrees. One of my teammates was a history major."

Jim grunted into his coffee and silence fell over the group. It didn't last long before Judy spoke up. "So, Brody, how did you come to play hockey?"

"Good question," said Jim. "I would have thought you'd have gone for football at Michigan State. They're a big draw up there."

"They are, indeed. My younger brother went to Michigan State." Brody was at a loss; he'd never wanted to play football, even when he was little. Once he'd had a hockey stick in his hand, other sports held no appeal. Jim obviously thought football was the only sport that mattered. "I guess football just wasn't my thing. I played some baseball growing up, but hockey was what called to me."

Jim nodded but said nothing. Brody sensed Ryan tense more, and he wasn't even touching her. He tried to change the conversation and looked at Jim. "Ryan tells me you went to University of Maryland."

"I did." Jim nodded. "Had me a football scholarship. I played left tackle, and I was damn good. They put me in as a starter while I was still a freshman, and I was going to the NFL, everyone said so. I came this close." Jim held up a hand with his thumb and index fingers almost touching. "I had three teams interested in me. Then a play went bad, a guy fell on top of me and busted my knee."

"Sorry to hear that."

Jim shrugged. "It happens. I got over it. Had to leave school since I lost my scholarship, but I got a job in construction, worked my way up to site foreman. Good, honest work. You don’t need a piece of paper if you're willing to work hard.

"Now, JT—our oldest boy—he's even better than I was. He set the school record for tackles last season and he's entering the draft this year. If he doesn't go in the first round, I'll eat my hat."

"You don’t wear hats, dear," Judy said. Her smile and glance at Brody told him they'd had the exchange many times before.

"Figure of speech, hon."

They chatted for a bit more, with Jim recounting the various successes JT and Evan had had with their athletics. Nothing about Ryan, Brody couldn't help but notice. When it was going on eight o'clock, Judy said, "I know, Jim, why don't you show Brody the kids' trophies? Ryan, could you give me a hand with dishes, dear?"

Brody gave Ryan a quick smile before getting up to follow her father out of the room.

x-x-x-x

"Well, Ryan, he seems very nice." Judy nodded in satisfaction as she rinsed the plates and handed them to Ryan to load in the dishwasher.

"Thanks, Mom. I think so, too."

"Now how long have you two been dating?"

Ryan counted to ten to calm herself down; she'd been on edge all night but her mom wasn't asking anything unreasonable. Yet. "I met him in October, I think, but we didn't start dating until just before Thanksgiving. I guess it's about three months now."

"Why didn't you say anything? Or bring him to meet us sooner?" Judy admonished.

"I don't know. Just waiting for the right time. He had road trips, and you guys were going to JT's games." Ryan shrugged. "It was hard to coordinate a time."

"Oh, well, I guess you're right." Judy put away the leftover meatballs and sauce in the refrigerator, then moved to get the pasta. "So, is it serious? Come on, you can tell me."

"I suppose. We haven't talked about it." Ryan was cautious. Since she wasn't sure herself, she didn't want to give her mother the wrong impression.

"I mean, because he seems so sweet. He's polite, and he's certainly handsome."

"That's true, but it's only been three months, Mom, like I said."

"He feels like a keeper to me, sweetie." Judy gave her a knowing look. "I know a lot of girls wait to get married these days, but I don't think it's always a good idea to wait. Then you're older when you have kids, if you have kids." She made a tsking sound. "I'd like to be a grandmother sooner rather than later."

Ryan felt trapped. "Yeah, I know, Mom. Still, I don't think we're anywhere near that serious."

"Not yet, maybe," Judy said. "Things can happen quickly. And I know, I know, you want to make your music and everything, but you have to be reasonable. Not many people succeed in that business. You can always keep playing just for yourself, as a hobby."

"Right." Ryan wondered just how awful it would be if she left and hotwired Brody's car to go home. Or, since she didn't know how to hotwire anything, maybe she could swipe his keys out of his jacket. Her father would drive him home.

Her mother's voice pulled her out of her escape fantasy. "Oh, look, they're back. Let's get dessert." Judy pulled a cheesecake out of the refrigerator and put slices on dessert plates and set them around the table.

Ryan followed with forks and napkins, still considering escape plans. Then her father came in and gestured for Brody to sit down. He did, and accepted when Judy offered another cup of coffee. Ryan sat next to him, her appetite gone, and poked at her cheesecake.

"So, Ryan hasn't told me yet, but how did you two meet?" Judy sat down and reached for her coffee.

Brody told them how he'd been visiting Mark and met Ryan when he'd gone to leave and she'd dropped her groceries in the hallway.

"Oh, isn't that sweet? Just like you'd read in a book." Judy beamed.

