Always His (Crazed Devotion #1) (21 page)

I shoved his chest. “Move,” I growled as I fought against him.

He stepped back chuckling, and tears prickled my eyes. “I’ll see ya soon, babe,” he hollered as he walked off laughing in triumph.

I spent at least five minutes trying to get control of my emotions before going back inside. But apparently I hadn’t waited long enough because Elle immediately noticed something was wrong.

“I texted Ryker,” she announced.

“What?” I asked. “Why?”

“Because I know Tyler’s trouble, and I didn’t think it was a good idea that you be alone with him around.”

I knew she meant well, but right now I just wanted a few hours alone before I had to face him.

Her phone began ringing, and she answered. “She’s right here,” Elle said before handing it to me. I was tempted to decline, but she grew more persistent, shaking the phone for me to take.

“Hello,” I said as I turned away, distancing myself form Tori as she danced around happily.

“Baby, what’s going on?” he asked, sounding winded. “Elle said Tyler showed up at Tori’s dance class. Is he still there?”

“No,” I replied. “He said he wanted to talk and that he came to see Tori, but that wasn’t the case.”

I looked back over my shoulder to make sure Victoria was too busy to hear my conversation. Elle had led her to the corner of the room, and they were looking through a small box of twirl ribbons.

“Did you tell Tyler you were adopting Victoria?” I asked.

“Can we talk about this when I get back tonight?” His evasive answer told me he had.

“You do realize that by doing that, it just gave him more reasons to make things rough for us, right?” I suddenly felt defeated. I was so sick of all the damn drama.

“I’m not gonna lie to you and say I wouldn’t approach him again, because I would. If he can’t be the father she deserves, then I’d be honored to take the role. I just thought he should know that.”

I loved him for wanting to give Tori that. It just assured me that he was the man I knew he was. But I wished he would have come to me first. Maybe together would could have come up with a better way of approaching Tyler than Ryker’s ambush.

T
he last few days had left me feeling unsettled. The guys heading back to Germany and Nicole’s irritability made things a little rocky between her and me. Our conversation about my talk with Tyler turned into a shouting match. It should have been a cut-and-dry issue, but we both went overboard about it.

A little distance felt necessary after that, but now I was regretting that choice. My workdays were long and my nights longer. Our nightly talks were forced. Nicole always ended up passing the phone to Tori, and I would spend the remaining time listening to her cute little stories.

But today I had reached my limit. There was no fucking way I was going to let Tyler, or anyone else for that matter, come between Tori and me.

So I showed up at Lucy’s with one goal in mind. Make up for all the shitty things I said two nights ago.

As I entered the bar, I looked around in search of Nicole and was surprised to find Allan standing behind the bar instead.

“Hey,” I said as I sat down at the end of the counter and looked around the half-empty bar.

“If you looking for Nic, she’s at home,” he offered as he popped the top off a Coors and sat it down in front of me. “She said she wasn’t feeling well, but something tells me it’s a little more than that,” he added as he zoned in on me. His scrutinizing stare making me slightly uncomfortable. “You mind clearing things up? Because all I’m getting from her is the basic ‘I’m fine’ speech.”

I picked at the label on the bottle, busying my hands in an attempt to ignore the nervous feeling in my stomach. “We had our first official argument the other night,” I confessed, avoiding eye contact. “I think we both said a lot of things we didn’t mean. I was stressed and down about the guys leaving. Nicole had her own reasons for being frustrated, and we both reflected those frustrations onto each other instead of those who deserved them. I’ve been staying at my uncle’s, and she’s been avoiding me by using Tori as a buffer.”

Allan smiled. I guess he knew what I was referring to. “After she had Tori, she tried to get Tyler to be a part of Tori’s life.” He leaned over, resting his elbows on the bar. “She didn’t want a relationship with him, but she’d hoped he would at least love his daughter. That’s something you wouldn’t think you would have to ask someone to do for their own child, but we all know Tyler is a rare breed.”

