The Hot One(63)

And without regret.

He left and didn’t look back.

Time for me to look forward, and only forward.

There’s nothing I need from him anymore.

There’s nothing he can give me.

Curiosity is a powerful motivator, and it drove me to track him down. But he’s not a former classmate from college who I’m curious about. He’s not an old friend I’d catch up with over a cocktail.

He’s the man who gave half his DNA to me and then walked out fourteen years later.

I don’t need to make small talk with him.

I don’t need to talk to him at all.

This is my life, and it’s just as good as it’s been since he left.

I let go of the fence, turn on my heel, and head to the other side of the park.





29





Tyler



* * *



I stand in my doorway, waiting for the sound of the elevator. A few seconds later, a soft whoosh tells me it’s here. When the brass door slides open, I expect her to be sad. Crying. Distraught. But she’s none of those. Instead, she walks down the hallway with purpose. She wears yoga pants, sneakers, and a black V-neck T-shirt—her work attire. Her hair is pulled high in a ponytail.

“Hey,” I say softly, when she reaches the doorway. The damn organ in my chest hammers hard against my ribcage, thumping like it’s trying to escape. I’m fucking nervous and excited all at once. And I’m hopeful, too. “I’m glad you’re here.” I hold the door wide open, and she comes in. “Tell me what you found out. I want to help you. Like I told you I would.”

She stops, licks her lips, and says, “I know you do. But as I was walking over here, I realized something important.” She gestures from me to her. “That I want to talk about us first.”

The word reverberates. I have no fucking clue what us is. I have no idea if I messed up us completely. But she came to me. That’s a step, and steps are what I need to take, not leaps. “Talk to me.”

The door falls shut, but we don’t move. We stand in the entryway, not far from where I proposed this morning.

Her features are soft as she speaks. “I wasn’t leaving this morning. I know it might have seemed that way, but I was just going to work. I was thrown for a loop, though. I felt like a prize, like just your next victory.”

I jump in. “You’re not. I swear you’re not. I wanted to show you that you’re so much more.”

“I get that, but at the time that’s all it seemed like. It seemed impulsive and unplanned.” She runs her hand lightly down my arm. “But I understand now that it came from the best intentions. And I love the sentiment.”

“It was impulsive,” I admit, with a you-know-me expression. “I’ll probably always be a little impulsive. But I also want you to have faith in me.”

“But you see, I already do, Tyler,” she says, her eyes fixed on me, her voice steady and sure. “You don’t need to prove yourself. You don’t need to come to my place of work and strip for me again, or jump through any more hoops.”

I wiggle an eyebrow. “But you do want me to strip for you again?”

She nibbles on the corner of her lips. “I absolutely do.”

“Good. Because I’ve got some new moves.”

She smiles. “I look forward to the next show. And that’s because you’ve already earned your way back in. Let’s just move forward now.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. Us. There’s still an us. But it never hurts to confirm. “So we’re doing this? You want me, impulsive side and circumspect one both?”

She flashes a flirty smile and slugs my arm. “Yes. I like all your sides, both the naked and the clothed, too. And even though we might argue, I’m not breaking up because you proposed.” She rolls her eyes.

I grab her hand and squeeze hard. “You’ve got to know why I did it. I fucking love you, and I wanted to give you security,” I say, needing to explain my actions, needing her to understand. “I couldn’t give that to you before, and I want to do it now.”

She places a palm on my chest. “I know now that security isn’t something I can find from you.” She lets go and taps her breastbone. “It’s in me. It’s right here. I have my inner strength. I’ve learned. I’ve grown. I have great friends, an amazing business, and this sexy, smart, and sweet guy who’s back in my life,” she says, and I mouth you do have all that. She gives me a smile, then her voice goes serious again. “All I want is for us to take it day by day. Let’s just keep being in love every day.”

I smile because that’s the easiest thing in the world. “That’s not a problem at all. That’s like breathing, Delaney.”

She smiles softly. “And someday, maybe someday soon, when it feels right to both of us, ask me again. For now, let’s just go to parties, and meet for lunch, and kiss on street corners, and make love all night long.”

My heart dances a jig. This is the true second chance. Not the one I leaped too hard at this morning. But a real one—a do-over that’s not about fixing the past, or erasing mistakes, but one that’s about forgiveness and moving on.

I dust a soft kiss on her forehead. Relief floods me as she sways closer to me. But then I wrench back because there are things I still need to say. “I’m sorry I was pushy this morning. I’ve got an asshole in me, and I’m trying to keep him down, but sometimes he crops up.” She chuckles, but I’m not done. “I’m especially sorry for what I said about intimacy and challenges. That was unfair. So fucking unfair.”