"I've been up," he said, as he motioned for her to sit down. "Coffee?"
"Please," she said.
Heath made the plates and put them on the table before grabbing the coffees from the counter. She watched as he dug into his food.
"You can cook," she said.
"You haven't tasted it yet," he answered. "It's nothing like your food."
He jumped up and opened a cabinet. When he came back with the Tupperware she had given him weeks ago, she laughed. Tara took a bite of her eggs and smiled.
"Not bad," she said. "I'm still here. Thank you for this. I've never had breakfast made for me before. It's nice. Usually, I'm cooking while things are being thrown around me."
"It's no big deal," he said. "I'm sure your ex cooked breakfast at least once in all the years you were together. You met him in college."
She shook her head with a small smile on her lips.
"Not once," she said. "I guess that should have been a clue."
Heath shook his head.
"I want to go back today and look at everything again. We'll be able to see more than we did last night. We can see how bad it is and figure out the next step."
"Stop," she said. "Get your tools and take them. I already told you I don't have the money to fix it up. I told them what I wanted and heard back this morning already that he had agreed."
"That was before he trashed the place," Heath said. "Of course he agreed. He knows what happened yesterday, and he knows you won't be able to keep going."
"I can't prove it. He didn't do it himself. I know that much. He wouldn't know the first thing about it. He agreed to sign the boys over. I don't need anything else."
"That's bullshit," Heath snapped. "He built himself and that business and gained everything he has while you were married. You have a right to some of that. Don't you want the money for the boys? Don't you want to know you're taken care of?"
"No," she said. "You don't get it. I don't expect you too. It wouldn't be worth it. I'd still have to be connected to him. Sure, I'm used to being able to do things. We were together for a long time. It's not going to be easy. I will write my ass off. I will get as many jobs as I need to. He agreed to not fight for the boys. They are what matters. I don't know what I'd do if he had them without me there. He wouldn't spend time with them. I know that. They would be better off with me and no money than they would ever be in his care. I thought I needed to keep fighting him. I thought I needed the money. Something has changed in me lately. He just trashed the home they live in, not even caring if they see it or live like that. Everything can be replaced. I can make something of myself. It will just take time. I don't need a connection with him to be okay."
"Those two little boys are not living in that house the way it is. They don't deserve it. We're fixing it up, Tara."
"We aren't doing anything, Heath," she said with tears in her eyes. "You didn't do it. It's not your job to fix it."
She stood from the table, and he got to his feet as well.
"I know you're just doing this because of Lisa," she said, as she turned to leave the room.
"No," he said. "I'm not."
"Then why?" she asked. Tara stood still but she hadn't turned back around.
"I'm doing it because it's bullshit. He can't go around being a dick and trying to scare you. If he were a real fucking man, he wouldn't treat the mother of his children that way. People like him are the reason I don't want kids. I'm not going to stand there and let him get away with it."
Heath reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her around. He took her face in his hands, brushed her tears away with his thumbs, and brought her lips to his. When his tongue moved across her lower lip, she shivered. He took her lip in his teeth and pulled. Her moan opened her mouth to him, and his tongue found hers immediately. She ran her fingers through his hair as she leaned into him. When he kissed her, her world stopped. She felt a warm feeling fill her body and shifted on her feet. His kiss was demanding and unlike anything she had ever felt before. When her ex demanded she please him, it was different. The way Heath kissed her made her feel desired and wanted. She'd never once felt that way before. When he pulled back from their kiss, she rubbed her fingers across her lips. What the hell was that, she wondered? Heath turned and walked to the sink. His hands rested on the counter, as he looked out the window.
"We're fixing the house," he said.
She needed to get away from him so she could get her mind in order. It was too hard being in the same room with him. She couldn't think. He was big and warm and so was his personality. It was like he was filling the entire room. Tara turned and took off up the stairs. She wasn't sure what had just happened in that kitchen. All she knew was that her body had never felt those feelings before. One second he was claiming her mouth, and the next she felt cold without his hands on her. Who was he, she thought? Her fingers went to her lips again. She fell onto his bed and pulled his pillow close to her.
Chapter 14
Heath
When he saw her eyes move down and back up his body, it took all the control he had to keep his cock from springing up. He hadn't thought about her like that, but her eyes were fucking every inch of him. She had on a nightgown. It was far from sexy, but it didn't do anything to hide her beauty. She was very pretty.
She told him she had never had a man make breakfast for her before. He'd already realized her ex was an asshole, but they had been married a long time. How could he not once have done that?
When the tears fell from her eyes, it was too hard to watch. She was a great mom to those two little guys. He wasn't sure what exactly had happened with her and their father, but she didn't feel good about herself and it made no sense. That asshole made her feel that way. Heath felt so bad knowing she didn't feel she deserved a good life.
