“There’s nothing to apologise for.” Tyra smiled at Eve and Eve smiled back. “I enjoy spending time with your daughter.”
“I know you do, but I promised you time off and you haven’t had any.”
“Stop worrying about it. Go to your meeting. Eve and I will find some way of enjoying ourselves.”
Smiling, he kissed her cheek. “Thank you. When I get back I was hoping we could talk.”
“I’ve got things to get done tonight. Maybe tomorrow.” She shrugged. “I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. I should have known you’d have plans. I did call you on your day off.”
“Honestly, it’s really not that interesting, but if I don’t get some laundry done tonight I’m not going to have any socks left.”
Laughing, he brushed a hand through his hair. “You could always bring it over here, if that’s easier for you.”
For a few seconds all Tyra could do was stare at him. “I’m not washing my underwear in your house, Kent.”
“If the two of us get together you will.” He grinned. “Then I’ll be able to see all of your panties and you won’t have a reason to be so embarrassed about it.”
“You won’t.” She thought about what was in her underwear drawer and mentally calculated if she was going to be able to buy anything new, and pretty, before something happened between the two of them. “By then I should hopefully not have underwear I’m embarrassed by.” The look he gave her was enough for her to know what he was about to say. “When it comes to a choice between paying the bills and buying new anything you pick the bills. When Jack left things were difficult for a while. They’re better now, but I have other priorities.”
“Looking after yourself should be a priority.”
“Yeah, in an easier world, but this one isn’t easy, so I have to make my choices based on what I need most.” She shrugged. “Go to your meeting. If we keep talking about my lack of underwear you’re going to be late and I know how much you hate that.”
“I do.” Their eyes met. “If you need help…”
“No, we’re not going there. I’m fine. There’s no reason for you to offer me money, and if you did I wouldn’t accept it.”
“Don’t be too proud to accept help when you need it.”
“I wasn’t. If I had been I wouldn’t have accepted this job. I needed it and when you offered it I took it. You’re not going to get me to take anything more than you’ve already given, Kent.”
“Not even if I tell you I love you.”
***
Tyra sat on the couch and watched as Eve played with one of her toys. “Your daddy might love me.” Eve looked over at Tyra. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about that. I like your daddy, but do I love him?” She nibbled her lip as she tried to work things out. “Kent does have everything I’d normally look for in a man.
I think it might be his money that’s putting me off, Evie.” She glanced around the room. “He has so much to give me and I have next to nothing to give him. I’m not going to stop working. I can’t imagine leaving the cafe, but that’s nothing in comparison to what he earns in a day.
“Does that matter? I like to be an equal if I’m in a relationship with someone and I definitely wouldn’t be a financial equal. Your daddy would want me to move in here, and I don’t know if I can do that, not when I know Madison lived her.” Tyra sighed. “Which would mean him having to buy a new house, and I wouldn’t want him to do that. I hate this. I never thought it was possible I’d end up in this position and if I did I don’t think I would have taken the job your daddy offered me. As much as I enjoy looking after you this is harder than I thought it could be.
When I looked at Kent I see someone I could build a life with, if only he wasn’t a billionaire.” She shook her head. “Does that mean I should walk away? I don’t want to, but I just… this isn’t my world, Eve, and it never can be. He has his life, his functions, the restaurants he likes going to, while I… there’s my job, my apartment, and my very opposite life to his.
“I think I should walk away.” Tyra stood and walked over to Eve. “Unfortunately that means leaving you behind and I don’t want to do that.”
Eve burbled. “I know, I love you too sweetie.” Tyra smiled. “How can I make this work? I could try to take a step back, but I don’t think your daddy will like that very much. He wants to be with me. He wants us to have a relationship. I want us to have a relationship, but this isn’t the sort of relationship I’ve ever wanted.” She watched as Eve crawled across the carpet. “Talking to you about this isn’t going to get me anywhere, is it? You don’t have any answers to my questions and if you did I think I’d know what they were.”
As Tyra built a small castle with Eve’s blocks she thought about how she was going to tell Kent she was going to take a step back, and every imaginary conversation she had with him went wrong… in the right ways. Sighing, she destroyed the castle, with Eve’s help, wondering if there was any way to fix the damage she’d cause both of them if she did walk away.
***
“How are you going to get your laundry done?”
“There’s a laundry room in my building.” Tyra shook her head. “I’m a big girl now, Kent, and I can look after myself.”
“I know you can.” He sighed. “I didn’t mean that. I just… maybe you could bring it over tomorrow when you watch Eve in the morning, instead of using the communal washers. I won’t be about, so you don’t need to worry about me seeing your old panties.” Their eyes met. “Wouldn’t it be easier?”
