Always His (Crazed Devotion #1) (20 page)

“I wanna adopt Victoria,” I said as I sat down at the table across from Tyler. It had only been a few days since I’d proposes to Nicole. I hadn’t planned this so soon, but now was as good a time as any.

Tyler watched me with an unreadable expression. “I’m trying to be fair here and be honest with you. I love her and I love Nicole.”

He still didn’t answer me.

“I asked Nicole to marry me, and she said yes. Which means I’m gonna be in Tori’s life every day. Like I said, I want to be honest, and I hope that maybe you’ll allow this to happen.” His silence was beginning to piss me off, but I held back from showing it. “Legally, I know I don’t need to ask for your permission, but I was hoping by me doing so we could keep this peaceful. Let go of our past issues and put Tori and her needs first.”

“You really are a piece of work, Ryker.”

And now he speaks.
I could tell by his tone that he was going to make this anything but easy.

“You show back up in town after years of nothing to step in and play the hero. You’re just loving it too, aren’t ya?” He stood and leaned over the table, bracing himself on its top. “Let me just assure you, Mr. Hero Man, I have no intention of allowing you to adopt my daughter. You should know, though, that I do plan on making your life a living hell. Welcome back.”

My anger made it tremendously hard to remain seated. I never expected this to go smoothly, but I didn’t want Nicole to have to broach this topic with Tyler. I didn’t trust him even a little. And I didn’t want him anywhere near my girls. He hadn’t been a part of Victoria’s life since she was born, and he had made it clear he didn’t want to be. But his hatred for me made him feel as if it was okay to punish us all.

He wanted me to take the bait, but I refused. I had gone down that road once before, and this time I would keep a level head. I had to.

Just as Tyler shoved open the front door of the café, Ben and Luke appeared. They hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting Tyler until now. He rammed into them as he pushed his way outside, without even the slightest bit of remorse for his rudeness. It was comical to see two men I’ve referred to as my brother’s stare daggers at the tool I wanted nothing more than to beat some sense into.

“You got some real douchebags living here, Ryk,” Luke chuckled as he took a seat at the table. They’d been in town for four days and only had a couple more before they were scheduled to return to Germany. I’d miss them. I was really enjoying having them round.

“That was Tori’s father,” I replied as I motioned to the waitress that my friends had arrived. When I got here I’d ordered a coffee or each of them when I ordered my own and asked that she hold them until Luke and Ben arrived. That was when I saw Tyler sitting only a few feet away and took the opportunity to approach him.

“No wonder you pounded in his face, the guy’s an ass,” Ben added just as the pretty blonde set their cups in front of them. Ben looked her over from head to toe, and memories of the night at the restaurant flashed in my mind.

“So how did things go with Elizabeth the other night?” I asked. “From the looks of it, you two appeared to hit it off.”

“And from the sounds I heard, I’d have to agree,” Luke said with a chuckle.

Ben had been hurt before, and I understood his reservations about women. But I also knew he wanted to try again. He had told me that himself. So the idea of him hooking up with Liz only to turn around and leave her made my stomach twist into knots.

“We just hung out,” Ben explained as he leaned back in his chair. “Having a little fun.”

“Having fun?” I asked.

“Hey, man, those are her words, not mine. That woman is definitely a wildcard,” he said as he stared off into the distance, unable to make eye contact. Something about his expression made me feel as if there was so much more he wanted to say.

“I tried warning ya that night you talked to her on the phone. But obviously you had to find out for yourself.” I should have known the moment they met things would only lead to this. Before they even saw each other they were already planning a wild night of sex.

“Yeah, well”—Ben’s expression changed from dejected to playful in a matter of seconds.—“that night after your engagement will be one I’m sure I won’t soon forget. But even if I leave here on Wednesday and never get the chance to see Liz again, I’ll have some hot memories.” He wagged his brows, and Luke chuckled.

“What are you laughing about? Seems you’re forgetting to tell Ryker here about your fixation on a cute little brunette.” Ben was obviously looking for a new topic of conversation, so he passed the buck to Thor.

“What cute brunette?” I asked.

“Didn’t Nicole tell ya, man?” Luke’s stare met mine. “She and I have been hanging out, and I’m thinking you may just have some competition.”

“Watch it, smartass.” Dick was taunting me once again.

“Liz had her sister pick her up at the hotel that night,” Luke explained. “She showed up, and she and I were forced to waste a little time while we waited for Ben and Liz to finish their round of monkey sex. We talked is all.”

“Monkey sex,” he said with a shake of his head. “It looked like more than just some everyday talk to me.” Ben wouldn’t leave it alone.

