Page 97 of Protected from Torment

Eden’s smile fades. Her face clouds with confusion. “It’s not good news, then?”

“Yes,” I sob. “No. I don’t know.”

“Tyler will support you,” she says. “If you’re worried. He’ll be thrilled. I’m sure of it.”

But will he?

After I told him I couldn’t get pregnant? After I said it was safe to have sex without protection? Will he really be okay with this? Or will he think I tricked him?

And what of our relationship? If he doesn’t want to be with me now… I won’t pressure him into being with me just because of a baby. That wouldn’t be right. Especially when the possibility of me getting pregnant was never on the table.

I want to be happy. But how can I, knowing Tyler might hate me for this?

Feeling weak all over, I sink onto the toilet lid, still clutching the test in my hand. “I told him I couldn’t get pregnant. He’s going to feel like I tricked him.”

Eden sits on the edge of the bathtub, facing me. “No, he won’t. Tyler’s not like that.”

Maybe. Maybe not.

“He’s going to break up with me,” I blurt, as all my worries and hurts come pouring out. “He said it would be a good idea for me to get a job near my parents. In South Carolina.”

“What?”

I take a shuddering breath. “I don’t want him to feel obligated to be with me. To feel like he’s trapped. He deserves better than that.”

“Melissa.” Eden touches my arm. “He wouldn’t.”

Everything is blurry through a veil of tears. “I love him.” My voice breaks. “But he doesn’t love me. And this… I’m afraid he’s going to hate me for it.”

CHAPTER 19

TYLER

Why did I say moving to South Carolina would be a good idea?

I don’t want Melissa living across the country. I want her here.

Before all the shit happened last week, I was on the verge of asking her to stay. I’d been thinking about all the ways we could make the cabin even better for Mel and Oscar, like turning the guest room into a home office for Mel and installing a fence in the backyard so Oscar has an open space to play.

On the heels of that, I realized if I got rid of the guest room, there wouldn’t be a place for my parents or Melissa’s to stay when they visit. So I started looking into the possibility of building an addition to the cabin—a nice suite with an updated bathroom and plenty of windows to enjoy the view.

Shit, I even talked to the team about it. Not that I thought they’d mind if Mel moved here permanently, but still. I wanted to give them the heads-up that I was considering asking.

I even had an idea of how I wanted to do it. I’d recruit one of the other women to take Mel shopping for a few hours, giving me enough time to get my cabin all set up for a romantic evening. I’d stage the living room with hundreds of flowers and candles and have a nice dinner waiting for when she got home. Then I’d have a special scavenger hunt set up, with little gifts hidden all through the house. The last would be the key to the cabin, and I’d ask Mel if she wanted to move in with me.

Then those two assholes ambushed us on the road, and nothing’s been the same since.

Sighing heavily, I try to turn my focus to the task at hand—mainly, checking the settings for our security system to make sure everything’s working as it should. I used to run a complete bi-monthly diagnostic, but in the aftermath of the attack out by Lost Lake, I’m changing it to once a week instead.

You could tell Melissa that, the hopeful voice in my head suggests. It’s been mostly quiet the last few days, likely silenced by the judging one that keeps reminding me of how badly I failed. Explain how safe she’ll be, the hopeful voice continues. Tell her about the special car you’ve already looked into for her. About the remote jobs you could find her, so she can work right from here.

I could.

I could go back to the cabin and tell Melissa that I was wrong about South Carolina and New York. I could still ask her to move in with me.

But what if she agrees, and then she ends up hurt again? Because I know damn well that no matter how many precautions we take, there’s always a chance of things going sideways. Shit, we thought we had everything under control during the op when I lost my leg. And I’m sure Vince thought he’d make it back home before his helo crashed.

Life can turn on a dime. Sometimes in the best ways, like meeting Melissa on that rainy day up in the Adirondacks. And sometimes it spells disaster, like it did last week.