Loving Tessa (January Cove) (13 page)

“Anything in particular you want?” he asked her as they walked up and down the aisles. Tyler was bouncing around, eating a lollipop that Aaron had bought him at the front of the store.

“I’d love some marshmallows,” she said with a grin.

“Marshmallows?”

“Yes. They used to be my favorite guilty pleasure, but I haven’t had them in… years,” she said with a sad smile.

“Then marshmallows you shall have, my lady,” he said with a wink as he grabbed three bags from the shelf.

“Three bags? I’ll be a whale!” she said trying to put back two of the bags.

“Listen, I want to make sure that Tessa Reeves never has to live without marshmallows again, okay?” he said holding them above her head. “Now, really, you’re making a scene!” Tessa started laughing, and he realized it was the most genuine laugh he’d ever heard in his life.

“Y’all are gonna get in trouble!” Tyler said between licks of his lollipop.

“Oh, yeah?” Aaron said picking him up and putting his nose against his. “Let me ask you something, mister. Have you ever heard of s’mores?”

“Some mores? Nope.”

“Close enough. Well, they are just about the yummiest thing on the planet. But, you have to make them over a campfire or else they aren’t the good kind. They have marshmallows and graham crackers and chocolate…”

“Yum!” he said wiggling in Aaron’s arms.

“Yep. Super yum. How about we make some tonight when we get to the other house?”

“Okay!” he squealed as Aaron put him down.

“Operation Show Tyler Everything is officially underway,” he whispered into Tessa’s ear with a grin.

“You’re gonna spoil him in the next week, aren’t you, Aaron Parker?”

“I’m going to try my best,” he said bumping her shoulder as they continued down the aisle.

***

It all felt so amazingly normal. A woman walking with a good looking man and her adorable child through the grocery store, planning cookouts and buying ingredients for s’mores. But it wasn’t normal at all. It was a facade that was going to be shattered at any moment. She was sure of it. Her life was going to explode at some point, and the last thing she wanted was for Aaron to get shrapnel all over him.

She watched him with Tyler, and they seemed like father and son already. It was good for Tyler to see a real man. A good man. A loving man. He carried her son on his shoulders just like he was carrying her metaphorically. He was carrying all of them, and she wished it could last forever. She wished that she could erase the past and her fears and her memories. But she couldn’t. It was an impossible situation.

They made their way back to the house and settled Tyler into his temporary bedroom which overlooked the pasture behind the house. He was ecstatic to see the ocean off in the distance, and was having a fun time playing with the blocks that Aaron had bought him at the store.

“Make yourself at home,” he said to Tessa as he unloaded groceries into the kitchen cabinets and refrigerator. She walked around, touching the thick moldings in the kitchen. “I meant to ask whether you found the makeup mirror you needed?”

“Huh?”

“The makeup mirror? At the pawn shop back there?” He cocked his head at her like she was crazy.

“Oh. No. They didn’t have what I needed.”

“Is it something I can order for you online?” he asked as he set aside the s’more ingredients on the counter.

“Nah. No big deal. I don’t wear much makeup anyway,” she said without thinking.

“You certainly don’t need it,” he said softly as he smiled and looked back down at the three bags of marshmallows on the counter.

“Thanks,” she said. He was so nice. She’d never met a man who was so kind. He was the type of guy who’d rescue a turtle from the road or save a ladybug trapped in the window screen. At the same time, he seemed fiercely protective of those he cared about, and she knew that his family came first. She and Tyler weren’t his family, and she couldn’t cause him to put his mother or the rest of his family in danger by having her around at the wrong time.

No, she’d have to take matters into her own hands. She’d have to do the thing she was most afraid of in the world. When the time was right, she’d have to trust Aaron with her most prized possession and trust herself with her own life.

***

The night air was crisp and cool, and Aaron built the bonfire right by the springs. After setting up chairs, he brought Tyler and Tessa outside. Both of them looked like it was the first time they’d seen a fire. Amazement glazed across their faces, and it made Aaron happy to see them happy.

“Wow!” Tyler said jumping up and down.

“Now, listen up, buddy. That fire could really hurt you if you get too close or trip near it, okay? You gotta stay back behind this line,” Aaron said drawing a line in the sand with his foot.

Tyler nodded, and Aaron started setting up his skewer with a marshmallow. “We’ll do s’mores in a minute, but let’s start going through some of these marshmallows your mother bought.”

“Hey!” Tessa said laughing as she smacked Aaron on the back. It stung a little, but he kind of liked it.

For the next hour, they chatted and laughed and ate more marshmallows than Aaron had eaten during his whole life combined. He showed Tyler how to make a s’more, and the kid became a wizard at it within half an hour. He showed him how to catch a lightning bug and explained how the ocean tides work.

Aaron felt like a one man show aimed at one goal - teach Tyler everything he could. He was desperately trying to catch Tyler up on all of the things he’d missed in his short life so far.