Brody smiled and sipped his coffee. "I was just trying to be helpful. Then one night we caught up again and went out for dinner. Sushi."

Judy wrinkled her nose and Jim rolled his eyes. "Never could stand the stuff. Who in their right mind eats raw fish?" he demanded.

"It's not for everyone," Brody acknowledged, "but still, I like to try new things."

Ryan spoke up. "Brody cooks. He's good, too. You should try his enchiladas, Mom."

"Only if they're not too spicy. I've just never been one for spicy foods. Neither is Jim, are you, dear?"

"That's okay, there's plenty out there to try." Brody took a bite of cheesecake. "This is terrific, Judy."

"Thank you. Best I can get in a box," she said with a smile.

"Anyway," Brody went on, "I had to convince her, you know, to go out with me. It took a lot of work, but she gave in." He glanced over at Ryan, who gave him a half-smile and sipped at her coffee.

"Ryan always was stubborn," Judy said. "More so than either of the boys. I always said she got that from Jim's side of the family."

Jim grunted a non-committal reply as he ate his dessert.

Brody turned to Ryan. "Hey, have you told them about the tour?"

"Tour?" Judy was puzzled. "What do you mean, a tour?"

Ryan put her fork down and sat back. "The band—we've been picked up for a tour. It'll start in April."

"Is this like when you went around before?" Judy asked. "I never did understand that."

"No, this is different." Ryan cleared her throat. "The tour is sponsored, and we've been asked to join it. We'll be paid. This won't be like before, when we organized the dates ourselves."

Her father stared at her. "Will you quit your job like you did before?"

Judy looked dismayed. "Oh, Ryan, that's a big risk right now. Are you sure that's what you'll do?"

"What about your apartment?" her father objected. "How can you afford your rent if you're not working?"

Ryan shrugged and her voice was tight when she replied. "We're still working out details. I have a lot of leave built up, and some credit time, and I might be able to work out some unpaid leave. Lara and I have both been saving, and we could sublet the apartment. Plus, we are getting paid." Her knuckles went white around the handle on the coffee mug.

"I've seen Ryan perform," Brody said. "I think she and the rest of the band are great. They work hard and you can hear it when they play."

Ryan clenched her jaw as silence filled the room. Her parents stared intently at their coffee and it was all she could do not to storm out right then. Brody darted her a questioning glance, but she just shook her head.

As though someone had poked her, Judy popped out of her seat. "Oh, Ryan, I almost forgot—I have a box of things for you. We're cleaning out; you know how things pile up in the basement. I'll be right back."

They were quiet while she went into another room, then came back with a medium-sized cardboard box. "RYAN" was scribbled in black marker on one side.

Ryan opened the box and her expression darkened. She closed it without a word, all but biting her tongue off in an effort to keep calm.

"I think we'd better get going." Ryan flicked a glance at Brody. "I have to work tomorrow."

"Good idea. I have practice in the morning myself."

Ryan took the box and led the way to the door. They donned their coats and Brody turned to her parents.

"Thanks, Jim. It was a great dinner, Judy. I'm really glad I got to meet you both." He shook hands with each of them in turn.

"It was good to meet you, too, Brody." Judy gave him a bright smile. "We hope we get to see you again soon."

"Bye," said Ryan.

"Bye, honey." Judy gave Ryan a brief hug and a peck on the cheek. "I'll call in a few days. Remember there's your cousin's birthday party in a couple of weeks."

"Right."

They walked out to the car as Ryan's parents closed the door. Brody was surprised at that; his parents would stand on the front step and make sure anyone who was leaving got in their car and started the engine before they'd go back inside.

Ryan was quiet, and Brody struggled with what to say. Ryan's parents had not been at all what he expected, but he didn't think Ryan would want him to say that. They were her parents, after all; he knew if someone questioned his parents, he'd get defensive. He waited to see if Ryan would say anything, but she only stared out the window with her arms crossed in front of her.

"So, ah, your parents seem nice." That was a neutral enough comment, he thought.

Ryan gave a derisive snort. She stared out the window and her responses after that were laconic at best, and he wasn’t sure what to do. Aside from the awkward silences, he thought it had gone all right. They hadn't thrown him out, that had to count for something, right?

They drove in silence for a while until Brody couldn't take it. "So, what's in the box?"

"Nothing."

"You looked a little upset about it, so I just wondered."

"It's nothing. It's not important." Her voice was sharp.

"Okay, okay." He drew in a breath and glanced at her. "Ryan, are you all right?"

"Yeah, fine." She wouldn't look at him.

"You sure?

"Yeah."

"Okay." Brody gave up and said no more as they drove back.