“I bet the hot tub can be ready soon.” I waggle my brows, ready to soak in bubbly heat.
It’s been a week.
Hell, it’s been a fucking few months. My parents destroying all my sentimental items and shipping them to Tobias’s doorstep was just the icing on the cake.
Calling me a whore was the candle on top of the icing on the cake. And it’s not even a good cake. Definitely not caramel cake.
So—like my new therapist suggested—I’m trying to focus on the good in my life. And there’s actuallyplenty of it.
Starting with that hot tub that’s calling my name.
When Tobias first admitted he was putting in a pool, I assumed it was going to be a warm weather sort of upgrade. I didn’t pay too much attention to exactly how the backyard was dug up. It just looked like one big, chaotic mess. Even after work on the actual pool began, I assumed the stone walls lining the perimeter were simply part of the hardscape.
Then the team working twelve-hour days began building walls on top of them.
Because it turns out there’s no way Uncle Tobias would have his beloved nieces and/or nephews only be able to swim in the summer. No, no. He wanted to have a year-round lure drawing them in.
So instead of a pretty, inground, outdoor pool replacing the deck that was once on the back of the house, there’s a fully indoor space, sporting an atrium style ceiling, large glass windows and doors, a fully functional outdoor kitchen, and tumbled travertine flooring.
It genuinely is ridiculous.
And I’ve never seen anything prettier in my whole life.
Tobias saunters to the elevated hot tub situated at one end of the pool. He leans forward, reaching over the wide ledge surrounding it to test the water. The grin on his face tells me all I need to know.
“I’ll be back.” I’ve got so many knots in my shoulders and back from stress and sadness. Imagining soaking in that hot tub gave me life while I watched the tanker trucks keep showing up to fill the pool.
“Where are you going?” Tobias’s steps carry a little swagger as he comes my way.
“I’m going to put on my suit because I want to be in that hot tub.” I’ve been pretty obvious about my excitement. Thereare probably even nose prints left on the glass separating the great room and the pool room, evidence of how close I was watching the filling process.
Tobias stops right in front of me. “You don’t need a suit to get in that hot tub, Brooklyn Marie.”
A little shiver snakes down my spine at the way he rumbles my name, bringing a healthy dose of anticipation with it. “I’m pretty sure your brothers don’t want to go out for a walk and get an eyefull of my bare ass.”
“That better be true, but it doesn’t matter. They wouldn’t be able to see a thing.” He tips his head toward the windows surrounding us. “It’s one-way glass.”
I snort. “Didn’t want your brothers to know how often the twins are here?”
He shakes his head. “Didn’t want my brothers to know how many times I convince you to get naked in the hot tub with me.”
I laugh as he pulls me close, nosing along my neck. “I’m sure Titus and Mariah would be thrilled to hear of your plans to sully the pool you built for their kids.”
“You know damn well I didn’t build this pool for the twins.” Tobias’s voice is low in my ear. “I built this pool for you.” He tips his head, bringing his gaze to mine. “Just like the house. I didn’t know if you would ever see it, but if you did, I wanted it to be a place you’d be willing to call home.”
Sometimes being with Tobias feels like whiplash. Not because of him, but because of me. What I’ve become conditioned to expect and what he actually offers are so vastly different, there are moments I struggle to move from what my brain thinks is coming, to what really does.
Now is one of those times.
I spent years with a man who bent and twisted and compressed me until I fit into his life exactly the way he wanted. He did it slowly. Carefully. Made claims he never intended to fulfill. Promises he knew he wouldn’t keep. Led me down a path that made me smaller and smaller. By the time I realized what happened, it was too late. I’d been reduced and distorted into a shadow of myself. And the only power shadows have is to hide the truth.
But in front of me now is a man who thought of me even when I wasn’t here. Made room for me even though I might never fill the space. He chose me when I wasn’t an option.
And those are only a few of the reasons I’ve gone and fallen in love with him.
“Shit.” I suck in a breath as it hits me. Hard and fast and packed with so much truth there's no way I can deny it. “Damn it. You freaking went and made me fall in love with you.”
Tobias goes very still, his brows climbing up his forehead. “I’m gonna be honest. Making you love me was always part of the plan.” He chuckles. “But I didn’t expect you to sound so annoyed by it.”
