“Rachel,” he said in an intimate tone, “Honey, I like the way your mind works.” She watched as he climbed in the empty tub and sat at one end, staring at her. “It’s for two, isn’t it?”
“It could be,” she whispered, completely scandalized.
“Sit down with me,” he invited, curling his finger towards her.
“Oh no. No, no, no,” she balked and backed away from the bathtub.
“Two-person shower, two-person bath, mirrored bed? Mercy, sweetheart – I’m starting to think you want to see me in my lil ol’ birthday suit,” he teased.
“You’re a wretch.”
“And I’m yours – all yours,” he agreed and getting to his feet in the empty tub. “I think the water bill will be well worth it.”
“You don’t want to know what the tub cost either,” she muttered.
“I don’t care if I get to see you in it one of these days.”
“We’ve got a long way to go, buddy” she quipped, “but maybe someday.”
“Sunday? Did you say this Sunday?” he teased, cupping his ear and pretending not to hear her. He quickly climbed out of the tub and ran over to her playfully as he wrapped his arms around her in a hug, kissing her cheek.
“NO!” she shouted, laughing.
“Show me what else you did, I want to see everything.” They continued walking through the house and she showed him several empty rooms that would serve as bedrooms someday. The farmhouse wasn’t overly large, but it made up for it by being built solidly. It had been quite a bit of work to take out part of the wall to open up a doorway between Clara’s tiny house and the main house.
As she opened the door, she smiled at the rubber treads placed on the concrete to prevent someone slipping. The little touches, she thought satisfied.
“It’s gonna get warm in here during the summer,” Tyler warned.
“It might, but there are vents that we can open up to let in a breeze or we can simply open the door to the house. I wanted her to be enclosed if it was windy, cold or rainy,” she explained. “I wanted her to feel like she had her own private wing- but part of the house too.”
Opening the door, Rachel smiled as she stepped inside his mother’s bedroom. She’d put a gardenia candle warmer on and the sweet smell of flowers was impressive. As you walked in, there was a tiny mini-fridge and sink off to the side with a kitchenette. A bed, a matching recliner and her large television made a cozy living room/bedroom atmosphere. The closet was large with drawers, racks for shoes and a few hat hooks for her pillbox hats she liked to wear to church. The bathroom had been equipped with grab bars, as well as a walk-in bathtub. She even had a dressing table with a vanity mirror like something out of an old Hollywood movie. Everything was white or silvery making it seem almost heavenly.
“I think she will love it,” Tyler told her, nodding in approval. He peered out the window and saw the garden off to the side of the building within sight of his mother. “A greenhouse too, right?”
“Yes. I wanted her to be able to grow stuff year-round since she enjoys it so much. The greenhouse has benches for her to put plants on and I started her with a few tomato plants and a pepper plant.
“This is simply perfect,” he admitted. “Nothing is going to top that bed though,” he teased, “That’s my favorite piece. What was your favorite?”
“The mantle.”
“Why is that?”
“It’s just special to me.”
“It’s gorgeous.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Let’s go get my mother and show her together. I’m supposed to pick her up this afternoon and bring her home.”
“Why don’t we get her things and bring them here? Her clothing and such, so she doesn’t have to worry about packing anything up.”
“I’ve already been working on it. I want to bring the memories with us, but the rest can stay. Things were worn out and beyond time to be replaced, just never could afford to before.”
“I understand.”
“Oh!” she said snapping her fingers. “I had one more thing to show you.”
“Does it involve you and me?” he teased, arching an eyebrow. She grinned at the hopeful look on his face and waved him off.
“No, it’s a surprise for you.”
She took him by the hand and led him outside the back door of the house where it opened at the end of the wrap around porch. Off to the side of the house was an old barn that looked to be in fair condition. It wasn’t spectacular, but it wasn’t falling apart either.
“The barn?”
“How about we call it your man-cave instead?” she countered with a smile.
Tyler walked over and opened the side door, curiously. Rachel pushed the remote she had held in her hand and one of the large stall doors lifted up, showing a diamond plate floor where he could park his truck. Inside was a workbench, complete with a massive tool box. Neon signs glowed on the wall screaming Ford in bright blue glowing lights. A curved staircase led upwards and she quickly followed Tyler as he climbed up them. The loft was expansive and designed to be a comfortable hideaway. A pool table, a large sectional sofa and big screen television filled the upper area.
“You just think of everything, don’t you?”
“When it comes to you – it’s never enough,” she whispered, using his own words.
18
They worked all morning together bringing over boxes, unpacking them and working on getting his mother settled into the house when he picked her up. It was definitely not part of the job description for Rachel, but something she wanted to do. It gave her time to talk with Tyler, to simply be there with him. She felt a keen sense of loss growing inside of her, thinking that the project was finally completed and she was done.
The problem was that she didn’t want it to be over. She wanted any excuse to be a part of his life again. He’d said he loved her, but did he love her, or what she designed? He was a terrible, incorrigible flirt from the very beginning and while she thought something was building between them – the foundation felt shaken. She was looking for more, for the next step, and the irony did not escape her at all.
