“Um…”
“Is this something you usually do? Are we just messing around here? Or are you just trying to settle some sense of curiosity—to see if I was still into you?”
“What?! No!” he cried. “That’s not what this is, I swear!”
“Um…maybe I should go,” Jake said, and before either of them could comment, he practically sprinted from the yard.
Neither noticed.
“Oh, really? Then why was it one of the first things Jake accused you of, huh?” she demanded. “I mean, I don’t know why I’m so surprised. It’s the exact kind of behavior you threatened me with back when we were dating and I wanted to go away to college! You were all like ‘I’ll date every woman in this town’ and ‘Even the older women want me.’ God, you’re such a pig!”
That’s when he knew he’d had enough, and if he didn’t cut her off and gain some control here, she was going to say something she was going to regret.
Or more things she was going to regret
“What was I thinking? Why did I think things would be different?” she continued, her arms waving around, and that’s when Kyle stepped in and grabbed them—grabbed her and gave her a slight shake.
“That’s enough,” he said with more than a little heat.
“Let go of me!”
“Not until you listen to me!” he yelled back.
She gave him a curt nod and Kyle immediately released her. “Say what you have to say, but make it quick.”
Dropping his hands to his side, he sighed. “For the record, this is not something I usually do. I don’t sleep with clients, Syd. Never have. Jake’s pissed, and I can’t possibly explain why he said what he said.” Pausing, he shook his head. “I have a reputation in this town, and for a long time, I was proud of it. But now? Now I’d give anything to erase it.”
She snorted with disbelief.
“It was easy for me to be a serial dater because it kept me from getting too close with anyone,” he went on. “I didn’t want to feel what I felt for you ever again.”
Now she looked slightly less hostile.
“I knew I would never love someone the way I loved you, but I also knew I wasn’t willing to take the chance of getting hurt the way I did when you left.” He held out his arms helplessly and knew he needed to put it all on the line right now. “We’re not just messing around here and this had nothing to do with some warped sense of curiosity. This happened because I love you, Sydney. I’ve always loved you, and I’m always going to love you.” His words were low and gruff and his heart was beating so damn loud that he could barely hear anything else.
Then all he could do was hold his breath and wait.
He saw the tears form in her eyes and it simply broke him. Stepping in, he took Sydney in his arms and held her tight—placing a soft kiss on her forehead. “I love you, Syd. There is no one else that I want. Just you. Only you.” He kissed her again. “Always you.”
“Damn you, Kyle Jones,” she said, burying her face against his chest. “This wasn’t supposed to happen again.”
Not the greatest response to a proclamation of love, but…hopefully she wasn’t going to completely shut him down.
So he didn’t let her go, but he also couldn’t make himself utter another word.
After what felt like a lifetime, Sydney pulled back slightly and looked up at him. “I swore I’d never do this with you again.” Her voice was quiet and somewhat trembly. “The first time we kissed after I moved here, I told myself I could keep things casual. I only wanted to keep things casual.”
What little hope he held started to slip away.
“Just like I told Jake, I have so much going on in my life right now that at times I feel like I’m drowning. The last thing I need is one more…anything,” she said weakly. “There are so many things on my plate that a relationship is the very last thing I need.”
And just like that, all hope was gone.
Swallowing hard, Kyle began to loosen his hold. He couldn’t even look her in the eye because he had no idea how he was supposed to react to what she was telling him. In every scenario when he envisioned telling her he loved her, never in a million years did he think it would go like this.
Gently clearing his throat, he went to take a step back and wished like hell he could just turn and walk away like Jake had only minutes before. “Um…I’m just gonna…you know…go,” he said around the lump in his throat.
He never even had a chance to move because Sydney reached up and cupped his face and kissed him until his knees almost gave out. When she broke the kiss, her expression was fierce. “You have to know what you’re signing on for, Kyle. My life is pure chaos.”
Unable to help himself, he lifted her in his arms and spun her around before taking his turn and kissing her senseless. Once he put her back on her feet, he smiled down at her. “I love chaos! I thrive on it!”
She laughed. “You better because that’s the way it is. And it’s not just me anymore. I’ve got Haley to consider and…”
“We’ve got Haley to consider,” he corrected. “I’m all in, Syd. Whatever you need, we’ll do it together. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
And with her hands on his face, her smile was full of love and gratitude. “I don’t want to get rid of you, Kyle. Because I love you too.”
10
A week later, the house was done—including the property.
Kyle stood back as Sydney walked around the front yard and then walked up the front steps and into the house. He didn’t follow right away because he needed a moment to take in just how much of a transformation had occurred in the last two months.
And he’d been the guy in charge.
As much as he wanted to say that he was the one to make it all happen, he knew that simply wasn’t true. This was a job that involved dozens upon dozens of people, and through generous donations and hard work, Sydney and Haley had a home that they could finally live in without worry.
He took another minute to mentally congratulate himself on a job well done before jogging up the front steps and joining Sydney. When he didn’t spot her immediately, he called her name.
“Out here.”
Stepping out onto the back deck, he found her staring out at the backyard. “So?” he prompted. “This is a big day. I think we should order some pizza tonight and get all the makings for ice cream sundaes and eat out the deck. What do you think?” When she turned to him, he saw the tears in her eyes and his heart sank.
“They should be here,” she said quietly. “Tracy would be thrilled with the way everything turned out, and Daren should be walking around the yard preening about what a great green thumb he has.” With a small sniffle, she motioned down to the yard. “He was so damn proud of getting the yard done for Haley and for making it a place they could hang out as a family.”
Stepping in close, all he could do was wrap his arm around her and let her talk.
“And now look at it? Things are growing—the things he planted—and we’ve got that monstrosity of a gymnastics mat for Haley to use, and they’ll never see how amazing she is and how much progress she’s made or all the hard work she’s put it.” Shaking her head, she continued. “I know I keep saying it, and maybe someday it will finally stop hurting, but it’s not fair. It’s all just so damn unfair.”