Rylee stops dead in her tracks, pinning me in place with her stare. “Lucy Duke, you have no idea what you are talking about. That man has been through just as much as you have in the last four years.” I open my mouth to protest, but she raises her voice. “I know you have no idea what happened or why he left, but I do. All I ask is that you give him a chance to explain and make things right.”
My shoulders sag in disappointment. There isn’t a person in this world I trust more than Rylee. “Let me go grab my purse.”
Rylee squeals in delight. “No need. I knew you couldn’t resist me. I already grabbed it.” She holds my bag hanging off the opposite shoulder. “I didn’t want to give you a chance to change your mind.”
I smile at my friend as I follow her to the elevator. I know that Rylee and Colton have my best interests at heart, but what they don’t understand is that it’s not just my heart. I have Colt to worry about. If I let Tyler into his life and he leaves, that could destroy my little boy.
“Now, tell me what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” Rylee looks at me over her glass as she takes a sip.
“Nothing. I’m just going over a list of all the things that still need to get done for the auction. I figure Tyler and I can split the list to ensure everything is taken care of.” I flash her a tight smile before biting into my chicken fajita.
Rylee wasn’t playing when she said we were going to lunch. What she failed to mention is she was taking me to my favorite Mexican restaurant across town. She must want to butter me up, but there is no need.
“When are you going to tell him?” Rylee blurts out causing me to almost choke.
“Excuse me?” I cough a few times before taking a large gulp of water.
“You need to tell him about Colt, Lucy. He needs to know what you’ve been through all this time. How much you longed for him to return. To have a relationship with his son.”
“I don’t owe him a damn thing!” I shout, some restaurant patrons looking in our direction. I duck my head in embarrassment. “I understand where you are coming from. I appreciate the sentiment, but I need to make sure he isn’t going to run away again. I won’t do that to Colt.”
“I can’t tell you the specifics because I don’t know them myself, but I do know that the only reason Tyler came back was for you. He left to become a better man for you.” Rylee places her hand on top of mine and squeezes.
“I won’t let him break either of our hearts.” I sit up straighter in my chair. “I’ll hear him out, but I don’t owe him anything else.”
Rylee pulls her hand back and sighs, “That’s better than what I expected you would say. But what are you going to tell him about Colt?”
“The truth, I’ll just leave his name out of it.” We both giggle, the tension between us slowly dissipates. “Honestly, I don’t know. He hasn’t asked yet. If he doesn’t ask, I won’t have anything to worry about.”
Rylee motions for the waiter and asks for the check. “Oh, he will ask. He basically accused Colton of Colt being his love child.” I gasp in shock, but Rylee waves my concern away. “I mean it makes sense with you being friends with Tawny not to mention his name is Colt, with blond hair and hazel colored eyes.”
“I only put up with Colton because of you,” I grumble as I shove the last bite of my fajitas into my mouth. “No offense if he does it for you, but that man annoys the shit out of me.”
Rylee laughs, as she signs the check. “He annoys me too, but that’s what makes me love him so much. We have had our ups and downs, but in the end, I love that man to the moon and back.”
“You do or you wouldn’t put up with his crap,” I laugh before pushing back from the table. “Let’s hurry and get this over with.”
“Don’t act like I’m leading you off to the slaughter.”
“I’m not. I just want to get this impromptu meeting over with so I can get back to the office. I would like to make it home at a reasonable hour.”
Rylee just shakes her head at me before walking toward the exit. As I follow her to the car, I think of all the things that could go wrong if I let Tyler back into my life. He is impulsive, doesn’t think about the consequences for his actions, and hasn’t been the most reliable person in my life. But, if what Rylee says is true, he left for a good reason. I just need to find out if that reason is good enough to forgive him for leaving me, us, without a word.
Chapter Nine
Tyler
“Can you grab me a 3mm metric socket wrench?” I grumble as I pull my arm out the engine I’ve been working on all week.
“What?” someone shouts from the other side of the garage, and I shake my head.
Colton really needs to get some better people working in this garage. “A 3mm socket wrench. Don’t you know the metric system?” I growl as I stalk toward the toolbox and grab the one I need. “Never mind, I got it.” I roll my eyes before getting back to work. No wonder Colton was so eager to have me back; this garage is full of a bunch of yahoos.
Four years is a long time to be away from something you love. Working for Colton has been one of the best decisions I ever made in my life. Leaving
