Off in the horizon, I can see the skyline of Chicago, the tall buildings blurring together in the distance. Ryder and I finally landed, then got straight into an Uber to head to his parents' house. I should be nervous, but my growling stomach is distracting me from thinking of anything but a nice, juicy cheeseburger.

"Do you hear that?" I whisper to Ryder as he smiles out the window.

He turns to me with expectant eyes. "What?"

"My stomach is calling out for a burger!"

He laughs, rolling his eyes as he faces back out the window. "We're almost there, idiot. Ten more minutes."

"I don't know if I can make it," I say dramatically. "I think I'm going to starve!"

"I think you're going to be just fine. My sister may only be 15, but she makes the best pork chops out there."

"Wait, you never told me you had a sister," I say timidly. I wish he would've prepared me a little more. All I really know about his family is that his dad is a teacher, and his mom runs a crafting business out of their garage.

"I have two," he corrects. "The older one is Lorena, and the younger one is Jameson, who is 13. I also have an older brother, Kyle. He's 26."

"Wow, I didn't know you had such a big family." I don't know how he did it growing up. At my house, it was just my parents and I, plus our crazy amount of motorcycles, cars, dirt bikes, and four wheelers. It was like we had a new toy every week.

"Don't worry," he says, nudging me with his shoulder, "they're going to love you." I nod, then we sit in silence for the next few minutes before pulling up to a beautiful colonial-style home with strategically placed rustic yard decor. A woman with a kind smile stands at the front door, waving at us. Ryder smiles even wider, and I assume we've arrived at his house.

I stumble out of the car, saying a thanks to the driver, then walk to the trunk to retrieve my suitcase and other bags. Trailing behind a nearly sprinting Ryder, I'm engulfed by a small girl, making me drop my luggage. "Hi, I'm Jameson!" she says with a toothy grin.

"Hi, I'm Corina," I say back, grabbing my bags as she lets go.

"Ryder, you better go and grab her things before I kick your butt," the woman at the door says while coming up to me. "I don't understand how he doesn't understand that. Nice to finally meet you, Corina. I'm Ryder's mom, Rachel." She hugs me, then grabs one of my bags. "Ryder, what did I just tell you?"

"Mom, I'm coming!" he yells back, coming back outside. "I wanted to put my stuff up first. The other two children are arguing in the kitchen," he snickers, then comes to me.

"This is like a whole new world," I mutter as he grabs my bags.

"They already love you," he says back as we make our way inside.

"But I've hardly said a word, and I haven't even met everyone," I argue back as he sets my stuff down in the corner of the living room.

"We may not have met yet, but I feel like I've known you for years with how much my brother talks about you," a guy that I assume to be Kyle says as he puts an arm around me.

"Funny, he never mentioned any of you guys until the car ride here," I say with an evil grin as Kyle starts to run after Ryder.

"You little asshole!" he shouts, running down the hallway.

"They may be legal adults," Rachel says, now standing next to me, "but I swear they act like children when they're together." She laughs, then pulls me into the kitchen where I see Jameson and another girl standing at the other side of the island.

"You're doing it wrong!" the older girl exclaims while taking a spatula away from Jameson. "It needs to be folded, not stirred."

"Girls," Rachel steps in, making both of their eyes dart up, then over to me. "Be little angels for at least a moment, please, we have company."

Jameson smiles at me, then runs around the island to hug me again, but the other girl, I presume to be Lorena, glares at me from her spot. "Who is she?"

"Uh, I'm Corina, Ryder's girlfriend," I say, unsure of what exactly is going on. Everyone else so far has been so kind and welcoming, but right now, I'd be dead if looks could kill. "You're Lorena, right?"

Instead of an answer, she turns back to her cooking, leaving an awkward tension in the room. "Sorry about her," Rachel whispers, "She can be very protective over Ryder. Despite the age gap, they were best friends when Lorena was growing up. She's seen him get hurt over girls in the past, but she'll get over it quickly. I don't see anything bad between you and my son." She smiles then saunters off. Looking around frantically, I find Ryder standing in the living room with Kyle.

"Dude, she's hot," Kyle says while patting Ryder on the back. "You did good, bro."

"She's beautiful," I hear Ryder whisper in return, and I blush.

"Wow, you're already whipped," Kyle retorts. "But really, I'm happy for you. It's not easy finding a girl like that." Ryder looks up to say something, but sees me standing in the entryway. He makes his way to me, and wraps me up in his arms.

"How's it going?" he asks, leading me through the hallway.

"Alright, I guess," I say, leaning my head down. He pulls it back up, though, sensing my disdain. He looks at me with prodding eyes, asking me to elaborate. "I don't think Lorena likes me. She just seemed so..." I pause, thinking of the right word. "Different. Completely opposite of everyone else. Your mom said she'll come around, but I can't help but feel so uneasy about it. Like, I thought she was going to kill me or something."

Ryder pulls me into a bedroom, sitting on the bed. I follow, and he grabs my hand. "My mom is right, she'll come to accept you. She just doesn't like it when I bring home girls. Never has." My heart falters at that.

"Girls?" I ask. "How many have you brought home?"

"Don't worry, not a lot. None at all since high school. I had a couple of girlfriends, but nothing like this. Like us. Okay?" He fiddles with the ends of my hair again, immediately putting me at ease.

"Okay," I murmur, resting my head on his shoulder. Fatigue has suddenly washed over me, the small time zone change impacting my already messed up sleep schedule.

