She pulled into the blacktop parking lot and saw Kyleigh’s car waiting for her. As she parked and got out, she was met with an energetic Kyleigh who was bouncing up and down, ready to go.
“Are you ready?” Kyleigh asked as she began to start jogging in place.
“Hold on, Kyleigh, let me stretch a minute. My thighs are killing me,” Paige laughed as she began stretching.
One arched eyebrow rose as Kyleigh asked, “So, what on earth happened last night for you to be that sore?”
Paige rolled her eyes, “It’s not what you are envisioning in that dirty mind of yours. I’m sore from horseback riding for two hours yesterday. I didn’t know it took every muscle in your body just to sit on top of a horse.” Paige said as she extended her right leg out into a short lunge, grimacing from the pain.
“Okay, we’ll get to the reason why you of all people were on the back of a horse, but what happened with you and Tyler last night?” Kyleigh questioned as she put her phone in the waist band of her neon green running pants. Paige eyed them, thinking there was no way a car couldn’t see her coming if they were actually going to be running on the road.
“I think I’m limber enough now. I’ll tell you as we run,” Paige said as she took off in a slow jog.
Kyleigh followed after her and once they got on the paved trail, Paige began at the beginning of the date yesterday. They jogged as Paige talked, telling her all about the incident with Sarah yesterday and how Tyler had rushed over to explain everything. It took her several minutes to go through it all.
“So, do you think he’s telling you the truth about that girl, Sarah?” she asked with a ragged breath.
“Yeah, I do. He was very open and sincere when he came over and I really felt that he was telling the truth. Of course, I’m still going to be cautious because I’m just paranoid like that,” Paige blew out a breath, feeling her lungs burn. It had been awhile since she and Kyleigh ran, and with sore legs, she was feeling the ache of unused muscles.
“Well, I just hope he’s serious about you. I think you guys could make a really cute couple, but I don’t want him to put you through more hell. You’ve had enough shit to deal with lately, you don’t need to deal with his,” Kyleigh said as she began to slow down.
Paige dropped down to a walk and said, “I know but I think things will go smoothly now. At least, I’m hoping they will.”
They walked quietly for a while; the only sound was from the birds chirping in the woods and the roar of engines in the distance. They passed a few other joggers and walkers, but it wasn’t too crowded at this time of day. Paige felt her breathing slow and her legs were beginning to burn.
“So, how are things going with you and David so far?” she asked as she stopped and leaned against a tree. Her legs were killing her from that long horse ride yesterday.
Kyleigh bent over to catch her breath and smiled. “Things are going good. We’re taking it slow. Just seeing each other occasionally on the weekends. Neither of us are really ready to get too serious; he with Randy dying and me with leaving Brad. We’ve both just had a lot going on, too, and we’re not ready to rush into things just yet.”
“Well, I really hope things work out between you and David. He’s a great guy,” Paige said as they began walking again in the other direction towards their cars.
“Yeah, he is—”
Paige looked over at Kyleigh, wondering why she abruptly stopped talking midsentence. She followed her gaze in the direction of their cars and saw why she looked like she’d just seen a ghost. Her eyes narrowed in Brad’s direction, feeling anger sweep over her. She didn’t know why he was here but it couldn’t be good.
“Kyleigh, what is he doing here?” she asked quietly.
Kyleigh resumed walking as she breathed, “I don’t know, but we’re about to find out.”
Brad was leaning against Kyleigh’s car with his arms crossed, looking bored as he waited for us to approach. His numerous tattoos and the smug look taking over his face made him look like stalker material, which Paige guessed wasn’t far off.
“Well, look who I ran into,” he said as they approached.
“What do you want, Brad?” Kyleigh asked as she stopped in front of him, her hands resting on each hip and her face showing the hint of anger she was trying to keep at bay.
Brad looked from Kyleigh to Paige and then said, “I just wanted to see what you were doing. You know, see if you had changed your mind yet.”
