The thought of Tara and the boys going with him brought a smile to his face. They would have a nice dinner with friends and spend time together. He didn't want to leave them home and go without them. Heath knew Tara would fit right into the group, and he knew she could use the extra support of a few more friends. John and Ethan had already stepped up and been there for a situation involving her. The rest would take her right in and make her feel like one of the gang.
Tara avoided him for the rest of the day. He wasn't sure if she was worried about the party or if it had something to do with them on the couch the night before. Heath was a little shocked over that as well. He hadn't planned to kiss her. All he was going to do was tell her about the party. When she started messing with him about his smile and he started tickling her, it was all innocent. It was when she bit his nipple and grabbed his cock that everything changed. Looking down into her eyes made him feel things he hadn't felt in so long. If the boys hadn't of called out for her, it most likely would have gotten even more intimate than it already had. In that moment, he wanted her very badly. He wanted to taste and touch every inch of her. He was surprised she felt nervous about her body. She was beautiful and amazing. That was one more moment Heath would have liked to kick Rick's ass for making her feel less than she was.
As soon as the boys were in bed, Tara went to her room to write. She still hadn't let Heath read one word of her new book. He knew she was almost finished with it, but she kept it locked up tight. She was working so hard on getting it done. He couldn't help but be proud of how far she had come since moving into his house. She wrote every spare moment she had. He was going to read that book one day, he just had to figure out when. There was no way he'd go into her personal laptop. He was hoping she'd agree to let him read it. It hurt his feelings a bit that she wouldn't share it with him. They had been through a lot already as friends. He couldn't figure out why she was being so stubborn about her book. It only made him want to read it more. He didn't interrupt her that night. Partly because he knew she was working, but partly because he wasn't sure he could sit through an entire movie without touching her again.
The kids were up early with Tara the next morning. He could hear them talking down the hall. When his door opened slowly, he did his best to pretend he was sleeping. The tiny feet hitting the ground had him burying his face in the pillow to cover up his laughter. Two little ones climbed up quietly on the bed. They whispered back and forth to each other about him sleeping. One little hand reached out and shook his shoulder. He knew it was Jason.
"Heathy," the little voice whispered. "Are you sleeping?"
"I told you he was," Jordan said, like he knew exactly what he was talking about.
"No," Jason said. "He moved."
"He's sleeping," Jordan said.
"Heathy," Jason said, as he leaned down right next to Heath's ear.
"Come on," Jordan said. "Mom will be mad if we wake him up."
"I want to watch cartoons with him," Jason said. "He's up."
"Is not," Jordan said.
"Is too," Jason said.
Heath couldn't do it any longer. The little guy was so sure Heath was up. It melted his heart when Jason said he wanted to watch his cartoons with him. In one sudden movement, Heath turned his body over, wrapped one arm around each of them, pulled them closer, and yelled boo into the air. Both the boys started laughing hard as Heath tickled them. Tara came running into the room in a t-shirt and shorts with a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth. She looked down at the boys.
"I told you not to wake him up," she scolded.
"They didn't," he said. "We were just about to watch cartoons.
Heath turned on his television to their normal weekend morning channel.
"Go finish getting ready," Heath said. "We'll be fine here."
When Tara walked back into the room a bit later, Heath looked up with a smile. Jason was on one side, and Jordan was on the other. They were both under the covers. Each one was snuggled in close to his side with their head on his chest. They laid there silent as they watched their show. Heath saw the emotion cross Tara's face. He would have taken her into his arms if he could have, but there was no way he was moving the boys from their perfect spots. He motioned for Tara to come over next to them, and he could see her fighting herself in her mind. She finally gave up and walked over to the bed. He put his hand out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her onto the bed. She stretched her legs out behind one of the boys. Heath looked over at her and smiled as he rubbed her arm. That moment felt more perfect than anything he had experienced before.
They stopped at the store for a gift for the girls on the way to the party. Heath let Jason and Jordan each pick something out for each of the two girls. Tara looked at him like he was crazy.
"Seriously," she said.
"Don't feel left out," he joked. "You can pick something out for each of them too."
"Very funny," she said. "We do need something more practical to give them."
They wrapped the two gifts Tara and Heath picked but left the ones from the boys unwrapped. As soon as they pulled into Gavin and Becky's driveway, the boys were bouncing around the truck. Heath loved seeing how happy they looked. Tara was trying to get them to settle down, but it didn't work. She kept explaining that the girls were babies and needed to be left alone. Heath smiled as she went on and on without either of the boys listening to a word she was saying.
One boy got out Tara's side, and the other followed Heath out. There was a gift in each of their little hands. Heath walked around the truck to Tara. He leaned in next to her ear.
"Stop being so nervous. Everything is going to be fine. They're going to act as if you've been here all along. You'll see. Lisa won't say a word. She'll wait and rip me a new one later," he said.
"Are you sure about this?" Tara asked.
"I am," Heath said. "Come on. We need to see some babies."
