All I Ask(62)

“Okay, then don’t pull away.”

I wish it were that simple. “I’m a mess, Derek. I’m not proud of it, but it’s the truth. I’m scared of being hurt. I’m scared of what it means for my daughter, because if this goes badly, animals and working with you is her solace.” The words come fast and I can’t stop them. “My life has been this series of bad choices and then unhappiness. I don’t want us to be that. I’ve been waiting and hoping for you for so damn long and now you’re here and…God, that could go away. Then what? What happens if you realize I’m the mess you don’t want to deal with? Because that could happen.”

“Not a chance.”

“Yeah, you say that now but…”

“But nothing, Teagan. Look, I don’t know what the hell the future holds any more than you do. You’re not the only one with a mess, okay? I got a pretty fucking big one too. Here’s the thing, do you want to walk away right now from what this could be?”

“No.” There is no hesitation.

“Then all I ask is if you get scared and you need us to slow down, you tell me.”

Could this man be more perfect? I don’t think he could.

“Okay, but you have to promise me something.”

Derek releases a breath, almost as though he wasn’t sure I would give him that. “Anything.”

“If my mess starts to become too much, you’ll tell me before, so I can clean more of it up.”

His fingers tighten in mine and he pulls me to him. My chest is now pressed back against his. “Deal. Now, I’m going to kiss you until you tell me to stop, okay?”

I smile, my heart feeling just a little more hopeful and the desire I thought had diminished is back in full force. “Absolutely okay.”

And he wastes no time doing exactly as he promised.





Chapter Thirty





Teagan




Present



“Are you telling me that your date was better than you thought?” Nina asks with a smirk.

I had to go over every single detail with her. She asked the weirdest things, but then again, it’s Nina and she lives in a fantasy-relationship land.

“It was.”

“And you guys are going to go out again?”

There’s no point in denying it. “Yes.”

She screams and starts to jump up and down. “I knew it! I knew this would happen! Gah! It’s like the book I just finished. This girl, who loved this guy, was so angry that he left because his job called him away—”

“Nina,” I say, trying to stop her before she ruins the book and I never get to read it.

“—It was so sad too because she thought he left because of the job but it turned out it was because his father didn’t like her, but that’s not the point. It was because the hero really wanted to protect her from the evil father who had plans to ruin her.” She begins to ramble more, with her hands going as she explains the entire plot.

“Nina.”

“Oh! The best part though was when he told her that he came back because he couldn’t live without her. It was so sweet. They were these star-crossed lovers and he finally stood up to his daddy and told him where to stick it. Then, they were in love and everything was great. Of course the book ended with a wedding where the father was there, supportive finally.”

“Yes, finally.”

“You should read it.”

I groan and drop my head. “That entire thing sounds great, but it’s nothing like Derek and me.”

“No? You mean that the father isn’t like his ex-wife and he didn’t come back?”

“Sure, it’s like the book, now that you put it that way.”

The phone rings and we both smile, knowing it’s Mrs. Dickman and that we have a surprise for her. “You want to get it or should I?” I ask.

“You’re the manager and should be the one…”

I smile and grab the phone. “Island Antiques, this is Teagan.”

“Teagan, dear, it’s Mrs. Dickman…I wanted to inquire about the chairs.”

I don’t know if it’s Derek’s returning and me wanting to bring things back to where they might have belonged all along, but I’ve been scouring the antique world for Mrs. Dickman’s chairs this last week. I’ve called every antique store that I could find in the state of Virginia. Then, when I exhausted that, I went to Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and finally, when I got to Connecticut, I had a break.

“Actually, I’m glad you called, I do have some news.”

Her gasp is loud and I can’t help but smile.

“You do?”

“I do. I was able to locate one chair.”

“Oh! Teagan!” I can almost hear the tears through her voice. “You found one?”

“I did. My mother is heading up there in the next few days and is going to grab it. I’m hoping we find more. The other store owners I contacted are all on the hunt as well.”

She sniffles once. “You have no idea how much this means. Thank you.”

“It’s not all of them, but piece by piece we’ll find them.”

“That’s how life works, my sweet girl. Piece by piece we find what we’re missing and sometimes we become whole again.”