have something to lose if I prevented you from picking his brain. I want this as much as you do. Should I have heard from him at this point? Probably, but I’m certain he has a very good reason for not arranging a meeting yet.”
“Do you think something happened?” Tyler asked urgently, tearing out of my embrace, a frenzied air about him. From what he’d told me of the case, just when they were about to uncover something that may put the pieces together, there would be a setback. It had been a constant battle of two steps forward and three steps back, and I felt for him.
“Tyler…” I wanted to assure him everything was okay, but did I know for certain nothing had happened? No, but I knew my father. He had survived on the run for over fifteen years. He wasn’t going to do something stupid now, not when freedom and the truth were potentially within arm’s reach. “You don’t know my father like I do. He’s a brilliant man. He’s probably taking his time to do some research on you to determine whether you’re trustworthy. From where I’m standing, the fact that he’s taken this long to get back to me is a good sign. It means he’s most likely going to agree to talk to you. So just be patient and trust that when I get notice of a meeting, I will let you know immediately.”
“Okay,” he said, kissing the top of my head before turning off the stove and dishing out scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast onto two plates. I followed him back to the island and returned to my seat, my stomach rumbling. Triple B was a bit of a parasite. I could eat a feast, only to be starving again ten minutes later. Thankfully Tyler was more than aware of my increased appetite and always cooked extra eggs for me…and the baby.
“So what’s on your plate for today?” he asked as I chewed on a piece of bacon.
“I’m going into the restaurant for a bit, then Jenna’s dragging me into Brownsville.”
“For what?”
“She’s insisting I finally go buy some furniture for the nursery. She’s worried I’m not taking this seriously and the kid will be forced to sleep in one of my dresser drawers when he’s born.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” He glanced at me.
“No, that’s okay. We kind of decided to make a girls’ day out of it. Brayden works in town so we’re supposed to be at his office around noon to grab lunch, then go shopping. I have a feeling he’s more excited about this than I am. You’re still coming to the baby shower tomorrow, right?” I placed my hand on his leg. “It really means a lot that you’ll be there with me.”
“Of course.” He gave me a small smile. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
He broke his gaze from me and turned his attention back to his food. I glanced at him, hoping he wasn’t upset that I wanted to have a day with my friends. He didn’t seem like he was, but the way he was pushing his eggs all over his plate, barely touching them, made me grow concerned something else was bothering him.
Taking a deep breath, he looked at me. “Have you thought about which room you want to make into the nursery?”
I took a sip of my coffee and considered his question. The truth was, I had been avoiding making a decision. I lived in a three-bedroom condo, but there wasn’t much space. The master bedroom was adequate, the two guest bedrooms being nothing more than a room in which you could fit a bed and not much else. I kept walking by each of them, hoping inspiration would strike, but it never did. I simply couldn’t imagine raising a child here. His clothes alone would take up the entire room.
“A bit, but I haven’t decided yet. There’s not much space.”
“I think I might have a solution to the space problem,” he offered.
“Oh, yeah? What is it?”
He took a deep breath, and I couldn’t help but think that whatever the solution was, I may not like it.
“I want you to move in with me…”
My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. I had known this day would come, especially now that the baby was almost here, but I guess I didn’t want to acknowledge it. I liked having my space. I liked knowing if things went to shit with