Beyond the Cherry Trees: The Cook Brothers Series

by Heather D'Agostino

  When I stepped outside into the cold winter air, I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my lips. I was ok. Tyler and I were going to be ok, and Garett was brilliant. I turned toward my apartment and bounced down the sidewalk without a care in the world. Today undoubtedly couldn’t get any better.

  IT HAD BEEN a busy couple of days, but when I got the text from Mia saying we were good, I couldn’t help but smile. I had been praying that my fuck-up hadn’t royally screwed us. She didn’t know about Chrissi, and I was still trying to figure out how to tell her that one. Putting her in the same situation would be the end of us for sure. Speaking of Chrissi, she’d been following me around the office the last couple of days like a shadow. I understood it at first, but the case she’s helping me with is getting ready to go to trial. We’re pretty much all set, and it’s just a waiting game. I’ve told her this, and she knows it herself too, but she’s pretty much turned the corner of my office into her own personal space.

  “You know you can do that in your office, right?” I looked over at where she was typing away on her iPad. I was annoyed and trying to get her to catch on, but she either was oblivious or didn’t care.

  “I know,” she shrugged. “But this chair is more comfortable for my back.” She shifted and kicked off her shoes in the process. “You know, being pregnant is no cake walk. My feet hurt. They’ve swelled so much that my shoes don’t fit right. My back aches, and now my clothes are starting to get tight.” She glared at me as she set the iPad on her lap.

  In the beginning, I had thought that this whole pregnancy thing was some mean trick of hers, but over the last several days, her baby bump has started to show. At first, it just looked like she had gained a little weight, but yesterday when she showed up in pants with this snug sweater on, you could clearly see the small swell. I’d been avoiding looking at it, talking about it, and pretty much anything related to it. Chrissi hadn’t spoken a word in the office to anyone, but the fact that she remained camped out in mine brought with it lots of office gossip.

  “People are talking, Chrissi,” I groaned as I twisted my chair in her direction.

  “Let them talk,” she flipped her hand in the air. “I haven’t said anything to anyone.”

  “What have you told your father? He has to have noticed by now,” I motioned up and down with my hand in front of her.

  “Nothing. I told him that I met someone, and we weren’t ready to tell him about it yet.” She shrugged one shoulder as her eyes wandered in the direction of the window.

  “And he accepted that?” I scoffed. Henry Stark was never one to just accept an answer without getting all the details. He was the type to hound you until you finally gave in. There was no way that this was going away as quietly as Chrissi was making it out.

  “For now,” she murmured as she glanced back down at her iPad. “Wanna get lunch together?” she mused.

  “No,” I turned back to my computer screen and started clicking through the files I’d been looking at. I needed to get back to work, and I needed her to either leave me alone or leave all together.

  “You don’t have to be such a dick,” she muttered as she shifted in the chair. I tried ignoring her, but with the way she was carrying on, you would have thought she was already nine months pregnant. She moaned and grumbled as she made as much noise as possible trying to stand. I huffed a few times before I gave in and looked over to see what she was doing, and the moment my eyes connected with her, I wished I hadn’t. She had her back to me as she leaned over, sticking her ass in my direction, while she reached for her purse sitting on the floor. Her belly wasn’t really big enough to get in the way yet, and I knew all the hemming and hawing was just her way of getting me to look over at her.

  “Did you need something?” I growled as she looked back at me from her bent position. She smirked at me before nibbling her lower lip and shaking her head slowly. “Then get out so I can work,” I tugged at my hair.

  “You know,” —she stood up and turned toward me— “you seem a little tense.” She slowly sauntered over to my desk and rounded the corner so she was right beside me. “I could help you with that,” her voice lowered to a sultry timbre as she ran her hands down my chest, stopping right at my lap. She was bent over so her tits were right in my face, and as she tugged at my belt buckle, I finally jumped into action.

  “Stop!” I pried her fingers from me and gripped her wrists. “I told you I’m with someone now.” I pushed gently to get her to step back. The last thing I wanted to do was piss her off. Christina was crazy at times, and I had no idea if or when she’d decide that she didn’t like my response to her situation.

