A Father's Name(50)

As he took her to his bed for a second time, he vowed it was the last time. Simply, he was saying goodbye.



TWO WEEKS LATER, TYLER was still vowing every time he was with Angelina it would be the last. And if it had been any other woman, he would have made it stick. But Angelina didn’t take no very well.

Actually, she didn’t take it at all.



He’d say something like, “Tonight it would probably be best if Jace and I bached it.”

And an hour later, she’d be at his doorstep hammering a cheery tune. They took Jace for long evening walks and then gave him his bath before story time and tucking him in.

Angelina had bought out half the Whedon bookstore. She explained that reading to kids early and often helped them do better at school. Tyler started letting Jace pick a story before they left for the garage each day. He didn’t manage to insert the same level of enthusiasm into his storytelling as Angelina did, but Jace didn’t seem to mind.

One morning, Angelina had pulled out an old wooden toy chest that had been Bart’s. It was painted with every kind of vehicle imaginable. Cars, trucks, motorcycles. Big equipment like bulldozers and back hoes. She filled it with some of Bart’s old toys, and new ones. Every time Tyler turned around, Angelina was buying a new book or new toy for Jace.

Jace called, “Eye-Eye,” in that excited sort of way that pulled Tyler immediately from his work. He hurried across the room and kneeled down by Jace who pointed at the toy box.

Tyler knew this game. “Dump truck.”

Jace pointed again. “Police car.” Point. “Bus.” Point…

It was a game that would last as long as Tyler was willing to play. He glanced back at the invoices he’d hoped to finish and then simply gave in. He’d stay late if he had to in order to finish them. Angelina would say babies first, paperwork after. “Harley.”

Angelina hated sitting at the desk, while he found comfort in it. Give him a column of numbers and he could add it up with certainty. One and one were always two.

It was the rest of life that was iffy.

“Eye-Eye,” Jace demanded, pointing.

“Wagon…”



TUCKER STOOD IN THE doorway watching Tyler with Jace. He’d been naming vehicles for at least five minutes nonstop. Jace toddled around the toy box, pointing and trusting that Tyler would answer.

Trusting Tyler. Jace trusted him, and so did Tucker. She’d thought her father would have a cow when he discovered she’d let Tyler help desk-jock-eying, but he seemed to trust Tyler as much as she did where the books were concerned.

It was only with her that her father drew a line.

A line she ignored.

Tyler himself drew the same line, but she simply kept crossing it. She’d had boyfriends before, but never let things get too serious. Tyler and his don’t get-too-close warnings should be her perfect guy. But every time he warned her off, she got pissed.

He looked up. “Hey.”



“Hey.”

He glanced at Jace. “Have to stay a little late tonight. I want to finish those invoices.”

“I’m not worried about it, Ty.”

“I am. If you pay me for eight hours, you get eight hours.”

“So, why don’t I take Jace back to the house with me and we’ll make dinner while you give me that last fifteen minutes of work you owe me.”

She leaned down to pick up Jace, and Tyler gave her a tug that pulled her into his lap. He kissed her.

She welcomed the kiss and only broke apart when Jace wormed in between them.

She scooped up the baby and mock-scolded Tyler, “You know, you better be careful about kissing the boss. There are laws about that.”

“I think you’d have more to worry about than me.”

She laughed and she kissed his forehead with an easy comfort he found disconcerting.

“Yeah, I’m worried,” she assured him. “Very, very worried.”

“Eye. Uck,” Jace said, squirming around on her lap, as if determined to get their attention.

“We’re going to squish Tyler,” Tucker warned.

“The day I can’t handle a pipsqueak girl and baby—” Tyler started.

Bart was standing in the doorway laughing as he interrupted. “I can’t believe she let you call her pipsqueak and live.”



Tucker scrambled to her feet, Jace in her arms. She felt awkward being caught by her son. “We were just…”