Busted.

And I'm embarrassingly face-palming...

I can't believe Tawny busted me with my mother's book. The one person I didn't want to know or see what I had in my possession.

How embarrassing.

I'm not sure how to get out of this embarrassing situation since it was on my nightstand next to the bed. And not in another area of my home. And the more Tawny presses me about the novel, the more embarrassed I'm becoming, and the more excuses I try thinking of to get out of telling her why the book is where she saw it.

"I never knew you were a romance novel type of guy."

"I'm not," I quickly said while whipping the eggs for the French toast I'll be making.

"Why is it in your room and with a bookmark sticking out? That tells me you're reading it," she indicated delightedly. "So the question is, why are you reading it if you're not into romance novels?"

The last thing Tawny needs is me adding more lies to her plate. She's dealt with more than enough of those lately. So, I stopped whipping the eggs, and with the bowl and whisk in hand, I turned around, admitting what she was waiting to hear, yet not telling the entire story. "It's my mother's book."

A puzzled look appeared on her face. "If it's your mother's, how did it get next to your bed?"

I noticed the corner of her lip twitch, a smile itching to come out. And now it makes me wonder if Hannah mentioned my mom giving me her book to read.

Again, I can't lie to her.

"I brought it here," I mumbled.

"Why?" she pressed, looking amused.

I felt my cheeks heating and turned around, not wanting her to see I was embarrassed and avoided the question.

"You're reading it, aren't you?" she asked, with a bit of humor in her voice.

My eyes closed tight. "Not willingly," I embarrassingly admitted.

She giggled, which helped my warm cheeks heat even more.

"So you are reading a romance novel! Is that why you've become more pleasurable to be around?"

Ignoring the question, I reached for a slice of bread, then dipped it into the cinnamon and vanilla egg wash.

Another giggle exited her lips. "Who would have thought a man like you, who I once strongly believed was a narcissist, would be reading romance novels?"

Narcissist?

She thought I was a narcissist?

My head slightly turned, and I looked out the corner of my eye, saying, "I can't believe you thought I was that way. I'm far from being one."

"I don't think you're that way now. But a few months ago, you definitely were. You had all those traits of a narcissist, and I despised you for it."

Shit, was I one?

No way...

I turned the sausages, then laid the slices of the egg-soaked bread onto the griddle while thinking back to how I treated her amongst the other people I crossed paths with, and now that I think about it, I can see why she felt that way of me.

My God, I was an asshole.

A fool.

And such a tool.

Maybe I'm overthinking, but to be sure and curious to see if I'm right, I asked, "Can I ask why you thought that way?"

"Do you really want to know?" Tawny asked as she walked over, stopping beside me. Then her arms crossed against her chest as she used the countertop to rest against.

I do.

Wait, maybe I don't.

Never mind, I do.

I sighed while turning my head to look at her. "Please tell me why. Because if you still think I'm that way, I'd like to know what I need to do, to fix my stupidness."

I felt her eyes studying me, and I couldn't help to gulp, nervous to hear her reasonings the longer she was zeroing in on me. Then, finally, she started listing off my supposed narcissistic ways. "You were manipulative."

Manipulative... that one I already figured out, thanks to my mother. Even so, it still aches my heart knowing she, too, thought I was a manipulator.

"You lacked empathy."

I'm not that way anymore.

"You had a sense of entitlement."

Did I?

I may have set forth goals and earned what I now have, but I never felt the world owed me anything.

"You were arrogant."

Pfft. I think not.

Her body extended towards me with her head peeking around to catch my eyes. "Shall I continue?"

Please don't.

"Can we talk about something else? Something more along the lines of where you've been this past week?"

"I have nothing to hide, so I'll tell you where I've been. But first, I'd like to hear you admit to the things I listed off."

"As I said earlier this morning. I was an asshole. And I'm no longer that way."

The corner of her lip raised. "So you admit to it all?"

