Uncovered Desires_A Single Mom Alpha Male Protector Romance

by Kelli Walker

  “Also, Ma has a bad habit of not going to the doctor when she needs to. So, don’t be afraid to steal the power cords from her shed and hide them until she goes. I’ve done that a couple of times.”

  “You’ve what?” Isabelle asked.

  “Also, sometimes she gets really wrapped up in what she’s doing, and she’ll go three days sometimes without showering. Remind her to take care of herself,” Dom said.

  “I do not do that. Hush now,” Isabelle said.

  “You’ve done it a few times, Ma. Just sayin’,” DeShawn said. “Oh, and another thing. Ma sometimes cries by herself in the shower. She’s not as quiet as she thinks when she really gets going. So, just take that and use it for what it is.”

  “Duly noted,” I said.

  My eyes migrated over to Isabelle as she sat there, exasperated and shocked at the words pouring from her son’s mouths.

  “We’re going off to college soon, so we won’t be here to watch after her,” Dom said. “So that’s your job now.”

  “Yeah. And if I call Ma for any reason and she sounds distressed, and it’s because of you? You go from being ‘Tee’ to being ‘Dee’. Which’ll stand for ‘Dead’ on your tombstone,” DeShawn said.

  “That’s enough,” Isabelle said.

  “Let them speak,” I said. “This is good.”

  “But the number one rule--the one that’s most important--is that you can’t abandon her,” Dom said.

  “Absolutely not,” DeShawn said. “You move in, that’s it. You don’t go anywhere else.”

  “You move your stuff in, you’re stuck,” Dom said. “Mom’s had enough people run out on her over the course of her lifetime. And in a few months, we’ll be running out as well. Don’t do that to her. Don’t move in, love her for a little while, then leave.”

  “Because we’ll find you,” DeShawn said. “Trust and believe.”

  But if I thought that was unexpected, what happened next shocked me to my core.

  “Ma?” DeShawn asked.

  “Yeah, sweet boy?” Isabelle asked.

  “The number one rule with Tee is that you have to support him.”

  My jaw dropped as my eyes whipped up to connect with hers.

  “And you have to make sure yogurts are always stocked in the fridge,” Dom said. “If he has a nightmare and gets up, that’s always what he wants.”

  “Oh! And you have to learn how to play trash can basketball. Once we’re gone, we won’t be able to play it with him,” DeShawn said.

  “I promise I’ll learn to play,” Isabelle said with a sniffle.

  “Tristan’s good for you, Mom. Don’t push him away, okay?” Dee asked.

  “I’ll try not to. I will, boys,” she said.

  “And just so you know, if you ever want to marry our Ma, you’ve got our permission as long as she’s happy,” DeShawn said.

  “And as long as you’re happy,” Dom said.

  “Well, I’m not pushing the envelope here or anything. I’m pretty sure moving in and getting shaken down by two seventeen-year old boys is enough for tonight,” I said.

  Isabelle laughed through her tears as she dabbed at her eyes with her napkin.

  “You guys really need to warn me before I decide against my waterproof makeup,” Isabelle said.

  “You two looked out for us, so we’re gonna look out for you,” DeShawn said.

  “I second that notion,” Dom said.

  “Okay,” Bella said as she came rushing back to the table. “What’d I miss, guys?”

  And all of us stole looks at one another before falling apart in laughter, leaving Bella standing there with a confused look on her face.

  Isabelle

  “Oh my gosh, these burgers are fantastic,” I said.

  “Then I’ll make sure your compliments make it to the chef,” Jackson said with a smile.

  “Is Aunt Bella back yet, Mom?” Dom asked. “She’s supposed to be bringing the soda and the ice cream for floats later.”

  “Did you tell her to get root beer?” DeShawn asked. “I don’t like those Coke float things.”

  “Did someone say root beer?” Bella asked.

