Tyler opened his mouth to argue, but Micah held up a hand.
“Hear me out before you jump to conclusions about Marcus. I’m guessing by the extent of your anger you don’t know Marcus very well. What you call interfering, he considers helping.”
“I didn’t ask to be helped. I’m not a charity case,” Tyler interjected, frustrated that his opinion was shunted off to the side.
“I don’t think helping a friend temporarily makes you a charity case. You’re thinking about yourself again, while I’m looking at it from the point of view of what’s best for the child. Isn’t it better for her to be in a safe place where she wouldn’t have to worry about you?”
Begrudgingly, Tyler acquiesced Micah was right, even though he hated to give Marcus the satisfaction. “I don’t understand why he’s doing this for me, though. We aren’t friends, or even that close.”
Micah’s phone buzzed, and Tyler had a chance to see his screensaver, which showed Micah with his arm around another man, presumably Micah’s husband, two young children, and a shepherd dog. Nice to know some people found happiness.
“Hey, babe. Yeah. Just finishing up with Marcus’s friend, and then I’ll be home to have lunch with the kids.” He listened for a moment. “Okay. Love you too.”
Without missing a step, Micah continued the conversation. “I can’t speak for him, but what I do know is that Marcus doesn’t do this for just anyone. Perhaps there’s more between you than either one of you realize or are willing to admit.”
With those puzzling words, Micah said goodbye and walked out with Marcus to the elevators. That gave Tyler a chance to collect his belongings and ponder Micah’s words. Was it possible that Marcus was doing this because he was, in fact, a nice person, or, as Tyler initially suspected, did he have an ulterior motive, such as getting Tyler into bed?
He’d lived so long on his wits and instinct that, unfortunately, it made him leery of most people offering him any type of support. But Micah was right—this was about what was best for Lillie, not him. The thought of climbing all those stairs everyday made him cringe; but even worse, he knew he’d be trapped in his apartment for several weeks while he healed, and that would be unfair to Lillie. And Sylvia wasn’t going to be able to watch her as of next week; she was heading down to Florida to be with her own grandchildren.
With all the extra money he’d been making from the tips he’d earned, he’d planned to enroll her in a regular preschool so she could benefit from being around other children, but now that possibility had vanished in a puff of smoke.
Marcus returned and leaned in the doorway, more serious than Tyler recalled seeing before. Not for the first time in his life, Tyler wished for a crystal ball to be able to see into the future and know exactly what would happen between the two of them. Wishful thinking on his part; he knew that a man like Marcus, who lived in and for the moment, wouldn’t understand that Tyler’s first priority would always be to provide a safe and stable environment for Lillie.
But a few weeks of recuperation at Marcus’s apartment would be doable, and, he justified to himself, Lillie would be able to go outside. He could even take short walks with her.
“I’ll come but only on the condition that when I’m able to work again you let me pay off what I owe you.”
Marcus scowled. “That’s stupid. You’re my guest. I don’t charge guests rent.” He left the doorway to place himself in front of Tyler as if to barricade his way. “Why are you being so pigheaded?” His expression turned stormier.
Taunting Marcus enabled him to forget the pain in his side and the fact that he’d be broke within a month, and Tyler grinned inwardly seeing the man standing before him glowering. He knew now he had the upper hand. “Fine. Then we don’t come.” He looked for his phone, then remembered he no longer had one; it had gotten smashed to pieces in the alley. Another expense he’d have to come up with somehow.
“Once I’m checked out, I’ll get a cab and go home. You can send Lillie and Sylvia back this afternoon.” He limped past Marcus who put a staying hand on his shoulder.
“Please, Tyler. I don’t know why you’re being so stubborn, but can’t you see this is the best solution for everyone involved? You’ll have a place to stay, and your niece will be taken care of.”
Marcus turned him around and held him closer, and Tyler couldn’t help but sink into his strength. His body ached from the assault, yet for some bizarre reason Tyler wanted Marcus’s hands on him. That odd sense of security flowed through him, settling his heartbeat to a steady rhythm.
“Okay, but I’m not sleeping with you. That isn’t part of the arrangement.”
A devilish light entered Marcus’s eyes. “Once again, I don’t recall asking you. And you know what they say.”
Before Tyler could answer, Marcus brushed their lips together, then nuzzled into the space where Tyler’s neck met his shoulder.
“Never say never.”
*
Nothing prepared himfor the luxury of Marcus’s apartment building in Tribeca; certainly not for a doorman who opened his cab door, tipped his hat, and held the door for them, or the concierge waiting behind the highly polished wood-and-marble front desk. Tyler smiled faintly at the doorman as he eased out of the cab.
“Thank you very much.”
“Raymond.” Marcus shook the concierge’s hand. “This is Tyler Reiss. He and his little niece will be staying with me.”
Raymond’s eyes lit up in his round face. “Ahh, little Miss Lillie? She’s a sweetheart for sure.”
For the first time today, Tyler’s smile didn’t feel forced. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure, sir.”
