“I’m okay. I’ll just have a glass of water.” I take a seat at one of the barstools by the kitchen counter.
“Hey, guys, I’m just going to head out for a little while. Got something to take care of. It was nice meeting you, Sam,” Aaron says, giving us a quick wave before heading out the door.
“So, tell me. How are you doing?” I ask as Tyler places my water in front of me and settles onto the barstool beside me.
He smiles, and there’s something different about it. He looks… lighter almost.
He grabs one of my hands. “I’m good, Sam. I’m really, really good, for the first time in a long time.”
And he fills me in on what’s happened the last couple of days.
“Wow,” I say when he’s finished. “How do you feel about everything?”
“I’ve been thinking about it nonstop, and I’ve made a couple of decisions,” he says.
I raise an eyebrow at him. “Yeah?”
He stands up and steps closer to me, and I move so he’s standing between my legs, his hands on my shoulders.
“I’ve spent my whole life trying to make sure I never had to depend on anyone for anything because I was so afraid of becoming like her. Just jumping from guy to guy, always relying on someone else to take care of her problems, The nicer guys just got tired of it and left her, and the worst ones used her dependence to control her and get her to do whatever they wanted. But even those guys left her, and then she was always fucked because she couldn’t handle even the most basic shit.”
I nod, reaching out to place my hands on his waist.
“She could never take care of herself, so she couldn’t take care of us either. I knew, even as a little kid, that having to rely on other people wasn’t smart. You have to be able to take care of things on your own. But I took it too far. I’ve never trusted anyone for anything. I could never let anyone in because I needed to make sure I could handle everything alone. But I’ve figured out that sometimes it’s okay to get help. I know I can handle things alone, but I don’t have to. I can accept help.”
I smile at him. “Yeah. And not everyone who wants to help you will leave you.”
“I know that too now, thanks to you and your family. Being around you guys, watching how you are together, taught me that not everyone will leave when things get tough. I never believed that before.”
“And now what do you believe?” I ask him, pulling him closer to me. When I look into his eyes, I see the trust in them.
“Now I believe the good ones will stick around. And I don’t know how it happened, but I believe I somehow got lucky enough to find one of those good ones.”
CHAPTER 34
TYLER
Sam’s eyes grow round for a moment as he takes in my words, and then his face breaks into that amazing smile of his, the one that makes you feel like you’re standing in the sunshine, letting it warm your face. He pulls me even closer so I’m pressed up against him. “Where’d you manage to find this so-called good one?” he says teasingly.
“Oddly enough, he’s been right in front of me for a while now. I was just too busy with other things to see him. But I see him now, and I really want to keep seeing him. I know there are no guarantees, and he might have to move away, and things might get hard. But I still really want to keep seeing him.”
“He wants that too.” Sam’s eyes are shiny as he reaches up to meet my mouth in a gentle kiss.
When we break apart, he pulls back so he can search my face. “I promise, you can always depend on me, Tyler. But you’ll never need me the way your mother needed those men. You’re already proven that over and over again. But I’ll always be there if you want my help.”
We share another kiss, this one longer and sexier. And when we pull apart, we’re both breathless, grinning at each other like a couple of idiots.
“Wait, wait, I have news for you before we get too carried away with other things.” The look on Sam’s face reminds me of a little kid who’s trying to hold in a big secret, like they might explode with excitement.
“Oh? Do tell.”
“So, I had dinner with my cousins last night. It turns out that part of the reason Mason has been acting a little weird was because he’s been planning and plotting something big. When we’re done with the Ocean Shores job, Mason and Dylan want me to open a Hot Dam Homes office in Oregon. I’m buying in as a full partner. Mason, Dylan, and I will be completely equal co-owners.” His eyes are sparkling with excitement.
“Oh my god, really? So that means you’re staying? You’re not going to move to California?”
He shakes his head. “Nope. I talked to my buddy last night and told him I’m staying here—well, in the Pacific Northwest, anyway.”
“Oh my god, that makes me so happy!” Now I’m the one who feels like I might burst with excitement.