I gently cupped her chin, then apologetically looked at her, saying, "I'm sorry for how I was then. But I can assure you; I'm not that way anymore."

"Keep reading those romance novels. I like the new and improved Ian," she smiled, then cutely winked at me before turning on her heel and walking away.

"I only read that book to satisfy my mom," I informed. "Had I not, she would have read it to me like I was a two-year-old again.

"Now that, I would have loved to see," she amusingly said, laughing.

I'm sure you and everyone else would have loved to see that, too.

I prepared our plates, then walked them over to the table, placing Tawny's plate in front of her. "I want to see you eat the entire plate."

She cocked a brow. "You want me to eat your plate?"

I chuckled while sitting. "No, you smartass. I want to see you eat everything on that plate."

Her eyes widened. "That's a lot of food! Scrambled eggs. Six slices of French toast and four sausages? How hungry do you think I am?"

"Extremely," I grinned, taking a bite of my sausage. "Now eat before it gets cold."

I honestly don't expect her to eat it all, as it is a lot of food. But after observing her the twenty-eight hours I was, I'd like to see her eat as much as she can after going a week without consuming any food. And it's very noticeable on her face and frame.

Occasionally, I found myself glancing at her plate, making sure she was eating and not moving the food around her plate. The food on Tawny's plate was shrinking, but I still caught her using her fork to spread out the scrambled eggs. "Do you not like eggs?"

"I do; why?"

I pointed to them, saying, "You're moving them to make it look like you ate some."

She set her fork down, saying, "I was thinking about some things."

"About?"

Her eyes shifted away from her plate and up to mine. "Everything," she breathed. "From what I learned, to where I was, what I saw." She paused, looked down, and picked up her fork, then stirred her eggs a few seconds before quietly saying, "I went to see her."

My eyes widened, and I immediately stopped chewing.

Instead of saying the wrong thing I did earlier, I said nothing and let her continue.

"I wanted to know who she was, to see what type of person she was, and curious to see what she looked like. But I also went there wishing to talk, interested in hearing her side of the story. Only, the moment I got to Aliyah's place and stood outside her door. I froze."

"So you left?"

She shook her head slowly. "No. I got back in my car." Her eyes found their way back to mine. "Which I still owe you a thank you for."

"There's no need to thank me. I owed you a new vehicle."

"Yes, there is. And you didn't owe me a brand new SUV. Especially since I wrecked your car. It would be me who owes you a new car. Another specialized Lamborghini. But I still thank you for it."

I cleared my throat. "We'll talk about that another time... at any rate, you're very welcome. I felt that one fit you best and knew you'd look good in it." I smiled. "enjoy it."

She took a bite of her eggs, chewed, then swallowed before continuing where she left off. "Anyway, back to Aliyah. I left her driveway, parking the vehicle further away from the house, yet close enough to where I could still see her coming or going. I wasn't sure what to expect, and the longer I sat there watching and waiting for her to make her debut, the more I felt like some deranged stalker who was about to get arrested, so I left."

"Where did you go?"

"I drove around for a few hours, thinking about how much of a coward I was. So, because I needed closure, I went back. This time, I got the courage to knock. And when she answered, my heart instantly shattered into a million pieces. She was just like my father claimed her to be—the spitting image of my mother."

I didn't know what to say. So I looked down at my food, slowly letting out the air I had just taken in, waiting for Tawny's tears to reappear. But surprisingly, they didn't. Instead, she continued enlightening me about her father's mistress.

"So many emotions were running through me, and I felt like dropping to the ground to throw a tantrum like a little girl, but I didn't. I wanted to gouge her eyes out, to attack her, and to scar her gorgeous face, but I couldn't. Instead, I kept my composer, told her who I was, and asked if we could talk. Aliyah let me inside, and then we talked for hours, where she also confirmed everything my father told me."

"Do you believe her?" I curiously asked, expecting her to say no.

