“I was in rehab, Lu.” I hang my head in shame. “I almost killed two people the night I left you that message. Colton helped arrange for me to attend court mandated alcohol counseling. I had three minutes to decide if getting better was important to me, and I decided it was. After I left you that message, they put me in the back of a cop car and carted me off.”
I turn my back on Lucy and stare into the setting sun. “I was on probation for two years, but I stayed away because I was ashamed of the person I had become. I stayed away because I wanted to make a life for us. I wanted to make sure that I could take care of you when I came back.”
“Tyler,” Lucy whispers before she wraps her arms around my waist, laying her head between my shoulder blades. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”
I squeeze her hands and step out of her embrace, not bothering to look her in the eyes as I head inside. With my hand on the door, I pause. “When I came back and saw you with Colt, my world turned upside down. I knew I couldn’t expect you to wait for me, but I always hoped you longed to be with me as I did for you. But you have Colt now, and there is a man out there that you loved enough to have a child with. It gutted me to know that man wasn’t me.”
Without looking back, I open the door and head inside. I head right for the front door, thankful that Colt is nowhere to be seen. I stop in my tracks as I come face to face with Rylee standing between me and my escape.
“Where are you going? Running from your pain never helped you before, I doubt it will help you now.”
“I’m not running, but the last thing Lucy needs is to deal with my bullshit. I love those two deeply. You call me if they ever need anything,” I choke out before reaching around her for the door. Thankfully, she steps out of the way as I open the door, closing it tightly behind me.
I walk to the end of the driveway and turn to take one final look at the place I wanted to call home someday. As I walk toward my rental house, I send up a silent prayer that someday Lucy will forgive me for leaving her, for not being there when she needed me the most.
Now all I can do is wait. The ball is in her court now.
Chapter Sixteen
Lucy
I hear the door shut quietly behind me as the weight of Tyler’s words bear down on me. Not in a million years would I have thought Tyler was in rehab. I mean yeah, we were partying hard during that time, but he seemed fine.
I sigh before turning to open the sliding glass door. I’m sure Rylee and Haddie are just waiting to hear about what happened. As soon as I get the door open, I’m bombarded with a million questions.
“Can you just give me a minute to process what happened?” I shout, stunning Rylee into silence. “I’m sorry, Ry. I didn’t mean to yell at you, but I just need a minute, okay?” I give her a pleading look before she nods her head.
“Haddie is playing with Colt in his room. Apparently, Tyler brought him a new racetrack, and he wanted to show it off.”
“Thanks, Ry. Did he tell you what happened?” I look around the room, and as expected I don’t see any signs of Tyler. Of course, he would drop a bombshell like that on me and then disappear.
“No, but based on the anguish and pain in his voice I know what happened. He told you, didn’t he?”
“Is this what you were keeping from me? The big secret that little old Lucy wouldn’t be able to handle.” I push past her and head toward the back of the house. My mind is still a mess from everything that has happened in the last few moments, but I need to focus on Colt.
To say I was shocked to hear him ask Tyler to be his dad is an understatement. The tenderness and love I saw in Tyler’s eyes as he tried to answer my son’s question was amazing.
“A penny for your thoughts?” My mind is brought back to the present by the sound of Haddie’s voice. She is sitting on the floor next to Colt. He has a huge smile on his face as he turns the little knob on the control in his hand, making the small race car go faster around the track.
“When I figure out what is going on in my head, I’ll let you know.” I have a seat on the opposite side of Colt and rub my fingers through his curly blond hair to get his attention. “What do you have there?”
“Tywer got it for me! Now I can make race cars go fast just like him.” He drops the controller onto the floor before throwing his tiny arms around my neck and giving me a big squeeze. “Where’s Tywer?” He pulls back and looks me in the eyes.
“He had to go home, but he said he will come back and hang out with you again another time.” I give him a fake smile; I don’t have the heart to tell him that Tyler won’t be coming back around again.
“Oh,” he whispers before his entire body deflates.
“How about I order that pizza I promised you? Rylee and I will stay with you tonight,” Haddie says as she pushes up off the floor to stand.
“A sleepover?” Colt asks, looking back and forth between Haddie and me, his smile growing with each pass. Haddie nods her head yes, and he squeals in delight. “Can we make a fort? Tywer said we would make one but he had to go