Luke was now the one who appeared glum. “Let’s be real here. We’re leaving in a couple days. I’m stuck for at least two more years in Germany, and after that I don’t know where I’ll be stationed. Getting involved with someone just isn’t smart right now. Do I think Elle is sweet? Hell yeah. Am I attracted to her? Who wouldn’t be, because in the short time we talked I found that she was pretty fucking amazing. But that’s all it was, and that’s all it can be. You of all people, Ryker, know how hard it is to hold on to a girl who lives thousands of miles away.”

He was right, but I wouldn’t lie and say I didn’t want Ben and Luke to find what I had with Nicole. They were two of the best men I knew, and their happiness meant a lot to me.

“M
omma, watch me,” Tori said excitedly as she spun around, holding her hands above her head. Her tulle tutu rippled as she continued to spin and dance around as we waited for her class to start. She loved ballet, and I loved watching her. And I also loved that Elle was her teacher.

I had always wondered why Elle didn’t pursue a dancing career. She was amazing, but she’d found that teaching young girls the art of dance was much more gratifying.

“My little ballerina,” I said in response just as Elle entered the room smiling from ear to ear.

“Twirl, my little lady bug,” she said as she joined Tori, and instantly my daughter tried to mimic Elle’s graceful movements. Other children began to enter the studio, and Elle snatched Tori up and carried her off to join them.

Ryker had spent the day with Ben and Luke before he had to drive them back to the airport. He’d been quiet when he left the apartment, and I knew he was going to miss the guys. So much of his last five years was filled with memories of them, so it was like he was saying good-bye to two brothers. Who knew when they would see one another again.

I was tucked off to the side of the room and so engrossed in the class that I barely noticed anyone around me, so I jumped at the sound of Tyler’s voice. “She is a cute kid, ain’t she? I thought I’d stop in and see my two girls.”

I could smell the booze on his breath, and the idea of him making a scene in the middle of the dance studio made me feel sick to my stomach. So I chose to let the “my girls” comment slide.

“Thought I’d take you two out to lunch after this, talk about some things,” he added.

He wasn’t even watching Tori. Instead, he was staring at me with a look I didn’t much like. His tongue rested on his lower lip as he leaned in a little closer, and his gaze dropped to my low-cut top.

Instinctively I placed my hand on my chest and eliminated the possibility of him being able to see anything.

He chuckled, and his gaze shifted back to mine. “No need to hide from me, sweetheart. I’ve already seen it all.”

His breath fanned out over my face, and the stale stench of beer overtook my senses. “What do you want, Tyler?”

“I already told you,” he said as he placed his outstretched hand over my shoulder. “I think it’s time I start spending a little more time around my daughter. Remind her who her daddy is. Wouldn’t want her thinking your new boyfriend is her father.”

This wasn’t about Tori. It was just another attempt at making Ryker’s life hell.

I did my best to not cause a scene as I remained quiet for the next twenty-five minutes. I had always enjoyed Tori’s classes and was always sad to see them come to an end. But today I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

When Elle noticed Tyler at my side, she narrowed her eyes, and I shook my head. I just wanted to get through this, and then I would lead Tyler outside and force him to leave.

As the class ended I walked toward Elle as Tyler followed closely. “Can you keep her inside with you for a minute?”

“Yeah,” she said as she looked over my shoulder toward Tyler. “Are you okay?”

“I just need a minute,” I told her before turning around to face Tyler. “Let’s go have this little talk.”

He didn’t even seem to care Tori wasn’t with us as I stepped outside the front door and moved off to the side.

“What’s this all about?” I asked as he joined me. “I know it has nothing to do with you actually wanting to get to know your daughter. So let’s just cut through the shit and be real here.”

He stepped closer, bringing body within inches of mine. His tall frame towered over me as he backed me into a corner between a railing and the building.

“I’m not gonna make things easy for him,” Tyler said. “In fact, I plan on making things as hard as possible. I’m gonna push and dig until he gets so pissed he either blows up or leaves.”

My heart raced.

“He thinks I’m just gonna step aside and let him be the hero to my kid. But that ain’t gonna happen.” Tyler ran his finger along my arm, making my stomach turn. “Pass along that message to your piece-of-shit fiancé,” he whispered as he dipped his head, bringing his mouth closer to mine. “He’s not adopting my daughter. Remind him of that before he decides to approach me again on the matter.”

Tyler licked his lower lip just before closing the distance between us. Before he could place his lips to mine, I turned my head and he got my cheek instead.