  My best friend shoved my front door open, knocking over some boxes in the way. Over the past two weeks, all of us had been transitioning Tristan into the house. Little by little, boxes piled up and men’s clothes made their way into the closet. And not only that, but I’d finally gotten to meet the other half of the duo that tracked my son down.

  Jackson Warrington.

  “And who is this rainbow-haired goddess coming through the door?” Jackson asked.

  He walked over and shoved a few more boxes out of the way before grabbing the bags Bella was hauling.

  “Well,” she said breathlessly, “thank you for the help. You’re much better at that then Isabelle over there.”

  “You must be Bella,” Jackson said.

  “And you must be the chef of the evening, judging by the apron,” she said.

  “Hey Bella, did you see Tristan out there at all?” I asked.

  “I heard my name!” he exclaimed.

  I heard the back door slide open as I whipped around on my heels.

  “There you are,” I said. “You’ve been gone a while. What happened?”

  “Just had to run into town to pick up something.”

  “Then why are you coming through the back door?”

  “Because I saw Bella struggling with the front one,” he said.

  “And you didn’t come help me? What kind of man are you?” Bella asked.

  “I know, Tee,” Jackson said. “What kind of man leaves a beautiful dove struggling with a door like she was? You know some women need a strong man to come help them out from time to time,” Jackson said.

  “Better be careful,” Dom said. “Those are fightin’ words with Aunt Bella.”

  “Not when they’re cute,” Bella said with a grin.

  Even though everything was still packed up in boxes, Jackson made us all take a break to have an early dinner. He had gotten into town a few days ago and the first purchase he made to celebrate our ‘homecoming merger’--as he so eloquently put it--was to buy us a grill. Then, he made it his job to break it in with a round of steaks. Which led to him grilling hot dogs for lunch the next day. Which led into him cooking us just about every meal on the damn thing.

  The man was a grillin’ machine.

  “You need any help with the food?” Bella asked.

  “Oh, no. I hear your job is to wait on people hand and foot throughout the day,” Jackson said. “You sit down and let me make you a plate.”

  “Cute and hospitable. I might not let you leave anytime soon,” she said.

  “Then my only other question is, where would you like me to stay?” Jackson asked.

  I giggled and shook my head while my best friend and Tristan’s former partner bantered back and forth with one another. We all sat down at the table to grilled vegetables, burgers that were mouth-watering, and ice cream floats for drinks. I felt Tristan’s foot scoot next to mine underneath the table, and all I could do was take in the moment around me. Bella smiling aimlessly at Jackson. My sons talking about their college applications and whether or not they wanted to be roommates at the same university. So much had changed in the past couple of months, and I had to take a second and digest all of it.

  “Isabelle?” Tristan asked.

  “Mhm?”

  “You okay? You zoned out there for a second.”

  “Just thinking,” I said as my hand migrated to his knee.

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “Just reflecting,” I said. “The past couple of months have been…”

  I drew in a deep breath and tried to find the right word. It felt as if it was on the top of my tongue, but I couldn't find it. I couldn’t find the energy to dig through the silence of my mind and the relaxation that coursed through my veins in order to find it.

  “I know,” Tristan said as he laced our fingers together. “I
know they have been.”

  What started out as a massive family dinner ended with the boys going off to their rooms to play video games. Jackson and Bella made their way out to the porch with a couple of beers, and I figured the two of them would watch the sun set over the horizon while trying to figure out who would take whose hand first. Tristan helped me clean up the kitchen and get the dishes in the dishwasher, the two of us dancing around one another like we had done for the past few weeks.

  The rhythm we had fallen into was lovely, and I still amazed myself at how comfortable I felt with him around.

  “Care for a beer?” I asked.

  “Actually, I was hoping we could take a walk,” Tristan said.

  I peeked up over the edge of the refrigerator and furrowed my brow.

  “A walk? It’s almost dark,” I said.

  “Just a small one. You know, to walk down our food.”

  My eyes darted over to the hallway before my heart seized in my chest.

  “Jackson and Bella are both still on the porch. And Darnell’s in jail. Don’t forget about that,” Tristan said.