He said the last comment with a smirk.
A rare breed of the lowest form of shit
is the thought that came to mind.

“But after a long road of disappointment, she stopped looking for any amount of help from him. She actually found if she just left him alone, stopped pushing for him to be present that her life was much more peaceful.” He tapped his finger on the countertop, causing me to look up and meet his stare. “Knowing you’re willing to adopt Tori and be the father she’s never had just shows everyone the man you truly are.”

Allan’s opinion had always been something I valued. He was a stand-up guy. “I love her like she was my own,” I told him. “Nothing would make happier than being able to give both Tori and Nicole everything they deserve. And Tori deserves a father. One that won’t use her as a bargaining chip to gain access to Nicole.”

The idea of that only made my hate for Tyler grow stronger.

“I want to see both of them happy as much as you do. But unfortunately Tyler is in their lives, and taunting the bull is only going to make him strike. Going after him for child support will only give him rights to Tori. As of now he’s just a deadbeat dad who lives his own shit life out there somewhere until he wants something from my daughter.”

I got what Allan was saying. I just hated that Tyler held that kind of control over them. “I think I’m gonna go check on my girls,” I said as I push the half-empty beer bottle in his direction. “I’ve been missing ’em.”

“I think that sounds like a good idea.” Allan smiled as I stood from the bar and walked toward the exit.

When Nicole answered the door, I could tell she’d been crying. I felt like I’d been kicked in the stomach as she tried to hide her face.

“Hey,” she said before clearing her throat. “I was just watching a movie. Tori fell asleep about thirty minutes ago.”

“Can I come in?” I asked. “I think we need to talk.”

“Um, sure,” she replied as she stepped to the side, allowing me to pass. The apartment was dark, with only a small light shining from the lamp at the end of the couch.

I didn’t like feeling torn, and I didn’t like this wedge that had been lodged between me and Nicole. It literally made my chest ache. She attempted to step around me, but without hesitation I hooked her around her waist and pulled her back. My chest pressed firmly against her back as I buried my face in her hair. “I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you first. But I won’t apologize for wanting to adopt Tori. I love her, Nicole,” I whispered, my throat burning as I continued to speak. “And I love her mommy too. I miss you both. I don’t like feeling this distance between us.”

“Me neither,” she replied.

“I was an ass the other night,” I admitted.

Nicole turned in my arms to face me, and she looked upward, her gaze locked on mine. “I just feel like no matter what, he’ll always come between us in some way. Like no matter how happy we become, he’ll be there to take it all away.”

“We won’t let him,” I promised.

“How do we stop him?” Tears formed in her eyes, and I felt like someone was squeezing my heart.

“We stick together,” I replied. “No matter what he says or pulls, we remain on the same side.” I used my thumb to wipe away the tear that ran along her cheek. “I love you, baby, and I’m not going anywhere. That’s a promise. Nothing will ever keep me from you or Victoria.”

Rising up onto her toes, she cupped the back of my neck and pulled it down. Our lips touched, and hers trembled beneath mine. “Please stay,” she whispered.

“Tonight?” I asked.

“Not just tonight, but every night.”

I pulled back so I could see her more clearly. A hopeful look covered her face, and I couldn’t help but smile. “Are you asking me to move in with you?” Damn, I truly hoped that’s what she was asking. When she nodded, I pressed my lips to hers once more, kissing her with joy. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask me that,” I confessed, feeling so much lighter than I had only moments ago.

Since our engagement, we hadn’t really made many plans regarding our wedding or living arrangements. Yes, on most nights I stayed at her place, but we hadn’t officially decided I’d move in with her right away. With Ben and Luke visiting and then all the drama with Tyler, our plans took a backseat. But it was time for us to move forward. We needed to stop trying to change the things we couldn’t change and be thankful for the gifts we’d been given. It was time for us to find our happiness and hold on to it no matter who out there attempted to tear us down.