25. Tyler
TWENTY-FIVE
TYLER
Becca Martin’s hand is in mine, and my ring is on her finger.
I put on some slacks, a button-down, and my better boots. I told Dad I needed the morning to take care of some stuff and he sent me on my way.
Becca’s hand is so cold when it slips into my sweaty one that I put my other hand on it and blow warmth into it. “You’re freezing.”
Becca grins over at me. “You know what they say. Cold hands, warm heart.”
We walk the block or so to the bank in Paint, and I have to resist the temptation to swing our hands between us. It feels way too good having her attached to me like this. But I can’t get swept away. There’s a chance this is the end of this harebrained idea. “Did you make an appointment?”
“Pfft. An appointment? In this place? I got us covered. Follow my lead.”
She tows me into the bank by my hand, waving to the teller, some girl who went to high school around when we did.
“Well, I never thought I’d see this combination!” She points between the two of us, and I feel bad that I couldn’t remember her name if I tried.
“Oh, him? Yeah, he’s okay,” Becca says with a sneaky wink my way.
“Hey, is Jim busy? I wanted to ask him about something. I’ve been bugging him a lot lately,” Becca says, tossing a hand.
I have to admit, her ring sparkles so much in the lighting in here that you really can’t tell it’s fake. At least I can’t.
“No, go on in there. Jim, Becca’s here to see you again!” she calls out.
Becca pulls out that killer smile and the desire to shove her in the vault and kiss it off her face is overwhelming. I’m a greedy bastard and want that smile just for me. She pokes her head around the corner into Jim’s office. “I’ve got big news!”
“What’s that?” Jim’s tone is bone dry, and that chills all the warm fuzzies I was just feeling.
Becca tugs me forward into his office, wrapping her arm around my back and flourishing her ring toward the poor man who probably just wanted to drink his coffee in peace.
“Hi,” I say with a wave. “Good to see you again.”
Jim nods.
“Tyler and I have been seeing each other and he just asked me to marry him! Isn’t that amazing? And he and little Ellie are already living out at the farm with me and he decided to make it official.”
The man musters what is probably his first smile in the better part of a decade. It’s almost scary-looking, but it seems genuine. “Congratulations. When’s the big day?”
“Oh, as soon as we can,” I say, my cheeks heating. “Can’t wait to make her my wife.”
Is it pathetic that the statement is actually true? That if we walk out of here without the promise of a loan, I’m going to feel like someone pulled the football away when I was about to kick it?
“So, hey, I know you’re not a big talker,” her winning smile is back in full force, “but I was thinking, since I’ve got all my property paid off and Tyler and I were both looking for some financing, do you think maybe we could do one of those Lockheed things you were talking about?”
“HELOC,” he says with the tiniest excuse for a chuckle.
“Right. Silly me,” Becca says, and god, she’s good. “You know, Tyler’s done so much to help me be better at all this business stuff. And with his daughter and everything, I just feel like I’m finally getting my life together. Going to bed early. Finding the joy in the everyday simple things.”
Becca’s subtlety is apparently completely gone at this point and I have to fight not to laugh. But the crazy thing is, it’s working.
Jim takes a scratch pad out of his desk and starts writing down some numbers. “You still need about fifty, Miss Martin?”
“Yes, sir. That would be a big help for us. Really help our business get off the ground.”
“And Mr. Davis, your capital needs?”
“About a hundred grand, sir.”
He raises an eyebrow but heads out to the county auditor’s site, presumably to get the value on Becca’s property.
“Let me run some numbers and I can get you a proposal,” Jim says.
“Soon?” Becca asks. “We’re about to take Ellie to lunch and break the big news. We’d love to have two things to celebrate.”
Jim jots down a number and unclicks his pen, flinging it on top of the note pad. “Put it this way. You’ll be approved, and how it’s looking on quick math, your interest rate would be a few points below what I quoted you before.” He gestures to me.
“Points?” Becca asks.
“Percentage points.”
“Whole numbers?” Becca smiles so broadly I bet Jim can see her back teeth.
“Yes, Miss Martin. Whole numbers. But you’d be taking out the loan together.”
I smirk. “That’s okay. We’re doing a lot of things together now.”