He stood looking out the window and was still shocked that he'd kissed her. There was something about her that made him feel. He wasn't sure what it was he was feeling exactly, but she pulled things out of him. He'd thought nothing of sitting with her for hours talking about his life. That wasn't something he ever did. His friends didn't even know about his feelings for Lisa being that strong. They knew certain things but not everything. He wanted Tara to know she was a good person. Maybe he was doing it for Lisa. She was her friend. It didn't matter what his reason was deep down. Those boys deserved a nice home, and he was going to make sure they got it.
Heath thought a bit more about the things being trashed and wondered if they'd be back for more once he started cleaning up the mess. He wanted to put cameras in but wasn't sure how Tara would feel about it.
He cleaned up the kitchen and got dressed for the day. When he came down the stairs, Tara was sitting on the couch with her bag packed and ready to go. They left the house quietly and drove separately back to her house. The drive wasn't that far, but the silence surrounding Heath felt like torture. He loved quiet normally, but that felt different.
When they got out and walked toward the house, Heath looked around. It was a huge mess, but a few ideas popped into his head. There were certain things he thought he could do to change the appearance drastically without changing the few things she'd mentioned that she really liked. She didn't want to be reminded of her ex in her own home. He was hoping to help her with that.
He looked over with a huge smile on his face.
"What?" she asked.
"I have a few ideas," he said.
"Oh no."
"Not funny," he said. "After talking to you last night, I have a better understanding of the house and you not being able to make up your mind."
He reached over and took her hand in his and walked toward the porch and up the steps. She let them in and looked around some more.
"Sit down," he said. "I want you to really listen to what I'm about to say."
She let a huge breath out through her nose and sat down.
"It's none of my business. I know that. We haven't known each other for very long. I get that. Hear me out thoug
h. Don't say anything until I'm done."
She sucked her lip into her mouth and nodded.
"I think it's a bad idea to bring the boys here," he began.
She took a breath and opened her mouth to speak but he narrowed his eyes and shook his head.
"What's the asshole's name?" he asked. "I didn't hear it while the cops were here. We've talked enough about him. What's his name?"
"Rick," she said.
"No matter what an ass Rick is, the boys don't need to know what he's done. They are too little to see this. I don't think you should bring them back here. If you're not living here, my guys can work much faster. There are a few things I want to do to the house, but I want you to trust me. I don't want to tell you so you can talk yourself out of it. I want you to let me do what I want. If you don't like it, I'll change it. I just want you to give me a chance."
Tara sighed and looked down at her hands.
"I don't want to give this place up, but I can't stand the way I feel when I see pieces of him here. It's hard to explain. The house is mine. He agreed to sign the papers this week for everything. That was one of my requests. He agreed. Once that happens, he won't have any right to this house and won't be able to be near it. I would rather you waited until the end of the week to start the work. That way, if he is around, it won't be legal. I can't leave though. My mom's house is not big enough for me and the boys to live there. With everything I had gone through with Rick, I don't have any friends to stay with. Lisa's the only one that didn't give up on me. I wouldn't dare ask her. You'll have to work around us."
"Stay at my place," he blurted out without thinking.
"No way," she said. "That can't happen."
"Why not?" he asked. "I have a huge house. I'm the only one there. I'll stay in my own area and won't bother you or the boys. You'll be safe there, and I'll know there's no chance of that ass showing up in the night or day."
"It's your home, Heath," she said. "I would never ask you to stay in a certain area of your house. That's just crazy. The boys are already getting more attached to you than they should be for someone who's only working on the house. They get super excited for you to come in the morning. I'm sure eating in front of the television and ordering whatever they wanted on their pizza didn't help. When you took care of Jason's leg the other day, I saw the way he looked up at you. Their father has never done anything to be close to them. They are kids. They don't understand that you're not someone who's going to be around them. They just see that you're paying attention to them now. I didn't realize it until Jason looked at you like that. I can't confuse them. If we stayed at your house, that is exactly what would happen."
"I can't just ignore them. They are really good boys. I'll stay with one of my friends, or I'll stay at your house."
"No," she said. "Don't be ridiculous. Do you do this with all your clients? John said you never let anyone stay at your house."
"No, I don't do this with all of my clients. You're Lisa's friend, and you're a good person. I want all of my clients to be happy with my work. That includes you. John was right. I've never let anyone stay all night at my house before. That's just how I am."
"So I'm special then," Tara said with a smirk and roll of her eyes.
"Yes," he said. "Do you have luggage?"
She didn't answer right away.
"Tara," Heath said.
She looked over at him.
"Luggage," he said.
"Yes."
He didn't waste any time pulling her through the house. She packed a nice size suitcase for each of the boys. Heath grabbed toys and games that were in their rooms. Tara packed a suitcase for herself and packed up her laptop and writing stuff. Heath put everything in the back of his truck. Then he looked at her and smiled.
"Get the boys, and bring them over. We can explain how much fun they are going to have at my house when you get there. It'll all be fine. You'll have them back in their beds in no time. I'll be able to work much faster on the house without anyone living in it. I'll be able to move things around and leave them there until I'm done. You'll see how fast it goes."