  I drew in a deep breath, trying to quell my anxiety as I shut the fridge door.

  “Okay,” I said. “But just a small walk.”

  “I promise, it won’t be long,” he said.

  I reached out for his hand and took it, allowing him to lead the way. We walked out the back door and headed towards the edge of my property, just walking and listening to the crickets chirp. The sun cast beautiful colors along the skyline. Yellows and reds and purples. I leaned my head against Tristan’s arm and took in the serenity of it all. Rarely did I ever go out walking past my shed. Honestly, I couldn't remember the last time I’d walked the length of my property. The grass brushed our shins the further we walked, and soon wild flowers that bloomed in the middle of the summer covered the horizon as far as my eye could see.

  I’d forgotten that the backyard was the exact reason I’d fallen in love with my home in the first place.

  “You are an amazing woman, Miss Carpenter.”

  I smiled as Tristan stopped walking and I paused to look up at him.

  “Thank you,” I said. “That means a lot coming from you.”

  “There isn’t a person on this planet that would’ve done half of what you’ve done for DeShawn. Especially after what happened to you when you were only fifteen years old,” he said.

  “He needed a home, and I was in a position to give him one.”

  “You’re amazing and you don’t even realize it,” he said. “You’re the most loving, giving, passionate woman I have ever come across, and you don’t even know it.”

  I watched him turn his gaze down to me before he released my hand. He dipped it into his pocket and pulled out the smallest little box I’d ever seen as my brow furrowed in confusion. I looked back up into his sparkling blue gaze and studied him closely, trying to figure out where in the world all of this had come from.

  Then, he dipped down onto one knee. In the middle of my backyard full of wildflowers.

  “Tristan?” I asked.

  “Isabelle, when I drove into this town with my trailer of things and my heart and soul broken into a million pieces, I never expected to be whole again. I never expected to feel like a man again. Not after what I had seen at the CIA and not after what cancer had taken from me. Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever seen myself finding romance in a place like Georgetown, Texas.”

  “Tristan,” I said breathlessly, my eyes filling with tears.

  “And never in my life did I ever think I would find a second chance at love,” he said.

  He cracked the box open, revealing the most beautiful diamond ring I had ever laid my eyes on.

  “Oh my gosh,” I said with a whisper. “This is happening.”

  “My life came to a screeching halt when I left D.C. I was wandering aimlessly. Without a compass. Without direction. Without purpose. And then? I met you. I saw you that day in Bella’s restaurant, and the welcoming feeling that poured from your lips was what convinced me to stay.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Yep. You were my deciding factor, Isabelle. I didn’t know your name and I didn’t know your story, but I knew you were kind. Open. Considerate. And I figured if a town like this was full of people like you, then it couldn’t be such a bad place to set up shop. The woman with the beautiful stare and hair that reminded me of an oil slick. And not once did it cross my mind that I would ever fall in love with you.”

  “Oh, Tristan,” I said.

  “You changed my life before I even knew your name, and I don’t want to go to bed one more night without knowing exactly where I’m taking you. You became my compass during a time when I was lost, and now I want to become yours so you don’t have to be that anymore. Not if you don’t want to.”

  I sank to my knees in front of him, holding his gaze as my hands cupped his cheeks.

  “Ask,” I said.

  “Isabelle Carpenter, will you marry me?”

  Then, I led his lips to mine and encompassed them in a tender, loving kiss.

  “Yes,” I said with a whisper. “I will marry you, Tristan Overcash.”

  I pulled back and watched the entity of my future sparkle in his eyes. He plucked the ring from the box and slid it onto my finger, then wrapped his arms around me and held me close. I buried my face into his neck, laughing and crying tears of joy as he picked us both up from our knees. He swung me around as the wind kicked up, rustling the flowers against our calves as the rest of the sun sank beneath the horizon. And as the moon trickled down onto our shoulders and the stars came out to play, the word to describe the past couple of months finally came barreling to the forefront of my mind.

