“What’s going on?” Delaney asks when she sees me rifling through a file folder.
“Are you feeling better? I heard you earlier in the bathroom.” I speak up without glancing at her. I need to find what I’m looking for before the deputy gets here.
“So, it was you that set out the tea for me. Thank you. I’m just heading out to sit on the porch swing and enjoy some fresh air,” she huffs. “Fresh air always seems to help after . . .”
I lift my head as I pull what I need out of the folder to see she has showered and is now dressed in a pair of leggings and a tank top that molds to every curve of her body.
“That’s good.” I nod. “I’ve got something to handle, but why don’t I join you when I finish?” I don’t know why I offer to dothis, but being around her seems to ease something inside me. The very something that calls to her.
Delaney draws her bottom lip between her teeth and nods. I watch her from where I stay standing, as she moves to the kitchen and grabs the mug from the counter. It was clear she’d already been in there and prepped her tea at some point.
With the mug in hand, she heads for the front door. I follow after her, barely stepping outside when a deputy car pulls up next to my truck. They arrived here quicker than I thought they would. I guess they didn’t need much from Maddox. He probably gave a quick recount and forwarded the necessary footage to the deputy to make things easier.
“Why are they here?” she asks, glancing from the car to me.
“I’ll fill you in after I talk with them. Just do me a favor and stay up here for now.” I know I’m going to have to tell her about Megan. She has a right to know all things considered. First, I have to deal with this, then call my lawyer’s office and tell them about this stunt. I hope with Megan’s appearance here today, the courts will view this as a violation of her PO, and return her to prison for the rest of her sentence.
“I’ll just be on the swing,” Delaney says, taking a step in that direction.
I reach out, snagging her around the waist, pulling her to me. “Thank you,” I tell her and press a kiss to the top of her head.
What the hell is wrong with me? It’s like I get around her and I do stupid shit like kiss her like that. I shouldn’t, but I can’t seem to stop myself.
Letting her go, I move to the deputy. Hopefully, this won’t take long, and I can go on to figuring out what needs to be done next. I don’t like that Megan just popped up at the front gate refusing to leave, but I should have expected it. Honestly, I think a part of me forgot about her for a little while.
I mean, I knew from Barnes she was in town, but I hadn’t seen or heard from her as I expected, so she went to the back of my mind. I shouldn’t have let myself do that. Megan is a vindictive bitch, and I should have planned on her doing something like this and not been taken unaware.
But I let my head be filled with another woman altogether. One that seems to be working her way under my skin in a way that I like. The worst part is, she’s not even trying to do it, she just is.
Chapter Fifteen
Delaney
Over the last several days since he brought me home with him after I called him about the fire,I’ve learned quite a bit about the man and his family. So many questions have popped into my head, but I’ve kept most of them to myself. I didn’t want to look like a nosy busybody.
Sure, my cleaning his house the way I have could have been viewed as me snooping, but I did my best not to do that. I avoided anything that looked to be of importance, like the file folder he’d been rifling through when I came out from his room.
I also knew that he’d slept in bed with me the past two nights. I felt him climb in next to me. It freaked me out at first, however, he never tried anything. Besides, he was nice enough to let me sleep there so I wasn’t going to tell him he couldn’t get in his own bed. I probably should have moved to the couch myself, but by the time he climbed in, I was too tired to move from the comfort of his bed.
Not to mention, Tyler typically left for the barn before I would even get up for the day. Usually, he didn’t come back untilhe had to get Dash, and even then he went back out for a few more hours. Coming in right at dinner time or a little after. One thing I noticed was he always made sure he was home to put Dash to bed every night and read him a story.
This didn’t mean he didn’t check in with me via text throughout the day to make sure I was okay. He would text or call several times. It was a routine of sorts. Even when I left the ranch to finally get myself some clothes instead of borrowing more from Lexy.
"Can you tell me what's going on?" I ask Tyler as he makes his way up the porch steps my eyes on the deputy car heading down the lane for the road. Once it's out of sight, I focus on the man I’ve become more than a little curious about.
Having been sitting here the entire time, I can’t help but ask my question. I barely know anything about this man, and yet in however many months, we’ll both be parents together.
Tyler had been down by the deputy’s car for a little while. His eyes would sometimes come to me, like he needed to keep an eye on where I was. He didn’t have anything to worry about. I didn’t leave the swing the entire time he spoke with the deputy.He and the deputy spent a lot of time talking. During that time, Tyler made a call to someone and the deputy also spoke to whoever was on the phone.
I couldn't hear their words. They were too far away for me to listen in, not that I would. If it's something Tyler wants to share, I'll be his listening ear. Otherwise, I didn't have a right to demand answers. No matter how much I want them. However, I’m more than a little curious as to what’s going on.
Tyler sighs and sits next to me, one arm stretching along the back of the swing, curling around my shoulders. He gives a gentle tug, and I give in, leaning into his side. I don’t fight him on this. I think a part of him needs the connection, though neither of us has broached the topic of what happened or what we’redoing. It’s like everything between us seems to be happening naturally without us trying.
His long legs start up an easy pace of movement as he takes a breath and answers my question, "My ex showed up at the gate. Maddox called me, and I met him there. She was refusing to leave without seeing me."
His ex? Dash’s mom? Someone else?
“Are you talking about Dash’s mom?’ I ask softly.
