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“And why do you think that?” he asked.
I stared at him like he was an idiot. “She’s already had a guy who was messed up in the head. He hurt her and left her devastated. I won’t be the one to do that to her again.”
He sighed. “Damn it, Ty, why do you think you’re going to hurt her?”
“I’m not going to ask Kaylee to fix something that’s broken. It’s me. I’m the one who’s broken. I won’t do that to her. She deserves more.”
“What if you ain’t broken, Ty? You just need someone to help you heal? I thought the same thing with Lincoln. She changed my entire life. She healed what was hurting. You’ve got to take the risk, Ty.”
I shook my head. “I can’t. This morning when I woke up next to her, I had the strangest feeling in my chest, something I have never experienced before, and Kaylee was the cause of it. She makes me want something I’m not ready for. Hell, I don’t know if I will ever be ready for it, truth be told.”
“You won’t ever be able to move on if you don’t learn to take the risk, to open up your heart and let something good in,” Brock said—and fuck me if I didn’t consider buying what he was selling.
Anger ripped through me because I knew he was right, but I didn’t want to admit it. I didn’t want to take the jump. I was scared; I was so fucking scared of being hurt again. Of hurting Kaylee.
Brock sighed and shook his head. “So explain something to me. Why did you not wear a condom?”
My heart dropped in my chest, and we stared at each other. There was no way I could tell him the truth. Judging by the way he was looking at me, though, he already knew the answer to that question.
“Holy fuck, Ty. You can’t give yourself to Kaylee . . . so were you hoping to give her a part of you? Are you out of your damn mind, bro?”
Kristin walked up at that moment and set our food down in front of us. “Anything else you boys need?” she asked.
I shook my head, and Brock answered. “We’re good, thank you. Although, now that I think about it, Kristin, Ty here needs a new brain, if you’ve got any there in the back. He seems to have lost his.”
She just smiled at us both while I shot him a pissed-off look.
When she walked away, I met his hard stare. I didn’t need to answer his previous question; he saw it in my eyes. The only thing he did was shake his head and look away. Leaving me to let the guilt and regret of last night settle right into the middle of my chest.
Chapter Sixteen
KAYLEE
Three weeks later: May
I stood on the front porch and smiled as Blayze bounced down the sidewalk toward me. He had an overnight bag and a huge smile on his face.
“Aunt Kaylee! Are you ready for our sleepover?”
Returning his smile, I nodded. “I most certainly am!”
Blayze raced up the steps and wrapped his arms around my waist. My heart jumped in my chest, and I attempted to control my tears. These stupid emotions lately were going to be the death of me. I didn’t even know why I felt the urge to cry right then.
When Lincoln walked up and stopped, she took one look at me and her smile faded.
“Blayze, why don’t you run on in and put your bag in the guest room. I need to talk grown-up stuff with Aunt Kaylee.”
“Okay, Mama!” He raced into the house as we both watched. When I turned back to Lincoln, I saw the love in her eyes for her son. She might not have been his biological mother, but she loved and adored that little boy so much.
Then her gaze met mine. “What’s wrong? Did you finally see Ty?”
I blew out an exaggerated breath and waved my hand in front of me in a nonchalant manner. “No, he has totally ghosted me.”
It had been three weeks since that night we’d spent together. That wonderful, incredible, sex-filled night.
“You haven’t seen him at all?” Lincoln asked, concern in her eyes.
I shook my head. “No. I think he’s put some sort of GPS on me, and it alerts him whenever I’m within a one-mile radius, because I haven’t run into him in the normal places I usually do around town. Either that, or he’s not leaving the ranch, which is possible. Stella said it’s been a busy beginning to spring.”
Lincoln nodded. “Yeah, Brock’s been up early every day to head on out and help his dad and Ty.”
I forced a smile.
“Has he texted you at all?” she asked, glancing over my shoulder, looking for Blayze.
“Once. He asked how I was doing and if I had plenty of wood for that front that moved through a couple weeks ago.”
