“I told you, it’s an electric Mustang.” He gave her a cheeky grin. “Besides, I didn’t buy it for you. I bought it for Rory. For Valentine’s Day.”
The dog’s ears twitched when he said “Rory.”
Cary reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out a single key attached to a fob. “Here, keys to my place.”
“Why?” She tightened her topknot.
“Isn’t that what couples do?”
She grabbed his keys. “Okay, what about the car? What’s Sebastien going to think?”
“Are you kidding? Who do you think bought his car? I gave Tommy and Bob Shaw their cars, too.”
That made sense. Her boss was too cheap to buy a Porsche himself. “Did you buy him his boat too?” Cary shrugged. “He called itRelentless.”
“Well, I didn’t know he would name it that.” He picked up Rory and cradled him like a baby. “I can’t have my Valentine driving around in an unsafe vehicle.”
Tyler gripped her hands in front of her chest. “Please take it back.”
“I can’t.” He turned his bottom lip into a cute frown. “Final sale, I’m afraid.”
She sighed, but he was right. Her truckhadseen better days. “Thank you but I’m paying you back, every last cent.”
“I already told you.” He handed her the key card again. “I bought it for Rory.”
“No more gifts, you promise?”
He nodded. “We have reservations at Provence, beside the Wine Bar.”
It was a thoughtful gesture, but it was also Valentine’s Day, and the restaurant would be too crowded for him to go unnoticed. She gave him a closed-mouth smile. “Thanks, but do you mind if we stay in and watch the hockey game? The Jets are playing.”
“A win puts them first in their division, right?”
She furrowed her brow. “You’ve been watching?”
“I said I would.”
“Yeah, but I’m used to you being all talk.”
Cary laughed, shaking his head. “What am I going to do with you?”
Where’s the suggestion box?
CHAPTER 26
CARY
Cary had planned to tell Tyler he loved her in a more romantic way. Hell, he’d even practiced it—gone over the words in his head like lyrics to a song. But now, all he could think about was the look on her face when she asked if he’d cheated on her. With Emma. With anyone. The accusation cut deep, and the regret went deeper. He should have told her sooner. Maybe then she wouldn’t have doubted him.
But what didn’t make sense—whatstilldidn’t make sense—was why they had to hide it from Sebastien. Why would he sabotage Yestown? Why would he care? Cary knew he had to figure it out. Fast.
And then there was the goddamn Lifetime Achievement award.
Was he reallythatold?
Sure, he’d been in the game for decades, but he wasn’t finished. Not even close. The old songs were for the fans. He was still chasing the next hit, still hungry. He wasn’t the kind of guy to sit around reminiscing about the glory days—there was too much ahead. He was grateful for everything that had come before, but the best? The best was Tyler Robertson. And he’d found her.
Now he just had to make sure he didn’t fuck it up.
