"We can stay here," Jason said.
Heath nodded.
"It'll be just like at home. You have to follow all of your mom's rules here too. I want you to have fun. Those two rooms will be yours while your here. You can put all your stuff in there. I won't go in them. They are your rooms."
"Cool," Jordan yelled. "Can we see them?"
Heath looked up at her with a smile. He grabbed each other their hands in his and headed for the stairs.
"Can we slide down the stairs here like we used to at our old house?" Jason asked.
"Sure," Heath said.
Tara heard the boys chatter the entire way up the steps. By the time she got to the top, they had both claimed a room. Heath carried their suitcases in and helped them unpack as she watched. He showed them each where they could put their clothes. The boys were jumping on the beds and laughing.
"This bed is huge," Jordan shouted, as he jumped up and down.
They had twin beds at home, but Heath's spare rooms had queen size beds. The boys were more than thrilled with their new arrangement. Tara quietly walked to the other spare room and opened the door. Her suitcase wasn't there. She walked back into the hallway to see Heath looking at her from the doorway of his room. He motioned for her to walk in, so she slowly made her way back down the hall and into the room to see her suitcase on the end of his bed. She turned and looked back at him.
"This is your room," she said.
"It's yours while you're here. I know you like it. You made that very clear last night. I'll even let you have my bathroom," he said.
"You can't do that. I couldn't possibly let you," she said with a shake of her head.
"Let me," he said with his eyes narrowed at her. "This is your room. It's not up for discussion. The boys are right next door and across the hall. You need to be close to them. They are in a new environment and need you there. The beds bigger in this room. If they find their way over here, you'll have enough space. I'll take the spare room. I even changed the sheets for you."
She crinkled her nose up at him.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing," she said, as she thought about snuggling in the covers with his scent all around her the night before.
"I also thought you'd like having a desk in the room. That way you could work if you needed to."
"What about your work?" she asked.
"I'm fine. I have an office downstairs. If you want to use my desk in there while the boys watch television or play, it's all yours. I can't stand being in there stuck behind the desk anyway. Working on your house has kind of reminded me what I've been missing. I like working. It gives me time to think and be outside."
Heath sat down in the chair at the desk next to the bed.
"I was thinking about hooking a camera up at your house while I work. Would that be okay with you?" he asked.
"For what?"
"I'm thinking whoever it was will be back when they see more work being done."
"No," she said. "He won't be back. I think he just wanted to prove a point. He has to know I won't have the money for the work. I can't afford a camera anyway," she said with a wave of her hand.
"It will be done by the company. I want to protect my tools," he said.
"If that's why, then I guess its okay," she said.
She put her things in the dresser Heath had cleaned out for her, and the boys came running through the door. Their little eyes widened when they saw the bed and ran straight for it.
"This bed is huge, mommy," Jason said. "You're lucky."
Heath walked over and opened the doors to the balcony. He walked out with the boys and picked them each up in one of his arms and hushed them. A deer walked out of the woods and looked up right to where they were standing. Heath whispered to them to be really quiet. A moment later, Jordan yelled out and the deer took off. He burst into tears when he realized he had scared the deer. Heath put Jason down and pulled Jordan in closer. Tara felt her heart melt seeing such a big manly guy with her little one tight in his arms. Heath calmed Jordan down within minutes and walked back into the room with him.
"What do you guys say we order some pizza? We can eat while we watch a movie, but only for tonight. It can be something we do on Sunday. Does that sound good?"
The boys yelled out and took off for the stairs. Tara and Heath walked up to see the two boys on their rears sliding down step by step.
"It's been so many years since I've done that," Heath said with a laugh.
The pizza was delivered with the items the boys had chosen. The four of them sat down in front of a cartoon with their pizza and sodas. Tara watched her boys interact with Heath. She hadn't seen them that happy in a long time. For not wanting kids, he did a great job explaining things without giving them the slightest bit of fear. She wasn't so sure she could have done as good of a job herself.
By the time the boys went to bed, they were exhausted. Tara read them a story and tucked them each in.
She walked down the stairs and began picking up the toys and games the boys had pulled out. When she was done, she went to the kitchen and ran water to wash the dishes. Heath walked up behind her.
"Want some help?" he asked.
"No," she said. "I'll get it. It's our mess."
"It's my mess too," he said, as he bumped her with his hip to move her over. "You wash, and I'll rinse. There's a dishwasher too."
She began soaping up the dishes and handing them off to him. His arm brushed against hers, and she jerked when the heat filled her body. What the hell was wrong with her, she wondered? She'd basically been alone for a long time. Her husband hadn't been around that much before she left him. Her body was reacting to having a man close. That was all it was.
The dishes were done and everything had been put away.
"You don't have to pick up all of their toys and stuff. Let it be. They'll play with them again tomorrow anyway. Let them feel like it's their place while they're here."
"No," she said. "We're already taking over your house. You're not a kid person. You said so yourself."
