“She’s dead.”
“Family?”
“I’m an only child.”
Ellen frowned. “Girlfriend?”
He shook his head. “That’s why I’m coming to you. You’re a mother, and I can tell you’re good at it. I just want some advice. Please.”
His green eyes met hers with conviction. Conviction for a child, the one thing she couldn’t say no to.
“Strictly business,” Tyler repeated for about the hundredth time since he’d left Zoe on the sofa. What was it about her that sent self-control packing? She’d turned him down. That should be it. Only, he knew she didn’t want to turn him down. She was attracted to him.
She just wanted more. More than he was willing to give. More than he could give.
He’d left her on the sofa at the office apartment and gone to check on Sam. Ramon, his brother, and Lola had been there. When Sam left to put the baby down, they’d given him the scoop—some of which he’d gotten last night. Sam had told Leo he either went to therapy or she was leaving. He’d told her he wasn’t going to sit with any shrink and talk about his fucking feelings.
So Sam had packed up the kids and left. She’d sworn to Tyler that she wasn’t going to take advantage of him. He’d just looked at her and told her that she wasn’t taking advantage of him. But if she loved her kids, she’d straighten herself up before what their own parents had done to them was passed down.
Thirty minutes later, he was at Zoe’s apartment. He opened the top dresser drawer and stared down at her silky underwear. Pink seemed to be her favorite panty color. His mind created an image of her wearing them, then stripped them off and had her standing in the middle of the bed, wet and hugging a pillow.
Strictly business.
He’d given her his word and intended to keep it. Unless she changed her mind. And then… Then what?
He’d use her for a slip-and-slide bang toy?
He gritted his teeth. It wouldn’t be like that. He really liked Zoe. Anything they shared would be special. Temporary, but special.
Didn’t that make it different?
He wanted to believe it did.
He was about to shut the drawer when he heard the front door open. Listening, he tried to figure out who’d walk into Zoe’s apartment without knocking.
The answer shot back. No one.
No one with good intentions.
He heard footsteps coming down the hall. Heavy footfalls told him the intruder was either a large woman, or a man.
He suspected a man.
He reached for his gun and backed up behind the door.
The figure appeared in the doorway. Definitely a man, and one who probably outweighed Tyler by fifty pounds.
Tyler held up his gun. “Don’t move.”
The man came at Tyler so fast it reminded him of his linebacker days in high school football. It wasn’t just the guy’s size, it was how he hit. His shoulder knocked Tyler against the wall. He hit so hard, and so fast, Tyler’s gun flew to the dingy carpet with a loud thump.
As the guy pulled away, Tyler grabbed his hair and ears. He pulled the guy’s face down and his knee up.
The painful grunt told Tyler he’d done well, but before he was able to enjoy that fact the big ox pulled away and threw his right fist, catching Tyler on the chin.
It jarred his bone and brain. Thoroughly pissed, and ready to get serious, he threw a right hook to the guy’s jaw.
The sound was nasty. Tyler hoped it was Bozo’s nose. Holy hell, this guy’s nose was a lot harder than Leo’s. Tyler’s knuckles started to throb.
The man stumbled and fell against the dresser; Tyler’s gaze cut to his gun. But the two-ton intruder grabbed a lamp off the dresser and swung it like a club at Tyler’s head.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
ZOE TOLD HERSELF she had no reason to worry. Tyler hadn’t said when he’d be back. But it had been four hours. She’d made herself a sandwich and tried not to think about him out dining with… Lisa.
Strictly business. He’d said it, and she’d wanted it that way… until she’d been ready to throw in the towel along with her bra and panties. And yet, he’d been the one to pull back from what felt like a potential kiss.
Maybe he’d changed his mind. Decided she wasn’t really his type. He had, after all, seen the merchandise.
But he’d appeared to like what he saw. Hadn’t he?
She remembered the way he’d looked at her. She’d seen his gaze fill with delight as his eyes traveled up and down, depending on the area with less coverage and more exposure.