They walked up to the door. He could see the nervousness running through her and placed his hand on her lower back. She looked back over her shoulder at him. He wondered if she felt the heat he felt when he touched her? She flashed him a beautiful smile and turned back just in time for the door to swing open. She heard the gasp before she saw the face.
"Tara," Lisa yelped out. "What are you doing here?"
Tara leaned in and wrapped her arms around Lisa. She rubbed a small circle on Lisa's belly.
"You're getting so big. It makes me feel like I haven't seen you in so long," Tara said with a laugh.
Josh walked up behind Lisa with Jack in his arms. The little guy saw the boys and kicked around for his daddy to put him down.
"Look at these two," Lisa said. "I can't believe they've grown so fast."
The two boys looked up at Heath with smiles on their faces.
"Go play," he said. "Be careful."
Both boys took off running with Jack. Heath looked back at Lisa and noticed the confused look on her face. He said hello to Josh and wrapped Lisa in a hug.
"I didn't know you two even knew each other," Lisa said.
"We do," Heath said. "We can talk inside. I want to say hi to the guys."
Heath grabbed Tara's hand and pulled her into the house behind him. He could feel how hard her hand was shaking and looked over to give her a reassuring smile. He'd seen the babies a few times while they were in the hospital, but he was excited to introduce them to Tara. He pulled her through the house and into the living room. Becky was on the couch. Baby Jessie was in Julie's arms and baby Julie was in John's. Ethan's eyes grew wide when he saw Tara walk in with Heath. He walked over to give Heath a bro hug and then wrapped his arms around Tara. Heath let out a laugh when he noticed Julie stiffen.
"Really?" Heath asked, as he looked down at her. "She came in with me. Calm your ass down, mama. Nobody but you wants your man. You two were made for each other."
"I didn't say anything," Julie said. "I remember Tara from the shower. How are you?"
"Great," Tara answered.
"How's the house?" Ethan asked.
"Amazing," Heath answered.
"What about the house?" Lisa asked.
"I'm working on Tara's house," he answered.
They continued to say hello to everyone else before Heath scooped the baby out of Julie's arms. She let out a grunt and he laughed.
"Seriously," he said. "I bet you've seen them every single day. You're going to have your own to hold soon anyway. I can't believe how big you're getting. Maybe you'll have two as well."
"Close your mouth," Ethan growled. "There is only one in that big belly."
"Big belly," Julie said, as she put a frown on her face.
"I love that big belly, woman," Ethan said, as he sat down on the couch and pulled her closer.
John walked over to where Heath and Tara were standing.
"Everything going well?" he asked.
John was like a big brother to all of them.
"Very," Heath answered.
"I wanted to tell you and Ethan thank you very much," Tara said, as she looked to Ethan and then back to John. "I had no idea what he was doing. I was so happy you were there for him. I would never have forgiven myself if he had gotten hurt. I was with Lisa when it happened. I'm just happy everyone was okay."
"Wait a minute," Lisa said, as she took a few steps closer to where Heath and Tara were standing. "It was you?"
"Not a word," Heath said. "I will talk to you later."
He gave Lisa a look of warning. Lisa moved to say something else, but Josh stepped in to stop her.
Jason and Jordan came running over. They both had the things they had picked for the babies in their hands. Heath laughed and shook his head.
"This is Jason," Heath said pointing down. "And this is Jordan. They are Tara's boys. You want to give the babies your presents?"
Both boys looked up at Heath and shook their heads. He walked them over to Becky and knelt down next to them.
"This is their mommy," he said. "She'll make sure they get the presents."
Jason and Jordan both stuck their hands out. Becky had the biggest smile on her face.
"Thank you so much. They are going to love these. Did you pick them out yourselves?"
"Heath and mommy let us pick them each a present," Jordan said.
"That was very nice of them. Thank you so much," she said.
Both boys were off and running again as soon as their hands were empty. Becky looked Heath in the eyes and smiled.
"Not a word," he said.
"So, Heath's working on your house?" Lisa asked Tara.
"He is."
"How is it having the boys around all the work?" Lisa asked.
"Actually, Tara and the boys are staying at my place while I do the work. I can get it done much faster with nobody in the house. She doesn't even know what I'm doing to it."
Heath let out a laugh and looked back at Tara.
"For all she knows, I've torn all the walls out to make one giant room."
Tara's eyes widened bigger than he'd ever seen.
"It's a joke," he said.
"That's it," Tara said. "I'm going to look."
"No you're not," he said.
Everyone made Tara feel right at home. The babies were passed around from one person to the next. Becky and Gavin both looked tired, but they were so happy to finally have the babies home. Heath couldn't believe how things in the group were changing. Two new babies and three more on the way counting Kelly's. Jason and Jordan had a blast between chasing after Jack and playing with Kelly's son Eric.
Heath noticed that Lisa hadn't spoken much to Tara during dinner or after. He wasn't having that shit. She didn't care what he thought when she hooked up with Josh. There was no way she was judging her own friend over him. He was ready to set her straight. He thought for a moment, as he looked over at Tara. She was sitting on the couch talking to Becky. He realized that it was bothering him that someone was thinking badly of her. Heath had always sided with Lisa. Things were different. He was pissed at Lisa for the way she was acting and was totally ready to defend Tara with everything he had. Deep in thought, he didn't realize John had walked up.
