Loving Tessa (January Cove)

by Hanna, Rachel

  “Don’t you think I know that?” Tessa was obviously getting angry. “When I ran off from my ex, the first thing I considered was giving my son up for adoption. Isn't that crazy? I love him more than life itself. I would protect him, and I did protect him, with my own life. I was so willing to give him up to someone else just so he would have the opportunity at a normal life. I even drove to an adoption facility and made an appointment with someone. When I went to meet with the person, I chickened out right there in the parking lot. I sat there in that ratty camper with my son playing with his blocks in the back and decided I couldn't go through with it. Maybe that was selfish of me.”

  “No, Tessa. That wasn't selfish. You're his mother. He should be with you. You've got to let me help. You already know you can trust me, right?” He leaned down and looked into her eyes.

  She looked at him for a moment as if she was considering the question and then allowed a small smile to escape her face. “Of course I do. I didn't know if I did at first, but I'm absolutely sure I can trust you now.”

  “Then you have to tell me. It might seem like I'm some kind of small-town Joe, but trust me when I tell you that I have connections that can help us figure out what to do next. I'm not talking about the mafia or anything crazy like that, but I do know people who can help us deal with this legally the right way. But I can't deal with the unknown. I need to know the full story.”

  “It's so hard to relive it, Aaron. I don't know if I can do it.”

  “You said it yourself. You'll do anything for Tyler, and you have to do this for him.”

  She nodded, looked at Tyler playing on the beach and then looked back at him. “Okay, I'll tell you the whole story. But first, we’ve got to get somewhere alone. I don't want him to have to remember all of that.”

  “Okay. If you trust me, then would you trust my mother?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “My mother raised five kids by herself, and she would love to have Tyler over for a few hours while you and I go somewhere to talk.” Tessa took a deep breath as if this was another scary moment in her life and finally nodded her head.

  “If you trust her, and I know you do, then I trust her.”

  ***

  Tessa couldn't believe that she had agreed to allow Aaron’s mother to watch Tyler for a few hours. Never in her wildest dreams a few days ago would she have believed that she’d go along with something like that. But, for whatever reason, she had grown to trust Aaron immensely in the short time that she'd known him.

  She figured that anyone who raised a man like him must be a great person. In all reality, she was kind of interested in meeting this Adele Parker and finding out more about her. She hoped that she could be a mother as good as Mrs. Parker was.

  Lately, though, she wasn't so sure. She knew that she made the right decision getting herself and Tyler out of the situation with her ex, but she wasn't sure what she was going to do from now on. She really hadn't thought the plan out in advance, just jumping and running as soon as she had the chance. Sure, she’d saved her money, but she hadn't been sure exactly when she’d be able to leave.

  And now she had to tell Aaron the whole story. It was going to be one of the most difficult things she’d done because she would have to relive it all over again. She knew that she couldn't ever get it out of her mind or forget what happened, but she was hoping to be able to move forward without ever having to speak of it.

  After finishing lunch that they picked up in a drive through , Aaron headed toward his mother's house. He called her from the beach to make sure that it was okay to bring Tyler by, and Tessa hoped that Tyler would go along with the plan. He was usually pretty good at welcoming new people. He never really had grandparents, so he hadn’t been around older people. Of course, Tessa wasn't sure how old Adele was, but she was certainly older than anyone Tyler had probably ever met before.

  The fact that their lives had been so sheltered didn't help when it came to teaching Tyler about the world. He was almost like a blank canvas having never really been out and around a lot of other children and people. The thought of it made her sad inside because she didn't grow up that way. She had friends and relatives and lots of fun times, but Tyler hadn't experienced any of that. His life had been closed off from the moment he was born and Tessa was determined to make sure that the rest of his life was an open book full of friends and family and love and new experiences. But Aaron was right. She couldn't give him that kind of life if she was always on the run.

  "Everything okay over there?" Aaron asked as they drove down Main Street toward his mother's house. She’d been awfully quiet since they left the beach, full of thought and full of angst. She wanted to tell him everything, but she wanted to say nothing. It was an internal fight that she was having with herself that could never be solved. One side of her was going to get hurt today no matter what. He’d taken her to a small, out of the way sandwich shop and gotten take out so that they could eat it in the car. She felt like a first class loser.

  "Yeah. I'm just tired and full. Lunch was great." She knew that he wasn't going to believe that everything was okay, but he also knew that Tyler was in the backseat listening to every word they said. For a three year old, he was very smart and able to pick up on all kinds of emotional nuances.

  "We're almost there. My mom lives just down here on the corner. She's very well-known in town, and I know she's going to love you and Tyler. She loves little kids, and it’s been awhile since she’s had some around. Of course, she wants grandchildren as soon as possible, but my brother Kyle has given her one already by getting back together with Jenna."

