If You Only Knew (Harper Falls Book 3) (38 page)

“Not pretty?”

Her gaze moved up and down. From his mud-caked boots to his
weary eyes. No, not pretty. But he was the best-looking thing she had ever
seen.

“Not right now.” She smiled again. “You need
a shower. Then some sleep. How long have we been here?”

“A little over twenty-four hours.”

He kissed the back of her hand again before rubbing it
against his face. Bristly. She turned her hand to cup his cheek. Nice.
Something just yesterday she didn’t think she would ever be able to do again.
Tears filled her eyes when she thought of how close she came to never touching
his dear, dear face again.

“Hey.” Drew moved to sit on the edge of the bed.
“You want to cry, go ahead. I might just join you.”

Caught between a sob and a laugh, Tyler felt her tears
evaporate. Maybe later. Right now, she needed something else.

“Hold me.”

“Oh, Ty. There’s nothing I would like more.
Honey,” Drew swallowed hard. “Thank God you’re in pretty good shape.
Nothing broken, no concussion.”

“I was worried about that last one.” Tyler held
out arms.

“I’m afraid I’ll hurt you. Right now, you’re pretty much
one solid bruise.”

“I could have died.”

“I’m well aware.”

This time Tyler kissed the back of
his
hand, wanting
to give comfort, reassurance.

“I didn’t. I survived. I’m here, and so pumped full of drugs
the only thing that hurts is your refusal to hug me. Now, indulge me.” She
scooted over. “Get in bed and take me in your arms.”

“Bossy.”

Taking time to remove his boots, Drew eased down beside her,
careful not to jostle.

“These beds weren’t made for two, Ty.”

“Depends on how you do it.”

Tyler turned, keeping her hand with the IV out of the way.
Once her back was to him, she looked over her shoulder, waiting.

“The rest is up to you.”

Drew took his time, which was fine with Tyler. In the end,
they were spooning. She didn’t mind that he was outside the covers. His arm
curved around her waist and his warmth enveloped her better than any blanket.
Her body finally began to relax.

“Tell me everything I missed. Is M.J. dead?”

“No.”

“Good. My mother would have grieved.”

“Mmm. If Jack hadn’t pointed that out at the last
second, things would be different. I was originally going for a head
shot.”

Tyler let that sink in. Was it terrible that, if not for her
mother, she would be okay with M.J.‘s death? Who knew? The fact was he had
never been a real brother to her. Given the chance, he was going to kill her.
She wasn’t going to feel guilty. It was what it was. She wouldn’t have grieved.

“What about—”

“You first,” Drew interrupted. “Start with
why you ever opened the door for that bastard.”

Tyler was amazed how removed she felt from the events.
Something that began less than two days ago already seemed weeks removed. She
was able to recount what happened dispassionately. Almost as though it happened
to someone else.

“Now it’s your turn,” she said. “How did you
find me so fast?”

She waited for Drew to answer. Waited. Frowning, Tyler
reached back, touching his face. What she felt there made her breath catch. He
was crying.

“Drew.”

“I almost lost you.”

He whispered the words, burying his face in her hair. Even
with an overcoat of antiseptic and hospital, Tyler’s scent was still there.
Drew breathed deeply. Savoring. Grateful beyond words to hold her safely in his
arms.

“I love you. I always have. Even when I didn’t want to.
When I was convinced my hatred obliterated every good feeling I’d ever had for
you. Even then I couldn’t stop.”

“Always,” he promised. “From that day on the
bridge through ten years of self-inflicted misery. Now and forever, Ty. I love
you.”

Tyler let her eyes close. Sleep took over. She didn’t want
to fight it. Drew held her; he would be holding her when she woke. Today,
tomorrow, always.

“I’LL BE HOME for lunch. One o’clock.”

Tyler smiled when she read the note Drew left leaning
against a freshly brewed pot of coffee.

Tyler was one week out of the hospital and she felt great.
The bruises lingered. The one on her chin was a particularly nasty combination
of yellow and green. The rest were fading fast. No headaches, no lingering stiffness.
She was doing so well, Dani and Rose booked the three of them in for a hot yoga
session the day after Thanksgiving. The day after tomorrow.