So if he wasn’t out hitting on some other woman, maybe he was with his sisters. The sisters who thought she was married, who were probably warning him about her intentions.
Or maybe someone started taking potshots at him?
And God knows he didn’t believe in staying out of sight. She’d already gotten shot trying to protect him. Who knows, the bullet that got her could have hit him. Hell, she might have saved his life.
And she wasn’t there to do it again.
Her heart knotted at the idea of Tyler possibly being hurt. Of getting shot. Of getting himself killed.
Tyler jerked to the right, but the lamp caught him in the shoulder and knocked him down. Madder than the devil now, he grabbed his gun, rolled over, and pointed his Glock at the guy holding the lamp above his head.
“I hate to resort to movie quotes, but… this one is just so damn appropriate. ‘Go ahead,’ ” Tyler seethed, “ ‘make my day!’ ”
Bozo took a small step back. Tyler stared the man in the eyes as he slowly got to his feet, his finger still on the trigger.
“Fuck.” The man dropped the lamp.
It landed on the carpet with a loud thud. Tyler could only imagine how it would have sounded against his head.
The man scowled. “I’m not dying over this.”
“I think that’s my decision now.” Tyler spat out some blood.
“It wasn’t personal. I’m just a dick making a living like you.”
Another P.I.? Tyler looked at the man again, but no signs of recognition came. Then again, the guy could have known him. Tyler’s face had been plastered all over the news.
“PI?” Tyler asked.
The man nodded. “Like I said, it’s not personal.”
“It felt personal.”
“You gave as good as you got.” The man wiped blood from his nose.
“Who are you working for?”
The man hesitated.
And that really pissed Tyler off. “Do you not see my fucking gun?”
The man scowled. “It’s the same fucking guy you’re working for. Thomas Bradford.”
Ellen agreed to meet Rick at a diner close to her house while Britney played with a neighbor. The restaurant was empty except for him sitting alone in the booth reading a children’s book. Ellen couldn’t help but smile. As soon as the smile hit, she bit it back. She had an hour to give Rick some parenting advice, wish him luck, and send him packing.
“Hey.” She slipped into the seat across from him.
“Hi.” He closed the book. “I figured I should practice.”
“Reading?”
He made a funny face. “When I bought the books, there was a lady reading to the kids. She had this singsong voice that all the kids loved.” He frowned. “I’m not sure I can pull that off.”
Ellen smiled. “You’ll learn.”
“I hope so.” He pulled a notepad out. “It’s a lot to deal with. I don’t know where to start. Child care, pediatricians, nutrition.”
“Yeah, it is,” she said. “But kids are so resilient. They were created to survive until we get our shit together and figure out how to be a parent.”
His green eyes tightened. “I’m probably being biased, but I think it’s easier for women.”
“You’re right,” she said.
“So you admit it’s easier?”
“No, I meant you’re right about being biased.” She laughed. “Some women c
an change tires, and some men are super dads.”
He shrugged. “But you didn’t get accused of being a pervert because you watched a woman read books.”
He told her what happened at the bookstore.
Ellen laughed. “I’m sorry; it’s not funny, but it is. Okay, I’ll concede, maybe it is a little harder for men.”
“Thank you.” He handed her a menu. “They have sandwiches.”
She placed the menu down. “Just coffee. Britney’s at the neighbors, and I shouldn’t stay long.”
He nodded. “Bob isn’t going to get mad, is he?”
“Bob?” she asked.
“Your boyfriend.” His right eyebrow arched. “The guy you do get hot and sweaty with.”
She swallowed. “No, he’s not the jealous type.”
He studied her. “You don’t have a boyfriend, do you?”
She hesitated. “No,” she confessed. “But we’re not here to discuss that.”
He continued to stare at her, and she knew he wanted to push it but held back.
Smart man.
