Chapter 24
Morgan
After Reina walked out the other day, I talked to Tom about the fire and the renovation, but he didn't want to hear about our relationship. Not that I could blame him.
I'd given Reina space, wondering when a good time would be to talk or if she even wanted to.
Tonight, Tom was meeting her for dinner, and I was trying to be patient and telling myself not to ask him how it went. But I was dying to know how she was and where she was staying.
I turned on the TV and mindlessly scrolled through the channels until the front door opened.
Tom sat down on the recliner.
"How'd it go?" So much for pretending not to care what happened.
"Reina''s good if that's what you're asking," he said dryly.
He had not gotten over it yet. "Where's she staying?"
"You know? I didn't think to ask."
I bit off a curse. How could he not ask the most basic questions?
"We talked about my knee and the bakery. But not much of anything else."
He had my attention now. "She didn't say anything about the other night?"
"She told me to mind my own business, and she promised to tell me if she's in the hospital again. I said I'd do the same."
So their relationship was fine, but things hadn't felt the same between Tom and me.
"I'll probably head to my parents for a few days, and then I'll be back. I have to get started on PT if I want to get full range of motion back.
"You're welcome to stay here."
He raised a brow. "I don't really want to see you and my sister together."
I laughed without any humor. "Like that's going to happen."
His brow furrowed. "Why wouldn't it?"
"We haven't talked since you came home. She's mad at me for how I handled things. Not that I can blame her." I was pissed at myself too.
"What do you want to do? Was it just a fling or something else?" he asked hesitantly.
He probably didn't really want to know, but he was trying to be a good friend. "I wanted to tell her how I felt but then you came home before I could."
"How do you feel?" Tom asked.
I should talk to Reina first, but I wasn't even sure she cared to hear what I had to say. "I love her."
His eyes flared. "I didn't realize it was that serious."
My stomach churned with anxiety. "I should have told her what I wanted a long time ago. Now everything's screwed up, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to fix it."
"You'll never know if you don't talk to her. Maybe she feels the same way."
I couldn't help but ask, "Did she say anything to you?"
He held up his hands. "I'm not getting in the middle of your relationship. It's bad enough I walked in on whatever was happening the other night."
"How can we be friends if I'm with your sister?" I asked.
"I didn't know that you loved her. That changes things.”
"I think subconsciously, I always knew there was something there.
When I heard she was asleep in that burning building, I acted on instinct.
I wouldn't back off, even when I heard the sirens and knew the firefighters would be there at any moment.
I had to be the one to rescue her. That has to mean something.
And then we got to know each other and one thing led to another.
I admire her. She's so strong and determined but also a positive person.
Then my feelings for her deepened until I couldn't imagine a life without her. "
"I can't say I've experienced anything like that before."
"I'd like to say I wouldn't pursue her if you had a problem with it, but I don't think I can ignore the way I feel. Not even if it means losing our friendship." I'd thought about nothing else for days.
His eyes widened. "You're really serious about her."
"I screwed up though. When you walked in the other night, I was more worried about your reaction than preserving our relationship. I should have been on Reina's side. I hope it's not too late. But I don't know what to do. How do you show a woman you're in love with her?"
Tom leaned his elbows on his thighs. "You said the bakery's renovation is almost completed?"
"One more week. Max."
"Maybe you could incorporate something with the big reveal. She'll want to see the end result, and you have to be there to show it to her."
"That's not a bad idea."
"I don't know if I'd take my advice though. It's hard to date when you're constantly traveling. I figured when things slowed down or when I retired, I'd have more time to meet someone. That might be sooner rather than later."
"Maybe you'll meet someone now that you're home for a bit."
"The young guys get married around the time they enlist. They want whoever they're dating to travel with them, to get spousal benefits.
But the deployments are hard on their relationships.
They don't last. And the ones that do, they get divorced after retirement.
Their relationship can't handle the change from constant deployments to the husband being home all the time. "
"You've thought about this a lot."
"I just see what goes on. There's a pattern."