Tyler had been the one to push for a relationship from the very beginning and now, she was the one searching. As they unpacked boxes and talked, she found herself overanalyzing every sentence looking for a double meaning from him, some sort of sign. She wanted to be included – a part of him. She realized it now seeing the collage frame in his mother’s room. It wasn’t just the love in his eyes that she imagined was there, it was the fact that in that picture she felt a part of his family and she missed her own. She was searching for a place to fit in, to call home, and when she’d finally realized that she wanted Tyler to be that person, that family – they’d had a tiny tiff between them…over nothing.
“Do you ever think of us?” Rachel asked suddenly, her voice echoing in the silence. “I mean, you know – what’s next?” Tyler put the papers and bubble wrap down into the box he’d been unloading and stood up to look at her. His eyes were warm making her feel all giddy inside.
“Of course, I do, all the time,” he told her. “Why do you ask?”
“I guess I’m feeling a little adrift right now,” she admitted.
“Don’t be,” he said tenderly, pulling her into his arms and laying her head against his chest. “You hear that?” Rachel did; she heard the gentle thump of his heart directly beneath her ear. “That’s yours as long as you want it and even when you are done – it’s still yours.” She felt tears spring to her eyes and felt like the weepiest creature in the world. When Tyler chose to be smooth and loving, it was incredible, the depth to him. When he was playful, he was awful and you couldn’t help laughing at his jokes.
She adored every facet of him.
“I love you,” she murmured against his sweater, a softly spoken vow that she’d kept tucked down deep inside for so long. His arms tightened around her almost imperceptibly telling her that he’d been surprised at her words. She was af
raid; opening up herself to love was terrifying and heady at the same time. He held her for a while, finally kissing her forehead and whispering, ‘I hope so’ against her hair. It wasn’t the affirmation she was looking for but it would do.
She’d imagined fanfare, trumpets, confetti and angels singing when she finally gave away her heart but instead there was silence – only the steady beat of his heart and the whirring sound of the near-silent ceiling fan in the room. It was perfect in a very subdued fashion. No pressure, no conflict, a simply sharing of the most intimate feelings she had for him. She didn’t feel she needed to shout it from the rooftops, it was the whisper between them that meant the world to her. She was Tyler’s and according to his own pledge, his heart was hers. They stood there, simply holding each other, needing the contact.
“I really missed you those weeks we were apart,” he finally said. “If I am ever stupid enough to be rude to you or make you mad in the future, I want you to seriously kick me in the shin with a steel toed boot because nothing hurt as much as thinking that I’d lost you.”
“Can I just stomp on your foot with a high heel?” she teased, finally looking up at him. His dark eyes were watching hers, his smile almost imperceptible, but it was there.
“As long as you give me the chance to make it right, you can do whatever sort of torture you want to me – but comfort me too, just like this. Tell me you love me again, Rachel,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss her. His lips hovered just over hers, his breath tickling her mouth.
“You first,” she told him softly, watching the curve of his lip upturn.
“You are my life.”
“That’s not it,” she hedged with a wry smile as he wrapped his arms around her, locking his fingers together at the small of her back.
“You are my everything.”
“Nuh-uh. Still not correct,” she teased intimately.
“I love you more than the air I breathe,” Tyler whispered, looking into her eyes tenderly. She adored the way he looked at her when his guard was down; she could see his heart and soul in his gaze. “Your turn.”
“Am I still fired?”
“So very fired,” he confirmed and his breath hitched as she daringly traced her finger over his bottom lip, memorizing the firmness and thinking of how wonderful it felt to have him kiss her. “I’m still waiting,” he taunted, nipping her finger.
“I’m still thinking,” she teased.
“You can’t take it back once it’s been said.”
“Oh alright,” she told him with an exaggerated mock sigh. “I lov…” Tyler didn’t wait, instead he crushed his lips against hers, stealing her breath. His arms wrapped tightly around her. Her fingers that had been touching his lips, found their way into his hair pulling him tightly to her. The feeling of love outpouring between them was incredible. He’d kissed her before, but never like this- never with his whole heart, his soul, in it.
This is how girls get into trouble, she thought idly knowing that she would give up everything for this man in this very moment. Her hands stroked and gently outlined his shoulders and back, imagining more between them and craving it. Tyler broke the kiss and quickly grabbed her hands in his, his breathing ragged and his face tortured.
“Man-o-days,” he swore hotly under his breath, “if you’d have kissed me like that weeks or months ago, we’d have been planning a wedding instead of doing the house.”
“Um yeah, that’d would have been…” she stammered uncomfortably and grew silent as Tyler suddenly got this look on his face. He looked like he was distinctly in pain and miserable. Was it her? “I’m not looking for a marriage or a ring, you can relax.” she said bluntly.
“It’s not you, it’s me,” he said quickly. “I forgot the ring at home and this would have been perfect, actually… the bed would have been perfect or that hot little bath you picked out,” he joked. “But I want to do this right when I ask you for your hand and I goofed it up.”
