“Have you read it?”
“No.” She curled her hand around his, drawing strength from his support, his presence, his touch. “I’ve been afraid.”
“I’m proud of you and I’m here for you, whatever you need,” he promised.
She smiled at that. “Thank you. It’s already because of you that I’m ready to read it. You gave me courage.”
“I’ll give you a lot more than that if you give me the chance,” he said in a low, husky rumble.
She squirmed in her seat at his sex-infused tone of voice. Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to head home and climb into bed with Tyler, making the most of whatever time they had together. She meant what she’d said. She absolutely intended to deal with her father’s letter. After she let Tyler have his way with her.
* * *
Tyler lived up to his promise at the Waffle House, bringing Ella home and making sure she was well pleasured. They spent the day alternating making love and napping because they’d had very little sleep the night before. Dinner consisted of takeout pizza and binge-watching TV before they crashed early, knowing they had work the next day.
As he dropped her off at work, leaning across the car for a prolonged kiss, he realized how his life had changed in a short time. And how much he was grateful for the shift.
He’d never thought he’d become domesticated, despite buying a house. A part of him had thought he might finish the place and flip it, making money on the resale. But now, having had Ella here for the last week or so, he liked the routine they’d fallen into. He loved knowing he’d see her at the end of every day, listening to her animated stories of her workday on the ride home. He even enjoyed the bickering over what to eat for dinner, who’d cook and who would clean, and what to watch on TV.
He knew his feelings for her were deep, and growing every day. And when she’d curled up with him on the couch, staying with him at the hospital when she could have caught a ride home with Avery and Grey, he acknowledged what he’d already known deep down inside.
He was in love with her.
She was everything he’d never known he wanted or needed in his life. Someone who put up with his shit, who understood his past and hang-ups and current needs. She stuck by him during tough times, as last weekend and last night had proved. Now he needed to do the same for her, or when this mess with her being followed was over, he’d lose her for good.
According to Luke, he was on to something with her boss and was digging deeper. Tyler wasn’t surprised, considering everything had started in St. Lucia. But he didn’t share the information with Ella just yet. She wouldn’t be comfortable at work, and his gut told him the boss herself wasn’t the direct issue. Something else was going on. And until Luke figured it all out, Tyler intended to use his time with Ella to his advantage.
But right now, he had to head over to his mother’s. She’d visited with Olivia and her new granddaughter this morning, something Ella and Tyler planned to do after work today. He was meeting up with his mom at her house this afternoon.
He found her in the kitchen, an explosion of pots and pans around her.
“Testing recipes for an upcoming cooking class,” she explained, wiping her hand on her apron and rushing over to greet him. His mother had begun teaching cooking classes out of the house, feeding a passion she’d always had. They’d eaten well growing up, he recalled fondly.
His mother hugged him, and he grinned at the mixed scent of cinnamon and the perfume he always associated with his mother, a warm, familiar smell that reminded him of home. He squeezed her tight. “Hi, Grandma.”
She laughed with delight. “That never gets old. Did you hear? They named the baby Annie,” she said, smiling wide.
“I heard. Ella and I are going over to visit tonight.”
“That’s good. Now, let’s talk,” she said, getting right to the point of this visit. “Because what I witnessed last night was very unlike you.”
“How about I sit down?”
She waved him toward the barstools near where she was working, and he settled in.
“That bad?” his mother asked. She untied her apron and smoothed the wrinkles in her taupe slacks and white blouse. His mother was always dressed well, no matter what she chose to do.
He shrugged. “Well … yeah.”
“Why don’t you start at the beginning,” she suggested, sitting down beside him.
“Okay. I went to a small out-of-the-way restaurant last weekend, and I ran into Dad.”
“He was out with Savannah?” his mother asked.
Over the years, they’d all come to terms with the facts of their lives. Robert had remarried and moved on. And finally Tyler’s mother was doi
ng the same.