A laugh escaped Kyleigh’s mouth and she crossed her arms, gripping her stomach tightly. “Uh, no, Brad, I haven’t. I told you we were over. It’s time for you to move on and leave me alone.”
She grabbed Paige’s hand and pulled her forward towards her car when Brad grabbed her arm, making her drop her grip on Paige.
“What the hell is your problem?” she yelled as she tried to jerk her arm away.
He gripped her arm even tighter, a crazed look momentarily passing through his eyes and then he looked at Paige and smiled. “There’s no way you can leave what we had behind. I’ll wait for you to come to your senses and come crawling back to me. I can be a very patient man when I want to.” He let go of her and Paige saw the red marks on her upper arm from his fingers.
Kyleigh stood there and watched as he gave her one last nod and then walked off to his car. Paige waited until he was gone before she said, “Kyleigh what the hell was that about? Has he been threatening you this whole time?”
Kyleigh let out a long breath and leaned against her car. “Not really. I mean, he’s left a few messages on my cell, which I was already anticipating, but nothing too crazy for him.” She paused for a moment as she stared down the road and then said, “I’m sure it’s fine. He’s just blowing off steam or something.”
Paige touched her arm where the marks were and asked, “Is this how he blows off steam? You need to be careful Kyleigh, I don’t want anything to happen to you. Make sure you call the cops if you ever think someone’s been messing around your apartment or anything weird like that.”
Kyleigh looked down at her arm. “It’s fine, Paige. It’s just the way he is. He’ll get over it, it’s just going to take some time.”
“Well, I don’t like it at all. There’s something about this whole incident that makes me nervous.” Paige followed Kyleigh and leaned against her car as she eyed her reaction.
“I’ll be fine, Paige, really. Don’t worry about me, you have enough crap on your mind as it is.” Kyleigh swung the door open and got in, giving her a big smile.
“Call me if you ever need anything, okay?” Paige asked as Kyleigh started the car.
“Yes, Paige, I will. Now, go pick up Kyra and enjoy the rest of your day. We’re both on schedule the next three days, which is going to suck.”
Kyleigh gave her a small wave as she backed out of the parking lot, leaving Paige alone with her worrying thoughts.
As she watched Kyleigh’s car disappear down the road, Paige turned to get in her car, cursing under her breath and feeling a sense of fear taking over her heart. There always seemed to be something to worry about.
That silver lining was starting to fade again but she hoped it wasn’t going away completely.
Chapter 24
The sun’s rays beat down on Paige as she stood on her balcony and looked out into the beautiful, clear blue sky. She blew out a nervous breath as she thought about their plans later today. It was already hot, and after standing out here for just a few minutes, sweat was already beginning to drip down her back. Her eyebrows creased together, showing the worry that was dwelling inside her. She had given their dating several weeks, now, before she had agreed to getting the kids together and spending the day with them but now she was second guessing herself.
Paige looked behind her through the open sliding glass door to Kyra watching cartoons. The apprehension that was holding her back was the fear of her daughter being let down. Paige knew she had to give dating Tyler a real chance and that meant at some point Kyra would have to be
introduced to Tyler. She knew Tyler would never intentionally hurt her, but there was that chance things wouldn’t work out between them and Kyra would feel that loss.
A slight gust of wind blew, making strands of her long curls whip around her face. She pushed them to the side as she looked out into the city. But after several wonderful weeks, she felt things were truly moving in a good direction. They had spent a lot of time together lately with lunch dates, phone calls, weekend dates, and it was starting to feel like the right time. Besides, it was just a day at the lake and maybe dinner later, nothing serious, like him and Brandon spending the night. Now that was something she definitely wasn’t ready for.
Her phone beeped and she looked down to see a message from Tyler.
Meet us at the beach at noon?
She bit her lip as she read the text, feeling her hands sweat from nervous tension. Finally she typed.
Yes, we’ll be there with our beach ball and bathing suits
See you then...
