Wicked Love (Wicked White Series Book 3) (18 page)

AVERY

M
ost of the dinner conversation tonight was centered on Maddie. I love seeing Tyler take a genuine interest in his daughter and it makes me feel guilty for not telling him about her sooner. It’s obvious now that I see the two of them together that he’s going to be a great father.

I stand up and grab my plate along with Maddie’s and put them on the counter next to the sink.

Granny smiles over at Maddie and says, “Let’s take a time-out for a potty break.”

The two of them scamper out of the room and I’m left with just Tyler.

He stands up and carries his plate to me. “She’s amazing. You’re doing a good job with her.”

That’s nice to hear from him and it makes my heart extremely happy to know that he wants to be a part of her life. “I’m so glad that the two of you have hit it off so well. I can’t tell you how nervous I was about bringing you here. I wasn’t sure how you were going to react to the news.”

Tyler nods and then runs his fingers through his shaggy blond hair. “I’ll admit, you caught me off guard, but I’ve been trying to really keep my temper in check and not run off when things get a little too hard.”

“That’s good to know. Hopefully that means you’ll be coming around more often.”

“I’ll be here to spend time with Maddie every chance I get—and maybe even with you, if you aren’t opposed to that.”

I bite my lower lip. “I’ll admit that I held a lot of anger toward you until Maddie actually got here. She taught me a lesson about how special the bond is between a child and their parents, so it helped me understand a little more about why keeping your promise to your dad was so important to you—no matter how crazy it sounded to anyone else.”

“Me leaving Wellston had nothing to do with you, Avery. I hope you know that. It had everything to do with me and my own fears and guilt. I couldn’t understand why you didn’t hate me and blame me for the loss of your father. I never imagined that you shared in that guilt with me. I wish I would’ve known that you felt that way. I would like to think even as fucked up as my head was back then, that I would’ve been here to comfort you and make sure that you knew that it wasn’t your fault—that you had nothing to feel guilty over—but honestly I was so raw about Dad’s death back then I’m not sure that knowing that you felt guilt too would’ve changed the way I reacted.”

“I could say the same thing to you,” I remind him. “I think if we’d communicated with each other a little more, everything would’ve been different.”

He leans his hip against the counter as he faces me. “We could wrestle with the what-ifs forever, but that won’t do us any good. It’ll only continue to make us hurt. Back then, I was just so sure that I was being punished for breaking my promise to my dad and that I was not only going to bring myself down, but I would’ve taken you down with me. I couldn’t imagine anything worse happening than causing your father’s death.”

“But that’s where you’re wrong, Tyler. You weren’t punished. Don’t you see? That night we were together may have turned into a tragedy, but something extraordinary came from it, too, and she’s got little blond curls and is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“I wish I could’ve been here for you. Maybe it would’ve made everything else feel a little less tragic if I had stayed behind and seen the good that came from that night. I’m sorry that you had to go through it all alone, and I understand why you didn’t trust me enough to tell me about Maddie. The only thing I can ask for now is a chance to prove my loyalty to you and her.”

Tyler reaches up slowly and softly touches my cheek. “I’m sorry I left you, Avery.”

Tears sting my eyes as I lean into his touch and I know this road isn’t going to be an easy one. Trust is a hard bridge to mend. I just pray that he really has changed like he said.

Tyler wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his firm chest. We don’t say anything else—we don’t need too. We’ve said all we can and the only thing we can do now is move forward from this point and do our best to prove to one another that we’ve both learned from our mistakes.

“Can I take you out tomorrow night?” Tyler asks. “I want us to start over.”

I nod. “I’d like that.”

He smiles. “Great.”

The next day Tyler shows up promptly at six. It reminds me of old times when I come bounding down the stairs to meet Tyler. It’s nice to feel like we’ve picked up where we left off even though we both seem to have grown up quite a bit since the last time we saw each other.

I open the passenger door of the car and hop inside. “Hey.”

Tyler smiles at me. “Hey, beautiful. Hungry?”

“Starving.”

“I know just the place.” He winks at me.

When Tyler pulls into the drive-in diner that we used to frequent when we were together last, I’m immediately transported back three years, before everything went up in flames.

After we order, we spend the entire time catching up on what we’ve missed in each other’s lives. He tells me all about touring with Wicked White and how being a musician hasn’t been like he imagined. He doesn’t have any creative freedom when it comes to the kind of music they make. The record label creates all the music and lyrics, leaving the band members to perform as directed.

It doesn’t seem like he’s very happy with his current situation.

“Why don’t you quit?” I ask.

Tyler takes a bite of his sandwich and shrugs. “I’ve wanted to for a while now, it’s the only thing I’ve got going for me. I’ve got nothing else.”

I reach over and lay my hand on his arm. “Maybe someday you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

Near the end of our meal, our conversation turns to Maddie. I love that Tyler’s so interested in learning everything he can about his daughter.

“Blake’s going to be so happy when I tell him about everything,” I say. “He’s been hounding me to tell you about Maddie since the day she was born.”

“I’m glad the two of you are friends. He’s a good guy to have by your side in tough times. He’s a loyal dude.” Tyler sighs. “Speaking of Blake, do you know where he might be? I called him earlier today and he’s still hasn’t gotten back to me.”

