their loved ones goes overseas for military duty. At least we get to see each other often and we can talk on the phone every day.”
Ryan crawled onto me, playfully biting me on the neck.
“You worry too much. Besides, I have it all figured out,” he murmured devilishly on my skin.
“Oh you do, do you?” I snickered. I rubbed my hands over his shoulders and down his back to massage his muscles.
“Mmmhmm,” he murmured, kissing my cheek. “We’re going to take it one day at a time - together.”
I was still kissing him when I blinked. Our thirty-six hours together flew by and was quickly coming to an end. Ryan had a Sunday night flight back
to Miami.
“Hey Mike!” I hugged Ryan’s faithful bodyguard when he came to pick Ryan up for their trip to the airport. “You taking good care of my man
down there?” I asked.
“You know me, Taryn. I carry a big stick!” Mike joked.
“Good! Keep all of those fans off of him!” I laughed.
“Fourteen days,” Ryan whispered in my ear. “Bring your swim suit, ‘cause I’m sneaking you off to the Keys for a day.”
I grinned at him. “I can’t wait! You have everything you need?”
“Yeah, I have enough clean clothes now to last me a while. Kiss me, we’ve got to go.” Ryan nuzzled me.
“Mike, don’t forget Ryan’s guitar.” I picked up the case. “Do you want me to carry it out to the car?”
“No. Just stay inside, Taryn. The paparazzi are out there,” Mike groaned.
“I love you, Honey.” Ryan kissed me. “I’ll call you tonight when I get to the hotel.”
The second the back door opened, cameras started to click. I saw Ryan quickly jump into the black sedan before our new steel door closed
completely behind him.
The beginning of February brought bitter cold and a fine layer of snow and ice to Rhode Island. It also froze in place a few other annoyances –
several paparazzi still lingered behind.
I was cleaning up the bar Tuesday night when Cory pounded on the front door. I had closed early on account of the bad weather. Alcohol and
freezing rain never mixed well.
“Taryn, my car won’t start.” Cory breathed on his hands to warm them up. “Oh, and do you have any rock salt for the sidewalk? It’s really icy out
there.”
I put my heavy coat and gloves on and grabbed the bag of rock salt from the office.
“Whoa!” I shouted as I slipped on the ice outside my door. Cory caught me before I hit the ground.
“Careful!” he reminded me.
“Damn! It’s like an ice rink out here.” I stuck a plastic cup inside the bag and tossed salt all over my portion of the sidewalk.
“Told you!” Cory teased. “You think you can give me a ride home?”
“Cory, I can’t drive in this. It’s too dangerous.” I could barely stand without slipping. “Why don’t you just crash here tonight,” I suggested. “You can
stay in the guest room.”
“Hey, if you don’t mind. Classes are going to be cancelled tomorrow anyway,” Cory said, sprinkling more salt near the curb. “I wonder if Mario’s
Pizza is still open?”
I tried to walk back to the bag of salt to refill my cup but I couldn’t get a footing on the patch of ice I was standing on.
“Help!” I whimpered. “I’m stuck here. I can’t move!”
Cory laughed at me. “What? Can’t you ice skate?”
“Not in duck boots!” I laughed.
“Here. Take my hand. I’ll pull you to safety.” Cory slid me across the ice. I laughed out loud because it was actually a lot of fun.
“You need to buy boots with traction,” Cory informed. “Those things have no bite.”
I started slipping again so I grabbed his arm.
“Come on… I’ll tow you over to the door before you fall and break an ass cheek out here!”
“Very funny. Can you even break an ass cheek?” I asked.
“You want to find out?” he jeered.
“No! Just help me to the door before I do though.”
Cory laughed. “Even if you could drive me home, I’m picturing you stranded out here on the sidewalk all night. You’ll be a frozen Popsicle by
morning.”
“Shut it or no slumber party tonight! I was going to make popcorn.”
“This is going to be so much fun!” Cory used a feminine voice. “We can stay up all night and paint our nails and talk about boys!”
The next morning the sun was bright and warm, melting some of the ice.
“Careful Taryn,” Cory warned. “It’s still icy in some spots.” He held out his hand to me.
Cory and I made it twenty feet down the sidewalk before three paparazzi descended on us.
“Who’s the new guy, Taryn?” one pesky photographer asked. “Is this your new boyfriend?”
“No, absolutely not,” I answered directly back to the paparazzi. My reply to that asinine question was now captured digitally.
“Why the hell do they keep taking our picture?” Cory muttered to me under his breath. We were tucked beneath the hood of my car trying to
jumpstart his truck with my Infiniti.
“They’re taking my picture,” I quietly informed him.
“Go sit inside your car,” he groaned softly, trying to be stealthy with his comment. “This is ridiculous! Does Ryan go through this all the time?”
“Yeah.” I nodded.
“Poor guy,” Cory whispered. “This shit would drive me nuts.”
“Okay, guys.” I held up my hand to tell the photographers that I had enough. “Friend… ice storm… dead battery… you get the point, right?”
I saw the old, Italian photographer shuffling along the sidewalk, trying to catch up to the other vultures.
“Jimmy Pop, be careful! It’s really icy there. If you fall, you’re really going to hurt yourself,” I warned.
“You need help, Miss Taryn?” Jimmy asked me. His camera was slung over his shoulder instead of taking my photo. He was sincerely
concerned.
“No thank you, Jimmy. Cory’s battery is dead,” I nicely replied. “I think we have it under control.”
“Okay. How’s Mister Ryan?” Jimmy’s wrinkled face curled with his question.
“He’s good, Jimmy.” I smiled. “He is nice and warm in Florida. How are you?”
“Oh my hands hurt,” he moaned. “I guess you can’t tell me when Mister Ryan is coming back? This cold…” Jimmy shivered and tossed his lit
cigarette into the street.
“Jimmy,” I whined lightly, “you know I can’t say.”
“I know.” Jimmy came closer to me. His eyes scanned back and forth to see who could be listening.
“Be careful when you’re outside,” he whispered, cautioning me with his eyes. “You know what I tell you?”
“Yes, Jimmy.” I nodded.
“Then go back inside, quickly Miss Taryn,” Jimmy advised.
“Okay, I will. If you ever want to warm up, you’re always welcome inside my pub,” I whispered back to him.
“Bless you, dear! Now go, quickly,” Jimmy sighed.
Four days after Ryan flew back to Florida, it was reported in the tabloids that Ryan ended our relationship and moved out. Pictures of Ryan
looking annoyed and sad, getting into the black sedan while Mike packed the trunk with Ryan’s belongings were published.
The reason Ryan supposedly ended our relationship was captured in pictures as welclass="underline" The unfaithful Taryn Mitchell – holding hands and
frolicking in the snow with the cute bartender who works for her.
I was glad that I told Ryan about Cory staying over on the same night that it happened so he knew exactly why there were photographs of Cory
and me together. It still didn’t prevent the lies from being written:
Love on the Rocks
Ryan’s rep may be denying the breakup, but there was no denying what we saw going on at the heartthrob’s secret Seaport, Rhode Island
hideaway over the weekend!
Ryan Christensen and his bodyguard were seen leaving at 7PM on Sunday, stepping out with several pieces of luggage and personal items.
They then headed directly to the airport, where Ryan quickly departed back to Miami. “Ryan didn’t stay long after personally collecting his