  "I'm sure she does love children if she raised five kids alone."

  "Well, she didn't do that on purpose. When my father died, she was left to take care of everything by herself. She started in real estate under another company and supported us all those years on one hundred percent commission. When she started her company, she finally got some financial stability but we were older by then."

  "Well, I admire her already for a couple of reasons."

  "You do?"

  "Yes. For one thing, she took care of the five of you on her own. For another, she raised a good man in you." Aaron smiled and winked at her before returning his eyes to the road.

  ***

  As they came around the last corner, Tessa could see Adele's house. She started to get nervous in the pit of her stomach, but she knew this was something she had to do. It was amazing the turn that her life had taken just in the last few days. Meeting Aaron had been a wonderful thing for her and Tyler, but the thought of opening up to him was starting to sound like it might be too much. At the same time, she knew that she had to or else Tyler's life would be forever ruined. He’d be stuck in the same shell he was stuck in when she lived with her ex.

  "Here we are."

  "Wow! This is a big house!" Tyler exclaimed.

  "Well, it kind of had to be because I have three brothers and one sister."

  "I wish I had a brother or sister. It gets lonely being the only kid in our family."

  "You never know, you might have a brother or sister one day. Until then, you have to keep your mommy entertained all by yourself." Aaron winked at Tyler and pulled the car into the driveway.

  Tessa sat still, saying nothing and staring straight ahead.

  "Ready?"

  "I think so." She turned and looked at him, and as if sensing her anxiety, he reached over and squeezed her hand once before opening his door and stepping out. He walked around and opened her door, a chivalrous, Southern gentleman move that she had never experienced before first hand. She’d seen it in movies and heard about it, but no man had ever walked around and opened up her door before today. She slowly stood up and stared at him closely, face-to-face.

  For a moment, she could feel butterflies in her stomach and heat rising through her core, but she assumed that it must just be extra adrenaline or leftover anxiety about meeting his mother. That's what she wanted to tell herself, but he
r heart and mind said differently.

  "Thanks."

  "For what?" he said in a whisper.

  "For opening my door."

  "You shouldn't ever have to say thank you when a man opens your door. Any man who's with you should open your door for you, Tessa. A real man is willing to do anything for a woman he cares about." She halfheartedly smiled and nodded her head as he closed her door and pointed towards the front steps.

  They walked up the stairs and into the house, Aaron calling his mom's name. She came down the stairs with a big bright smile on her face. Adele Parker was beautiful with blond hair and a petite frame. Tessa hoped that she would look that good when she was her age, although she didn't feel that way right now. She felt like she was one hundred years old after all the stress that had come along with her life in the last few years.

  "Well, hey there! You must be Dawn, and you must be Tyler. My name is Mrs. Parker." She was full of energy, and Tessa couldn't believe that she had recently been in the hospital. Aaron had told her all about that on the drive over, although she didn't have much to say since she was lost in her own thoughts most of the time.

  "Hi. So nice to meet you," Tessa said shooting a glance at Aaron. He had told her that her name was Dawn, and she wondered why he did that.

  "Welcome to my home. Tyler, I hear that we're going to spend some time together this afternoon. Let me ask you something. Do you know how to bake chocolate chip cookies?" she asked him kneeling down and smiling.

  Tyler grinned from ear to ear and started jumping up and down while clapping his hands. "I sure do!" he said.

  "Well good ‘cause I'm going to need some extra hands in the kitchen. I’ve already got my friend, Kaitlyn, in there up to her elbows in cookie dough,” she said smiling at Tessa. “I love to bake dozens and dozens of chocolate chip cookies and take them around to the local fire stations. Do you think you might want to help me do that today?"

  "Yes, ma'am!" he said as he grabbed her hand and followed her into the kitchen. Aaron stood there grinning and threw his hands up in the air.

  "Did you see how she just completely ignored me? She loves little kids more than anything, but it was like I wasn't even standing here!" Aaron said laughing.

  "Tyler just took right to her. That makes me feel so much better. But why did you tell her my name is Dawn?"

  "I figured it was the best thing to do just in case your ex come sniffing around. My mom won't know who Tessa is, so she won't be of any assistance to him. I’m just trying to protect you and her at the same time. I hope that's okay."

  "It's more than okay, Aaron. I'm so thankful that you thought about that because I didn't. I really need someone with a level head helping me with this because I'm not thinking clearly about everything I need to do to make sure that Tyler is safe."

  "Yes, you need for Tyler to be safe but you also need to be safe yourself. And that's what I'm here for. That's what friends are for, right?”

  Tessa nodded her head, but she wasn't sure why she felt a little sad inside when he said the word friend. Was that all they could ever be? What was she thinking? She just gotten out of a tumultuous, violent relationship and here she was starting to develop feelings of attraction to her new friend. She needed a friend more than she needed a boyfriend, so she was determined to push those feelings aside and think of Aaron as nothing more than someone who was helping her.