Paige smiled as she put her phone away and went back inside to gather their things for the beach. As soon as she walked in, Kyra jumped off the couch, full of energy and excitement about their big day.
“We going to the beach, now?” she asked as she stared up at her mom with big blue eyes.
“Yes, honey, I just have to get some things packed. Pick up your toys before we leave, okay?”
She watched Kyra run off to the pile of toys lying in front of the TV and then went to the bathroom to get some sunscreen, towels and then to their bedrooms for extra clothes and some toys for the beach. After she thought she had everything they needed, she headed back to the living room where Kyra was picking up the last toy.
“Good job, honey,” Paige said as she slung the beach bag over her shoulder and helped Kyra get her sandals on.
“Beach!” Kyra yelled with excitement.
“Yes,” Paige laughed and then said, “Ok, let’s go.”
A short while later they pulled into the parking lot of Sandy Hill beach, and Paige smiled as Kyra squealed in the backseat with joy, pointing at the lake that took up her whole window. She saw Tyler’s truck on the right side of the parking lot and quickly veered in that direction. As she pulled up beside him, her heart began to fire rapidly in her chest. Bringing Kyra around a guy was a huge step for her but her heart told her it was right.
She saw him walk around the side of his truck, wearing black swimming trunks, no shirt and wet hair from where he’d already been in the lake. Her stare lingered a minute too long, and then she shut her car off and got out to greet him.
“Hey,” she said as he pulled her into a hug.
“It’s about time. We’ve already been in.” He ran a hand through his wet hair, slinging water all over her. She laughed as she opened the door to get Kyra out, quickly grabbing her hand before she took off in her excitement.
She looked out at the lake, seeing a crowded beach and plenty of people on jet skis. She put her sunglasses on and then leaned down to apply sunscreen on a pale skinned Kyra.
Tyler leaned down to Kyra’s level, a smile forming on his tanned face. “Hey there, lil girl. Are you ready to play on the beach?”
“Yay!” Kyra screamed as she threw her hands up in the air.
Tyler laughed and took Paige’s hand. “Hey, Brandon, this is Paige and her daughter Kyra.”
Paige waved at a smaller version of Tyler and smiled as Brandon gave her a half wave, showing huge dimples. “Dad, are you ready to swim?” he asked, gesturing towards the water with brown eyes full of anticipation and pulling up his navy blue swim trunks as they hung low on his narrow hips.
Tyler pulled her and Kyra along as they headed down the grassy slope towards the water, with Brandon in the lead.
A loud shriek escaped Kyra’s tiny mouth as the cool water flowed across her bare feet. She took off running a few feet away as Paige and Tyler stood knee deep in the water, trying to coax her towards them. Paige laughed and went to grab her hand, hoping to get her into the water so they could all cool off. The sun was beating down on them and the water was just the right temperature to take the heat off.
“Come on, Kyra, let’s go for a swim. Mommy will hold onto you.” Paige said as she lifted her up into her arms. Paige looked out into the water as Tyler was dunking Brandon. She laughed and slowly walked into the water, taking small steps so Kyra could get used to it.
After a few minutes, Kyra was happily splashing around beside her mother and Tyler was playing water Frisbee with Brandon. She laughed when Tyler looked over and winked at her before he dove into the water head first to catch the Frisbee as it veered out of his reach. So far things had gone great and she was surprised at how they were all having a good time together.
Leaning back on her elbows as she lay in the sand, she watched Tyler as he stopped playing Frisbee and swam over to where she and Kyra were playing in shallow water. His wet lips twisted into a grin as he asked, “Do you guys want to come out farther, and actually swim a little, or are you just going to sit here all day?”
“We are having fun, Tyler,” she argued and then added. “but, I guess I could see if she will go out farther if I hold her.”
“I can hold her, if she’ll let me, and then it will give you a minute to do your own thing.”
Paige eyed him wearily and then said, “Okay. But she doesn’t have her floaties on, so be careful.”