"I didn't say that," Heath said. "I said I didn't want kids. There's a difference. Kids are awesome. Jason and Jordan are very well behaved and fun. I can work around them. Let them be. I want you to feel comfortable as well. If you're walking around trying to clean up every little thing, then you won't be relaxed. Just let it go."
"You say that now," she said. "You'll be ready to get rid of us in a week."
Heath shook his head and laughed.
"I'm going to bed," she said. "Have a great night."
"I'm going to watch the game from earlier. Do you want to watch it?" he asked.
"No," she said. "I'll be fine in the room. I think I might write for a bit. Thank you for everything, Heath. You'll never know how much I appreciate all of your help."
"Not a problem," he said. "Let me know if you need anything."
Tara went upstairs to Heath's room, changed into some pajamas, and got her stuff out to do some work. She was typing away when she heard a tap on her door and turned in her chair as the door slowly opened. Heath stuck his head through the opening.
"I'm going to bed," he said. "I'll try not to wake the boys when I get up."
"They might wake you before you want up. I'll try to keep them as quiet as I can."
"Don't worry about it," he said. "Please don't stress them about being here. I'll be fine. Are you still working?"
She nodded.
"I write when they're in bed or watching television. It's the only time I get. I want to get a book out this month, so I need to make sure to get it done. I wasn't expecting all of the stuff with Rick when I said I was going to hit a certain date. I don't want to disappoint anyone."
"Was that always your dream?" he asked.
"Writing?" she questioned and he nodded. "I used to write a bit when I was younger, but I hadn't done it in years. When I left Rick, I got back into it. It's been almost like therapy for me. That sounds crazy, but it's true. I really en
joy it and would like to make enough to support the boys on it. I work at it every single day. What about you? What was your dream?"
He walked into the room and sat down on the bed.
"I always wanted to build. Even when I was a little boy I'd build anything I could. My mom would get so mad when I'd take things apart and try to put them back together. I even worked for free for a local builder when I was in high school. When I graduated, the guy gave me a job. Once I had things figured out, I wanted to build my own house. He gave me some pointers and lots of advice. It took me years to build this house, many years. I can't tell you how proud I was when I finally finished. I'd built up my own business and everything before I was done. Between that and some other stuff, I've done very well for myself. I have an awesome group of friends that have really taught me some things. We've all had each other's backs for years and would do anything to help each other."
"You're a very lucky man," Tara said. "It's so great that you are able to do what you love. I can't believe you've built fifty homes for people. You are amazing."
Heath stood up and walked to the door.
"No, I'm not," he said. "Not any better than anyone else. See you in the morning."
He closed the door behind him. How could he not see how different he was, she thought? She turned off her laptop, crawled under the covers, and reached over to turn out the light. Heath's smell was gone from the sheets, but she could still smell it slightly on the pillow. As she closed her eyes, she wondered why she'd never found a man like him.
Chapter 16
Heath
The week that followed flew by. He'd installed a camera at Tara's, traveled around to different job sites, and worked on some plans for Tara's as well. He knew he was going to change her bathroom and add on a balcony to her house. That was for sure. When he combined the two rooms they had started on, he planned to put a fireplace in the room as well as a desk for her to work at. She seemed to like the way he had it set up at his place, and he wanted her to be happy when she went back home.
The divorce was final. They signed the papers. Tara was surprised that Rick hadn't let on at all that he knew her house had been trashed. She said it made her realize he had been completely fake and uncaring the last couple of years of their marriage. It took all she had not to say something, and Heath was glad she'd let it go. The house was hers. Rick had no right to step foot on her property any longer. If he did, it would have been considered trespassing. She had her car and the money he had given her. Heath couldn't believe the guy signed over his rights to his boys. How could a man act as if his children didn't exist, he wondered? How could money be worth more than family?
Tara made breakfast each morning and dinner each night. Heath told her she didn't need to do that, but she did it anyway. He made sure to keep the house stocked with food, snacks, and drinks. It was unusual for him. He was used to keeping the bare minimum around just for him. Walking into the house each night with the smell of food cooking and the laughter of the boys had him thinking. Maybe he did need to move on with his life. There had to be a good woman for him. His friends had all found women who treated them like they were the only men in the world. Surely there had to be a woman who would want him, he thought. He didn't want someone who would end up cheating and taking everything he had worked so hard for. That was the problem. How could he find a good woman, one that he felt the same way about?
Sunday morning came, and Heath opened his eyes to the sound of tiny giggles coming from the end of the bed. He looked up slowly to see Jason and Jordan watching him.
"Are you awake?" Jordan asked.
It took all Heath had not to laugh at the little guy.
"I am," Heath said.
"Mommy's making breakfast," Jason said, as the two quietly climbed on the bed and made their way up to sit next to Heath. "She said to leave you alone. We just wanted to see if you were awake yet."
"Where does mommy think you are?" Heath asked.
"Watching cartoons in the living room."
