the consequences. But that word…” A wide smile crossed his face. I tried to hide my own smile at the excitement that seemed to ooze from every inch of him. “It gives me hope that I didn’t fuck up the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“You’ve got a long way to go, Mr. Burnham.”
“I know. But if my memory serves me correctly, something tells me the wait will be worth it.” He raised his eyebrows, his eyes raking over my body in a devious way.
His persistence shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me. It was one of the things that attracted me to him in the beginning. He saw me as a challenge back then. I could only assume he saw me the same way now. Despite wanting to take things slow, it was oddly comforting to have him here with me, to feel his warmth approach behind me as I unlocked my door. I felt more safe and at ease than I had in months.
I stepped through the foyer and into the living area, clicking on the lights. When I sensed Tyler was no longer behind me, I spun around to see him hesitating just past the doorway, eyeing my security alarm panel.
Crossing his arms in front of his chest, his expression turned concerned. “Please tell me the only reason you didn’t arm your system was because you simply forgot.”
I continued into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator, and shrugged. “Everything’s been fine, Tyler. No break-ins.” Taking a sip of my water, I faced him. He took strong, determined steps into my open living area, his presence filling the room in an almost intimidating manner, his gaze unrelenting.
“Anyway…” I sat down on my couch. “It seems you’ve had someone keeping an eye on me, so I don’t really see why it matters.”
“It’s not just yourself you have to worry about now, Mackenzie.” His face softened as his eyes traveled to my stomach. He sat down beside me. “Don’t get me wrong.” He took my water from me and placed it on the coffee table. Clutching both my hands in his, he continued, “I can’t bear the thought of anything happening to you, but there’s a lot more at stake now so, please, do me a favor and arm your system. It’ll make me feel better. Can you do that?” He furrowed his eyebrows, a pleading look on his face. From the beginning, he had always been fiercely protective of me. It was one of the things that drove me crazy and made me all the more attracted to him at the same time. Still, he had a point. It wasn’t just me anymore. What if someone broke in after the baby was born? I didn’t even want to think about that possibility.
A look of resignation crossing my face, I nodded. “Okay. I promise I’ll use the system again.”
“Thank you.” He kissed my temple softly, then got up. “Well, everything here appears safe and secure. Good night, Mackenzie.” Smiling, he retreated from me, pulling the door open.
“Wait!” I followed him. “When can I see you again?”
“Tomorrow.”
“When tomorrow?”
He reached for my hand and brushed his lips against it, reigniting the longing I felt from his absence. “You’ll find out.” He winked. Just as he was about to close the door and leave me alone with nothing but my thoughts, he popped back into my condo. “I almost forgot.” He pulled a black journal out of his cargo shorts and handed it to me. “I want you to have this.”
Taking it in my hands, I ran my fingers over the leather, lingering over the gold embossed letters T.J.B. “What’s this?”
“Earlier today, you said you thought I forgot about you and that’s why I never wrote or called. I knew this wasn’t something that could be settled with a phone call or letter. I’m pretty sure you would have hung up on me, or tore up whatever I wrote you. But that didn’t stop me from wanting to tell you what I was feeling. That’s what’s in this journal… Four months of heartache.”
I looked up at him, seeing the broken version of Tyler I had seen on occasion, particularly early on in our relationship when he spoke of Melanie. And I knew… I knew the distance between us tore him up more than any other heartache he had suffered in his past.
He grabbed my free hand in his and held it over his heart. “It’s yours, Mackenzie.