"You going to admit it yet?" John asked quietly.
"Admit what?" Heath asked.
"You're screwed," John said.
"That's bullshit and you know it. I'm just helping out a friend. You know how I am," Heath said.
"I get it," John said. "You still can't admit it."
"Screw you," Heath said, as he turned to Lisa. "We need to talk."
Lisa stood up and followed him into the kitchen. As soon as they walked through the door, he turned back toward her with a stern look.
"What's your deal?" he asked.
"Oh, let me see," she said sarcastically. "You're my best friend, Heath. I'm not stupid. When I introduced the two of you at the shower, you had already known each other. You were working for her. How you go from working for her to moving her in and getting your ass kicked."
"I did not get my ass kicked," Heath snapped, as he interrupted her.
She shook her hands with a dismissive wave.
"Whatever," she snapped back, getting inches from his face. "It's bullshit. She's my friend too. Neither of you thought you should tell me. She was at my house the night of your little whatever you want to call it."
"You're my best friend. I will love you forever and always be there for you. When you were in that fire, I was devastated. I could have lost you. Not a single one of you cared that I was so hurt. When you choose him over me to take care of you, I was crushed. Did you give a shit? Nope. I backed off and left you alone. I didn't get all weird and freak out on you. No. I put distance between us. He's a good man. I know that. I'm happy for the two of you. However, not for one second did you care or talk to me about my feelings. Tara is your friend. She needs you. You were the only one there when that prick did what he did. I was working on Tara's house when the shower happened. At the time, we weren't exactly seeing eye to eye. Then I figured out why she was acting the way she was. We're friends. When that asshole trashed all of the work I had done, I was pissed."
"What?" she asked. "She let you get hurt."
"Rick trashed all of the new work my team had done to the house. That was when I pretty much gave her no other choice but to move her and the boys into my house. It would be easier for me to work without them there and honestly, I knew they were safe. He trashed my work again, but I didn't tell her. She was already worried enough because she had signed the divorce papers and given him everything. You know that already. She went to your house that night, and I was pissed. I sat at her house and waited for him. John and Ethan were there in case I needed them. He got in a couple of good ones when I confronted him. We talked and he agreed with me that he should leave her and her house alone. She had no idea I was there. When she came home the next morning and saw my face, she was so upset. She didn't know what happened. I hadn't told her. When you saw me at the hospital, she still didn't know. We are friends. I won't change that for you. You will not get all judgmental on her. I won't allow it. She's your friend, and you will be there for her."
"Do you love her?" Lisa asked.
"What? No," Heath said. "Why would you say that?"
"I've never seen you act this way before," Lisa said.
"Act what way? Being nice to someone. Or is it something else? I will admit that it's nice having another friend in my life. I've learned that I need to open myself to more than just our little group. I'm not in love with anyone. I am learning that maybe I need to put myself out there and look for more than just a one-night-stand. After you and Josh got together, I thought that was it for me. I'm starting to think it might be nice to have someone to come home to one day. I need to get back out there. You need to knock your shit off."
Lisa nodded, and Heath walked out of the kitchen. He called Jason and Jordan and told them it was time to leave. Both boys complained and grumbled about leaving. Heath told them they could stop for ice cream on the way home and promis
ed to bring them back to play again. Tara looked up at him when he mentioned ice cream.
"Not a word, woman," he said. "I need more points."
She shook her head and laughed. They said goodbye to everyone. Gavin walked them to the door. He reached out to open it, but stilled for a moment.
"I'm sorry about Rick," he said to Tara. "I just want you to know he won't be associated with my company any longer. Take care of my boy here. He's a good man."
Tara had a surprised look on her face.
"Thank you, Gavin," she said. "We're just friends."
He nodded his head and laughed.
"Okay," he said. "We'll see you soon. Bring the boys over anytime. Becky thought they were adorable."
Heath looked at Gavin and grunted. He walked out with Jason in one arm and holding Jordan's hand in his other. He put the boys in the truck and closed Tara's door behind her. As he rounded the truck to his side, he grumbled toward the house.
"He's so full of shit."
Chapter 24
Heath
Heath had worked so hard on Tara's house. He wanted her and the boys to be happy and wanted her to feel like it was a different place but still have the things she originally loved about it. It seemed like he was working late every day, but he knew it would be worth it to see the look on her face when she saw it for the first time. He'd torn out the back of her room to put in a balcony so she could walk out in the morning and look at the woods surrounding her. He knew she did that each morning at his house. She didn't realize he could hear her open the sliding door around the same time each day. He even fixed her front porch to look more the way she said she wanted. His team was doing a great job, and he actually looked forward to work each day. It felt good to build with his guys again. The house was so close to being ready, so he had been putting in even more hours than usual.
Built for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #5) Page 14