Dare to Take (Dare to Love 6)

“Or at least get the phone chain started,” Dylan said with a laugh. “Ask everyone but Emma to hold off visiting until tonight, okay? Olivia is wiped out and slightly anemic from loss of blood.”

“I will. I’m so fucking relieved and happy for you.” Tyler extended his hand for Dylan to shake. “Give my sister a ki

ss for me.”

Dylan grinned. “Will do. I can’t thank you enough for staying the night, but you two should go home and get some sleep.”

Tyler rose, helping Ella to her feet. “Can’t argue with that idea.” He patted Dylan on the back before the other man left, heading back to his wife.

Tyler, looking adorably disheveled in a pair of jeans and an old tee shirt he’d changed into before they left for the hospital yesterday, turned to Ella.

She’d changed too, but she had a hunch adorable wasn’t a word she’d use to describe what she looked like this morning.

“What do you say we get some breakfast before heading home?” he asked.

The word home took her off guard. His house wasn’t her home. Her stomach chose that moment to grumble, loudly. “Umm, sure. Breakfast sounds good,” she said, grateful for the distraction.

“Okay, let me make a few phone calls, and we’re good to go.”

After the family had been notified, they headed over to a Waffle House near the hospital. Starving, Ella shamelessly ordered a stack of chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and a steaming cup of coffee, hoping to jump-start herself for the day.

Their orders arrived quickly, and Ella didn’t hesitate or take time for small talk. She dug into the delicious-smelling meal and didn’t come up for air until she heard Tyler laughing.

She glanced at him over her coffee cup, then slowly lowered it to the table. “What?” she asked.

“A girl after my own heart. I love your appetite.”

Her cheeks burned hot. “We missed dinner,” she muttered.

“I know.” He waved his hand over his empty plate, his Spanish omelet, home fries, and fruit all gone too. “I was just enjoying watching you.” He studied her with amusement in his navy eyes.

“Well, it was good. And now I’m full.” Because there was nothing left on her plate, not that she’d admit as much.

“Then my mission is accomplished.” He winked at her and took a sip of his coffee.

She sighed. “Well, the one good thing about that meal is that I got my second wind.”

“Me too. Did you want to go home and get lucky?” he asked, those sexy eyes staring into hers.

She wished that was what she had in mind. “Much as I’d love to, I had something much more serious I wanted to talk to you about.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”

She swallowed hard. Ever since watching him take on his father on behalf of his sister and the rest of the family, her mind hadn’t stopped spinning with thoughts of her dad and her own family. Or lack thereof.

“Last night, when you confronted Robert Dare, I was—”

“Turned on by my inner alpha?”

She shook her head and laughed. “Yes to that. But I was also inspired by the closeness you share with your family and the passionate way you stood up for yourself at last.”

He leaned in close. “Not that I’m not flattered, but I sense you have a bigger point to make than complimenting me?”

She shrugged. “Caught me. Actually you got me thinking about all the unresolved issues in my own life.”

He reached across the table and clasped her hand in his warm, bigger one. “You’re talking about the letter from your father, aren’t you?”

She nodded.