“You have a ring?” she squeaked, her legs collapsing out from under her onto the pale carpet of his mother’s room.
“I’ve had one for weeks now waiting for the right time,” Tyler admitted, suddenly shy as he knelt down beside her. “I told you when I knew what I wanted, I went after it…I was honest: I want you for my wife. I just figured that I would find a moment and it would hit me, or I’d plan something wonderful and you couldn’t help but say yes to me.”
“Are you worried I’d say no?” she asked flabbergasted.
“Of course, I am,” Tyler confessed. “I’m a redneck mama’s boy with nothing to offer more than a lucky bank account- but I want you to want me, for me. You’re beautiful, smart, incredibly independent and you don’t need me…but I need you.”
Rachel stared up at him in surprise at the honesty and unfiltered love in his eyes. He gently helped her up and she didn’t say a word, instead just looking at him- thinking. How do you explain love to someone, how do you give them confidence in what you feel?
“Come with me,” she ordered gently and held out her hand. She took him back to the bathroom she’d designed.
“Bath time? I’m ready and willing,” he teased.
“No, but your filthy mind could use a good scrubbing,” she quipped. “Now, behave and listen to what I am going to tell you.” Rachel got in the shower and pointed at the tiles. “Do you see this one? This one?” she pointed at several more, seeing the curious look on his face. “This one and all of these? I hand-picked them. Do you know why?” Tyler shook his head, watching her. “I picked them because the shades of the stone matched the colors in your beautiful eyes,” she told him, cupping his face tenderly.
“Do you understand what I am trying to say?” He started to open his mouth to speak and she put her hand directly over it. “Not yet, come with me.” She dragged him from the bathroom into the living room and ordered him to sit down on the stone hearth. She sat down beside him and smiled.
“You asked my favorite piece in the house? It’s definitely the mantle.”
“It’s really nice,” he agreed, looking confused.
“Look up,” she whispered lovingly. As he craned his neck, she saw him stare at the wood and felt her heart thump in her chest. She’d marked the house deliberately. Their initials were carved carefully in a large heart on the underside of the mantle.
“That’s us,” he murmured appreciatively. “You put us there and never said a thing.”
“I told you it was my favorite. I may not know how to tell you, but I love you more than I can ever show or say. It’s the space between the words and actions, the little things, that are telling.”
“I love your little things, sweetheart,” he said gently, touching her face. “The mantle is my favorite piece too.”
“Not the bed? Or the bath?” she teased tenderly, laying her hand over his.
“Not until our initials are carved there or we make some memories together,” he said softly. “Marry me, Rachel. Take on your biggest project ever and marry this unworthy hick.” She looked at him and saw the tenderness that she yearned for.
“Does this mean I’ve got the job?” she teased, reminding him of how they met.
“It was always yours from the moment I first saw you,” he breathed and captured her lips once again to seal the deal.
19
Rachel went to pick up Clara in the Mustang while Tyler went back to his house to unload a few more boxes into his truck. They’d brought over his mother’s clothes and her toiletries so she could stay there, but he was running back home for other sentimental things. Her photo albums of him, photos of his father that had hung on the wall. They needed a break from the intensity of the moment. Neither was sure what to say yet both were keenly aware that the time had been approaching to get Clara from the rehabilitation center.
As she pulled up, Rachel greeted Tyler’s mother warmly. It so sweet knowing that this woman had raised the man she loved. It gave her new respect and a fresh outlook towards her because in Tyler’s own words:
he could be quite hard-headed. Rachel found herself wanting to hear more stories of him as a boy and she wanted to see more of the photos.
“Rachel, sweetie,” Clara said, wrapping her arms around Rachel in a hug, “You look beautiful today- like you are glowing. I hope my boy has been good to you?”
“He’s always a gentleman,” she affirmed, slowly walking the older woman to the car. Rachel waited patiently for her to get herself seated in the passenger seat before shutting the heavy door. That was one thing she loved about the car, it felt like she was driving something solid down the road. Climbing into the driver’s seat, she turned and grinned at Clara’s eager face.
“I wish it wasn’t so cool out, I’d like to ride in Fern one of these days with the top down. I bet it’s terribly exciting, isn’t it?” Clara beamed happily.
“We will, don’t you worry about it. I was thinking the same thing,” Rachel agreed and then told her. “Girls in the front and we can make Ty sit all scrunched up in the back. There’s barely any leg room so he might get a little cranky about it.”
“I’m not sure he’d go for that, but we certainly can leave him behind if he disagrees.”
“I’d not leave him, but I would sure pull my seat forward as much as possible,” she smirked thinking of how much his knees would dig into the back of her seat with Clara’s tall son sitting directly behind her.
“I know you’d not leave him, dear,” Clara reassured her. “You two are practically inseparable and it’s wonderful. It reminds me of his father, Paul. We were so in love,” she reminisced. “Paul had this way about him that made all the girls in town fawn all over him, but he only had eyes for me. I loved him until the day he died.”
“What happened? Tyler said he left when he was young?”
Winning the Billionaire Page 14