  “Your loss,” she shrugged as she stepped back and began making her way to my door. “I’ll see ya later, Ty.” She waved her fingers as a small grin tugged at her lips. “You be a good boy while I’m gone,” she giggled before stepping out into the hall and finally leaving me alone.

  I could hear her muffled voice as she moved farther and farther down the hall, but I couldn’t tell who she was talking to, and at the moment I didn’t care. All I wanted was to finish up what I was working on so I could leave in time to have dinner with Mia.

  BY THE TIME I showered and fixed myself up, it was well past noon. It wasn’t really lunch time, but I knew Tyler had a habit of eating protein bars at his desk so I thought I had a pretty good chance of catching him in his office. I smiled to myself as I glanced in the mirror at my reflection. I had slipped on a pair of dark jeans and paired them with a soft pink blouse. It was dressy but still casual at the same time. I’d left my hair down since Ty liked it that way best, and put on a light dusting of makeup.

  I slipped on my brown Uggs then buttoned my coat, grabbed my purse, and made my way outside. I decided to take a taxi so I wouldn’t have to walk so far in the snow. It was a blustery day, and the snow had been coming down steady all morning. When I reached the front of the building, one of my neighbors was climbing out of a cab and held it for me. It worked out perfect, and I smiled in appreciation.

  The ride to Ty’s office was quick. I think it only took me about twenty minutes. I thanked the cabbie as I climbed from the back seat to stare up at the large glass structure. I wondered what Tyler’s view was like from up there, and bounced on my toes at the possibility of finding out.

  Hughes, Langstaff, and Roe was on the thirty-first floor, and when I stepped off the elevator I all but gasped at my surroundings. Ty had done well for himself. The doors to the office were glass and trimmed in gold. The reception area had a gas fireplace on one wall with plush leather chairs surrounding it. A small table was across the room and sitting atop was a thermos that I assumed held coffee.

  A desk was across from the door, and a young woman was sitting behind it. I swallowed as I approached her. I’d never been here before, and Ty wasn’t expecting me. Would she even let me back to his office? “Good afternoon,” she smiled as she appraised me. “Do you have an appointment?”

  “Um, no. I was wondering if I could see Tyler Cook.” I nibbled my lip as I waited anxiously.

  “Mr. Cook’s very busy. Is this an emergency?” She folded her hands on the desk in front of her indicating she did not intend to let me back.

  “No ma’am,” I sighed as I glanced around. I started to reach into my purse and text him letting him know that I was here when a woman not much younger that me came giggling around the corner. She stopped when she saw me and tipped her head to the side like she was trying to figure something out. “I’ll just call him,” I muttered as I turned but the other woman started talking and stopped me.

  “I’m going to go grab some food, Becky. Do you want anything?” she rummaged through her purse like she was in search of something. “Mr. Stubborn back there says he’s fine.”

  “A coffee would be nice,” Becky, the woman behind the desk, smiled. “Ty never eats. You should know that by now.” This caused my head to snap in their direction.

  “You should see him when we get Chinese,” I mutter
ed. “The man is a pig,” I rolled my eyes as I started shuffling toward the door to leave.

  “Wait!” Becky’s hand flew up. “How do you know Tyler?” She watched me as two sets of curious eyes appraised me.

  “He’s my boyfriend,” I shrugged. “But I don’t have an appointment so I’m leaving.” It was a snarky and immature thing to say, but I didn’t like how these two were talking about Tyler like they knew him. It made the green-eyed monster come out in me, and I knew I needed to get away before I said something stupid.

  “Wait! You’re her!” the other woman stated, causing me to pause as I reached door and spun to face them.

  “Her?” I wrinkled my nose as I stared at this woman.

  “The girl he was talking to at the charity ball. You two are dating now? Isn’t that sweet?” She gave me a fake smile as her eyes traveled down me before returning to my face.

