Light the Fire (Jackson's Hollow #1)

Chapter 43

As soon as Jo stepped out of her last class, she saw Ryker. She'd practically felt his presence, although admittedly, maybe that was just the small crowd of women eyeing up her man that cued her into his location.

If it wasn't for him being more than a head taller than most of the girls, she might not have been able to see him.

Highly irritating.

More on edge than she'd care to admit, Jo didn't even hesitate to march straight up through the group, her arm wrapping around Ryker's waist posessively as she sent the girls a dark stare. Then she ignored them to look up at Ryker. "Hey, babe."

Okay, maybe, that was a little louder than necessary.

Ryker's expression was amused as he looked down at her, but as always, he was more than happy to be physically and verbally affectionate. "Hey darlin'," he leaned down to kiss her lips first, then moved his kiss to the spot near her ear, chuckling at the face she made. "What, I thought we were into pet names now."

"Definitely not that one," Jo muttered, rolling her eyes. Still, she didn't step out of his embrace--it was a warm comfort after a very long day. A day of a lot of texting and checking in with her parents, who seemed stressed every time she checked in with them. She hated not being there yet.

Ryker squeezed her for a moment in a hug, then leaned back a little, checking her facial expression.

"How are you doing? Your parents holding up okay?"

Jo was vaguely aware in her peripheral vision of the group of girls giving up and moving away. Good riddance. More relaxed now, she sighed. "Okay as can be, I guess. I'm just ready to see them."

Ryker nodded and stepped back, holding out his hand for her to take. "Let's hit the road then."

It was roughly two and a half hours to get to Charlotte from Jackson's Hollow. Ryker stopped once when Jo looked longingly at a Starbucks sign, but besides the break for a venti iced mocha for her and a massive black coffee for him, the trip was straightforward. It warmed up the farther they went east; while the mountains were gearing up for the winter, the Piedmont region was starting to figure out it was supposed to get cooler. Summer was a very long season in North Carolina outside of the Smoky Mountains.

Luckily they weren't going into the city proper, since Ryker had grudgingly said he didn't like city driving. Jo's parents lived in a little suburb right outside of the city, so he didn't have to worry about driving his truck around in city traffic.

"This is it," she said, pointing to a little light grey two-story surrounded by tall hardwoods. It was a nice neighborhood, one of the older ones in the area. The yard was dotted with flowerbeds and a couple lawn ornaments. Beside the mailbox was a small replica of the Hatteras Lighthouse, a fan favorite among Outer Banks tourists. Her mother's parents had retired at the Outer Banks, so her family spent quite a bit of time down there.

"They're expecting us, right?" he asked as they pulled in.

"Yep," she replied, her hand already on the door handle. She knew her parents were fine, but something in her said they weren't, or at least they weren't until she actually laid eyes on them.

Even as she was getting out of the truck, the front door opened. "Jo!"

"Mom!" Jo rushed over and practically dove into her mother's arms.

Jo had taken after her mother, Maira, when it came to looks. She had her mom's light brown skin, the same dark hair, a similar height. Jo's brown eyes came from her father though, because her mom had deep green eyes.