She pulled a book from her bag. “Here. It’s the best parenting book I know of. As you can tell, it’s well read.” She flipped through the pages. “There’s a whole chapter on nutrition, on getting your kid to eat, and a list of healthy recipes. There’s even a section on single parenting. The author is a single parent, and I like her no-nonsense style.”
She handed him the book. He flipped through the pages. Then he reached for his pad. “I’ll just write the name down and pick up my own copy.”
“You can keep it,” she said. “I thought I lost my copy and bought another one before I found it.”
“Thank you.” He smiled sincerely. “I knew you were the person who could help me.”
“Now about child care. I have a list of places I checked when I was looking for child care a year ago. These are individuals who just take care of a few kids. I didn’t want to put Britney into regular day care. All the stories of neglect scared me too much.” She pulled out the list and handed it to him. “They all came highly recommended by other mothers. At the time they all had openings, but I don’t know about now.”
He looked at the list and then at her. “Wow, this is great. Is Britney at any of these?”
“Mrs. Franks,” she said, and wished she’d left that one off the list. The less she had to see this man, the better.
The waitress, a pretty brunette teen, came over. “Are you sure you don’t want something to eat?” Rick asked. “Come on. Let me buy you a burger. It’s not a date, just a thank-you.”
“I’d take him up on it,” the waitress said, grinning. “He’s kind of cute. I’d even date him if he wasn’t so old.”
“I’m not old,” Rick said.
Ellen laughed and relented. They ordered burgers and coffee, and the waitress walked away. “So”—he motioned to the book and paper on the table—“how long before all this gets easy?”
She made a face. “Wouldn’t know. I haven’t got there yet.”
“Jeez, make me feel good, won’t you?”
“Sorry,” she said. “But seriously, it’s hard. You worry all the time. You feel as if you’ve gotten a part of parenting down, and then they’re out of that stage and in another one. But it’s worth it. Sometimes at night, I’ll sneak into her room and watch her sleep. She’s so beautiful, so innocent. I just want to do right by her.”
“Something tells me you are,” he said.
The waitress dropped off their coffees. Ellen pulled her coffee cup closer. Her curiosity got the best of her. “So, you and your son’s mother, were you married?”
He nodded. “Yeah. A year.”
“What happened?” She emptied cream into her coffee.
He stared down at his coffee. She thought he wasn’t going to answer her. “Don’t know exactly.” He looked up. “I thought we were doing okay. I mean, we were both sleep-deprived.”
Guilt filled his eyes. “Looking back, I guess I didn’t do my share. I was working two jobs to pay for all the baby expenses. I tried to help, but I didn’t know how. He had that acid reflux and cried all the time. About the only time he didn’t cry was when she was breast-feeding him. So when he’d cry, I’d bring him to her. She would get furious, but what did she expect me to do? Grow breasts?”
“It might have helped.” Ellen tried for humor.
He set his coffee down. “I came home from work one day, and they were gone. I found her at her mom’s, and she said married life wasn’t for her. Within a month, I was signing my divorce papers. I begged her to come back. Told her I’d do anything, but she wouldn’t have it.”
“Did you get him for weekends?” she asked.
“Once, but the kid cried nonstop. I thought he was sick. He wouldn’t take his bottle, so I took him back early. She told me I had to pay more child support if I wasn’t going to watch him. So I paid another hundred a month. I’d go see the kid once a week; half the time she wouldn’t let me in.”
“Did you complain to her lawyer? I mean legally, she can’t do that.”
“Legally, she didn’t give a fuck.” He ran a hand over his face. “Sorry,” he said. “I threatened to go to the lawyer. She claimed that wouldn’t get me shit, that when she told them I hadn’t even taken Ricky on my weekends, that they’d take all my rights away. I felt she sort of had me over the barrel.”
Ellen could relate to having someone making threats.