It wasn't two seconds later that Heath heard Tara flying down the hallway. She screeched to a stop just passed his door and turned back quickly. When she came to the door, she closed her eyes and grabbed her head.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry. They were supposed to be watching cartoons while I made breakfast. I didn't hear them come up the stairs. Crap! They woke you up. Get out of Heath's bed."
Both boys looked at Heath and then back at their mom. She pointed her finger toward the stairs. It looked like she was going to cry.
"But mommy," Jordan began. "We were just."
"Downstairs," she snapped.
They both climbed from the bed with sad faces and walked out of the room and down the hall to the stairs. She put her hand over her mouth.
"I swear I didn't know they came up here. I never would have let them go into your room like that. Shit! This isn't working. We're moving back home. I can't do this."
Heath pulled back the covers and stood up. He ran his fingers through his hair as he took the steps toward her. Her eyes traveled down his body and stopped on his boxers. He knew she didn't realize she was looking at him and had totally forgotten himself that he was only in boxers. When he got close to her, he wrapped his arms around her, took her chin, and tilted it up.
"Eyes up here," he said.
"Um," was all that came out of her mouth.
It made him feel good that she was speechless in his arms.
"It's perfectly fine that the boys came in my room. It was nice that they wanted me to get up. You should have heard them giggling at the end of the bed. It took all I had not to burst out laughing. They came up to sit next to me to talk. There was nothing wrong with that. If I had a problem with it, I would tell you."
"They are already getting close to you, Heath. What if it's months before the house is done? I'm not sure they are going to do well when you're not around anymore if we stay here."
"So," Heath said. "Once I'm done with your house, you're just going to throw me away. That's not going to happen. You're Lisa's friend. I'm kind of getting used to having another friend. You might not be able to get rid of me that easily."
"So," Tara said. "You're going to keep me around because I'm Lisa's friend. That's interesting."
When she said it, Heath felt like someone punched him in the stomach. He hadn't meant it the way she had taken it and felt horrible.
"That's not what I meant," he said. "You're my friend too. I don't want that to stop just because your house is finished."
"I guess I could use an extra friend," she said, as she looked into his eyes. "The boys seem to like you."
Heath didn't want to take his arms away from her. He liked the warmth of her body against his. She'd kept her hands at her sides the entire time. He had to wonder what it would be like if she hugged him back. She took the step back and turned before her eyes wandered back down his body. He could see her fighting with herself. They both had their own things to deal with. He knew he wasn't alone in that.
Chapter 17
Tara
Tara woke up Monday morning excited to make breakfast for Heath and the boys. Her divorce was finally final. She was free and clear of Rick and so happy that her life was hers to live. There was nobody to answer to or step carefully around. It was all about her and her boys. How she was going to make that happen she had no idea, but she couldn't help the feeling of freedom that ran through her body.
She pulled on some shorts and a t-shirt and took off down the stairs. When she got to the kitchen table, she stopped. There was a note waiting there for her. She picked it up to read it.
***
Tara,
I hope I didn't wake you or the boys when I got up. I wanted to get an early start. I'll be at your house with my crew for the day. I'm so hoping you like what I want to do. Have a great day. I'll see you guys for dinner. Remember my office is at your disposal just like the rest of the house.
Heath
***
> She grabbed her phone to send a quick text, and was surprised that she felt sad that he wasn't there for breakfast. The boys came sliding down the steps just as she was finishing the message.
Tara: You were so excited about getting us out of your house that you couldn't wait for breakfast?
She set her phone down and began making eggs for the boys. They played around at the kitchen table as they ate.
"Where's Heath?" Jason asked.
"He went to work," she said.
She noticed the sad look on their little faces. They were going to miss him. That was sweet.
She let the boys watch a cartoon while she cleaned up the kitchen and the rest of the house. With all of the hard work Heath was going to be doing on her house, she knew cleaning his was the least she could do. She finished the laundry and put the clothes away that belonged to her and the boys. Heath had been staying in the guest room and she didn't want to invade his privacy, so she set his clothes on top of the dresser in the room. The beds were made, and the house looked good.
When she picked up her phone again, she saw he had messaged her back.
Heath: No, just excited to make your house what you want it.
Tara: I can bring lunch.
It was only a moment before he answered her back.
Heath: No. I don't want you to see the mess we are in the process of making.
Tara: What!!!!!
Heath: Just kidding. I don't want the boys to see it like this. I don't want you to see it until I'm done. You'll try to get me to change my plan, and that is not happening. How are the boys?
Tara: They missed you at breakfast, but they're doing fine. I let them watch television while I folded laundry and cleaned the house.
Heath: Just take care of you and the boys. I'll do my laundry later. I'm not sure how I feel about you having your hands in my pants.
Tara: Very funny. Your pants are safe with me. They are folded and on the dresser. There was no way I was going through your drawers. Who knows what I might find in them.
Heath: Very funny. I think I'll be home around six. I'll see you then. This client I'm working for is a real pain-in-the-ass. I better get back to work before she gives me a scolding.
Built for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #5) Page 8