Avery shakes her head. “No. The bar is closed on Sundays and Mondays, so I don’t typically see him, but knowing Blake he’s found some chick to bring home.”

Tyler twists his lips. “That’s the thing. He wasn’t at his house this morning when I drove by there earlier today. I spent last night at my Mom’s, and he still hadn’t contacted me, so I drove over to his place and knocked on his door. It was really strange, considering his car was still parked out front.”

“He didn’t mention any plans with anyone today when you spoke with him last?”

“I’ve not seen him since the first night I got here and we fought with the bikers,” Tyler admits. “When I got to his house that first night, it was so late. I literally walked in his front door and crashed on his couch. I didn’t even bother changing my clothes because all the lights were off and I didn’t want to move around a bunch and make a lot of noise in case he was asleep.”

“That’s strange,” I say. “Maybe we should go to his house and check out the place.”

“You’ll come with me?”

“Of course I will. Can we make a quick stop at the bar? He might’ve been dropped off over there or something and just stayed since his car hasn’t moved from the driveway.”

“Has he done that before?”

I shake my head. “Well, no, but he does have a key and it makes logical sense that if he’s not at his place, then he might be there. It’s worth it to stop and check.”

“Okay. Sounds like a plan.”

“Great. Do you mind driving me back home so I can tuck Maddie into bed before we head out to look for him?”

“Of course not.”

When we arrive at Granny’s we head into the house. I turn to Tyler and say, “Give me a few minutes to make sure Granny is fine watching Maddie while we go out looking for Blake. I’ll be right back.”

“Hey, Avery? Would it be okay if I come back there with you and tell Maddie good-bye before we leave?”

I smile and love the fact that she’s at the forefront of his mind. “Sure, come on.”

We make our way back to Maddie’s room, and I notice Tyler smile.

“This would’ve been the addition that your dad and I were working on.”

“Yep. I wish Dad had been around to see it completed. He would’ve loved the way it turned out.”

We come to the first open door in the hallway. “This is Maddie’s room. She loves playing in here. She’s a typical little girl—dolls are her world.”

He chuckles. “I’ll take that as a hint when it comes time to buy her some gifts.”

Maddie is on the floor playing tea party with her dolls while Granny sits on a chair in the corner. Tyler stands beside me and just observes her in action for a few moments before Maddie glances in our direction and notices us.

“Momeee and Daddy, wanna play tea party with me? It’s realwe fun.”

Tyler grins and the expression on his face practically begs for a little extra time to have this moment together with our daughter.

I walk into the room and kneel down next to Maddie. “We have time for a cup.”

“Yaya,” she cheers and then instantly goes into setting out two saucers and teacups for us. “Sit down, Daddy!”

“Yes, ma’am.” It’s cute that Tyler obeys her the way he does.

We finish up our imaginary cups of tea and when I get clearance from Granny, Tyler and I say our good-byes and then head over to the bar.

The ride over to the bar is filled with Tyler’s questions about Maddie. He explains to me that since he’s missed so much, I have to tell him everything about her. We’re talking every single detail from her birth to what went on with her today.

We pull into the parking lot and Tyler cuts the engine. “I know I’ve bombarded you with questions, and I’ll probably ask you a million more until I feel like I’m up to date with all things Maddie, but I do have one more and then I’ll give you a break for a bit.”

I laugh. “It’s not really a hardship talking about the apple of my eye. Maddie is my favorite subject in the world.”

“I can see why. I can’t seem to get her off my mind.”

“She tends to have that infectious personality. I think she’s destined to be a star.”

His smile widens. “There’s no doubt about that. Anyone who meets her is going to fall in love. She’s beautiful, like you.”

My heart does a double thump after hearing his compliment. “Tyler . . .”

He leans in to me, and if I move even a fraction of an inch, our lips will meet. It’s been a long time since I’ve kissed Tyler, and I wonder if kissing him would still give me the butterflies like it used to.

“I’ve only got one more question,” he whispers.

“You can ask me anything.”

“What’s Maddie’s last name?”

“Mercer, like you. I know I should’ve asked you first, but—”

“I love that you gave her my name.”

“I’m glad.”

Tyler leans in and presses his lips to mine. They’re soft yet commanding, just like I remembered, and it makes me crave more.

“I’ve missed you so much. You don’t know how many nights I dreamed about tasting these lips again. This can’t be real,” Tyler whispers.

So many times I’ve thought about being in Tyler’s arms again. I can’t believe this is actually happening and that he knows about Maddie. I never imagined in my heart of hearts that things would work out like this. Even though I was mad at him, I’ve missed him.

My fingers reach up and trace the shaggy hair on the top of his head. “Believe it. We’re very real—and we make really pretty babies together.”

“That we do.”

This time when we kiss it’s not gentle like it was only moments before. This time I can feel the urgency in his lips as they tangle up, like if he doesn’t take me right here and now in this car, I’ll disappear. A hunger that I haven’t experienced since the night I was with him comes over me and more than anything else right now, I want him. I want Tyler to take me.

“Do you want to go inside?” Tyler asks, waking me from my daze. “They’ll be more room inside.”

I nod while the fire inside me still rages. “Come on.”

We all but run to the front door of the bar once we’re out of the car. I flip on the lights and then lead Tyler to my office in the back.