Chapter 12
EDDIE
The peppy notes of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” spilled over the crowd busily going from store to store in the New Gothenburg mall. Nearby, people stood around the big front windows of Double Shot, a coffee shop I liked, sipping drinks with their heavy winter coats gaping open.
Tyler snuggled closer, and I wrapped my arm more securely around his narrow waist, clutching our bags in my other hand.
“I’m just saying, the way Jules stares is creepy, you know? You don’t think it’s creepy?” I glanced at him with my eyebrows raised.
His nose twitched and he snickered before turning to press his face against my chest. The casual way he touched me had my feet floating above the floor. God, he was amazing.
“They don’t have to come over for dinner tonight, if you don’t want to do it.” He pinched my side.
“Ow! No! No, it’s fine. I mean, I do owe them at least that much. I’m worried about what sort of favors they might ask for in the future, though. Yeesh.”
He snorted.
We chuckled together as we passed children waiting in a never-ending line to see Santa Claus on his gold throne in Santa Land while a bored-looking elf snapped photos for beaming parents.
Santa grimaced and held up a cute chubby baby in a green velvet dress, and we snickered when we spotted the issue—she’d thrown up on his suit. The little imp was all smiles and kicking feet.
“I do not want kids,” I said, nodding in the direction of the costume carnage.
Tyler focused on me. “What about a dog?”
“Hmm. They puke, too, but you don’t have to pay a hundred bucks for Santa pictures, so perhaps.” I winked at him.
Tyler elbowed me. “You would deny me mementos of our precious pooch?”
My gut dropped, but his lips were quirking toward a smile, so I rolled my eyes. “Not if you really wanted them. I couldn’t deny you anything. Not even Santa Claus dog photos.”
His face flushed and he glanced away. My foot caught on a sheet of fake, white cotton snow sparkling with glitter, which had spilled past the fence for Santa Land, and he kept me upright. Our pace barely slowed.
“We make a good team,” he said with a smirk. “Dog or no dog.”
“I agree. Where are we headed?” I glanced at the stores we were passing.
He shrugged, and I loved the shy smile that tugged on his lips. “There used to be a comic book shop here. I wanted to see if it was still open.”
“Sounds good. Oh, do you want a snack first?” We wandered past the corridor that led to the food court from the main thoroughfare, and the smell of sugar and cinnamon had me drifting in that direction. There was nothing better than mall snacks.
“Only if you buy me a peppermint mocha boba tea.”
I bumped him with my hip. “What is that?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. Basically, caffeinated chocolate milk with peppermint candy at the bottom. The beads explode in your mouth and send a burst of delicious peppermint over your taste buds.” His eyelashes fluttered as if he was having a mini orgasm, and my breath caught. How did he make that sound so sexy?
“I am intrigued. Let’s go.” My dick twitched. Something else wanted to burst in his mouth. Jeez. Nervous laughter leaked out of me.
It was his turn to stumble as we ambled toward the food stalls. “It’s okay if you don’t want to spend money on this.”
I brushed a kiss over the soft blond hair on his temple and patted his back. “I’ve said it six times now, but here it is again. My money is your money. Spend it. I work. I have savings. We’re fine.”
He groaned, resting his head on my chest. “Presents bought with your cash are from you to you.”
“It’s the thought that counts. Not where the money came from.
” We stopped in front of the small tea stall, and Tyler bounced on his toes as a smile took over his face.
His eyes lit up with happiness that lured me in.
I gave him another kiss. His lips were warm, and I got lost in them for a minute or three as we waited in line.
When it was our turn, the drink Tyler wanted was on a big board as the season’s special, and he grinned while he was ordering. We shuffled off to the side, and I laughed because he was doing a little shoulder dance.
“Are you gonna survive the wait?” I brushed his hair back off his forehead, lingering so I could touch him longer.
“Barely!” He pecked a kiss on my cheek, and I did a good impression of the luckiest man alive. Life didn’t get much better than this. A guy I adored was under my arm. Presents for him were in my hand. A treat was on the way.
Bliss.
Apparently, he agreed because his megawatt smile hit me square in the chest. Liquid gold swirled in the spot where my boring old heart used to live.
“Eddison!”
My blood froze in my veins, and Tyler whipped to face our left. I wasted zero time stepping in front of him, putting myself in the line of fire between him and the threat.
“Dad,” I said, feeling stiff as I nodded at him.
He looked the same as last time I’d seen him, about my height with his silver hair in a crew cut.
He wasn’t in uniform, but he might as well have been because he stood with a rigid spine and squared shoulders under his leather NGPD coat, the one he’d had since I was a kid.
It was blue and the color was fading. His badge was clipped to his belt, so he must’ve been doing something official today.
I had a moment to thank my lucky stars he wasn’t armed.
He was dangerous enough without a gun.
“You got nothing to say to your old man about whatever the hell this is?” He scowled and flicked his fingers in Tyler’s direction.
Tyler stepped out to look through my dad like he didn’t exist. It was every bit as creepy as I’d accused Jules of being.
