When we pulled into the parking lot at Yates’ Motorcycles, Paisley gasped loudly. I looked over to see her staring wide-eyed at the building in front of us. I followed her gaze and smiled. If you weren’t used it, the building did look spectacular. The bottom floor was almost entirely made up of windows. You could see all the bikes lined up inside.
Paisley’s eyes trailed up the side of the building. She tilted her head against the window, looking all the way to the top floor.
“You really work here?” Paisley asked breathlessly. “It’s so big. And pretty.”
“I really work here,” I said. “Unfortunately.”
“You don’t like it?” Paisley asked.
“It’s fine.” I shrugged. “It just wouldn’t be my first choice.”
“What would be your first choice?” Paisley asked in her kid voice.
“Well, before I worked here, I worked at a repair shop,” I said. “I used to fix motorcycles. I really enjoyed that.”
“Why’d you stop then?” she asked as we climbed out of the car.
“It was just time to move on,” I said with another shrug.
“You got fired,” Paisley accused. I laughed and looked over at her. She just stared back at me as we walked through the front doors.
“No,” I said. “I didn’t get fired.”
“Sure,” Paisley said. She rolled her eyes.
“I really didn’t,” I argued.
“I believe you,” Paisley said. It was obvious that she didn’t. I wanted to argue more, but I told myself to let it go. She was eight, and she enjoyed pushing my buttons. It wasn’t worth the fight.
We walked through the showroom slowly. Paisley’s eyes roamed wildly around, taking in everything around her. She looked at all the bikes one at a time. I stayed silent while she looked, waiting for her to ask questions.
She didn’t. She just followed me over to the elevators with wide, curious eyes. When we stepped on the elevator, her excitement faded slightly. I knew offices wouldn’t be as exciting to her as motorcycles.
We reached the conference room quickly. Tara was already there waiting for us. She stood up when we walked in and smiled down at Paisley.
“You brought Paisley,” she said to me. “I’m glad.”
“Tara!” Paisley squealed. She ran over and hugged Tara quickly. Tara hugged her back, her smile growing wider by the second.
“It’s okay, right?” I asked. “You said I could bring her with me.”
“Of course!” Tara said. Her eyes met mine, and I couldn’t look away. We hadn’t spoken since Saturday night. I didn’t know how to act. I thought about saying something, but I didn’t know how to with Paisley standing right beside us.
Tara’s face was impassive. I had no idea what she was thinking. We looked at each other for a long time before she finally looked away. I still wanted to talk about what happened between us, but Tara was clearly determined not to make a big deal about it. I decided to follow her lead.
“Come on,” I said to Paisley. “Let’s sit down.”
“Okay,” Paisley said. She bounced over to a chair. She sat down and placed her sketchbook on the table in front of her.
“What’s that?” Tara asked
“My sketch book,” Paisley explained. “I like to draw sometimes.”
“Really?” Tara asked. “Me too. What do you like to draw?”
Paisley shrugged and said, “I don’t know. All kinds of things.”
“Like what?” Tara asked. She had eyes only for Paisley in that moment. Paisley looked up at her with a frown. Her expression was thoughtful as she considered whether to show Tara her drawings.
Finally, Paisley seemed to decide. She cleared her throat and pushed the book toward Tara. Tara took it gently in her hands and glanced at Paisley to make sure it was okay.
“Go ahead,” Paisley said. “You can look.”
Tara opened the book and began flipping through the pages. She moved slowly, taking in every detail of each picture. I stood to the side and watched them. Paisley leaned over to show Tara which ones were her favorites. They talked about why Paisley like to draw and which ones she had trouble with. Paisley talked more in that moment than I’d ever heard her talk before.
Tara listened intently. She smiled and nodded. She told Paisley all about her own drawings, and she praised Paisley’s talent. It killed me not to see the drawings, but I knew better than to sneak a peek. Paisley wanted to show Tara, and I wasn’t going to ruin their moment.
Still, it was hard to watch Paisley grow more comfortable with Tara. I loved how easily they got along, but I was jealous. More than anything, I wanted Paisley to let me in. I wanted her to share her thoughts and feelings with me, her dad. I knew it would take time, and I was glad she had Tara. For the time being, I was just glad Paisley was able to talk to someone, anyone, about anything.
While they talked, I let my mind wander. I thought about that night with Tara. I remembered the way our bodies moved together. As I watched her play with my daughter, my heart swelled with emotion. I didn’t know what was going on between Tara and me, but I knew my feelings for her were very real. She wasn’t a one-night stand to me. Not even close.
The conference room door swung open with a bang, pulling me back to reality. Paisley stopped talking and whirled around. Tara followed her lead and looked over at the door, but I was quicker than them both. My eyes had already fallen on the unexpected visitor.
My brother moved quickly across the room, heading toward us.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Tara
My eyes narrowed as Zach walked across the room. Paisley and I were in the middle of a great conversation when he barged into the conference room. He was almost always the last person I wanted to see, but in that moment, my animosity toward him was stronger than ever. I tried to remain composed when he stopped in front of me, but I knew my face betrayed me.
“Good morning,” Zach said brightly. He looked from me to Sean to Paisley and back again. “Who’s this?”
I glanced at Sean to see if he would answer. His face was like stone as he stared at his brother. I never found out what happened between the brothers, but I knew that wasn’t the moment to ask. I moved closer to Paisley and wrapped my arm protectively around her shoulder.
“This is Paisley,” I said loudly. “Sean’s daughter.”
Paisley moved closer to me while I spoke. She melted into my side, and I could tell she was nervous. I didn’t blame her. I’d known Zach for years and he still made me nervous every time he walked into a room. He had that effect on people.
“Paisley,” I said gently. “This is Zach. Zach Yates.”
I let the introductions stop there. It wasn’t my job to explain to Paisley that Zach was also her uncle. I glanced at Sean. His eyes were glued to his brother’s face. Zach acted as if I hadn’t spoken. He took a step toward his brother with a malicious look on his face.
“This isn’t a daycare,” he said. “It’s a place of business. You can’t just bring your bastard children here whenever you want.”
Sean took a step forward, but I was faster. I moved to stand in front of Zach, putting my face inches away from his. He looked surprised by my sudden movement, but he quickly recovered. He grinned at me in that way I hated.
“You need to leave,” I said simply.
“Excuse me?” Zach asked. He raised his eyebrows.