Delaney’s breath trembled. “Then Eric told me that you’d moved out of state and left for good.”
Tyler froze. “Did he lead you to believe that I didn’t want to come back? That I wasn’t dying to call you twenty times a day and find out if you were okay? Because that’s complete bullshit.”
Those blue eyes of hers turned up to him, wide, teary. “He didn’t say anything, and I didn’t know what to think. Your reputation with women . . .”
The same one Alyssa and the other girls had been nagging him about fifteen minutes ago, before Delaney had knocked his world upside down—for the second time in his life. Ironic that his long string of conquests had come back to haunt him with a vengeance. His own Karma boomeranging him in the ass. And every friend he’d made in Lafayette would know it in the next few minutes.
“Is that really why you didn’t try harder to reach me? I would have helped. I would have done whatever the hell you wanted.”
Yes, he’d been best buddies with Eric since shortly after becoming his partner in Vice. But in some ways, he’d been closer to Delaney, connected more with her sense of humor, her intelligence. Something about her . . . He hadn’t really tuned into what that was until he’d been balls deep inside her and falling for her fast. Until it was too late.
She shook her head. “I needed a father for Seth, and we both know you’re short on commitment. At first, I was angry that you’d left without another word. I was tired and pissed and hormonal. I told myself it would serve you right to not know about your child.” Tyler opened his mouth to object, and Delaney waved him off. “It lasted ten minutes. Then I felt . . . abandoned. I figured you’d gone on a case. But then your PI business closed and you didn’t come back. I knew you must be using an assumed name, and it would take me time to find you. Eric certainly wasn’t going to help me.”
Mentally, Tyler added that to the list of Eric’s infractions and planned to gleefully beat the shit out of him for being a raving douche.
“And I guess . . . there was a part of me that wanted this child to be mine. Everyone else in my life had left me—my parents died, Eric divorced me, you walked away—but this baby . . . I could raise him with love and get back unconditional love in return. I didn’t mean to be selfish. I think”—she blew out a noisy breath—“I was just hurting. I know it was lousy. I’m sorry.”
Fuck, she’d always had a way of diffusing his anger, and today was no different. In her place, he’d have been so angry, he’d have done serious damage.
She sobbed once, then clapped a hand over her mouth, trying to hold it in. Tyler crouched down next to her, settled a quizzical Seth into her lap, then wrapped his arm around her. She clutched her son, then stiffened, retreating into the back of the chair—away from him. Tyler sighed, all kinds of pissed off at the disappointment gnawing in his gut, then gave Del some space.
“You need to eat, angel. And rest.” He stared down at his son, now patting his mother’s hand as if he understood that she needed consoling. “How about you, Seth? Want a peanut butter sandwich?”
Delaney’s head whipped up. “He’s allergic to peanut butter. I’ll make a list of his allergies and write out his routine.”
Great. That would come in handy—for someone else.
“What can he eat?”
She wiped away her tears impatiently, then sent a wobbly smile to Seth. “We like eggs, don’t we? We eat lots of eggs.”
“Egg!” Seth gave her a snaggletooth smile.
Tyler grinned. Well, hot damn. Eggs had always been one of his favorite foods, too.
“Eggs it is.”
“Thanks.” As if she realized that she’d smiled at him, too, Delaney blinked and looked away. “Can I use your bathroom? I need to change Seth.”
Tyler pointed down the hall, and she grabbed a diaper bag from the stroller. “Take your time. Scrambled with cheese?”
“You remember how I like eggs?” She bit her lip, as if trying to conceal the fact that it pleased her.
Fuck that. He was going to find out exactly how she felt. The whole shitty house of cards may have toppled once, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to find a way to rebuild it at least enough to be on good terms with his son’s mother.
But he was beginning to suspect that wouldn’t be enough for him. Despite looking ragged and tired, Delaney was still one of the sexiest women to him. So sharp in some ways, innocent in others. Determined, brave . . . stubborn. Yeah, he was going to have to get past the walls she’d erected if he wanted to play a role in her life beyond Seth’s father.
“Of course, I remember.”
“But you don’t like cheese in eggs.” She frowned.
Ah, and she remembered, too. He shrugged. “I can adjust.”
After a c**k of her head, like she was trying to figure out exactly what he meant, she lifted Seth and carted him down the hall. The second the door shut and locked, Tyler sent out a quick text, then darted toward the patio. All the instigators of his “intervention” still sat there, drinking and clearly trying to decide how best to direct his life. He was about to give them one great big heaping dose of help.
Sticking his head out the back door, he glanced at the ladies. “Come inside. Have I got a surprise for you . . .”
***