After much debate, Bobbie Wilde’s wish for tradition won
out. If the house was bursting at the seams, all the better. Dani’s mother
loved having people around, especially during the holidays. She embodied the
phrase, ‘the more, the merrier.’

Tyler’s doctor gave her the okay, releasing her from the
hospital one day after all the drama went down. Her mother wanted Tyler to come
home. Anita’s home. As much as she loved the woman, there was no way she could
ever stay in that house again. Bad childhood memories. Bad new ones. Traces of
her brother would be everywhere.

M.J. was a subject she and her mother hadn’t discussed.
Tyler knew Anita went to see him at the county jail in Spokane. The details of
the visit would forever remain a mystery she didn’t want to solve. She couldn’t
begrudge a mother for her need to see her child, no matter what he had done.
Deep down, she even understood. That was as far as it went. She was glad M.J.
wasn’t dead. As far as she was concerned, he might as well be.

This time when Drew suggested, or rather insisted, that
Tyler move in with him, she didn’t hesitate. Being trapped in the trunk of a
car? Thinking you were on your way to your death? It had a funny way of
knocking out any bit of lingering doubt from a person’s mind.

Drew kindly invited Anita to move in while Tyler recovered.
An offer her mother quickly refused. She said she wouldn’t want to intrude.
Tyler suspected the truth was she wasn’t very comfortable around Regina
Harper’s son. She wanted her daughter to be happy. She believed Drew was a good
man. The rest would take time.

In the end, Anita visited daily, usually arriving just after
Drew left for work, and staying for several hours. A perfect solution for all
involved.

Tyler spent all of yesterday with Dani and Rose. Her studio
needed cleaning out. Drew wanted to hire someone. Sweep it all away. Start
over. She could make a list of anything she wanted to salvage, he would go and
supervise. She loved him for the intention. Why go back? Forget the terrible
things that had happened there

That would mean forgetting the good too, she argued. She
wanted to make peace with the place that was her home, her studio. She was
ready to give it up. First, she needed to say goodbye.

It turned out to be easier than she could have imagined.
There were a few twinges, a little bit of wistfulness. She was able to walk
through the building, pack up her belongings, then walk away. The worst part
was seeing what M.J. had done to her work. Luckily, he only destroyed two
projects. Everything else was either finished, shipped, or in the planning
stages. She had already spoken to her clients. They were very understanding
about the delay insisting she take her time and get back on her feet. They were
willing to wait for an original Tyler Jones.

An original Tyler Jones. Knowing someone thought of her art
that way gave her a little thrill. It might not be the most important thing;
everyone liked to be appreciated.

Glancing at the clock, Tyler poured herself a cup of coffee
before heading to her new studio. It was almost perfect. The light, the size.
She could expand the kind of projects she took on. One side of the room was
perfect for the pottery wheel she ordered yesterday. A few tweaks here and
there. Soon she would have the kind of studio any artist would envy.

She was just cleaning up when she heard Drew come through
the front door. It was becoming her favorite time of day. Five o’clock, ten,
one. She didn’t care what the hour and minute hands read. Drew was home. That’s
all that mattered.

Drew set his keys in the little bowl by the door. Tyler’s
contribution. Handy, too. He liked the little things she added. Every day, the
house became less his place. More theirs. And there was the contribution he
liked most. Tyler.

She bounced down the stairs, her momentum carrying her
across the room, into his waiting arms. He could live to be a thousand — this
he would never grow tired of.

“You’re home.”

“Home?”

Tyler looked into his eyes, knowing what he asked.

“Yes,” she said, her gaze a steady crystal clear
gray. “The house, my studio. They’re wonderful. My heart is where you are.
You
are my home.”

Drew felt his heart swell, a lump forming in his throat. So
many years. Certain his chance had passed him by. This was his dream come true.
Having the right to call Tyler his, to shout it to the world. No one could stop
them. This time the future was theirs.

“I’ve told you, I’m fine. Squeeze,” Tyler teased
when his hug was too gentle for her taste. “You didn’t treat me like I was
made of glass last night. Or this morning.”

