"I told you. I pay attention."
While he cooks, I look around the apartment. There are a few photos on the mantle. Tyler with two kids who must be Emma and Jackson. Tyler with a group of men, I assume his special forces team. An older photo of him with a woman who has his eyes.
"That's my mom," Tyler says, appearing with two plates. “I wish she was still here.”
"I'm sorry."
"Me too. She would have liked you." He hands me a plate with a perfectly grilled sandwich cut diagonally and a bowl of soup. "She always said I needed someone who could make me smile more."
"Do I make you smile?"
"Every single time I see you."
We eat in comfortable silence, and he's right, the food is simple but delicious. Warm and comforting and exactly what I needed. I dunk my grilled cheese into my soup and take a big bite and moan in pleasure.
"Better?" he asks when I finish.
"Much better. Thank you."
"You're welcome." He takes our dishes to the kitchen, then returns with the container of cookies I brought. "Now, are we going to talk about these? Because they smell incredible."
"Chocolate chip. It’s my grandma's recipe. There’s three types of chocolate in them."
He takes a bite and actually groans. "These are dangerous. I could eat the entire container."
"I made them for you. So that's allowed."
"For me?"
"To thank you for everything."
He sets down the cookie and pulls me into his arms. "You don't have to thank me for treating you the way you deserve to be treated."
"Not everyone does."
"Then everyone else is an idiot." He tilts my chin up. "You deserve someone who sees how special you are. I want to take care of you and make sure you eat real meals and get enough rest and tell you how you're appreciated. It brings me pleasure to do these things, sweetheart." He takes the plates into the kitchen and returns with two large cups of milk. “Can’t have cookies without milk. Now, we're going to watch a movie. Something light and fun. And you're going to actually relax. No thinking about the shop or responsibilities or anything else. Just be here with me. Can you do that?"
"I'll try."
"Good girl." He guides me over, sits next to me and I curl up against his side.
He puts on Moana, and I must make a sound because he looks down at me.
"What?"
"Nothing. I just... I love this movie."
"Emma told me it's the best Disney movie ever made. I figured you'd agree."
"Your daughter has excellent taste."
"She does. And she'd like you." His arm tightens around me. "They both would."
The casual mention of his kids meeting me makes my heart skip. "You think?"
"I know. Emma would love that you own a coffee shop. Jackson would love that you rescued a kitten." He presses a kiss to the top of my head. "But that's down the road. First, we're going to figure out us."
"What does figuring out us look like?"