Becca leaps into my arms outside the bank and, in the most whimsical move of my life, I spin her around. “We did it! Even though you had to go be a pervert with your ‘we do a lot of things together’ comment.”
I set Becca back on her feet. “Well? We do. I’m working on your cottage. You help with Ellie.”
“Speaking of, how do you want to tell her? We kind of have to tell her we’re getting married or she’ll hear it from someone else.”
Becca’s not wrong, but I’m afraid of Ellie getting her heart set on Becca and then getting let down. “That we’re getting married to get a loan?”
“No, just that we’re getting married. Period. She needs stability, and I’m not going anywhere. You heard my man, Jim. It’s going to be years. We may as well settle in for the long haul.”
“What about when the years are up?”
Becca lifts a shoulder. “It’s not ideal, but she’ll be older. She’ll be able to understand.”
I poke my tongue into my cheek and glance down the street, wondering how many people have seen us together today. “I guess it’s good we already have Maggie on deck to babysit tonight. It’s time to show this off.”
We get Ellie from school and head to the diner to explain everything over an early lunch. Ellie understands the important parts.
“So, I gave Becca a special ring.”
“The sparkle ring?” Ellie’s eyes are so hopeful. “Can I see it?”
Becca holds out her hand as the waitress comes to our table.
She’s been waiting on Ellie and me every Saturday since Ellie was tiny.
I used to be one of the first customers when the doors opened because it was my one guaranteed window of sanity in a week.
Ellie’d be up early to eat after what was likely a long night, and I’d go sit, drink coffee I didn’t even like, and eat eggs I didn’t have to cook.
“Well, it looks like y’all added a plus one. How’re you, Becca? Don’t see you much anymore.”
Becca smiles, but for once, it gives away how tired she really is. “Yeah, these two have been keeping me busy. And the farm.”
Debbie whistles and gestures to Becca’s ring. “You do that, Tyler? You been holding out on me. I usually know everything going on in this town.”
I chuckle. “Well, you’re one of the first to know about this.”
She lifts a brow. “Long time coming?”
“Probably been baking since we were kids, yeah.” The fact that it isn’t really a lie is disorienting.
“Grew on me like a wart,” Becca says with a wink.
Debbie tweaks my cheek. “Yeah, he’s a cute wart, though. What y’all having? Tyler, omelet? Ellie, pancakes? Does she get juice today?”
Ellie’s eyes plead with me, and I want this to feel special for her.
“I think this can be a special juice Thursday.”
“Becca?”
“Pancakes too, but make mine blueberry, and sausage links please. And a Diet.”
“I want blueberry,” Ellie interrupts.
“You got it, hun.” Debbie takes off, leaving us to the bombshell we’re dropping on Ellie.
I’d tuck Ellie into my side, but she insisted on sitting with Miss Becca. “So, yeah, I gave Becca that special ring because I asked her to be my wife, and she said yes.”
“And that means, you two are welcome to live at my farm from now on,” Becca says.
Ellie’s eyes water and I reach across the table to hold her arm, anything to comfort her. “Do you want to sit with me, El?”
But her arms fly around Becca’s waist, her tears starting to fall. Becca hugs her back. “It’s okay, sweet girl.”
“How does that make you feel?” I ask, always doing what I can to make sure my child can speak for herself and not let somebody else tell her how to feel.
“Happy,” Ellie says, not letting go of Becca.
“I’m so glad you’re coming out to live with me,” Becca says, kissing the top of her head.
“Will you always get me from school?”
Becca looks across the table at me to confirm. I nod, because I’m just thrilled this is going so well. “As much as I can and as your daddy wants me to, yeah. I’ll get to see you every day, just about.”
“Great,” Ellie says as our drinks arrive. “Every day.”
“So, tonight Becca and I are going to start telling people we’re getting married, and that’s when Maggie will come over to be with you. Then Becca and I are going to wear special clothes tomorrow and go have somebody say she’s my wife,” I add.
The reality of it all is setting in. We’re telling my daughter that someone else is going to start watching after her. Becca and I are getting a loan together. I’m moving in with my best friend’s sister.
The only person who’s ever made me feel something so big that I spent every moment after chasing it.
That woman sits with my daughter talking about what kind of cake we’ll eat tomorrow night.
Because tomorrow night, I’ll be married.