Along Came Us (Man Enough)
Page 22
“You might not want to.” He wondered if it was a trigger for her.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. It was kind of hot.”
Well then. He grinned at her. “Come to my office.”
Leading her through the gym, he tried not to let himself think that this necessarily meant what he wanted it to mean. They hadn’t spoken much in the days since they’d picked up Caleb, and honestly, he wasn’t sure where her head was at, but he’d decided that after offering himself up like that, the ball was in her court.
He closed the door to his office and sat down beside her on the sofa. The minute they were close enough, she leaned over and kissed him. With a shocked grunt, Tyler steadied his body and lifted his hands to hold her. He kissed her back, loving the feel of her lips and tongue, and the sounds of contentment she made in her throat.
“God, I missed you,” he said when she finally pulled away. He wasn’t going to tell her this now, but he had begun to think that he was incapable of living without her no matter what she did to make a living. He’d just have to convince her harder to rely on him if she needed. Yeah, he was a sucker.
“I missed you too.” She kissed him once more and then sat up.
“It’s been six days,” he said.
She smiled. “You’ve been counting.”
“I’ve been forcing myself not to show up on your doorstep. So, tell me what happened with Caleb.”
Tyler had called her Monday evening to see how things had gone at the Juvenile Detention Center, and she’d filled him in briefly. That had been the majority of their short conversation. Now she told him a few more details. When she was finished, he only had one question.
“So, has the school contacted you?”
“No, but I called them and told them I didn’t want Caleb in classes with this guy or anything. I also called that teacher back and let her know what happened.”
Tyler ran his fingers back and forth over her arm as she spoke. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you. In a weird way, this whole thing made Caleb and me closer. We’ve been talking a lot. He’s even been sharing, which is nice.” She pushed her hair behind her ear, thinking. “There was actually this time . . . with his dad. . . . well, let’s just say he’d always been violent but one time he tried to be a little too nice.”
“Aw, babe.” He touched her face. “Caleb told me about it too.”
Her mouth dropped open. “He did? Why didn’t you tell me? Oh God . . .” She began to pull away.
“Hold on . . . don’t you get up. First of all, I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to know. We weren’t even together at the time, it was in California. And second, it was an intense moment between him and me. He shared it in confidence and I wasn’t going to betray him.”
“Wow.” Lia sighed, obviously trying to come to terms with this news. “I think . . .”
Tyler braced himself . . . dreading what might come from her mouth. Would she see this as another reason not to trust him? God, he hoped not.
“Please don’t let this be another thing between us, Lia. Eventually I would have brought it up if Caleb didn’t. And I was so proud of you when he told me how you’d defended yourself. I’m always so impressed with you. Amazed at your strength.”
Finally, she spoke. “I was going to say . . . I think you and I are going to have to sit down and spill every detail of our life stories.”
Tyler blew out his breath, his body sagging in relief. “I think that sounds like a good idea.”
“I do like to hear how impressed you are with me though,” she said. They smiled at each other. “I also came here to share some good news. Four amazing things happened to me this week.” She wiggled four fingers in his face.
“Four?” He grinned. “How did you manage to have such a great week without me?”
Lia laughed as Tyler began to drag her into his lap. She helped him, and when she was settled, her arm around his neck, she looked down into his eyes. “Number one is obviously no charges for Caleb.”
“Yes. That is a good thing.” Tyler placed a kiss on her nose.
“Number two might be the best. Well . . . maybe not.” She was practically vibrating with excitement. She began to explain to him what happened with her mother at the nursing home.
Tyler’s eyes went wide, realization dawning. Before he could speak, Lia placed a finger on his mouth, and he instantly grabbed it with his lips and bit down as she spoke. When she was finished, he had a thought.
“That’s really good news. But how old is this old lady? What if she kicks the bucket next week?”
Lia swatted playfully at his chest. “Tyler, that’s horrible! And I can’t think about that right now. The point is, Mom is happy and I don’t have to continue paying an arm and a leg for her room. The one payment I made nearly killed me. We’ll deal with Mrs. Butler’s death when it happens.”
“Yes, we will,” Tyler said. “Okay. So, that’s two.”
“Oh, okay, so three is that I officially have one month left of school until I graduate.”
“Very good news. And four?”
Lia leaned forward and rested her forehead on his. She ran a fingernail over his jaw. “Four is actually the best one.”
“Tell me,” he said, nipping at her lips.
“I quit.”
Tyler let his eye’s pinch shut as he sucked in a deep breath. He repeated the words back in his mind as she rested her hands on his cheeks.