She slowly nodded. "I do. Aliyah told me everything, explaining more of the situation than my father had done. And I know I keep calling her a homewrecker, hoping it would make me feel better by claiming she was. But she isn't. Aliyah admitted she never called my father looking for sex, nor did he call her for the same. She was also firm on her claim that they never once kissed and strictly just sex. I know that doesn't make it any better, and I still find it sick, but that told me he had no feelings for her, that my mother was still on his mind. Especially since Aliyah claimed that each time after they had sex, he'd run to the bathroom and puke."

I couldn't help but twist my lips—unsure of what to think.

"Aliyah mentioned after they had sex the first time, she was shocked to hear she was pregnant after only having sex once. She also said that the other two pregnancies happened the same way—having sex only once. And timing it for when she was ovulating to get the desired results."

Hmm...

I never knew it'd be that easy to impregnate someone. "She must be one fertile woman," I said, still unsure if I believed that woman's story. "I've always assumed it takes multiple tries to become pregnant."

"No. Not all the time. Some women are lucky that way, and if you time it right, it'll happen."

Huh. "I learn something new every day."

"Aliyah has nothing to hide from me, and she seemed very truthful about everything, so I believe her. The story is she wanted kids, and he wanted more kids. Aliyah wanted no commitments, and neither did he. He loved my mom, and she knew he did. She also admitted to how they met."

"Where? The bar?" I interjected.

"No. Why do you think that?"

"Because it seems that's the type of place to meet people who are willing to cheat on their spouses after having a few cocktails. It's also much easier for women to spread their legs for someone they don't know." Maybe I should rephrase that, since not all spouses or women are that way. "I didn't mean to say it that way. It was a bit harsh."

Tawny's head shook. "I get it. I thought that way too, but no, it was at the sperm bank. She said she had just turned in the paperwork when my father approached her. And to prove her case, she showed me copies of what she filled out. Then, after clearing the air, she explained how my siblings knew our father's entire situation before introducing me to them. Afterward, I felt it would only be right and fair, not to hate them, but to get to know who they are, and ended up spending the rest of the day hanging out and getting to know them."

"Did you find out why one of them went to your home, looking for your father?"

"I did. And the reason my brother and sister showed up at my home was because of an emergency. He wasn't answering his phone and knew the only other way they'd be able to get a hold of my dad was by stopping over. Apparently, my six-year-old brother is allergic to bees. So after being stung by a wasp and going into septic shock, Aliyah had to rush him to the hospital."

I reached for Tawny's hand, then rested mine on top of hers, sincerely saying, "I'm sorry that your mom had to find out the way she did."

"I am too," she quietly said, looking away. "But it is what it is, and now she's gone because of it," she sighed.

"So, is that where you were all week? At their place?"

She shook her head, then turned her head back my way. "After leaving Aliyah's place, I went for a drive. The next thing I knew, I found myself at the one place I always wanted to go, where my parents refused to bring me, and a place my father had the nerve to admit he brought my siblings."

"Where's that?"

"The Dells."

***

Tawny's reason for disappearing was that she was hurt and extremely jealous of something her father had done, and felt she needed some alone time. So she drove to the Dells and spent a few days driving and walking around, curious to see what she missed out on as a child.

Once she saw all the waterparks, she was saddened more and wished she would never have driven out there. And the reason she felt that way was that she was broke, and said even if she did have money with her, it wouldn't have been fun since she was there alone.

While there, seeing the smiles of couples and families having fun with their kids, she became more depressed and decided to return home.

And I'm glad she did.

Tawny may feel broken, but that's where I come in—to put those broken pieces back together and to give her reasons to smile.

Seeing Tawny hurt, along with hearing her reasons why the waterpark was such a big deal, gave me an idea of how to bring back Tawny's amazing smiles. Those beautiful, contagious ones I love and miss so much.

