Dare to Take (Dare to Love #6)

by Carly Phillips

  “Good morning. I have coffee and donuts,” she said with a wide smile, her voice cheerful. “Jelly or powdered sugar?” she asked.

  “I’ll take option three. You. So put everything down and come here.” He patted the side of the bed.

  She placed the coffee and bag on the nightstand, kicked off her flip-flops, and joined him on the bed. “Are you upset about what you saw last night?” she asked.

  “My father? I’m not thrilled, but you took the edge off,” he said, pulling her into his arms.

  “What are you going to do with the information?” she asked.

  He breathed in the scent of floral shampoo in her soft hair, his dick rising to the occasion. “I’m not sure. I’ve gone over it in my head… My first instinct was to talk to Alex,” he said of the half brother he was closest to of all his half siblings. “But then I realized I’d be putting him in the same position I was in when I was a kid.”

  She sighed and leaned her head against his chest. “Except he’s an adult.”

  “Still not a burden I want to put on him.”

  She nodded against him. “I get that. What about talking to your mother? You mentioned yesterday feeling guilty about not telling her you knew about your father’s affair earlier than the rest of the family. Maybe you could use last night as the impetus to open up to her. I’m sure she’ll understand, and I know it’ll help you feel better.”

  He leaned his head back and glanced at the ceiling. Her suggestion settled something that had always crowded his chest, causing him pain and guilt. Talking to his mom would probably ease a great burden and maybe even rid him of any uncertainties about his ability to make an emotional commitment.

  “How did you get to be so smart?” he asked her.

  “I don’t know. Maybe because that’s what I’d do if I were lucky enough to have my mom to go to,” she said in a soft, wistful voice that made his heart clench and filled him with the desire to give her everything she was missing in her life.

  And for the first time, he thought he was closer to being able to do just that.

  Chapter Nine

  After a weekend that ended way too soon, Tyler took Ella home to her apartment so she could unpack and organize herself to come home with him for an indeterminate amount of time.

  “I really would prefer to stay here at my place,” Ella said, not for the first time since he’d informed her of his plan to keep her safe.

  “And I’d prefer whoever was looking for something didn’t know where you live. We don’t always get what we want.”

  She frowned at his gruff tone. Well, hell. What did she expect? After a weekend of intense intimacy, she was pulling away. He didn’t blame her for not wanting to disrupt her life, but she didn’t have to act so damned cavalier about leaving him.

  She rubbed her arms and sighed. “Fine. I’ll swap out my suitcase and pack up some things.”

  “Don’t sound so thrilled about spending more time with me,” he muttered.

  “That’s not how I mean it.” She walked over, placing a hand on his waist. “I just don’t want us to get too … comfortable with the situation.”

  “Us?” he asked, calling her out. “Or you?” Because for his part, he wasn’t ready to drop her off here and leave her alone.

  “Come on, Tyler. Neither one of us is in this for the long haul. You, especially. Isn’t this the longest you’ve been with any one woman? And let’s face it, necessity is driving some of this togetherness.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “Really? After this weekend, that’s how you want to play it?”

  She exhaled a long breath. “I’m sorry. I am. I’m just on edge,” she said, but he didn’t believe that was the real reason.

  She was uptight about them. And he needed to get his shit together completely so he could do something about it.

  “I’ll go pack,” she said, and he let her go.

  A little while later, she returned, with two suitcases. “I have my laundry too,” she said, placing the rolling bags near the front door.

  “There’s a pile of mail here,” he reminded her. “Want to go through it before we go?”

  She nodded. “Might as well. I usually catch up on the weekends, and I missed this one.” She stopped by the table and sorted through her mail, tossing the garbage aside. “Oh, look! Wedding invitation.” She looked on the back and smiled. “Your mom.”

  He smiled at that. “We all had our doubts when she met Michael, but he’s been nothing but good to her. She deserves to be happy.”

