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Thirty-One
"Wow. That man looks intent," Rory whispered to her quickly. She took Becky out of Robin's arms. "I'm getting the mini-Robin out of the way. He has something far too inappropriate for church in his eyes."
"Shh. Behave." But Rory was right. Nick was looking at her the same way Phil looked at Glenna. Hard to miss that expression on his face. Her palms slicked, the way they hadn't in decades.
The last time she'd felt this tightness in her stomach because a man looked at her, she'd been all of eighteen, and this man was the one looking at her. Even if he'd denied it back then.
She never would have kissed him if she hadn't thought he'd wanted her, too. She and Rory had discussed that very thing last night, after Nick had texted her to check if Rory was ok and had made it back from whatever she’d been doing with Charlotte all day.
She hadn't gotten that much sleep last night, at all. And when she had...she'd dreamed of Nick showing up in her bed in the middle of the night, just to pull those puppy pajamas right off her. Not exactly what she should have been thinking about when she had church in a few hours.
Well, she was in the right place now—Robin could certainly use some divine clarification where Nicholas Tyler was concerned.
"He's going to be trouble. I can just feel it."
"Probably. But men like him and that brother of his—they are the good kind of trouble, sweetie," Rory whispered. "I'm going to go catch up with Glenna. I can see she has questions...probably about my Second Greatest Mistake."
"I'm going to her house after church for lunch," Robin said. "You're going with me—I need a bodyguard. Nick will be there."
"I'll say. I'm game. I just have to catch up with Charlotte at six. We're going to hit the road, then. We'll stop around ten tonight."
Robin didn't envy her friend that road trip. Rory was going to tell Charlotte about what had happened with Detective Charles Fields. And probably beg the younger woman's forgiveness for what she was calling her Second Greatest Mistake.
Her boys took off toward their cousins. Rory carried Becky away. Robin lifted Nova into her arms. She needed the barrier. Because that was a man with a mission on his mind.
"Nick, good morning," she said quietly, holding his daughter close. Nova rested her head on Robin's shoulder and buried her fingers in Robin's hair as she gave a happy little sigh.
"We got to come to church to learn to be good people now," Nova whispered. "But Noah didn't want to."
Robin smiled. "It's a bit more complicated than that, but I am glad you are here." She looked at the little girl's father. "Are you going to Phil's for lunch?"
Nick nodded deliberately. Then he was at her side, one hand on her back as she somehow found herself walking right next to him. To the pew. She slid in right next to Glenna. Rory and her boys were on the pew in front of them, with Glenna's stepsons. She was surrounded by Tylers on all sides.
Glenna looked at her, and at the little girl in her arms. There was laughter in Glenna's green eyes. "I see Nick...found...you already?"
"Something like that."It was almost like he’d claimed her, or something, actually.
She had a feeling Glenna would be full of questions later. Glenna could be a bit of a nosy pest when she wanted.
Robin settled Nova into the pew between her and Glenna, making room when Evangeline, Glenna's oldest, climbed over the pew to get to her new cousin. Evey was four months older than Nova. The two little girls immediately started chattering away at each other, Nova relaxing almost immediately.
Robin shot a quick look at Noah. The boy looked completely overwhelmed.
Nick was looking at him, too. Talking to him, reminding him they were going to get Phil's boys out there in the yard after. To toss the ball around. She just watched him as he calmed the boy down, his manner reassuring and caring. Empathetic.
Nick Tyler was a good man at heart. It wasn't hard to miss that.
When he slipped a hot arm around her shoulders and shifted her a little closer than he probably should have, her stomach tightened again.
This…was the most dangerous place she had ever been.
Right there in the middle of the Tyler Township Hope Life Church.
Seriously.
She looked into his eyes. "Just what is it that you are up to?"
"I'm sure you'll figure it out sooner rather than later." He shot her a wicked grin. But he didn't move his arm away.
Didn't he realize he'd practically just declared his intentions to the entire congregation? The grin widened as his look intensified. He did realize it.
It was what he had been counting on.