Still, after an hour, Tyler was tuckered out. He curled up in one of the folding chairs with a blanket around him. A few minutes later, he was out like a light.

“You think he’s warm enough?” Tessa asked standing over her son.

“Yeah. That blanket is pretty warm,” Aaron said as he stoked the bonfire. “Come sit down,” he said patting the seat beside him. He’d dragged an old two-person swing up next to the fire.

Tessa sat down and let out a little sigh as she smiled at him.

“What?” he asked nudging her with his shoulder.

“How did I get so lucky?” she asked softly.

“Lucky?”

“Yes. I must be the luckiest woman alive right now.” She shook her head and laughed.

“Seriously? After what you’ve been through?”

“I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about you, Aaron. What a blessing you’ve been the past few days.” She reached over and took his hand. “Seriously. Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Tessa,” he said softly.

“I do. You’re making Tyler happier than I’ve ever seen him. He’ll never forget this night. You're going to make a great Dad one day. Some woman will be lucky to have you as the father of her children,” she said.

“Well, now, that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, Tessa.” Inside, he could hear his inner voice shouting that she should be that woman, but he tried to stifle it.

“No matter what happens, I just want you to know how thankful I am.”

“No matter what happens? Why are you talking like that, Tessa?” He had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him something was wrong. She was acting strangely, and it seemed to have started after they picked Tyler up from his mother’s house.

“Do you have any wine?” she asked out of the blue.

“Wine?”

“I haven’t had a glass of wine in three years,” she said with a smile.

“Then a glass of wine you shall have,” he said touching the end of her nose with his finger as he got up and trotted into the house.

***

Crisis averted, at least for now. She couldn’t believe she’d said something so stupid right in front of him. Here he was helping her and her son, and she was making such questionable statements. She would do better, she decided.

“This is so good,” she said holding onto the glass of wine like it was the most precious thing on Earth.

“Glad you like it. It’s just grocery store wine, but it’ll do in a pinch,” Aaron said. She stole a glance at him between sips. He was amazingly beautiful for a man, but strong and rugged at the same time. He was staring at the stars above them, a blanket of silver and black across the endless sky.

With his blond hair and striking blue eyes, Aaron Parker was fun to look at. The wine was sinking in a little too much because Tessa’s thoughts were getting dirtier than she would’ve liked. Then she noticed a tattoo on his left arm for the first time. It was on his bicep and said “Never Forgotten”.

“Is that for your Dad?” she asked.

“Yeah. I got it when I was seventeen, much to my mother’s dismay,” he said with a wink. “Adele Parker is not fond of tattoos, but I wanted to honor my Dad in some way.”

“I think it’s cool,” she said running her fingers across it without thinking. The wine was lowering her inhibitions, and she didn’t care that she was touching him. He froze for a moment and looked at her, but she continued to touch the tattoo.

And that’s when it happened. He reached out and took her hand, pulling her gently to him. She slid across the swing, turning slightly toward him.

“Remember I said that I don’t take things without asking?” he whispered. She nodded, and she was sure he could hear her heart pounding. He turned to face her.

“Yes,” she said, the air sucked from her lungs.

“I am asking you right now if I can kiss you, Tessa. But it’s okay if you say no…” he was saying before she suddenly leaned forward and brushed her lips across his. She could feel his warm breath and smell the scent of grocery store wine, and her pulse quickened.

“Tessa,” he growled as he placed his hands on both sides of her face. Holding her there, he pulled back and looked at her. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” he asked, his blue eyes darkened by a mixture of lust and concern. She nodded frantically, desperate for him to cover her mouth with his. And then he did. His full lips began their work, their tongues dancing together as she struggled to regain her breath. Years of loneliness started to wash away. Both of them were wild, uninhibited and like two people who hadn’t kissed anyone in years. In reality, she had never kissed anyone like this. With this passion. With this emotion.

“Mommy…” The kiss was broken when Tyler started to stir. Luckily, he hadn’t seen them in the throes of passion, but he needed to be put into his bed and get out of the night air.

“I, um… I need to put him…” she stammered, unsure of what to say as she stood up and ceased making eye contact. Why had she allowed herself to get carried away? This was just going to make everything harder for both of them.

“Let me. I’ll be back,” Aaron said standing up as he walked to Tyler and scooped him up into his strong arms. She looked briefly at his tattoo and remembered how this whole thing had started.

“Aaron, I think it’s best if I head to bed too. It’s been a long day…” she said, picking up her wine glass and the blanket.

He looked confused, but nodded and then carried Tyler inside. As soon as Tyler was sufficiently tucked in, Tessa kissed his sleeping face goodnight and walked into the darkened hallway.

“Good night,” she said softly to Aaron as she opened the door to her room which was across from Tyler’s.

“Good night,” he said as he leaned against the wall with his hands in his jean pockets. Tessa turned to walk into her room. “Oh, and Tessa?”