  Life-changing.

  The past two months had been life-changing.

  Tristan - Six Months Later

  “You got the ring?” I asked.

  “I’ve got her wedding band and Bella’s got yours. Don’t worry. I told you I had everything under control,” Jackson said.

  “And Dom’s walking her down the aisle, right?”

  “He is. Though I think DeShawn’s gotten into his role a little too much,” he said.

  “I heard that,” DeShawn said with a grin. “I bought this robe online for this specific occasion. It took me weeks to convince Ma to let me get ordained to do this. I’m making sure to do it up right.”

  I chuckled and shook my head as I stood there with my hands in my pockets. I wanted to conceal the shaking of my hands. Isabelle wanted a small ceremony for our wedding, but I still wanted it to be the perfect day for her. Winter had fallen on Georgetown and the Christmas decorations were just beginning to make their way onto the streets. The city was covered with Christmas trees, Christmas lights, and silver Christmas decorations. Which made the red and green choice of our wedding colors a no-brainer. I had no idea how much Isabelle loved Christmas until she decided on a Christmas Eve wedding ceremony.

  And it was romantic.

  “The hanging flowers are a nice touch,” Jackson said. “Especially since we’re inside. Brings a little bit of the summers here to your wedding.”

  “They’re Isabelle’s favorite,” I said. “Wildflowers that resemble the ones in her backyard.”

  “Are you sure you guys want to do an open reception, though? How will you control who comes and who goes?”

  “That’s the point,” I said. “Isabelle wanted to share our wedding day with anyone who would attend. She wanted a simple service with just us, then a massive party for the reception downstairs.”

  “Please tell me you guys--”

  “Yes, Jackson. There’s an open bar, too.”

  “Too bad I can’t enjoy it,” DeShawn said.

  “Don’t let your mother hear you talking like that,” I said. “She’ll think Jackson corrupted you.”

  “Hey, how did I get roped into this?” Jackson asked.

  “You’re always the fuel to every fire. Don’t you already know this?
” I asked.

  I shot him a look before another smile slid across my cheeks. There was no other man I could think of to be my best man, and it didn’t shock me one bit that Bella was Isabelle’s maid of honor. DeShawn and Dom kept fighting over who would walk Isabelle down the aisle, and it took us a very long time to settle the argument. Jackson was actually the reason DeShawn was performing the wedding. On a whim, Jackson mentioned we still hadn’t picked out a minister to perform it, and the rest of it was history. DeShawn jumped at the opportunity to go online and get ordained since he had just turned eighteen to marry off his mother, and Dom was given permission to walk his mother down the aisle.

  Just the six of us, and no one else.

  “You guys ready?” Bella asked.

  I looked up and saw her poking her head through the double doors down the aisle.

  “Whenever the two of you are,” I said with a smile. “Jackson, ready to go escort Bella?”

  “I’m always ready to escort that woman anywhere,” he said.

  “You really should ask her out already.”

  “What makes you think I haven’t yet?” he asked with a wink.

  My jaw fell open and DeShawn fell apart in laughter as he swaggered himself down the aisle. I watched him peck Bella on the lips before tossing me one last idiotic look, then he slid behind the doors. The small string quartet sitting off in the corner struck up their music, and the double doors flew wide open.

  And I watched as Bella and Jackson processed arm and arm down the aisle.

  They kissed each other one last time before moving off to their positions, then my eyes rose up from where they were. I pulled my hands out of my pockets and readied myself to receive my future wife, but nothing could have prepared me for the beauty that shone the second she stepped down that aisle. Her dark brown hair was piled high on top of her head, cascading in a waterfall of curls that held her veil over her face. Her dress clung to her body and dipped salaciously in her waist before blossoming up into a bell, and the lacy sleeves that fell all the way to her wrists made her look regal. Her bouquet was filled with roses and greenery, signaling the beautiful time of the year we had decided to take our vows in front of the people we loved most.