My cheeks instantly heat in embarrassment, as I reach for the container of coffee and busy myself with the coffee maker. Not bothering to step out of his embrace, I ask him quietly to grab two coffee mugs from the cabinet above my head.
As the coffee brews, I duck under his arm and grab the creamer from the fridge. I put a small amount in one of the mugs he placed on the counter. Ignoring his presence, I do my best to continue making coffee for both of us. Finally, the coffee is finished and I pour a healthy amount into both glasses before adding two scoops of sugar to both mugs and stirring them completely.
“You remembered.”
“It’s hard to forget that you prefer to drink motor oil instead of coffee,” we both chuckle.
“I just like to taste my coffee, there isn’t anything wrong with that.” Tyler raises an eyebrow before sliding his mug off the counter and heading into the living room.
My heart beats wildly in my chest as I grab my mug. My hand trembles slightly as I inhale, waiting a few moments before following Tyler into the living room.
I stop short when I realize he isn’t sitting on the couch. I head over to the couch, placing my coffee mug on the coffee table before I spot him near the french doors, examining the pictures that adorn the wall.
“How old is Colt in this one?” he asks quietly, pointing toward the picture of Colton and Colt from his last birthday. We had a race car themed party in the CD Enterprises box. Colton was the guest of honor, wowing all the children from Colt’s preschool with his tales of being a famous Indy race car driver.
I walk over, smiling as I remember the moment I took that shot. Colt got upset about something and Colton swooped in and placed him on top of his shoulders, running around the box like a maniac. If I didn’t trust that man with my life, I would have lost it with the way he was recklessly jumping over chairs and weaving between people. “It was Colt’s last birthday. He turned three that day,” I pause waiting for him to put it together, but he just smiles gently and continues to look over the photos.
“This entire wall is dedicated to Colt, not that I have much family other than him,” I say as I point toward the photo of Colt and me Rylee snapped the night he was born.
“Rylee and Colton are your family now.” I catch a hint of sadness in his voice, but don’t comment on it. He left both of us without a word; he should feel some pain. Did he expect me to wait for him? By the message he left me before disappearing and his actions the moment we saw each other again, he did.
“They are. Colt and I would have been lost without them.”
“What about Tawny?” He takes a big sip of his coffee before taking a step around me and having a seat on the couch. “You two were thick as thieves before I…” his voice trails off.
“Before you disappeared.” I walk around the couch and have a seat, picking up my coffee. “She’s around somewhere. We haven’t been very close since she pulled that crap with Colton and Rylee.” I take a sip of my coffee before continuing, “I don’t dislike her, but we aren’t nearly as close as we used to be.”
“That would explain why you and Rylee are so close,” he mumbles, probably hoping I didn’t hear him.
“Rylee and I got close when I found out I was pregnant with Colt. I doubt she would have survived another pregnancy scandal.” I sigh, placing my mug on the table, having no desire to have this conversation right now.
“After you disappeared, I was lost and had no one else to lean on besides Colton. He was there for me in more ways than one. He officially introduced me to Rylee, and she helped me get a job at Corporate Cares. It has been an uphill battle trying to work and take care of Colt, but Rylee and Colton have been there for me every step of the way.”
Unlike someone else in this room.
“Where was Colt’s dad?” he questions, expecting an answer I’m not ready to give him.
I answer him in the only way I know how. I tell him the truth. “He isn’t in the picture, never has been. I doubt he even cares about either of us.” I immediately regret that last statement.
Tyler winces as if my words physically wounded him. “Does he know about Colt?”
“No. He took off before I found out I was pregnant; I haven’t heard from him since then.” I’m surprised that he is asking so many questions.
Has he figured it out yet?
“I doubt he would have stayed away if he knew about him.” He looks at me over his mug before tipping the cup up and finishing his coffee. “You have done a great job raising him.”
Would he really have come back if I had told him about Colt? I shake my head before giving him a quiet thank you, grabbing his cup off the table and heading into the kitchen.
I deposit both of our dirty mugs into the sink before leaning against the counter, pausing for a few moments to think through the entire conversation I had with Tyler. I know that things could have been different if he had known about Colt, but I wanted him to come back to me because he loved me, not out of some sort of obligation.
That was the primary reason I begged for Colton not to let him know anything about me and Colt. I’m sure the two of them kept in contact while he was away or he wouldn’t have had a job to come back to. I know there was some reason that he left, but Colton refused to tell me. He told me if Tyler
