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Thirty-Three
He was trying to seduce her—in the middle of the Tyler Hope Life Church. It didn't help that Glenna and Rory were encouraging him, either.
They were brats, both of them.
Robin couldn't turn around without him being there, being a part of the conversation, too. It took her a moment to realize that was just as much her doing as it was his, though.
She looked for him, just as much as he sought her out. She knew what it meant—maybe. Robin wasn't good at men. Not in any way, shape, or form. Doug had just overwhelmed her so much that she'd eventually convinced herself she was in love with him.
She hadn’t been—what she’d been had been lonely.
Longing for home. For family. This had been a year before she'd met Rory, and then Glenna. The two of them had helped her see what Doug was doing to her. How he was eroding every bit of confidence she had.
He had hit her six times in their marriage. That was a secret she'd go to her grave keeping. It had been the emotional abuse she hadn't even realized he was dishing out to her when she did something he didn't like that had almost destroyed her. He’d separated her from her family, trying to limit even the small amount of contact she’d been able to keep. Until she’d just felt…alone. Dependent on him for everything.
He hadn’t even let her come back for Becky’s funeral, threatening to take the boys and hide them if she even thought about leaving.
But that was over now, and thanks to W4HAV, she had built some of her confidence back. Enough to know that she would be ok—whether she was involved with a man or not.
Nick would never hurt a woman. Of that, she was one hundred percent certain. No matter how angry he got.
Not that she’d ever seen him angry, that was. The man was the most laid-back man on the planet.
Even though he still wanted to think he was big and bad and dangerous to a woman’s sanity.
Maybe that was a part of this swift, ridiculously quick attraction? She knew she was safe with him? Just like she had known that twenty years ago?
He looked at her. She fought a shiver. Ok, maybe she wasn't completely safe with that man. He was still just a little bit wild, and a little bit dangerous.
At least to her.
A single mother of three should not be feeling this way—especially considering where she was standing, with her family and his surrounding her.
Her family. Her kids!
She needed to get downstairs and grab her kids.
Not get distracted by Nicholas Tyler.
The sound of kids coming into the vestibule had her looking up. She'd recognize those voices anywhere. There they were. Her three. Nick's two. Phil and Glenna's youngest five. Ten kids took up a lot of room.
"Mom! We're hungry," Wesley said. No surprise. Wesley was always hungry. Becky squealed for her. Noah held her on his hip. He put her down, and Becky came running. Robin caught her baby up, just as Nova reached her side, too. She pulled Nick's daughter close.
A hot hand landed on her back. He shifted her closer as the boys surrounded them. She looked at Noah. "Did you have a good time?"
He shrugged. "It was ok, I guess."
"Thanks for carrying her up. Those stairs terrify me."
He just shrugged and nodded again.
"Lunch will be ready in about an hour, Robbie," Phil said behind her. "See you and the kids there?"
"As soon as I run home and grab the crockpots," Robin somehow managed to get out. It felt good having Nick's hand right there.
She was a goner. No doubt about that.
"We are running to the store—I'm in charge of grabbing drinks for everybody," Nick said.
