His uncle inclined his head. "I told you. You're the son I never had."
"And I appreciate the support." More than he was able to express at the moment, despite his mixed feelings about Uncle Russ joining him here.
"I intend to be here for you every step of the way."
Ryan glanced at the sky, wondering when the hell his life had gotten so damn complicated. Then, resigned to the inevitable, Ryan turned to his uncle. "Want to go meet your niece?"
His uncle's face lit up in a way Ryan hadn't seen in years. "Just lead the way, son."
* * *
ZOE PACED THE FAMILY ROOM, angry at Sam and furious with herself. Early that morning, the family discovered Sam was gone, missing from her bedroom and nowhere else in the house. No matter how many alternatives they discussed, they could come to no other conclusion than she had run away from home. Common sense told them that Sam had bolted the same way she'd done before, to test the family's loyalty and desire to have her around.
Normally they'd wait her out, give her some time to think, and then find her in an obvious place. She'd be lectured, then grounded, just as Ari or Zoe had been as children— proof to Sam that she was one of them. But in this case, her fear of being taken away was valid, and nobody had wanted to give her too much headway in her escape.
Zoe had anticipated the teenager withdrawing, so why hadn't she insisted on sleeping in her room last night instead of leaving her alone? She slammed her palm against the table in frustration, then shook the sting from her hand.
She hated being the one home waiting in case Sam called or showed up, but her parents had gone knocking on her friends' doors, Quinn and Ari were checking other places Sam might go, like the youth center around the corner, and Connor was asking around at local hospitals.
Zoe walked to the window and glanced out to the street in time to see Ryan pull up in his fancy BMW. God, he was the last thing she needed now. He was also the one person she wanted desperately. It would help to have his shoulder to cry on because despite that they each wanted Sam in their family, they both had her welfare at heart. She needed to share her fear with him now.
She opened the door and watched Ryan…and an older man she didn't recognize as they strode together up her front walk.
The stranger's presence prevented her from acting on her stupid impulse to fling herself into Ryan's arms for comfort and reassurance. Odd things to expect or desire from the man whose very presence had caused the upheaval.
He strode forward with confidence, wearing the suit he'd had on the first day they'd met. He was clean shaven and his hair was neatly combed. His appearance made him look more like the uptight man she'd met at the birthday party than the relaxed guy she'd spent time with lately. Yet his appeal was certain and unnerving and not even the ultra-conservative look changed the fact that the man was drop-dead gorgeous and caused Zoe's awareness levels to soar.
"Zoe? What's wrong?" he asked.
She pulled her thoughts together and forced a smile. "What makes you think anything's wrong?"
He stepped closer, so he could speak directly to her, whispering for her ears alone. "Because I know you and while your smile might say one thing, I see something else entirely in your eyes."
Her internal radar went on the fritz when he stepped closer and she smelled his familiar, sexy cologne, while her stomach churned, warmed by his concern and understanding. Still, he hadn't introduced her to his companion and he held himself apart from her in a way that told her their intimacy seemed to be in the past. Reminding herself that she'd pulled away from him first didn't ease the sting.
"You told her, didn't you?" he asked, guessing accurately.
"Come on in and I'll explain." She pushed the front door open wide and gestured inside.
When they were all seated, she inclined her head toward the older gentleman. His salt-and-pepper hair gave him a distinguished air. "And who is this?" she asked.
Ryan shook his head. "Sorry, my manners seem to have failed me," he said rather formally. "Uncle Russell, meet Zoe Costas. Uncle Russell came down because…He…"
Ryan's voice trailed off and Zoe understood the reason for his sudden discomfort. "He wanted to meet Sam," she finished for him. "Odd considering nobody but you has seemed interested in Sam in years." Zoe lashed out, refusing to hold her feelings back, but unable to meet Ryan's gaze as she did so.
Beside Ryan, his uncle stiffened.
"That was completely uncalled for," Ryan said as he turned suddenly judgmental before her eyes.
"The young lady has gumption," his uncle said in an equally formal voice.
She couldn't tell if his comment was meant as a compliment or an insult. Between the New England accent and the haughty attitude, he hid his true feelings well.
"I always have gumption, especially when I'm protecting family. And Sam is already family. She's my sister. Signing adoption papers is just a formality," she said, forcing herself to speak aloud a conviction she no longer believed was so simple and straightforward.
Ryan set his jaw. "We'll see about that."
She narrowed her gaze. Never in all the time they'd been together, first as adversaries and later as lovers, had this subject come up. They'd each trodden carefully around the other's feelings, wanting what was best for the teenager, and respecting the other's position and desires. Yet in front of his uncle, Ryan took a definitive stand that froze Zoe inside and out.
But she'd started it by mentioning the adoption and suddenly she knew why, just as she knew what was different about Ryan now. His demeanor had changed. Though he'd only been in New Jersey a short time, in the past few days he'd relaxed around Zoe and her family. He'd accepted their outspokenness and come to enjoy their uniqueness, like Elena's kimonos and Sam's pet pig. All things that would never be accepted in his Boston home.
Yet sitting sandwiched between Zoe and his uncle, he was faced with two disparate choices. The Costases' eccentricity versus the values of his conservative relatives. Any feelings he might have developed for Zoe versus his loyalty to his own family.
His worst nightmare had come to life, Zoe thought. As had hers, since it was obvious whom he would choose. Ryan's aloofness and the clothes he'd chosen all put a barrier between himself and Zoe, and proved her gut instinct had been correct all along. More than the physical distance between New Jersey and Massachusetts separated her from Ryan. More separated them than even their desire to claim Sam.
The emotional gulf between them couldn't be greater. Heaven help her when he discovered Sam had run away.