understand. I wouldn’t want her to overheat or anything.”
“Exactly.”
“Can I see her tomorrow?”
“I have to work.”
“Right. I know. I just thought afterward… Maybe if I brought some dinner, we could eat it together?”
Tessa gnawed on her lip. On the one hand, it was hard not to still feel angry at him. On the other, if she was angry with him for running out on her when she’d needed help, pushing him away now that he was willing to pitch in seemed counterintuitive.
She sighed. “All right. Six o’clock?”
“Perfect.” He smiled like he’d just won the lottery. “Fried chicken okay?”
Tessa shouldn’t. Since she was no longer nursing, it seemed as if she had to watch every calorie to maintain her weight, but he knew this great little hole-in-the-wall that made amazing Southern food, and it had been so long… “You’re on.”
“I knew you couldn’t say no to that.” He took her hand and a half a step toward her, into her personal space. “And I intend to keep doing all the right things because I don’t want you to keep saying no to us being a family.”
“Cash, I don’t think—”
“I know what you’re going to say. It’s too soon. I’m moving too fast. You’re not sure you can trust me yet. I get it. But I want you to think about it.”
“Think about what exactly?”
“Well, if we’re going to be full-time parents to Hallie, so she’ll always know life with a mom and a dad and a happy home, we should move in together.”
Tessa gaped. She’d ask if Cash was crazy, but his expression told her he was dead serious.
Holy cow.
When she opened her mouth to refute him, he shook his head. “Don’t say anything now, babe. Just think about it. And give me some time to prove I’ll be the best dad—and man—ever.”
August 22
Weeks passed, and shit went from bad to worse.
Zy knew he’d been an ass, so a few days ago he’d decided to swallow his pride and apologize to Tessa. He owed her that since she probably thought he blamed her for ending them. He had for ten minutes—long enough to behave like a douche and call Madison. More than anything, he’d been frustrated that Tessa had signed her contract without talking to him. He’d been on the verge of spitting out an impulsive idea that they move in together. It had made perfect sense in the moment. She could quit and stay home with Hallie. He made enough to support them both. They could be a family.
Dream on, buddy.
After her experience with Cash, what were the odds she wanted to depend on any man, much less commit to one she’d never even kissed?
In fairness, to be with her, he could have quit himself. He would have found another job eventually, though not in his field. He’d had choices, but he hadn’t been thinking that day about anything except his fucking heart breaking.
After that, he’d avoided her because looking at her hurt and it was easier than saying he was sorry. But after six weeks of silence, he couldn’t take it anymore.
A few mornings ago, he’d waited for Tessa at her desk, an apology perched on the tip of his tongue. She’d blown him off. Totally. Oh, she’d smiled politely. Her manners were too good to berate him in the office, but she’d also skittishly avoided meeting his stare and standoffishly substituted nods for replies. Clearly, he’d hurt her. And why should she forgive him?
One-Mile rubbernecking as he passed hadn’t helped his mood, either. If the sniper was interested in Tessa, he’d have to walk through hell—and over Zy’s dead body—to touch her. Didn’t the bastard already have his hands full? Less than a week ago, he’d gotten Cutter out of a hostage situation—then apparently slept with the guy’s girlfriend just because he could. The blood between them had gone from bad after their failed Mexico mission in March to so bad the throw down coming would end with someone in a body bag.
Things only went downhill from there.
Forty-eight hours ago, Trees and One-Mile had gone to Mexico again for undisclosed reasons, but Zy guessed it had something to do with figuring out what had gone wrong the last time they’d set foot in that godforsaken desert. And son of a bitch if Trees and One-Mile hadn’t been surrounded by Emilo Montilla’s thugs in a parking lot outside a restaurant. Trees had managed to think fast and drive away—thank fuck—only to mysteriously wake up twelve hours later outside a