“Maybe, but what I want to know is why you want me to stay so badly.”
“Eve’s in bed and we have some time we can spend together. I want to be able to do that.” Kent reached out and took Tyra’s hand. “I want to show you who I am.”
“This is a bad idea.”
“What’s the problem?”
“I’ve been thinking about this all afternoon. You have far more to offer than I do. I’m not going to be an equal in this relationship and we both know it. I have nothing to share with you, not in the way you have to share with me, and, as much as I hate to say it, I think we should go back to the relationship we had before.”
He studied her. “The money’s a problem, isn’t it? I have more than you and that makes you feel uncomfortable.”
“It’s not that you have more than me, exactly, but it’s how much more you have. I’m living from pay check to pay check, and I have been for a while now. You have millions stashed away.”
“Okay, I get that it’s not exactly a normal situation when it comes to my money, so I’m not going to say you should just get over it. I know how long it took me to get used to the fact I had money. Put that aside. If I didn’t have millions would you want to be with me?” She couldn’t say the words, so she nodded. “Then we don’t have a problem. The money means nothing.” He used the hand he was holding to gently tug her closer. “We can make this work, as it’s what we both want.”
Before Tyra could say anything more Kent kissed her. Her arms worked on autopilot, wrapping themselves tightly around him, and when that happened he deepened the kiss, pushing her against the nearest hard surface. As their bodies pressed tightly together she felt him stroking her side, his fingers cold on her warm skin. She tried to work out what she should do and that was when she heard the baby monitor. The sound of Eve crying had Kent moving away from her. “I won’t be long, Ty. Don’t leave. Go and sit on the couch, love, and then we can finish what we started.”
***
Leaving would have been easier. Tyra knew that. If she went they wouldn’t be able to have the difficult conversation they had ahead of them, but she couldn’t go. Kissing him had changed things the way she had always known it would. The money… it was a difficulty. She didn’t know if it was something she could set aside, and wanting to wasn’t going to change anything.
When she looked at Kent she didn’t feel the same butterflies she had when she first met Jack, which was probably b
ecause they’d become close as friends first, and her relationship with Jack hadn’t. She’d gone on a date with Jack, in the hope she might find someone she could create a life with. She thought she had, at least for a little while, and found she was very wrong about it later on, when she realised he’d been cheating on her for as long as the two of them had been together.
With Kent she wasn’t worried he’d cheat. No matter how hards things got Tyra believed he wouldn’t do that to her, because he’d never cheated on Madison. As she listened to him settling Eve Tyra knew he was the sort of man she could have a family with. He was good with Eve. He was kind, and considerate, and someone she felt close enough to that she was certain she’d be able to talk about anything with him. It was enough to make a good relationship, but in the end it all came down to the fact she didn’t feel like she’d ever be an equal partner in their relationship.
She knew exactly what he’d do when she said that - he’d ask if there was any way he could fix that. Even though she didn’t think there was anything was possible.
Sighing, she looked around the living room. How much of the house was Madison’s? Whenever Tyra walked into the house she felt almost as though Madison’s ghost was still there. “I’ve been thinking about selling this place.”
Tyra glanced at him. “Why?”
“This is the house I bought to please Maddie. It wasn’t what I wanted. It was what she wanted and I went along with it, because I thought we were going to be together for the rest of our lives. Now… it feels like she’s still here. I don’t want that. I want to start again. I want to start again with you. I was thinking we could find a place together, a place we can raise our children with Eve.”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself a bit, aren’t you? We aren’t even in a relationship yet.”
“No, we aren’t, but I know what I want. I didn’t think I was going to find someone I loved as much as I loved her, but I have. I met you and you’ve changed my life in ways I didn’t think was possible. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Tyra, so I want to make this work. We’re going to have to find a way to make it work.”
***
“Am I making a mistake?”
“Maybe, but in the end it’s your mistake to make, sweetheart.” Just hearing her mom say that put Tyra’s mind at ease. “All love is different. You shouldn’t expect to love Kent the same way you loved Jack, and I can understand why the money makes you uncomfortable. However it’s very obvious that Kent worked hard for it and he wants to share it with you. Finding someone like that is something you should make the most of.”
“I know, but there are going to be people who look at me and think I’m only with him for the money.”
“Of course there are. People judge, all the time, and there’s nothing you can do about that. In the end you’re going to have to decide if that really matters. If you truly care about Kent I don’t think you should. I think the most important thing should be whether or not he thinks you’re only with him for money, and it’s obvious he doesn’t. You’ve had enough conversations about it he’s going to know you are incredibly uncertain about having a relationship with someone in his financial position.”
“The only issue is losing one job. If I had to take another one to cover the rest of the rent here I’m not going to have much time to spend with him.”