So, to make her childhood dream come true, I've decided to surprise her with a fun-filled week's adventure to the exact place she had been hiding these last few days.

Me: Do me a favor, and please take Tawny off the schedule for the next week, and then I need you to cover those shifts for her.

Hannah: Why? Is she in that bad of shape?

In a way, yes. But no.

Me: She's getting better the more she opens to me. But no, that's not the reason I'm asking you to cover for her. The reason is that I'm going to make one of her dreams come true. Something exciting for her.

Hannah: Ooh... due tell.

Hannah responded, her message ending with an emoji of a smiling face and the tongue hanging out. Of course, my nosey little sister wants to know; she's always gotta know what I'm up to.

Me: No. You've got too much of a big mouth.

Hannah: Only when it needs to be. And since you're going to surprise her with something exciting, I deserve to know what that is, especially if it has something to do with exchanging promises.

Of course, the ending of Hannah's response had to have a winking emoji. She thinks I'll be making an honest woman out of Tawny.

I chuckled.

Unfortunately, I'm not ready to make that kind of commitment.

Not yet, anyway.

Me: I'm not bringing her to the justice of the peace. I'm taking her somewhere else. Somewhere fun and exciting. Somewhere where it will get the adrenaline going. Somewhere wet and wild. And somewhere I can hear her excitedly scream, yelling, I need more, more, more!

After hitting send, I chuckled, then stared at my phone with a big grin—waiting to see what her response would be. Expecting a message saying you're sick.

And I got what I was expecting.

A laugh from deep within the belly escaped me, and I couldn't help but laugh even harder after visualizing her facial reaction while reading my message.

Hannah: EWE! I don't want to hear about what you plan on doing to poor Tawny in the bedroom! That one you could have kept to yourself.

Me: LMAO. You asked, and I told you what I like hearing coming from Tawny's lungs.

Hannah: You're one sick person, you know that?

I knew she'd say that. And I love it.

Me: If you must know, I'm taking her to Wisconsin Dells.

Hannah: Fun!

Hannah: Wait... That's a dream of hers? For her to go to the Dells? Who hasn't been to the Dells?

Me: Tawny hasn't. And yes, it is. So, don't you dare say a word to her. She'll end up figuring it out the moment we head east on 94, anyway.

I felt the mattress dip, and the delicious scents of coconut and vanilla hit my soul. God, she smells outstanding. Then a pair of loving arms come wrapping around me. "Who are you talking to that you're laughing hysterically about?" Tawny asked, resting her chin on my shoulder.

I felt her eyes strolling down. Not wanting her to see what Hannah and I have been talking about, I flipped my phone over, then set it beside me before resting my hands over hers. "I was talking to Hannah. I know you said you wanted to head back to work tomorrow. But I'm not going to allow that to happen. So I told her you wouldn't be in for a week."

"A week? I need money!"

If I can make Tawny smile, make her feel wanted, and feel loved the way she's always wanted to be loved, it'll change the entire world. Well, not the whole world, but her world. And I want to be the reason why her world has changed. And for the better.

I shifted my body, then reached and guided Tawny onto my lap. I smiled with my forehead resting against hers and my eyes locked on hers. "Don't worry about money. You've got me now. Plus... Yesterday, Bonita informed me that your painting is expected to become available nationwide within the next couple of weeks. So, my dear. Instead of worrying about what's in your wallet, I need you to focus more on packing your clothes into my car. Because we're going on a little adventure," I smiled, caressing her cheek.

Tawny tightly sucked in her lips and had a look of oh no on her face.

"What's that look for?"

"The other reason I needed to get back up north is that I need clean clothes. I didn't grab much when I left, and what I do have, are dirty."

"If that's the case, we'll stop along the way to buy you some clothes. As well as another one of those band-aid bikinis for you to wear," I winked. "For when we're not around other observing eyes, that is."

I hope the chapter was okay! Thanks for reading!❤❤😊😊🤞🤞