Her first night home from the hospital Drew gave every
bruise and contusion on Tyler’s body a careful, close-up examination. He gently
kissed them with his mouth, then loved her the same way. Last night was the
first time she was able to convince him to fully make love to her. A new red
lace bustier, garters, and stockings helped. A lot.

“Your naked body tends to turn my brain to mush. I
forgot to be careful.”

“Forget again.”

Tyler trailed her lips across his jaw. Reaching his ear, she
used her teeth on his lobe just the way she knew he liked it.

Drew felt his body, his brain included, responding in the
usual way. From zero to off the charts in no time at all. He turned his head,
giving her better access.
No
, he groaned, reluctantly pushing Tyler to
arm’s length.
Plans
, he reminded himself. Any more of that and they
wouldn’t get out of the house for a week.

“Lunch.”

“Later.”

Laughing when she tried to reach between his legs, Drew did
a quick side step.

“Ty, I love your enthusiasm. Later, I promise.”

“Party pooper.” Tyler playfully stuck out her
tongue.

“I have a surprise for you.”

Drew took Tyler’s hand, leading her to the front door. He
got her coat from the nearby closet, bundling her up against the cold November
weather. The snow that so inconveniently appeared on the day of her kidnapping
promptly melted as fast as it arrived. It was replaced by bitingly cold
temperatures.

“Where are we going?” Tyler asked as he wrapped a
soft wool scarf around her neck and placed her favorite leather gloves on her
hands. “The North Pole?”

Drew kissed the end of her nose.

“Do you want to catch cold?”

“I never catch cold.”

“Let’s keep it that way.”

She might argue. The truth was she enjoyed Drew’s fussing.
She would set him straight if it went too far. For now, it was just the right
amount.

“Since your car was totaled, you need something to
drive.”

“My insurance will cover it.”

“Partly,” he said. “It was what, five, six
years old? Unlikely you’ll get full replacement value.”

“If you plan on giving me one of your cars, Drew, think
again. They are all way too valuable. Every time I drove it, I’d be afraid of
nicking the paint or having some idiot bang their door into mine in the parking
lot at the grocery store.”

“With a few minor exceptions, they are meant to be
driven, Ty. That’s why I take a different one out every day. Eyes closed?”

He steered her out the door, stopping at the top of the
porch steps.

“This one is yours,” he said firmly. Standing
behind her, he placed his arms around her waist. “No arguments. Open
up.”

Almost afraid of what she would see, Tyler slowly lifted her
lids.

“Drew,” she breathed.

It couldn’t be. Sleek. Bright red. A blast from the past she
never thought to see again. His nineteen-fifty-five Thunderbird.

“But how? I thought you left it in Harper Falls when
you went to college.”

“I did. Hurt like hell too. I assumed Regina would turn
it into scrap metal.”

“So…?”

“My dad,” Drew explained. “He put the car in
storage. Arranged through his lawyer to keep up the payments even after he
died. The terms were if I ever returned to Harper Falls, the car was to be
delivered to me.”

“And it was.”

Drew nodded. “It showed up on my doorstep the next
day.”

Tyler turned into his arms. Another example of how much his
father loved him.

“I know you hate taking expensive gifts, Ty. I thought
this time—”

“Stay right there.” Tyler raced back into the house.
She called over her shoulder, “Don’t move.”

Puzzled, Drew waited. Less than a minute later, Tyler popped
back through the door, a huge smile on her face.

“You’re letting me give you the car?” he asked, grinning
back. He took the key out of his pocket, holding it out to her.

“No need.”

Tyler extended her hand, palm up. There, still on its chain,
was the key he gave her ten years earlier.

“You kept it.”

Hearing the wonder in his voice, Tyler felt tears form in
her eyes. It might only be a key. A small, shiny piece of metal. What it
symbolized made it priceless.

“I could never bring myself to throw it away.”

“I love you, Ty.”

“I love you.”

“Come on; let’s see if it still fits.”

Feeling like teenagers again, they piled into the car. Tyler
inserted the key, turning the ignition. Smooth as silk.

“Let’s go.”

“Where?” Tyler asked.

“Just drive. I’ll guide you as we go.”