by Rachel Hanna
“He’s my child, Mr. Parker.”
“Aaron.”
“Fine. Aaron, he’s my little boy. I can take care of him.”
“I have no doubt about that. You’re a terrific mother.” Her eyes got wide and her mouth started to curve into the sexiest little smile he’d ever seen.
“How do you know?” she asked trying to keep the smile from spreading across her face. It made him ache a little to think that she would question herself as a mother, of all things.
“Anyone can tell how much you love that boy. And how far you would go to protect him,” Aaron said, realizing that he might be getting a little too personal.
“Yes, I would. Whatever it takes, I will protect him.”
“Are you in danger?” he asked without thinking.
She turned toward the ocean and leaned her elbows against the railing of the porch as the ocean breeze blew her hair back against her shoulders. He heard a barely audible sigh and knew it wasn’t the time to question her. Still wearing her swimsuit, Aaron realized she might be cold and uncomfortable.
“Listen, why don’t you go grab some more comfortable clothing, and I’ll put on a pot of nice, strong coffee?” he asked with a smile. She looked concerned for a moment, probably about leaving Tyler with a man she barely knew. “It’s okay. I’ll stand right here the whole time. You can watch me. I won’t go inside with Tyler by myself.”
She looked at him for a moment and then nodded her head. As she walked across the area between the cabin and her camper, she never looked back. Did that mean she trusted him already?
Chapter 3
Tessa closed the door to her camper behind her as she peered out the window to make sure Aaron was still standing on his porch. And he was. He was leaning against the railing looking out into the darkened ocean.
Man, he was sexy. She’d never met a man like him before. He just went into action as soon as he’d heard Tyler scream. It made her a little uneasy to think he might have been watching them on the beach. In fact, it made her a lot uneasy. It was exactly what she’d been afraid of. People were always watching, and that was what she’d been trying to avoid.
She gathered up some clothing and opted to take it back to the cabin so that she didn’t have to leave Tyler alone for too long. It wasn’t really that she was overly worried about Aaron hurting him. She just didn’t want him out of her sight for any length of time. Aaron was right about one thing - she would protect her son with her own life.
She also packed some of Tyler’s clothes since he was still in his damp swimsuit and headed back across the yard.
“Got everything you need?” Aaron asked with a crooked smile.
“I think so,” she said.
“Well, if you forgot anything, it isn’t like you’re too far from home,” he said laughing.
“Home,” she said in a small voice. Was that what the camper was now? Home?
“You okay?” he asked in a way she wasn’t accustomed to from a man. He sounded as if he really wanted to know if she was okay. Her heart felt warm for a moment at the thought of a man actually caring about her feelings. Realizing she looked like a deer caught in the headlights, she finally nodded quickly and then walked back into the cabin.
As they walked back inside, Tessa got a chance to look around. She wanted to know more about this Aaron person. He seemed nice and caring and strong, but then again so did her ex. Every guy puts on a show at the beginning, she thought.
The cabin was modest and rugged, but warm and inviting. There was a rock fireplace, hardwood floors and a deep, rich brown leather sofa. The handmade rocking chair in the corner seemed out of place at a beach. She felt almost as if she was in the mountains.
“This is a nice place,” she said softly as she put her things on the chair.
“Thanks. It’s not much, but I like to stay on site and make sure things are okay around here. Care for a cup of coffee?”
“Sure.”
“Cream and sugar?” he asked as he walked into the small kitchen and poured two cups.
“Both please. Who’s this?” she asked pointing at a picture on the coffee table.
“That’s my mom, Adele. She owns our real estate company, and this is one of her properties I took over a few years ago.”
“I think I saw one of her signs on the way into town,” Tessa said as she put the picture back on the table. “Are you an only child?”
“Oh, no. I’m from a big family,” he said as he handed her the cup of coffee and sat down on the other end of the sofa. “I’m the youngest of five. Three brothers, one sister.”
“Wow. That’s amazing. It must be awesome to have so many people you can count on,” she said without thinking. Trying to divert attention from her last statement, she took a sip of the coffee and put it on the table before standing up to check on Tyler. He was on the smaller sofa across the room, covered with a blanket and snoozing away.
“Are you an only child?” he asked. Now she wished she hadn’t asked him a personal question first. This could only get more and more personal, and she needed to stay away from those kinds of questions at all costs.
“Yes. That’s why I wish Tyler wasn’t an only child. It can be a lonely existence,” she said, again without the ability to stop her lips from moving. Why was she telling this virtual stranger so much about herself?
“I imagine so. In my house, it was never quiet. My Dad died when I was only two, so my Mom was constantly running around after all of us.”
“I’m sorry about your Dad. I guess you don’t remember him then, huh?”
“No, not really. I’ve seen pictures, obviously, but I don’t have any of those cool father/son memories like throwing a baseball in the front yard.”
For a moment, Tessa was immobilized. She could almost hear Tyler saying the same thing in twenty years. He would have no memories of his father if she had anything to do with it, but she’d be a terrible mother if she didn’t at least realize that he would always feel a hole in his heart where his father should have been.