  “Yes,” I stepped forward, remembering her from that night. She was the woman who had her hands all over Tyler. He’d left with her. My stomach rolled in disgust as a bitter taste formed in my mouth. “Mia Callahan,” I held my hand out for her to shake.

  “As in ‘the Mia Callahan’? The dancer?” Becky’s eyes went wide as she jumped back into the conversation.

  “Yes,” I smiled a forced smile as my public persona slipped into place. It wasn’t fair, but I had to be nice when I was in the public eye.

  “Why didn’t you say so? Head on back. Third door on the right.” She pointed to a hallway behind her, and I nodded as I began walking as fast as my legs would carry me down the hall. I didn’t want to be anywhere near them.

  “Wonder what she has that I don’t,” the other woman grumbled in the distance. I’d barely heard her, but the words were clear and so was their meaning. She wanted my boyfriend. Hell, based on what I’d seen at the charity ball, she’d already had him.

  WHEN I REACHED the door to Tyler’s office, I didn’t bother knocking. I grabbed the handle and twisted as I shoved it open. When it hit the wall and bounced off, his head snapped up. “Thought I’d come and surprise you,” I gave him a fake smile. I was pissed. He worked with this woman who he had obviously had sex with, and he hadn’t bothered to say anything to me.

  “Hey,” he swallowed as he tugged at his tie. “It’s a nice surprise,” he smiled at me, but when I just stood there staring at him, it began to melt into a frown. “You ok?” he started to stand, and I slowly shook my head.

  I could feel my throat tightening, and I took a few deep breaths trying to calm myself. I crossed my arms over my chest as he began to step around the desk. It only took a few strides before he stopped right in front of me. “What’s wrong? Is it your foot?” I shook my head no and his shoulders relaxed. “You said we were good about the other morning.” His voice was strained as if he thought I would have lied about that.

  “How long?” I mumbled as I stepped away from him and stared at the floor.

  “What?” He reached up and gripped the back of his neck.

  “How long?” I lifted my eyes to meet his and glared at him. “How long did you wait after fucking her to fuck me?” I yelled as I pointed out into the hallway.

  “Jesus, Mia!” Tyler rushed over to his office door and shut it before turning to narrow his eyes on me. “What are you talking about?”

  “That woman!” I pointed toward the closed door and swallowed as I tried to keep myself in check. “I saw you at the ball. I saw the way she touched you, talked to you. I saw the way you looked back at her. You told me I didn’t know you anymore, and then you left with her.” I marched up to him and stabbed him in the chest with my index finger as hard as I could punctuating every syllable. “So I’m gonna ask you again. How long?”

  Tyler swallowed a few times and took several deep breaths before closing his eyes. “A couple of week,” he sighed.

  “Weeks?” I shrieked.

  “I wasn’t with you when I was with her,” he growled. “We weren’t together!” He waved his hands between us as he started pacing his office. “I swear I haven’t cheated on you. I broke things off with her weeks ago. I told her about you. I swear it’s just you now.” He yanked at his hair before stopping in front of the window keeping his back to me.

  “What’s her name?” I whispered. “Why haven’t you told me about her?”

  “Why are you doing this?” he begged. “Why are you doing this to us? We just got us back. You’re really going to do this now?” He dragged his palms down his face.

  “What’s her name?” I slowly moved in his direction but stopped when he started talking again.

  “Her name is Christina. She’s an intern here. She didn’t and doesn’t mean anything.” His voice was monotone as he stared out the large window.

  “You had sex with her. She meant something,” I gasped.

  “No, she didn’t. We were fuck buddies, Mia. We had sex. We didn’t date. We didn’t love each other.” He shrugged, and I couldn’t help but gasp at his frankness. “It’s not at all like you think. I don’t care about her like I do you. I don’t love her, I love you.” He turned to face me, and as I felt a tear slip from the corner of my eye, he moved faster to get in front of me. When he reached me, he wrapped his arms around my middle and hugged me to his chest. His chin dipped down and he placed a kiss to the top of my head. “I’ve never loved anyone like I love you.” His voice was steady, sure. “I don’t want anybody else. Do you understand that? Nobody has ever burrowed into my heart the way you have.” He loosened his grip as his hands moved to my shoulders. “Do you hear me?” His eyes darted between mine.