“You’re going to have to talk him about that, Ty. If he’s the right person he’ll understand. If he’s the right person he’ll try to find a way to help you, although not by giving you money. That’s just going to make things harder than they already are.”
“Yeah, it is.” She brushed a hand through her hair. “Thank you for this.”
“This is the first time you’ve spoken to me about your relationships.”
“Kent is different. Everything about this is strange to me, and I needed to talk to someone who doesn’t know him. I’ve got Jack telling me Kent hurt Madison, only no one who actually knows Kent believes that, and from what happened after our date it seems like they definitely had issues at high school Jack isn’t over.”
“Which isn’t a surprise. Jack always seemed like the sort of person who’d hold onto the smallest slight for as long as he could. You could talk to Kent about it, but, to be honest, I don’t think it’s going to be something big. I think they’re going to have argued over Madison, or had a fight over her, and now Jack thinks Kent is dangerous, even though the two of them were children at the time. Never base your understanding of a person on who they were when they were young. Everyone changes. We grow and we mature.”
“Apart from Jack.” Tyra smiled. “Okay, I’m a little more certain of what I’m doing. I just need to work out how this is going to work out for both of us, and I’m going to do that by talking to him about this.”
***
“Our relationship means it’s going to be impossible for me to work for you.” Kent opened his mouth, but closed it when Tyra shook her head. “I’m still going to come over to look after Eve, but I’m going to have to work out how to make enough money to cover my rent and bills, because I’m not willing to take money off you for that.”
“Why?”
“I want us to be as financially equal as we can.” She sighed. “I think that’s going to be hard to make happen, but I think our relationship will fail if I feel like I’m taking advantage of you. I need to be me. There are a couple of options I have in front of me, so I’m not too worried, and I want this to work more than I’ve ever wanted anything.”
“What are those options?”
“Moving in with one of the women I work with. She’s having issues paying her rent too and we’ve been talking about it for a little while. I like living by myself, because it gives me a lot more freedom, but if I can’t afford it the logical thing to do is to move out and move in with her. Mom’s already agreed to look after anything I can’t fit into my new place, so it should work out. The other option is to find another job. I just don’t want to do that when I know Eve needs me, and you do.”
“In the end you have to do what’s right for you, Ty, and I’m never going to push you into doing something you don’t want to do. There is plenty of room here, though.”
“We’ve only just got together, Kent, and I want to give it some time before we do that. I’m happy to stay over a few nights a week, so we can learn more about each other while Eve’s sleeping, but I want to live separately for at least a year. I’ve seen a number of good relationship fall apart when the people in question moved in to a shared home too soon.”
He smiled. “I like that you’re thinking this through.”
“I had to. There is only really one other issue.”
“Jack.”
“What did happen?”
“We were young, and stupid, and Madison was manipulative even then.” He shook his head. “Neither of us could see through it, even though we should have done. When I looked back I can’t help wondering why I loved her, but I did, so I’m not going to apologise for that. She managed to convince both of us it was important that one of us win her. We fought. I won. Jack’s never forgiven me.”
“Like I’ve said before love makes is all into idiots. We often make bad choices for love and that’s what I want to make certain doesn’t happen this time. I’m going to make the best choices I can for me, and for us.”
***
They sat together on the couch. Eve was sleeping soundly and neither of them were really watching the film that was on. “It’s only since I’ve been with you I’ve noticed skin colour as much. There are so many different shades. We go from the palest white, to the darkest black. You’re… I want to say caramel, but I think you’re a little darker than that.”
Tyra smiled. “Dad always used to say I was burnt caramel, according to Mom. I think he would, because that’s what I think of when I look in the mirror, and I like it. My colour is relatively unusual.” He stroked a finger along the back of her hand. “You aren’t that pale.”
“
No, I’m not. I noticed that. Madison was always pinker than I was. My skin is more yellow than pink, which is interested, and compared to yours I feel incredible pale.”
“I feel pale compared to my uncle. He’s true black. I have to take you to meet him. The two of you will like each other.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“He’s not going to have an issue with me dating a white man, if that’s what’s you’re worried about.”
“No, I’m more worried about the fact he might want to give me the talk, as your dad isn’t around.”
Laughing, Tyra shook her head. “He knows better than to do that. I’m an adult, Kent, and I’ve made my own choices for a long time now. He knows that. He’s always known that, and he tells me it’s because I was brought up by my mother. She had to learn how to look after herself and three kids when Dad died.”
“I’m never going to stop you from being who you are, you know? I love you for who you are.”
The Alpha Billionaire's Unexpected Baby: A Billionaire BWWM Pregnancy Romance Page 21