“You okay?” Aaron asked waving his hand in front of her face.
“What? Oh, yeah… I’m fine. Just tired I guess.”
“Listen, why don’t you get some sleep? I’ll set my watch to check on him every hour…” Aaron offered.
“That’s okay. I’m sure the coffee will kick in soon,” she said with a forced smile.
“Boy, you really don’t trust me, do you?”
“Don’t take it personally.”
“How could I?” he asked sarcastically.
Tessa felt terrible. Here was this sexy, nice man who had saved her son on the beach, yet she couldn’t trust him. What had her ex done to her? He was still pulling the strings even when he wasn’t around.
“Look, Aaron, this isn’t anything against you. You have to trust me on that.”
“I have to trust you?” he asked with a sly smile. “You could be some kind of sex starved ax murderer, and I’ve allowed you into my home.”
“Are ax murderers typically starved for sex?” Tessa asked with a chuckle.
“Probably. I mean, why would they go around trying to kill people if they were having enough sex? I think they’d be more relaxed…” he said with a wink. Tessa suddenly found herself laughing. Actually laughing. Her sides started to hurt from the unusual muscle contractions. She hadn’t laughed in so long, and she certainly hadn’t experienced a belly laugh like Aaron caused.
Aaron looked at her intently as she wiped away the tears of laughter.
“What?” she finally asked as she took the last sip of her coffee.
“You’re much prettier when you laugh,” he said softly as he took her cup and went into the kitchen. Feeling like the air had been sucked from her lungs, Tessa said nothing.
* * *
Aaron steeled himself against the kitchen counter and took a breath. What was this woman doing to him? He felt good about making her laugh as it seemed she hadn’t laughed in a very long time for some reason
. But he hadn’t remembered feeling so comfortable around someone in a long time either, and that was a strange feeling given that she was a total mystery to him.
He added more grounds to the coffee filter and put it back in place as he filled up the carafe with water. His plan was to stay up all night if she was staying up. He didn’t want to leave her alone, but he also didn’t want to be without her company.
“I’ve got more coffee brewing,” he said as he poked his head through the opening between the tiny kitchen and the living room.
“Great. I think we’ll need it.” Her smile was still a bit forced, but behind it he could see that she really was a sweet, genuine person. She reminded him of a dog that had been kicked repeatedly by an owner and cowered away when anyone tried to touch him. For a moment, Aaron froze. Could she have been abused by someone? Not possible. Who would ever want to hurt such a beautiful, smart and sweet woman?
The coffee finished brewing, and Aaron refilled both of their cups before returning to the living room. He sat down and she looked up at him for a brief moment.
“What?” he asked.
“You’re very nice,” she said softly as she looked at the steam rising from her cup.
“Nah, just a regular guy,” he said taking a sip.
“No, I’ve known lots of regular guys. You’re…”
“Irregular?” he asked with a laugh.
“Well, yeah, I guess so.”
“Hey!”
“I don’t mean that as a negative thing. You’re different. You’re like a modern day superhero.”
“Yep. I forgot to wear my cape today,” he said putting his cup on the table.
“I’m being serious. You really helped me tonight. You have no idea how much.” Her tone took a turn, and he could almost feel a sense of darkness hanging over her.
“I’m glad, Dawn… Dana? Jeez, I don’t know what to call you…”
“Aaron, I…”
“It’s okay, mystery lady. I don’t need to know your name to know who you are.”
“What?” she asked with a scared look on her face that made him sad and angry at the same time. Angry at whoever made her look that way.
“I know you’re a kind and beautiful woman who loves her son more than life itself. I know you like coffee and the ocean. That’s all I really need to know.” She sighed as if she was relieved before Aaron added, “And I know someone has hurt you very badly.”
Her face went pale, and her eyes welled with tears as she tried to turn her head away toward Tyler. He watched as her fingers grasped the coffee mug so tightly that the handle broke off and hit the hardwood floor with a thud. Tyler jumped from a dead sleep and sat up. “Mommy? Mommy?” he yelled looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings.
“It’s okay, sweetie,” she soothed as she jumped from the sofa, wiping the tears that had escaped. As she settled him and got him back to sleep, Aaron chided himself inside for saying anything. He’d made her cry which was the last thing he’d wanted to do.
A few minutes later, she’d gotten Tyler to sleep. Aaron was picking up shards of the coffee mug from the floor as she approached.
“I am so sorry,” she whispered as she knelt beside him to pick up the little pieces. “I don’t know how that happened…”
“It’s okay, D…”
“Tessa.”
“Tessa?” he asked with a smile as he looked over at her.
“Yes. My name is Tessa.”
“That is a beautiful name. It fits you much better than Dawn or Dana,” he said as he stood up and put out his hand to help her up. Much to his surprise, she took his hand and a bolt of electricity rocketed through his body. For a moment, they were close, face to face, as she looked up at him. There was almost a pleading in her eyes, as if she was asking to be saved from something that he couldn’t see. Then she backed up a step and sat down.
“I’ll replace your mug.”