  "So where are we going today?" Tessa asked.

  "I have a place in mind where we won't be interrupted and we won't have to worry about anybody finding us. Do you trust me?"

  "Of course I do, but why can't we just go back to your cabin?"

  "Because I run that place, and my guests and employees won’t leave us alone if they see my car there for long. If we’re going to go somewhere and talk and really think out the logical steps to getting the situation resolved, we need to make sure that we’re uninterrupted and no one will find us. I have the perfect place."

  "Okay, if you say so."

  "Let's go tell Tyler goodbye and get on the road."

  Chapter 6

  As they drove down the road toward Aaron’s mystery destination, Tessa couldn't believe that she’d left her son in the care of someone she'd only just met. It shocked her as much as it probably shocked Aaron, but she was desperate. It scared her a little bit because any other time that she’d been desperate in her life, she'd made some very poor decisions. She hoped that she was making the right decision now by telling Aaron everything and allowing Tyler to stay with Adele. She sighed lightly, thinking of how she was so sick of second guessing every decision in her life. Why couldn’t she just be a normal twenty-something woman with normal twenty-something problems?

  The one good thing she had going for her was that Adele Parker was very known in January Cove. Her signs were everywhere, and she raised five children on her own. She had to be a pretty good woman to create children who were doing so well in their lives.

  "So, no clues as to where we’re going?" she asked with a sly smile.

  "You even know this area?" Aaron responded with a laugh.

  "Nope. Not a bit. I sort of ended up here by default. We rolled into town on fumes, and I saw a sign for your campground before it was too late. In fact, I'm not sure how I'll ever move the camper off your land."

  "Well, I can always push it up to the road," Aaron joked. “Of course, I’m not even sure a homeless raccoon would want to live there.”

  "Gee, thanks," she said, lightly punching him in the arm.

  "So, tell me a little something about yourself, Tessa. First of all, what's your last name?"

  "Why does that matter?" Her guard immediately went back up like a fortress around a castle.

  "Because if I'm going to help you, I'm probably going to need your name. Tessa isn't exactly enough information to go on," he said.

  "My last name is Reeves.

  "Good to know. Tessa Reeves. I like that. It's nice."

  "I'm glad it meets with your approval," she said smiling. "So you tell me something about yourself then."

  "What do you want to know?"

  "Tell me about the relationship that went sour."

  "I've already told you everything there is to know.

  "I don't think so. You gave me the Cliff Notes version, but there has to be more to it than that. Were you really in love with her?"

  "I thought I was. When all was said and done, I think I was more in love with the idea of being in love with her. I'd really like to settle down and have a family, and I thought we had that kind of relationship. I'm glad that I know now that she wasn't the kind of woman I've want to spend the rest of my life with, but it didn’t make it any easier to go through all of that."

  "Does she ever try to contact you?"

  "You know that's two questions. I get to ask you another one," he said with a wicked smile.

  "Fine. Ask away. I can't promise that I'll answer, but you can ask," she said with her own sly smile.

  "You have family?"

  "You mean like a mom and a dad?"

  "Yeah."

  "My mother passed away when I was ten years old, so I was raised by my father. Unfortunately, my father got into some trouble when I was a teenager and ended up in prison. He died there when I was nineteen years old. That's when I met my ex, at my lowest point in life."

  "I don't hear from her anymore."

  "Who?" she asked.

  "I assumed that you wanted the answer to your previous question. Her name is Natalie, and I don't hear from her anymore. I see her around town with different guys, but I don't care to hear from her."

  "You shouldn't want to talk to someone like that. Anyone who could hurt you must not be a very good person," she said offhandedly.

  Aaron looked at her with a grateful smile and then returned his eyes to the road. "Thanks."

  "It must've been hard to grow up without your father."

  "Yeah, but I never really got a chance to know him. I was only two years old when he died, so I only k
now him through the stories that my mother tells and pictures. I assume it was a lot harder for you because you got to spend the first ten years of your life with your mother."

  "It's never easy to lose a parent, but it was especially hard to lose my mother. I was an only child and I felt like I lost my way after that. A girl needs her mother, and my father just went downhill after she died. It was like he lost his will to live and started doing all kinds of stupid things that messed up both of our lives."

  "So that's how you ended up with your ex?"

  "Partially, I guess. I didn't have a good sense of direction when I was a teenager or in my early twenties. I didn't have a mother to teach me what to look for in a man, and I didn't have a good father to show me the kind of man that I should be looking for. I guess I was just lost, and I didn't have a lot of self-esteem. I suppose I don't have a lot of self-esteem right now either, but at least I realize it."