  “That she does.” She placed the invitation in her purse and looked through the last few items, freezing when she came to a plain white envelope, then dropping it to the floor as if it were poisoned.

  “Ella?”

  She didn’t answer, so Tyler knelt down and retrieved the letter, glancing at the return address, a penitentiary in Florida.

  “Oh shit.” He rose and met her gaze. “When was the last time you heard from your father?”

  “Not for almost ten years.” She swallowed hard. “My aunt used to take me to see him because … well, he was my dad. But the visits were awkward, nobody spoke, and eventually we agreed going to the prison wasn’t something either of us wanted.”

  “He hasn’t written to you before?” he asked, because her reaction had been one of true surprise.

  She shook her head. “It was like I was orphaned at fourteen,” she whispered, breaking his heart. “What could he want now?” she asked.

  He had no idea. He wrapped an arm around her, any lingering anger at her earlier withdrawal gone in a sudden burst of understanding. If she’d felt orphaned at fourteen, there was no way she had any basis of trust or faith in other people, he thought, a lump rising to his throat.

  “Come on,” he said, leading her toward the door. “We can talk about it over a drink at my place.”

  “Or maybe we can pretend I never received it in the first place,” she muttered.

  He’d let her get away with that for just so long. Long enough to process her feelings before he pushed her to resolve her childhood issues. She’d have to in order to have a future. And more and more, he was convinced he wanted that future to be with him.

  * * *

  Living with Tyler, Ella’s emotions were all over the place, and now she had her father’s letter to add to her worries. It was one thing to endure the knowledge that her father was in jail and they were estranged, another to hear from him, which brought up all sorts of painful memories and feelings of betrayal. Even at twenty-seven years old, she wasn’t past the hurt.

  She hadn’t read the note, wasn’t sure she wanted to. She tucked it away in her purse and tried to forget about it. She had other more pressing issues to deal with. Namely, her temporary change in address. Tyler lived in a house in Weston, not far from where his mother resided, one that he was renovating in his spare time and bringing in help when he needed it for bigger, more complicated jobs. He said he enjoyed the downtime and working with his hands. Considering she knew how talented he was with those hands, yeah. She figured he was putting his free time to good use.

  He insisted she stay in his room, and since they were already sleeping together, she couldn’t really argue. He drove her to and from work, wanting to be aware if someone was following her, and though she appreciated his diligence and caring, it was just another way she was getting too used to having him around. Making it even more difficult when things inevitably ended. In her world, good things usually did.

  Yet for the next week, life fell into a normal routine. And Ella did well with routines. Routines had kept her centered as a child when she had little else to rely on. Life was normal. Or as normal as it could be with someone having tried to break into her apartment. Luke, it turned out, had taken a flight to St. Lucia to look into the mugging and break-in further. So on that count, Ella was in waiting mode.

  With no other alternative, she pushed any negative thoughts out of her head and just lived. She did her job during the day, and at night s
he had dinner and amazing sex with Tyler. She’d never been in a relationship that clicked or worked, and there was a symmetry and sense of peace she was finding now. At the very least, she knew she was capable of more than she’d experienced before Tyler, giving her hope for her future. A future she refused to dwell on because … hello, she wasn’t going to be negative and think about whether he would be in the picture even a week from now, after her situation was resolved.

  The weekend rolled around and they decided to relax at home. Well, Ella relaxed while Tyler worked on the house. She couldn’t say she minded the view, watching the substantial muscles in his back and arms flex as he moved. Although she claimed she was binge-watching a show, she’d admit to being distracted by the one he was unintentionally putting on. But when he started to use the sander, she nabbed his sound-proof headphones and watched TV in another room.

  She prepared him lunch, a pesto pasta salad, with rotini pasta, tomato, and fresh mozzarella cheese, and he took a break to eat before getting back to work, thankfully not with the noisy sander.

  She was finally relaxing and unwinding, just enjoying … life, when the doorbell rang.

  “I’ve got it,” she called.