"What am I doing?" she asked.
"You're letting a friend help you," he said. "You deserve good things too, Tara."
Heath was going to bring up the subject of the camera once they were at his place. That was one of the things John mentioned on the phone before. Something told Heath that Rick wasn't about to give up yet. Eventually he'd get sloppy with his actions, and Heath planned to be there to catch him. One thing he felt strongly about was that a woman should never have to be afraid of a man. There was no way he was letting Tara live in fear.
He pulled up to his house and ran around getting things ready. Those two little guys had enough to deal with, they didn't need to feel weird in his house. He made sure they each had a room with clean sheets. Then he changed the sheets in his bed and the spare room next to it. He planned on giving Tara his room, so he put her suitcase in there. The toys and games were in his living room. He put the other two suitcases in the hallway upstairs and planned to let the boys pick which room they wanted out of the two. When he fell onto the couch to wait, he was surprised by how excited he was about them coming over. His home was so quiet, and he loved it that way. Why wasn't he more nervous about the noise, he wondered?
Chapter 15
Tara
Tara didn't tell her mom anything about what had happened. The boys were right there, and she really wasn't in the mood to hear what her mom would have to say about it. There was never a way to know how her mom would react. She'd either tell her how she never should have married the guy or that she should have just stayed with him so she could live the good life. Either way, Tara wasn't in the mood to hear it.
She thanked her mom for watching the boys overnight and got them into their seats in the car. It was hard sometimes with them being three and four. They were a handful. Sometimes they'd fight and argue. It always scared her that one of them would wander off while she was watching the other. At other times, it was amazing. They'd sit on the floor and play like best friends. Most things they had in common. She could bake or do the same crafts with them both since their ages were so close. As she drove, she looked back through her mirror and wondered how they were going to react to being at Heath's. Was she making a huge mistake? She didn't want to teach her boys anything that wasn't positive and always wanted to lead them on a good path. It also worried her that they would get in Heath's way or do the opposite and get attached. She thought about turning and going back toward her house, but deep down she was worried that whoever had trashed the place would come back. The thought of the boys seeing the mess and being afraid kept her going toward Heath's. Keeping them safe was her first priority. If Lisa hadn't known Heath, she wouldn't have accepted his offer. She knew how long Lisa had known him and how highly she spoke of him.
They pulled in Heath's driveway and Jordan was asking questions right away.
"Where are we, mommy?" he asked.
Jordan was four and Jason was only three. Both of the boys spoke very clear. Tara made sure to always talk to him like kids but never in baby talk. She was so proud of her little guys.
"This is Heath's house," she said. "Come inside and we'll talk about it."
Both of the boys were bouncing around the car. Tara opened the door and they both shot out and ran toward the house. She shook her head and shut the door after grabbing the stuff they had with them at her mom's house. By the time she got to the door, they were both inside talking a mile a minute. Heath's eyes were wide, and he began to laugh.
"Are you sure you know what you're getting yourself involved in?" she asked, as she dropped the stuff from her hands and got on her knees to help the boys take their shoes off. When she looked up, he was looking down at her with a smile.
"I'm sure," he said.
Heath took the two boys by the hands and walked them over to the couch. They both sat down and watched him. He knelt down in front of them so that he was leve
l with them. Tara watched nervously. She had no idea what he was going to say and hoped she would be okay with whatever it was. He hadn't even asked her about it.
"You know that I'm working on your house?" he asked.
Both boys nodded.
"I want to do so much to make it a really nice home for you two. It's so much easier if I work on it when there is nobody living there. You know how sometimes my guys need to move your stuff around?"
The boys nodded again.
"If the house is empty, my guys can move the stuff and leave it until they fix what they are working on. Sometimes you two couldn't play in certain rooms and had to be very careful where you went so you wouldn't get hurt. I didn't like that. You two are amazing boys, and I don't want either of you to get hurt. I want you to be able to run around and do whatever you want safely. Have you ever met your mom's friend Lisa?"
Jason laughed and nodded. Jordan just smiled.
"She's really nice and pretty," Jordan said.
Heath looked down for a moment, and Tara watched him gain his composure. She sucked in her lip so she wouldn't laugh.
"She's my very best friend. I've known her a long time. I didn't know you two knew her."
"She's your friend?" Jason asked.
It was Heath's turn to nod.
"I was thinking that I could make your house so much nicer if I had more time to work on it. Wouldn't that be cool? I don't want to worry about you two getting hurt, and I don't want to take away any of your fun. I was thinking about it, and I had a good idea."
"What?" Jordan asked.
"If you, Jason, and your mom stay here while I work on your house, I can make it really nice and work faster. You can each have your own room while you're here. You're mom will have her own room too. You can do what you want here, just like you do at home. I'll be working a lot. I can bring more of your toys over too. Just tell me what you guys want. I just want you to be here while I fix up your house. We can even talk about your rooms at home. If you want me to change them, I can."
Built for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #5) Page 7