Page 73 of Control

“Like, you want us to carve out some time in our day to see each other?”

His head moved from side to side, the look in his eyes intense. “No, Alana. I want us to go to bed together on Christmas Eve, so we can wake up wrapped up in each other on Christmas morning. And I want to join you for breakfast and visiting with your family before leaving in the afternoon to spend time and have dinner with my family. That’s what I want.”

My pulse was pounding. This man was perfect. “That’s exactly what I want, too.”

A slow smile spread across his face. Then he reached for me, hauled me into his lap, and kissed me like he’d never kissed me before.

We got caught up, our hands roaming for a bit before we separated. “If we don’t focus, your tree isn’t going to get decorated.”

“Yeah. It’d be a shame.”

“I know you’re not going to forego decorating this tree now,” I declared, squirming in his lap in an attempt to get out of his hold.

“It’s okay if we delay it,” he reasoned.

I shook my head, scrambled free, and stood. “Absolutely not, Ty. You wanted this special day of us getting your tree and decorating it; we are decorating it.”

His lips twitched. “Do you know how sexy I find you when you’re trying to be a boss about such trivial things?”

“Our first Christmas together isn’t trivial,” I fired back.

Amusement mixed with something else in his expression. “You’re right. And we’re going to make it the best one we’ve both ever had.” A moment later, he stood, pulled me into his arms, and said, “I hope you know how happy you’ve made me, Alana.”

I beamed at him. “I might have a tiny clue.”

He chuckled and kissed the tip of my nose. “Come on. Let’s get this tree decorated.”

I happily joined him.

Ty and I had the best time not only decorating his tree, but also decorating his whole house. Not once did we discuss the work I was doing or what was ahead for tomorrow. We spent our time fully immersed in giving each other a wonderful day together, and it was everything I didn’t know I needed.

That might have been why, by the time he tucked me close to his body when we were in his bed that night, I was completely certain that I’d fallen in love with Ty Weaver.

TWENTY

Alana

“Nervous?”

Ty’s arm came around my back and settled on my opposite shoulder just as that question came out of his mouth. I tore my eyes away from the headstone and glanced up at him, noting the concern in his features. “Maybe a little.”

“He should be here any minute, but if you want to talk about it until he arrives, I’m happy to listen,” Ty offered.

God, I appreciated him.

The way things had gone down recently, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Ty attempted to set some ground rules or tell me he needed me to stop trying to uncover the truth about Annie. No doubt he’d seen a lot of unsavory things in his line of work, and it would have made sense if he’d felt compelled to step in and make demands about how to proceed.

He didn’t do that. Ty allowed me to make the decision for myself—a choice he wouldn’t have judged me for either way—and supported me when I decided to continue searching for answers.

I let out a sigh and returned my attention to the headstone. “There’s this part of me that thinks about this situation, about who we’re here to talk to, and I find it crazy to believe this man could have done this to her. I mean, if what Clover and Bethany said is true, they were obviously in love at one point. It’s just so sad to think it could have gone from that to this.”

His hand squeezed the outer cap of my shoulder, curling my body slightly in toward his. “It’s awful to consider the possibility. But no matter how unsettling it is, we can’t ignore the reality. Based on what we’ve been told, he seems like the most likely suspect.”

Nodding, I agreed. “I know he is. I’m just sad about it. To think a man she loved, a man she might have—at least at some point before their differences split them apart—believed she would have married could have done this to her is heartbreaking. Maybe it’s because we’re here in the cemetery that it’s impacting me like this. My heart hurts for her.”

Ty pressed a kiss to the top of my head, his lips lingering there and offering comfort. When I felt his hold on me grow just a bit tighter, I had a feeling I knew why.

I tipped my chin up and saw him looking off into the distance. “He’s here.”

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