“Don’t worry, Paige. I’ve done this before,” he said, giving her a wink. He swam up to Kyra and laughed when she splashed him in the face. “Hey, you, wanna come out and swim with me and Brandon, Kyra?” he asked in a soft tone as he held his arms out to her.
Paige was surprised and a little scared at how easily Kyra went into his arms. There were no worries or any apprehension as she willingly held her arms out to him. She watched him hold onto her and slowly swim out farther and farther into the water. Paige followed behind them but quickly passed them as she began to swim, the water kicking up behind her. She heard Kyra laughing as she splashed in the water and felt her heart soar at seeing Tyler’s gentle side coming out as he interacted with her daughter. He was really good with her, and more so after today, she felt that her life was falling into place. She’d had a rough time for a while but meeting Tyler a couple of months ago had changed her life.
After hours of swimming and horsing around at the beach, they had all worked up an appetite and were ready to leave and grab something to eat. As Paige was reflecting on how fun the day had been while she was drying off, she felt Tyler come up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Hey, I had fun today. It was nice to all spend time together,” he said against her ear.
Smiling, she said, “Yes, it was. Should we go grab pizza now?”
His grip tightened on her hips as he whispered, “Seeing you in this bikini all day has my mind wanting other things, but I guess we’ve got to feed the kids.” He laughed and then kissed her cheek.
“Yeah, I am a little hungry, too.” She pulled on her shorts and sandals and helped Kyra get dried off and dressed. Before long Paige was following behind Ol’ Betsy, as Tyler led the way to Marco’s Pizza.
Settling at an outside metal table with paper plates full of pizza and a pitcher of soda in the middle, Paige felt an odd, warm feeling at the sight. Even with putting sunscreen on, they were all pink from being out in the sun all day and their hair was still damp from the lake water. The day had been great and, as she looked over at Tyler, she smiled when she felt his hand squeeze her knee. He kept it there as he ate, his hand switching from a light squeeze to rubbing, making Paige blush when his hand got a little too high up her thigh. She slapped it away as she set her drink down, giving him a warning look. He gave her a smirk in return and finally pulled away.
Her mind kept picturing more days like this, ones where it happened more frequently, when his laughter suddenly broke her out of her wandering thoughts. When she looked towards the direction he was looking, she couldn’t help but laugh as well. Kyra h
eard them laughing and stopped eating for a second to see what was so funny. Her whole mouth was covered in sauce as she was in the process of devouring a slice of cheese pizza so huge she could barely hold onto it with her tiny hands.
Before Paige could grab a napkin, Tyler jumped up and walked around to her and gently wiped her face. “I got it, sit down,” he said as he bent down and examined her face while Kyra chewed happily on her pizza. Satisfied with what he saw, he took a seat and scooped up another slice.
“Um, thanks.” Paige didn’t know how to respond to that. Even though it was a simple gesture, it tugged deeply at her heart strings. Watching him be fatherly to Kyra was one of the biggest turn-ons he could do and he’d done it twice in one day. It was something that she never thought she’d want to let a guy do, but with Tyler, it seemed natural. She watched him pick up his slice of pizza as she stared at him.
“What?” he asked in between bites.
She quickly shook her head, “Nothing,” and resumed eating the rest of her pizza. She wasn’t about to say that that gesture was one of the sweetest things she’d ever seen. She wasn’t ready to open that door just yet.
Tyler leaned into her, his voice low and secretive, “Do you guys wanna come over for a bit? I’m sure Kyra would love to see the animals.”
Paige thought about it for a minute, wondering if they were moving too fast, but she figured as long as they kept things friendly in front of the kids until she was confident things would last, she thought it would be okay. She was sure Kyra would love petting the horses and his dog, Diesel. “I think that might be okay.”
After packing up their leftovers, they left Marco’s Pizza and headed into the country towards Tyler’s house.
Where Forever Lies Page 19