  Tyler came up behind her, his warm body close to hers. “What are you doing? I can answer the door by myself.”

  “Just being safe.”

  She doubted anyone was going to come looking for her here, but she stepped aside and let him do his thing. He looked through the side window.

  “It’s Avery,” he said, opening the door and letting her in.

  “Hi, you two!” Avery said, joining them inside. She wore a pair of tight jeans and a loose, flowing Bohemian top in a mix of neutral colors and matching sandals.

  “Hi!” Ella exclaimed, happy to see her friend.

  “Just happen to be in the neighborhood?” Tyler asked, leaning against the side window.

  “Good to see you too,” Avery said, kissing her brother’s cheek.

  “Actually, though, I was sort of in the neighborhood. I was visiting with Mom, and you’re not far out of the way.”

  “Lucky me,” he said with a wink. He liked to give her a hard time, but Tyler loved his sister, and Ella grinned, warmed by the relationship between the siblings.

  “Well, good thing I’m not here to see you. I missed my best friend.”

  Ella tipped her head toward Avery. “Aww. Me too.” She hugged her friend tight. “I hate having that empty room in the apartment, you know. We had a lot of fun.”

  “Something tells me you’re having a lot of fun now.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

  “On that note, I’ll leave you two alone,” Tyler said, escaping from his sister’s prying gaze.

  Avery laughed aloud. “So,” she said, turning to Ella. “Are you having fun?”

  “You’re a goof. And even if I wanted to tell you, neither one of us wants to discuss my fun with your brother.”

  “Eew.” Avery wrinkled her nose and nodded. “Point taken.”

  “Come on in.” Ella gestured for her friend to follow her to the kitchen. “Can I get you anything to eat or drink?” she asked, playing hostess … in Tyler’s house, which felt odd.

  “No thanks.” Avery sat down at the smooth wood kitchen table and glanced around. “I realize this place is a work in progress, but you really need to spruce it up. It needs warmth. A woman’s touch.”

  Ella rolled her eyes as she sat down beside Avery. “It’s not my house.”

  Avery leaned in close, whispering, “Tyler’s never brought a woman home with him before either.”

  “Well, maybe that’s because no woman in his life has ever gotten herself into trouble before.” Ella wasn’t here because she was his girlfriend, and Avery knew all the updated details from their phone conversations. Ella was here so Tyler could make sure she was safe. Sex was a side benefit they’d both agreed upon earlier in their … relationship.

  “I admit I was worried about that when we last spoke about you two being together, but he moved you in here. And when Grey moved me in with him, believe me, there was a hidden agenda. He wanted me with him and not just because of some stalker. So,” she said, lowering her voice. “If my brother has you here, there’s more to it than just safety.” She nodded, as if she was wholly sure of herself.

  But Ella couldn’t afford to be so cavalier, because it was her heart on the line. Every night, when he thrust deep within her body and came without a condom inside her, she fell harder. She just refused to let herself acknowledge the words. The truth.

  “Okay, change of subject. What else is going on with you?”

  Ella glanced down, knowing she had to talk to someone about her father. Tyler had been gracious enough to give her space, but Avery had known her way back when. She’d been there for her when her life had been shattered by his selfish choices, so maybe she was the one to guide her now.

  “I got a letter from my dad,” she said.

  “Oh, Ella. What did he say?”

  She shrugged, embarrassed to admit the truth. “I haven’t read it. I’ve been numb since it arrived. There were so many years when I wished he’d step up and be my father, and time after time, he disappointed me. I don’t want to be hurt by him again.”

  Avery reached for her hand. “But you’re hurting now, aren’t you? Just thinking about the letter, you’re hurting. So why not rip off the Band-Aid and see what’s underneath?”

  Ella exhaled a slow breath. “I’m scared.”

  “I know you are. And if you want me there when you read it, I will be. If you’d rather be alone, that’s okay too.”