“When he was two, I started my weekends again, but after one weekend, she moved to Louisiana. I started driving up once a month. I’d tell her I was coming, but half the time she wouldn’t be there and I didn’t even get to see the kid. Even after all this time, Ricky cries if I ask him to go anywhere with me. The kid’s scared to death of me. So I end up visiting him a couple of hours and leaving. The times I do get to see him, I feel like I’m a chore he has to do. He hardly talks to me. It’s as if he’s angry, and I don’t know what for and I don’t know how to talk to a kid.”
He looked at Ellen. “You think I’m a terrible father, don’t you?” Emotion laced his voice.
“I think you made some mistakes,” she said honestly. As we all have.
“Yeah, thinking I could save Candy from her lifestyle was one of them. She started dancing at clubs again, and, while I can’t prove it, I think she’s using again. She’s always hit me up for a couple hundred every other month or so, but I never doubted it was really to help pay the rent or something. Now, she’s called like six times these last few months asking for cash, saying Ricky needed something. I ended up sending it. I can’t stand thinking what the kid must be going through.”
“I don’t blame you,” Ellen said.
The waitress dropped off their burgers. As soon as she left, Rick looked up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to unload on you.”
Ellen smiled. “It’s okay.”
They both dressed their burgers. Rick glanced up. “So, how did you end up being a single parent?”
“Wrong guy and a faulty condom,” Ellen said, hoping that would put the subject to bed.
“Is he still in the picture?” he asked.
She looked down at her burger. “Very little, when it’s convenient for him.”
“Is he an asshole?”
She picked up her burger. “He wouldn’t win a father of the year award.”
He popped a French fry into his mouth and studied her. “I unloaded on you, so if you want to bitch, go for it.”
She grinned. “But I bit you earlier, so I figure we’re even.”
He laughed. “I guess that’s fair.” He popped another fry into his mouth and just stared at her.
“What?” she asked when it got uncomfortable.
“You’re easy.”
She chuckled. “Easy?”
“I mean, you’re easy to talk to. Easy to like.”
She swallowed and stared at her plate. Almost as if he knew that line of conversation made her uncomfortable, Rick chose another topic. He talked about
the things he planned to buy for his son. Ellen saw the spark of excitement in his eyes as he talked for fifteen minutes about the places he wanted to take the boy—places he remembered his dad taking him before he died.
“How old were you?”
“Six,” he said. “I don’t have a lot of memories of him, but what I do remember is that I liked hanging with him.”
She knew he was wishing he could find that same connection with his son. “Your mom remarry?”
“Nah. I think it took everything she had to work and take care of me.” They continued to chat while they ate.
When she pushed her plate away, Rick smiled. “Thank you so much for meeting me. I feel better about everything.”
She looked at him, knowing Rick wanted to do right by his son. “You’re going to be fine,” she said. “You’ll get the daddy thing down.”
He grinned. “I hope so.”
Checking her watch, she moaned. “I’m late.” She tried to pay for her food, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He left a twenty and followed her out.
While she went through her purse, he leaned against her car door. “Can I ask you something?”
She knew what it was. “No.” Where were her keys?
“It doesn’t have anything to do with getting hot and sweaty.”
She looked up.
He grinned. “Okay, maybe it does. Why are you so adamant about not liking me?”
“I never said I didn’t like you.” Lord, help her, right now she couldn’t find one thing about him she didn’t like. The way his shoulders looked a mile wide. The way his biceps bulged under the green shirt. The way the dress pants fit across the front of his thighs. She even liked him. The way he cared about his son. The way he admitted his mistakes and tried to do better.
Damn, if she didn’t like that confident twinkle in his eye. She even liked his persistence. A woman had to respect a guy who didn’t give up easily.
“I do like you.” She dug into her supersized purse for her keys.
“That’s why I’m having a problem with this,” he said.
She looked up again.
He arched his eyebrows. “I feel a spark here. I haven’t…” He hesitated. “I haven’t really enjoyed talking to a woman like this in… a long time. Maybe we just got off on the wrong foot. Maybe we—”
Blame It on Texas Page 24