"I wasn't interested in a relationship. You know I was busy with this new business endeavor, and we have our first big contract with Christmas Town.
" Tom nodded, so I continued, "I rescued Reina from the fire, and she needed a place to stay.
It was a no brainer to offer her a room here.
As soon as I realized that I was attracted to her, I tried to stay away.
I worked long hours to avoid her. But it felt wrong.
When I spent more time at home, we got to know each other quickly. "
Tom held up his hand. "I think I'm going to be okay with your relationship eventually. But I don't think I can handle the details."
I shook my head. "I wasn't going to go there. My point is that you never know when you'll meet someone, and most likely, it won't be the best timing. It won't fall perfectly together with what you want. But you'll feel really good about her."
He considered me. "You know, in a weird way, I'm happy it was you. I know you'll take care of Reina—"
"Don't let her hear you talk about her like that."
He chuckled. "She can handle herself, but I like knowing that she has a safe place to land, someone who's there for her."
"I want to be deserving of her. I'm just not sure she'll give me a second chance."
I nodded. "My parents said that the rest of your brothers are dating."
"That's true."
A line appeared between his brows. "You sure this thing with my sister isn't just pressure to be with anyone?"
"The fire brought us together. Otherwise, I don't know when we would have realized that there was a connection. But maybe it would have happened eventually."
He chuckled. "If everyone is falling in love, do I stand a chance? Maybe there's something about that town."
"What I've realized over the last few weeks is that if you want something badly enough, you'll figure it out. Whether it's in business or personally."
"You grew up when I was deployed," he said with a smirk.
I threw the remote at him, and he laughed. "Just wait until it happens to you. And it better not be with Aspen."
He raised a brow. "So you don't want one of your friends hooking up with your sister. Imagine that?"
I pressed my mouth into a thin line. "That's different."
He arched a brow. "How so?"
"It just is," I insisted, even though I knew how ridiculous it sounded.
"Sure it is." He threw the remote back to me.
I flipped to the baseball game, and we watched it, both lost in our own thoughts. Tom's entire life was up in the air. He wasn't sure where he'd be working once he'd rehabbed his knee. And I wasn't sure if Reina would accept my apology.
I'd captured her attention, and now I had to keep it.
Tom flew to Florida to visit his parents, and I worked overtime to finish the bakery.
I wanted Reina to be able to reopen soon, but I also wanted to give her the apology she deserved.
When Tom suggested timing it with the end of the renovation, I couldn't think of another option that made more sense.
She'd have to meet with me. Afterward, she could walk away. It was a possibility, but I had to try.
I'd never let Tom come between us again. Only time would really show her that. But I was excited to start our relationship fresh. This time, without the stress. What would it be like when we weren't worried about her brother finding out?
On the day I was supposed to show her the bakery, I finished a few last minute jobs and cleaned so that there wasn't any lingering dust or nails lying around.
The crew had already left, and it was just me. I'd told Reina to meet me at six. While I was vacuuming, someone knocked on the door.
I saw a few women through the glass window, and I gestured for them to come in.
Clara breezed in with a few of the other shop owners: Belle, Angela, and Meg. "We heard that you were showing Reina the bakery tonight."
"That's right," I said, a little taken aback that they were here and carrying bags of what looked like decorations. I hoped they weren't planning a party. "I'm hoping to talk to her."
Clara smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that. We want to help. We can decorate for you and create a little ambiance."
My heart rate picked up. "What did you have in mind?"
Belle squealed. "Let's get to work."
The girls worked quickly to hang twinkling lights from the ceiling in the seating area of the bakery. Then they set up a tree by the window with Christmas decorations, a requirement in this town.
They’d brought a box of automatic candles that were flickering around the room. Music played over the surround-sound speakers we'd installed.
"It's possible that Reina won't be able to see past the shiny new ovens in the kitchen, but if she does, she'll love this," I said to Clara as we worked.
"I think she's going to notice," she said simply.
I wanted to ask how Reina was doing, if she was still upset with me. But it wasn't appropriate to put her friend in the middle. I'd have to wait another hour or so before I could see her for myself.