“You never know,” I respond before taking a few steps closer to her. “How have you been lately? I haven’t checked in with you in a few days. You need any help with putting the finishing touches on the benefit and auction?”
“Everything is running smoothly thankfully. Thanks again for getting the guys to agree to being a part of the auction. Hopefully, we can raise a lot of money for Corporate Cares.” She looks over at Colt as he climbs onto the jungle gym they have in the yard. “I just need to find someone to watch Colt so I can go shopping for a dress. He hates dress shopping.”
“I can watch him. All I have to do is get fitted for a monkey suit.” I jump at the chance to spend more time with the two of them.
“I couldn’t ask you to do that. I’m sure you are busy working on getting Colton ready for the upcoming race.”
“Nah, he has other people to do that. I really don’t know what my position is on the team anymore. The only reason I even have a job is because of the promise he made me before I left.”
“A promise?” She turns in my direction. “Colton promised you would have a job when you finally came back?”
I sigh, not wanting to have this conversation. “Colton promised me I would have a job when I finished taking care of my business. I was the one that stayed away for so long, but I had things to take care of before I came back.”
“Are you being vague on purpose?”
“Yes, this isn’t a conversation I’m prepared to have right now. But let me babysit Colt and take you to dinner. I can explain everything then?”
Lucy stares at me for a few moments before she sighs. “Okay, you win. Can you watch him some time this weekend? After I finish shopping, I can ask Rylee to watch Colt and we can go to dinner.”
I give myself an internal fist bump before responding, “Great! Just tell me when to be there. Colt and I will have a blast.” I hear Kellan laugh quickly covering it with a cough. I turn, pinning him in place with a stare.
“I’ll talk with Rylee and then text you the information,” Lucy giggles before calling Colt telling him it’s time to head home. Colt says his goodbyes to his friends before running over to me and hugging my legs.
“I’ll see you this weekend, little man. You need to think of some cool things for us to do while your momma is shopping with Rylee.”
His face lights up with a bright smile before he gives my legs another tight squeeze and heading toward his momma. “I’ll see you later, Tywer.”
“See you later, little man.” I wave at them as they head toward the parking lot.
“Are you going to tell her everything?” Kellan says from besides me as he places a hand on my shoulder, “Lucy seems like an all or nothing type of girl. There is no half assing things when it comes to her. If you don’t plan on telling her the entire truth, you may as well throw in the towel now.”
“That woman means everything to me. I promised myself when I came back that I would do whatever I could to make her mine again and I plan to do just that.”
Kellan gives my shoulder a squeeze before rounding the boys up and heading back inside. There are so many other questions I would love to ask Lu, but it’s time for me to come clean about the last four years. Maybe after that I can find out if there can be anything romantic between the two of us again, but first I need to tell her the truth.
Chapter Fourteen
Lucy
“This is a bad idea. I should have never agreed to let him watch Colt,” I mumble to myself for the millionth time.
“It’s the perfect idea. Who better to watch Colt than Tyler? You don’t even like leaving him with me, calm down. You just need to let loose and give Tyler a chance,” Rylee chimes in from beside me in the car.
“I don’t mind leaving him with you. I honestly don’t want to leave him at all. I still have issues leaving him in the preschool at the office.”
As promised, I talked to Rylee about going shopping for the fundraiser and she jumped at the chance, immediately setting up an appointment for the two of us at her favorite dress shop in town.
“Right, like that statement isn’t going to scare me even more. Tyler could barely take care of himself when we were together. Now I left him with my three-year-old son,” I sigh. “I just hope he is in one piece when I get home.”
Haddie cackles in the backseat, enjoying my misery just a little too much. “You need to chill out, Lucy. Think of it this way. You will know if he is father material before you even decide to get back with him.”
Rylee and I share a look before I respond, “That’s true, but I would like for this experiment to be with anyone else but Colt.” I shake my head, feeling slightly guilty for keeping this secret from Haddie, although it’s odd that she would say that when she doesn’t know that Tyler is Colt’s father.
Who better to take care of Colt than his father? A father that has been absent his entire life, but has suddenly returned. I shake my head before turning to look out the window. Tyler has been amazing with Colt every time they have been together, but it has never been just the two of them together.
“Just admit it. What you are afraid of is Tyler running for the hills again after spending a day with Colt.” Haddie leans between the seats, resting her arms on the seats. “Colt is an outstanding kid, but he is still a handful. Anyone who wants to be with
