out.
‘Too bad. I told you a while back—I’m in your life now. Get used to it.’
She blinked. ‘Are you telling me you knew then?’
‘No. I knew when you knocked me on my ass.’
‘I knew when you kissed me on the ferry.’
He nodded. ‘That’s why you got scared.’
‘Yes.’ She frowned and reached for the towel. ‘You shouldn’t be doing that. You’re hurt. I should be taking care of you. Not the other way around.’
Tyler allowed her to take it and watched as she set it aside. ‘If we’re gonna make this work there has to be a little of both—not that I’ll make it easy for you.’ His mouth curved into a wry smile. ‘In case you hadn’t got it already, I’m not a very good patient. I like to think I’m better at taking care of other people, if they’ll let me.’
‘No one’s ever been there just for me,’ she confessed. ‘Not the way it felt you were in the last few weeks...’
‘And that’s never gonna change.’ Not when it felt as if he’d been born to be with her. He watched as she blinked a tear from her lower lashes and dashed it away with the back of her hand. ‘Can you tell me why you were scared?’
‘It was too much and not enough.’ She searched for a way to explain it. ‘What your eyes were saying—I didn’t want to hear if you were planning on walking away, but if you’re not—’
‘I’m not,’ he stated firmly. ‘But there are a couple of things we need to get straight before we go any further. Starting with your father.’
Her expression questioned where he was going.
‘I won’t let him fast-track me up the food chain to make me more suitable for you,’ Tyler continued. ‘When I get my career back on track it won’t be for him, it’ll be for us. I passed the sergeants exam six years ago—can ace the lieutenant one the same way, but when the time comes to aim higher if I hear so much as a rumour of whispers in the right ears there’ll be trouble.’
She listened intently while tears filled her eyes but, as hard as they were to see, he couldn’t stop to do anything about them until he’d said his piece. ‘I’m an expert on interfering families—did some interfering of my own in return—so I know how it works. Being in love with his daughter doesn’t make me a soft target for manipulation. He ever tries it with you again we’ll be having words on the subject. You’ve sacrificed enough for the family business. From here on in your needs come first. It’s already been tempting to tell your parents that to their faces. If they knew you the way I’ve started to—why are you smiling?’
It was bright enough to compete with the sun.
‘You’re in love with me?’
‘That’s the only thing you got from all that?’
‘It’s the only thing that matters.’
If it was they would never run into any problems but... ‘Being a cop’s wife isn’t easy.’
Her eyes widened. ‘You’re proposing now?’
‘I like to think when I’m proposing you’ll know I’m doing it.’ Nudging her knees apart to make space to step closer, he laid a possessive palm on her hip. ‘What I’m saying is we’ve got time—take as much of it as you need and talk to as many members of my family as you want. I can’t change who I am for you or keep you in the lifestyle you’ve been accustomed to but—’
She shook her head. ‘You don’t have to. I have money. That’s not an issue.’
‘It is if you think we’re living off a trust fund.’
‘It’s not a trust fund. Well, it is until I turn twenty-five, but my parents didn’t set it up. It’s an inheritance from my grandfather.’
Tyler’s eyes narrowed at the offhand tone to her voice. ‘Are you telling me you’re rich?’
‘I’m afraid so. You’ll have to learn to live with it.’
The words left his mouth before he could stop them. ‘Even if it begs the question of what I can offer you?’
She ignored the question. ‘You’re in love with me?’
‘Are you listening to anything I’m saying?’
‘Yes.’ She blinked a couple of times. ‘I just seem to be a little stuck on that one...’
‘Why?’
‘I didn’t think... I mean I thought I’d have to...’ The uncharacteristic lack of something to say removed the frown from his face as she took a short breath. ‘I haven’t done anything to deserve it. I was awful to you at the start