“I want you to know,” she went on, “that I’d decided to quit before I found out about my mother.”
He opened his eyes. “How were you going to manage?”
“Well, my plan had been to maybe find another serving job in town and just work my ass off. But I’d also had a backup plan.
“And what was that?” he whispered.
“To move in with you.”
He grazed her cheek with the tip of his nose. “That sounds like a really good plan.”
She nodded. “A really, really good plan. I figure I may as well still stick with it. Just because.”
The corner of his lip quirked. “So, what are you saying, Lia Hanson?”
“I’m saying . . . I love you.”
He felt his chest expand at her words. He felt like he might burst. “You’re certain.”
“Very. I’ve loved you for a while. I was just afraid to trust it.”
“I still love you, just so we’re clear.”
Lia laughed. “Well, I was hoping so. And it’s a good thing, because living with a woman and a teenager isn’t always going to be easy.”
“Easier than living without you.”
She chuckled. “Damn, you’re good.”
EPILOGUE
Lia stepped into her heels inside Tyler’s walk-in closet. Technically it was now also her closet, but she’d only moved a small chunk of her belongings. Her lease was up at the end of the month, so they were slowly moving things from place to place. She was so ready to be a full-time resident with the man she loved.
Checking her hair and makeup in the mirror, she walked into the kitchen. “How do I look?”
Tyler put the coffeepot back under the drip and turned to look at her. His expression turned salacious. “You look delicious. Sure you don’t have time—”
“Oh no you don’t.” She put out a hand. “I spent way too much time getting ready.”
He just kissed her on the cheek and handed her a coffee mug. “You’re going to be great.”
“I really want this one. I know yesterday’s interview went well. But . . . I just really want this one. I made this weird connection with the lady at the job fair, and my first interview with her went really well last week.”
“Lia, there’s something I have to tell you.”
Her face fell. “What?”
“You know how I told you that Reeve’s girlfriend is Emily Phillips. The CEO of ALM Theaters?”
“Yes.”
“Well . . . a few months ago, I might have asked her if she’d pull str
ings and give you a job. I was being selfish. I wanted you to quit at the club.”
He locked eyes with her, looking all kinds of puppy dog guilty. Lia considered what he was saying. “So, you wanted me to quit bad enough that you were willing to ask your friends for favors?”
“I was. I’m sorry. This is me coming clean.”
“Sooo . . . does that mean I can expect a job offer today?” she said hopefully.
Tyler looked shocked. “No! She told me you wouldn’t appreciate my interference. And that she wasn’t part of hiring these positions anyway.”
Lia stepped into his arms and laughed. “I love that you were willing to help. But she’s right. I’ll be proud of myself when I land this job on my own.”
Tyler sighed, wrapping his arms around her. “I’ve been really nervous about telling you that. I didn’t want it to upset you.”
She placed a quick kiss on his lips. “I forgive you for trying to mantrol my life. Don’t do it again.”
Tyler growled and bit at her lips. “There is no controlling you, woman.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This series has been so much fun to write. I hope my readers are enjoying it as much as I am. Its exciting and varied subject matter has required me to reach out to some of my wonderful friends for their wisdom. Thank you so much, Dawn Allen, for sharing your thoughts and insight on long-term care, Medicaid, and Medicare. It’s such a complex and heartbreaking issue for anyone who finds themselves dealing with it. Also, a special thanks to Becky Seidler, for your expertise on juvenile detention/intake matters. The internet is so helpful, but can never replace firsthand experience. Any mistakes are of course my own.
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About the Author
Nicole McLaughlin wrote her first full-length book (6 pages) about the birth of her baby sister, when she was eight years old. She only finished it because her mother bribed her with a Rick Astley cassette tape. Sad, but true. Now her characters are what keep her writing and her subject matter has gotten a little bit deeper and a lot more romantic. She resides in a small town outside of Kansas City with her husband and three sons. When she isn’t writing, she’s a wedding and portrait photographer who loves to cook and watch historical dramas or documentaries. Nicole is the author of two series with St. Martin’s Press: the Man Enough series (All I Ask) and Whiskey and Weddings (Maybe I Do). Visit her website at: nicolemclaughlinbooks.com.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
About the Author
Copyright Page
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
ALONG CAME US. Copyright © 2017 by Nicole McLaughlin.
All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover photographs: Couple © Nd3000/iStock; Flag © phloxii/Shutterstock.com.
Author photograph © Nicole McLaughlin.
eISBN 9781250120083 (ebook)
First eBook Edition: June 2017
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