Anxiety slammed me. “I’m Christmas shopping with my boyfriend.”
Dad took a step back as if I’d managed to surprise him for once.
Tyler let out a long breath. Perhaps he’d been worried I would say something else under pressure. Well, fuck that, he was mine. Tyler scooted under my arm when I held it up to latch on to me with both of his around my middle.
Dad stepped in closer and snorted. He slid a horrible stare over Tyler, then eyed the people closest to us, obviously calculating what he could get away with saying in public while he had that badge in plain sight. “I’ll be by to talk about this.”
“No. You won’t. There’s nothing to discuss. You don’t have permission to be on my property, which makes it trespassing.” I gave him my best fuck-you scowl. It wasn’t as good as his, but then, he had more practice.
“Did he tell you how he got that pretty face?” Dad asked.
Our gazes clashed. My jaw ached as fury scrambled through me. I grabbed his collar, and he shoved me off, taking another step back.
“As I said, you and I have things to discuss.” He shook his head.
“You aren’t welcome at our house,” I muttered quietly, but I wanted to scream it. “Just like we were never really welcome in yours.” My heart was a hummingbird zipping around behind my ribs.
“Not welcome at my own son’s house during the holidays?” he said loudly. His glower never left Tyler, and I wanted to gouge his eyes out. “You know he’s a liar, right?”
“My mom would say otherwise.” Tyler’s voice was robotic.
“You gonna dig her up to lie for you?” he asked, evil glee on his face.
“Enough. I know you, Dad,” I whispered. My body trembled from the inside out with the urge to plant my fist in his gut.
Several emotions played across his face. “I’m busy, but we’ll talk when I’m not.” His grin was awful as he wandered away. I couldn’t help but notice he had a bag from a lingerie store, and my stomach lurched.
“Who’s that for?” I called, unable to help myself.
He whirled around to walk backward, lifting the bag, as if to make sure that was the point of our extended conversation.
“My new girlfriend. I learned my lesson. This one’s twenty.
She listens to what I tell her instead of running her mouth.
” He glanced at Tyler before whirling around again. “You can do better, kid.”
I saw red, but Tyler whispered an urgent “no” when I tried to tear after him, holding me in place.
“I don’t want that fucker at my house,” I seethed.
“He won’t. He was just messing with us.” But Tyler didn’t sound convinced, and I had the urge to go home, set my house on fire, and move with Tyler to a new city. We could pick fun new names.
“Your drink, sir,” a woman called over to us from the food counter at the tea shop.
Tyler startled and picked up his large plastic cup. A weird sensation swamped me as I watched him take his first sip without a smile. Less than two minutes. That’s all Dad had needed to fuck up our night.
Tyler seemed fine and held my hand. By mutual unspoken agreement, we left because neither one of us wanted to run into that monster again. Fuck that. Worry began to bombard me on the drive home through the snowy dark because Tyler leaned his forehead against the window and said nothing.
My heart was still pounding and my hands shook on the wheel as I pulled the car into my driveway.
Tyler opened his door, got out, and hurled his almost full drink on the ground, splashing it everywhere, a blemish on the freshly fallen snow.
By the time I reached him, the scent of peppermint and chocolate was heavy in the air.
The sight of tears in the corners of his eyes was nearly a relief, but not exactly.
The robot impression had been scary in its own way.
I opened my arms, and he rushed forward, slamming against me. The Christmas lights popped on, thanks to the timer, bathing us in a warm glow.
“I promise not to let you get hurt again.” My words puffed out along with white fog to linger between us.
“How?” That one broken word was so agonized.
And out of the cold night air the answer struck me.
How?
Fuck.
I would kill him.
I hadn’t managed to do the whole murder thing right yet, but I would if Dad came near us.
Guilt swamped me on two fronts. I hadn’t protected Tyler tonight, not really, and he still thought I’d killed someone.
I felt awful that I’d been party to death twice now, and even fucking worse that I hadn’t done anything on purpose.
Tyler deserved someone who would do anything it took to keep him safe and secure, and I wasn’t sure I could be that man.
If push came to shove, I hoped that I could be everything he needed. The lies weighed heavily on my heart.
“Tyler, you’re mine.” I gave him a squeeze.
He stared up at me, and I brushed tears off his face.
“I promise things will get better and stay better.”
We gazed into each other’s eyes, and the gentle hope in his expression gave me the courage to know I was on the right path. Nah, he didn’t need to know I hadn’t pulled a trigger or had some devious scheme to make Aaron Newland wreck and die. My gut twisted. Right?
He let out a small sound that was halfway between a wail and a whimper. “I know what you’re prepared to do for me. I’ll be safe with you.”
Aw, jeez. I closed my eyes, not quite ready to discuss what was bouncing around in my head. “Want to go inside? We’ve got presents to wrap.”
He rested a hand on my cold cheek. “What if he comes here tonight?”
“Then, the asshole won’t leave.”
The slow smile that spread across his lips was almost better than sex.