  “Thank you,” she said over the lump in her throat. She knew she’d have to deal with the letter sooner rather than later. Just not right now.

  They caught up about Avery’s job, Grey’s recording session, and other typical girl things. It was great to spend time with her best friend again. They were laughing over a joke Avery had read on Facebook when they were interrupted by the distinctive ring of Avery’s cell phone.

  Seconds later, Tyler’s cell rang across the house. A concerned look crossed Avery’s face, and she checked her phone. “It’s my mom.”

  She answered her phone. “Mom, what’s up?”

  As she listened, the color drained from her face, and Ella rose, grabbing on to her for support. “I’m with Tyler and Ella. We’ll all be right there.”

  She dropped the phone, and Ella disconnected the call for her. “What’s wrong?”

  “Olivia went into premature labor and something’s wrong. We have to go now,” she said at the same moment Tyler entered the room, his color as white as Avery’s.

  Ella rose, taking control. “Tyler, go put clean clothes on. We’ll all go to the hospital together.” She needed to be strong for them, even if she was as panicked and as frightened as they were.

  * * *

  Tyler paced the same waiting room the family had shared while waiting for Scott and Meg’s baby to be born. Unlike that happy occasion, today everyone was silent, trying not to panic. Only Meg and Scott were home with their newborn, sitting by the phone, waiting for a call.

  Tyler didn’t know much, just that Olivia had developed sudden and severe pain along with extremely heavy bleeding. Dylan had rushed her to the hospital, called Emma, and here they all were. They took turns pacing, sitting, worrying.

  And all the while, Ella never left his side, for which he was grateful. She’d been a rock for both him and Avery, from the minute their phones had rung.

  “With this many people praying for her and the baby, everything has to be okay,” he muttered when the silence surrounding him became too much.

  Ella squeezed his hand. “I hope so.”

  Another hour had passed when Avery jumped up from her seat. “I have to go ask a nurse what’s going on,” she said, her voice shaking. “I can’t just sit here and wait.” She headed for the door, Grey right behind her.

  “Can’t say I blame her,” Tyler muttered. He liked to think of himself
as a man of action. Doing nothing while his sister was going through who knew what didn’t sit right with him.

  He rose to his feet just as Avery returned. “I found a nurse who promised to get someone to give us news soon.”

  Soon turned out to be another thirty minutes, and Tyler counted every single one of them.

  Finally, Dylan strode in, looking exhausted and wiped out. “Everything’s okay,” he said before anyone could jump on him with questions. “At least for now.”

  Emma walked over and pulled him in close. “How are you?” she asked.

  “I’m holding up.”

  “What’s going on?” Tyler asked.

  Dylan ran a hand over his goatee. “Olivia was nauseous, so I had her lie down, then she started having what she thought were contractions, and then she began hemorrhaging. I rushed her here. They did a non-stress test and an ultrasound. The baby looks okay, but they’re not sure what’s going on.” He exhaled a tired breath. “The important thing now is to try and hold off labor. At the very least, they’d like to get her to thirty-seven weeks, and we’re at thirty-six. If the contractions continue, though, we’re having a baby tonight.”

  Dylan glanced around the room, his gaze taking in the entire family. “I’m really grateful you’re all here, but I think you can go home and wait for a call. If they stop the contractions, there’s no baby tonight, but we could still be here for the duration. At least until she’s stable.”

  “Thank you, Dylan.” Emma kissed him on the cheek. “Go back to my daughter and tell her I’m with her in spirit.”

  “Thank you,” he said in a gruff voice. He inclined his head and walked out.

  “I’m not leaving,” Emma immediately said, her voice cracking with emotion.

  Michael, her fiancé, a man Tyler and all of his siblings had come to respect, took her hand. “You need to rest. What good will you be to Olivia if she needs you if you’re too exhausted to stand?”

  “He’s right,” Ian added. “I’m taking Riley home too. Rainey’s got a cold and we want to check on her.”