"No sleeping yet," he chuckles, lifting me from his shoulder. "Lorena may not be too fond of you right now, but her pork chops are still the best, and I'm not letting you miss out on those." He stands up, sticking a hand out. I reluctantly grab it, standing up with him. He leads me out to the living room, never letting go.

"Mm," I moan as I take my first bite. Ryder was right, these pork chops are to die for. I've never ate anything so full of taste in my life. What is it with this family and cooking better than Gordon Ramsey?

"Don't do that," Ryder whispers seriously in my ear. "It's hot, and I can't do anything about it in a twin bed, let alone the fact that my parents' room is across the hall from mine." I choke on my pork at his statement, earning us a look from Kyle.

"What are you two whispering about over there?" he asks with a knowing wink. I feel the heat rising to my cheeks, and Ryder is just sitting there, stunned.

"N-nothing," I stutter, going back to my meal in front of me. "Just how great dinner is. Lorena, you did an amazing job on this." She just rolls her eyes at me, muttering something under breath, which earns a stern look from Rachel. Kyle laughs at the situation, then returns to his meal as well.

"So, Corina," Ryder's dad, Allen, says. He arrived home from work a few hours ago, and he seems to be a kindhearted man. The teaching career seems to fit his personality quite well, even if he has to go into work on a random Sunday for a meeting. "Ryder tells me you ride motorcycles."

"Yes sir," I say, more confidently than before. "I have-" I stop for a second, recognizing my mistake, "had, I should say, two. I wrecked one about a month and a half ago."

"Yes, Ryder told me," he replied apologetically. "How's the healing going?"

"Fine," I reply, glancing down to my ankle. "I got clearance to stop wearing my boot this past Thursday, but it still hurts some."

"It'll take time, dear," Rachel adds in. "Both mentally and physically, but you'll get through it." She smiles at me sincerely, and I smile back.

"What happened?" Jameson asks, completely out of the loop. Lorena smacks her in the back of the head.

"You can't just ask that, stupid," Lorena says. Is she actually sticking up for me? "But seriously, what happened?" I laugh, then start my story.

At the end, everyone looks so sad. Their eyes are filled with sympathy, and Rachel is borderline crying. She leaves her seat, then comes up to hug me. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that, dear. I'm just glad to hear you didn't have to do it all alone, with Ryder and your friends and family there with you every step of the way."

"I'm glad I had them, too. But, it's over now, and I'm slowly getting back to normal," I say, hugging her back as best as I could in my chair.

"Are you ever going to ride again?" Jameson asks, leaning forward slightly in her seat.

"Of course," I reply. "Once a biker, always a biker. It'll be scary at first, but I can't just give up my passion like that." She nods, then sits back in her seat.

"What's it like?" Kyle pipes in. "To ride, that is."

I sit for a moment, rattling my brain for the best answer. "You know the adrenaline you get on a roller coaster?" I ask him, and he nods. "It's like that, but so much better. You're in control of the ride, so it can last however long you want it to. You get this sense of freedom, like nothing in the world can hurt you. The wind whipping around your body gives you this sense of security, like it will never let you down. The sound of the exhaust is like the perfect song, always picking you up. The beautiful scenery as you whip around a backroad looks like the most intricate painting ever made. I could go on, but I don't want to keep you all sitting here for days."

"Wow," Kyle replies, the rest of the family following suit. "I need to get on one someday."

"I'm taking her to a Harley shop tomorrow," Ryder adds in. "Maybe we can make a family trip of it?"

"No can do for me," Allen says with a frown. "The kids may be off school, but it's a teacher work day. I have to finish getting the kids' final exams ready."

"Dad, they're in third grade," Ryder says. "What kind of finals are you even giving them?"

"They may only be in third grade, but we've still covered a lot throughout the year. I have to give them something, but I promise it won't be hard," he says with a laugh. "But the rest of you go, and I'll meet up for lunch or something." Everyone starts cheering in excitement. I thought I even saw Lorena wear a half smile on her face before looking to me and frowning.

After dinner, Ryder drug me to his bedroom before his family had the chance to keep us tied up in the living room by talking our ears off. They're all such sweet people, even Lorena, when she wants to be, but do they love to talk. We sat at the dinner table for over two hours, never a dull or quiet moment.

"Finally, just the two of us," Ryder says, walking up to me with dark eyes. "I've been waiting for this moment since we got here." He plants his lips on mine with a hunger I haven't seen in so long. Ever since the accident, he's been tiptoeing around me like I'm a newborn puppy, like anything more than a sweet, quick kiss would kill me.

Things quickly get hot and heavy, and soon we're laying on his small bed, clawing at each other in desperation. "Ryder," I breathe out heavily, slightly pushing him away. "Your family is out there."

"You're right," he says, panting while rolling off of me. "I wish they weren't."

"Me too," I reply with a sigh. "But they are, so no funny business, mister."

"Whatever, idiot," he replies while laying propped up on his side. He starts to smirk, and I roll my eyes and snuggle under the blankets.

"Goodnight," I say as I turn off the lamp beside of me.

"Goodnight," he whispers on my neck, his hot breath sending tingles through my body. What an asshole.

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Woohoo, another update! The holiday weekend is officially over, so I have time to write again! Just a fair warning though, I'm starting a new job soon so things may slow back down. Plus, like I said in the last update, my husband and I bought a house, so a lot of my time will be spent packing and getting ready. I'll do my best to manage my time though!

Just last night, TRTL was at 155 reads, and now it has 176! I know it's not a crazy amount, but it's a lot to me considering I started this story 2 weeks ago. Thank you all for reading and supporting this book!

Hope to see you all soon! :)