  I bit the inside of my cheek as I slowly nodded. Another tear slipped from the corner of my eyes as I sucked in a shuddering breath. “I’m just…” I closed my eyes and just barely shook my head.

  “Just what?” he coaxed me to look at him.

  “How am I supposed to compete here?” I looked away at nothing in particular. “After I walked away I never… and you’ve been,” I swallowed, “busy.”

  “They didn’t mean anything.” He grasped my chin forcing me to look at him. “Do you hear me? They didn’t mean anything. I don’t know how to prove that to you.” His shoulders rose and fell as he took several deep breaths.

  “Why was she going to get you lunch?” I watched confusion spread across his features. “When I first got here, I saw her out in the lobby. She said you didn’t want lunch,” I clarified.

  “Mia,” he sighed again as he grabbed my hand and led me over to his desk. He sat down in his chair and then tugged at my wrist to get me to sit across his lap. “We’re on a case together. She’s been working in here for days. Her dad’s my boss. I can’t exactly tell her no,” he groaned.

  “So nothing else is going on with you two?” I turned to look him in the eyes.

  “Nothing,” his eyes searched my face.

  “You promise?” I pushed.

  “Jesus, Mia.” He shook his head. “What do I have to do? Write it in blood?”

  “I’m sorry; she just seemed like she thought you two were more.” I tried to climb off his lap but he tightened his arms around me.

  “Well, she’s not,” he grumbled. “I just want to spend time with you. You still up for going out tonight?” He leaned back to see my face.

  “I guess,” I shrugged.

  “Good. Gavin’s been harassing me to go out for drinks. We can all go together.” He pecked my lips as a boyish grin slipped into place. “I like this surprise even if it did end up with us fighting,” he chuckled. “Maybe next time you can warn me a bit. I’ve always thought about having you on this desk,” he smirked. “Or maybe that couch over there, or in this chair. Hell, I’d be happy with the bathroom over there.” His brows wagged as he leaned closer. “It’s always gonna be only you. Don’t ever question that, ok?”

  “Ok,” I gave him a half smile as I leaned my forehead against his. “You and me,” I whispered.

  “You and me,” he echoed.

  AS THE DAYS turned into weeks, w
inter melted into spring. Mia was working at the studio more and more, and I was just trying to keep my head above water at the office. Henry had been on a tear lately, and it seemed that the cases that no one wanted were the ones that landed in my lap. Just the other day, I found a folder on my desk that was worn enough around the edges that it looked as if everyone in the office had handled it.

  Chrissi had been keeping to herself. She wasn’t parked in the corner of my office like she had been, but she’d managed to get the gossip mill running full force. She had more than a little bump at this point, and whenever she passed me in the hallways, she’d glare in my direction. Henry hadn’t called me on it yet, but I was waiting for him to come storming in my office any minute. I lived my life on the edge, thanks to Chrissi. She made sure I was on constant guard, and that’s why when she finally cracked, I wasn’t at all surprised.

  It was a Monday, and I was sitting at my computer typing away on a deposition. Mia and I were supposed to meet for lunch, but I’d invited her here to join me instead. As bad as it sounded, I needed a working lunch, but we hadn’t gotten much time together lately. Both of us were busy. Swan Lake was opening the next week, and she’d landed her coveted spot as the White Swan. She spent more time with her partner, Garrett, than with me. I wasn’t jealous, but I did miss her. When we’d first started out, we’d been staying at each other’s apartments, but she was getting in so late these days that we’d gone back to sleeping apart.

  “Hey,” a knock on the door jamb of my office caused my head to snap up. Chrissi was standing there leaning with her arm propping her against it. “I need to talk to you,” she sighed as she pushed off and shuffled in. She closed the door behind her before coming toward me with a folder in her hand.

  “If that’s another crappy case, you can put it over there on the stack of other crappy cases,” I grumbled as I shuffled through some papers and went back to staring at my computer screen.