Page 56 of All Inn Thyme
Ty squeezes my arm with his hand to let me know that we’re good, and his touch feels light, comforting, and I want more of it.
Now I’m just feeling silly about questioning whether he really worked at Larkin or not. It’s probably just my past worries creeping in.
“And how was your day?” I ask him as I sneak another glance over at his strong, square jaw hidden under his trimmed beard.
“Better now,” he says softly as he inches closer to me and wraps an arm around my waist. My skin feels hot where his hand is.
Okay, now I really am anxious to get Kase to bed so that I can have some alone time with him.
“After you finish that one, it’s time for your bath and bed, okay?” I lean in and kiss Kase’s head, still tucked into Ty.
“Awww, Momma…”
“After he goes down, want to sit out here with me?” he asks.
My heart feels like it skips a beat for a second, and he leans in and smiles at me knowingly again.
I look between the fire, Ty, and Kase, and my heart feels so full. We could be this. We could be a family. Maybe. It can’t just be a physical connection, right? I wonder what this would even look like or mean? Can you love someone when your past is buried and your life is built on a secret? I can’t fully be with him. I am still married, I have a different name, we don’t even truly exist on paper. I start to feel doubt, and he must sense something because he whispers in my ear, “Stay with me, Mellie.”
“Yeah,” I say as I stand, shaking off the negative thoughts and focusing on the now. “Let’s go get ready for bed, honey.” We set our sticks down next to us. “Come on.”
Reluctantly, Kase follows me inside with Nova trotting behind her new boy that she’s in love with. It’s funny how I fell for Ty and she fell for Kase. We do fit together, that’s for sure.
“You really are a best friend dog, aren’t you?” I whisper as I stroke her soft head. She kisses my hand in return and curls into Kase, now settled in bed. I lean down and kiss her head. “Thank you, Nova.”
I stroke Kase’s cheek for a moment, so grateful for him. “I love you. I hope you sleep well and have good dreams.”
He yawns and nods. “Love you, Momma,” he murmurs as his little arm curls around Nova.
I kiss his head one more time and shut his door, grabbing a hoodie on my way outside.
“I stole your hoodie,” I tell him as I approach the firepit.
His mouth turns up as he stokes the fire. “You can have whatever you want from me, Mellie.”
“Careful what you wish for,” I murmur softly, not thinking he hears me, but his gaze turns and locks on mine, sending heat through my core.
He looks so good sitting there in the light of the fire. I realize there’s so much I don’t know about him and I want to get to know him more.
“Let’s play a game,” I say.
“I don’t know if I like games,” he teases, but there’s a note of seriousness in his tone.
“This is a fun game. Called Get to Know Ty Better.”
“What do you want to know?” he says finally, still staring into the fire.
“What’s your family like?”
He relaxes with this question, and I can tell he loves his family just by the way his face lights up. “My mom works for a school district and my dad’s a mechanic.”
“Is that how you got into being a mechanic?”
“Something like that. I grew up fixing things with him.”
“Where do they live?”
He’s slow to reply and then he finally says, “They’re still in Alabama.”