“No, you won’t. It was an old mug anyway. I need some new ones, but I rarely have guests, so no one ever sees my crappy old dishes anyway,” he said laughing.
“How did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That someone hurt me.” She’d finally admitted it. Now there was no denying that someone had hurt this fragile, stunning woman named Tessa.
“Just a guess. You show some signs of abuse, Tessa.” Her eyes started to well up again as she looked away. “Look, I’m not Dr. Phil or anything, but you can trust me. You can talk to me. I won’t tell anyone, but it might do you some good to confide in someone. You’ve got to be lonely over there in that little camper.”
“I am very lonely, but not because of the camper. I feel free in that camper, actually. Not safe, but free.”
“I don’t understand…”
“You’ve probably never been lonely a day in your life, Aaron. You have a great, big, happy family that loves you. Be thankful for that.”
“I am very thankful for that, but it doesn’t mean I haven’t been lonely or betrayed before. In fact, it just happened to me.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. Tell ya what. I’ll share something with you that is very personal to me. I dated a woman for years, got engaged and then found her in bed with another man. Since then, I’ve been angry and lonely no matter who is around me. My family is worried about me, and my employees steer clear if they can.”
“Really? You seem so calm and put together.”
“Well, you’ve only seen the superhero side of me,” he said with a wink.
“I like the superhero. Made me feel safe for a moment in time,” she said standing up and looking at the pictures of his family lining the wall. “This is what I wanted for Tyler,” she said pointing to a photo of Adele and all of her kids when they were younger.
“What?”
“I wanted a big family. I wanted vacations and front yard football games and picnics on the beach. But I didn’t get that, and Tyler got a raw deal.” Aaron was quiet while she talked. “It’s funny how you have all these plans in life. You think you’re going to conquer the world, become someone important…”
“You are someone important, Tessa,” Aaron said standing up behind her.
“What?” she said turning around.
“You are the center of his universe.” Aaron pointed at Tyler sleeping peacefully.
She paused and smiled. “I know, but I’ve let him down. You have no idea.”
“It happens, Tessa.”
“What does?”
“Life. Things happen. Kids are resilient. Whatever happened, it looks like you’re trying to make it right. Make it better for Tyler.”
“I am,” she said as she sat back down on the sofa. “Wow, it’s after one in the morning. This is going to be a long night.”
“I’m wide awake. Why don’t you lie down for awhile? You can sleep right here, and I’ll keep watch.”
“I don’t know…”
Aaron stood up. “Here.” He handed her his wallet and his keys.
“What’s this for?” she asked laughing.
“You can sit on it or hide it or stick it down your shirt…”
“And why would I want to do that?”
“To prove to you that I won’t leave. Those are my only set of keys, that is my wallet and my mother’s business card is in there. Adele Parker would kill me herself if she thought I’d kidnapped a child. I promise, he’ll be fine. I’ll set my phone to remind me to rouse him every hour on the dot.”
Her face softened as she realized he was seriously trying to help her. She took the keys and wallet and slid them between her hip and the arm of the sofa.
“Why are you doing this, Aaron?”
“Doing what?”
“Being so nice and helpful to me? You don’t even know me. You certainly don’t have any responsibility for me or my son.”
“Because I don’t like bullies, and whoever has hurt you deserves to be beaten to a pulp. Tessa, no one is going to harm a hair on your head as long as I’m around
, okay? So sleep. Rest. You need it.” He stood up and retrieved a blanket from the hall closet and draped it across her body.
She looked like she wanted to say something, but instead opted to lie back against the sofa pillow. When she closed her eyes, she fell asleep within minutes. Aaron watched her, seemingly peaceful but probably filled with angst, and wondered how he had gotten himself involved in what could prove to be a dangerous situation. She was obviously running from something, or someone, and he had now put himself smack dab in the middle of it. But, for reasons beyond his comprehension, he wasn’t scared. He was protective, almost fiercely protective, of a woman he’d just met.
* * *
Tessa woke up around six in the morning, unaware of how long she’d been asleep. The warmth of the blanket wrapped around her made her feel safe for the first time in years, as if she was in a cocoon of protection that couldn’t be infiltrated.
She opened her eyes slowly as she saw just the smallest hint of light through the window blinds. The sun hadn’t risen yet, so she sat up to see what she could in the muddled darkness. What she saw surprised her more than anything she’d ever seen before.
Aaron wasn’t on the sofa with her. He was sitting on the floor beside Tyler, holding his hand while he lay sleeping against the arm of the sofa.
“Aaron?” she whispered as she crouched on the floor beside him. Groggy, he cleared his throat and opened his eyes.
“I’m awake. I’m awake.”
“It’s okay. Tyler looks good from what I can see. And he’s snoring up quite a storm,” she said smiling.
“I must have dozed off. I checked him at five thirty. What time is it?”
“Right at six.”
“Good.”
“Thank you so much for letting me get some rest. It’s been… Well, let’s just say it’s been a very long time since I was able to rest.” She smiled at him before standing up. “You have anything to make for breakfast here?”