Page 75 of The Thief
I sat quietly, taking it all in. Then I glanced at them both and said, “Thank you. Thank you for telling me all that. And I’ll keep what you said to myself. You can always trust me.”
“We know that,” Liv said, smiling. “Now try to relax and enjoy being with Jess. The start of a relationship is always the best part.” She winked and I grinned back at her.
“Ain’t that the truth.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
JESS
Once upon a time, there was a girl who was fearless, and then... life happened.
I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my bedroom, wondering if the red dress I was wearing was too much, too showy. Maybe I should change it to the black one. Black blends in better. I could hide in the shadows.
And then I berated myself for even questioning it.
I don’t know why I let myself get like this. I pissed myself off most of the time. I don’t know why, but I seemed to have developed a niggling voice in my head that made me feel a little less brighter than I used to be. I missed having a fuck-it attitude, and I wanted to get it back.
My dad had always told me, I was cut from a different cloth, and to remember they didn’t make that kind of fabric anymore.Whenever he’d say it, I felt proud that he did. That he knew I walked my own path, and he congratulated me for it. But lately, ever since Ava’s dad had left, and especially when my dad died, that path had become overgrown with thorns and weeds. It wasn’t an easy path to tread. But thinking about what my dad said, how he encouraged me to be courageous and speak up for myself, it made me smile. I was gonna get that girl back. No more self-doubt and cynicism. Life was too short.
I heard a knock at the front door and knew instantly who it was. Flutters of nerves erupted inside me, but I smiled. I loved that he made me feel that way.
I opened my bedroom door, walking past Ava’s empty bedroom. The little madam hadn’t made it easy for me when I’d dropped her off at Mum’s earlier. When I told her Tyler was taking me out, she’d insisted that she needed to come too. That Tyler would want her there. Then, when she knew that wouldn’t work, she’d refused to go to her grandma’s, telling me she hated it and wouldn’t sleep. I stayed strong and took her over regardless, and within minutes of us walking through the door, she’d run off to play with Uncle Toby in the back garden.
“She’ll be fine,” my mum had reminded me. “It’s not like we’re strangers. She loves coming here. Now, stop worrying and go. Have a good time. You deserve it.”
When I’d kissed Ava goodbye, she asked me to bring her a present when I picked her up.
Yes. She’d be fine. I was the one overthinking everything. The little madam would be more than happy with a bag of sweets when I collected her on Sunday.
I walked down the stairs, anticipation for the evening ahead making the flutters in my stomach beat faster, stronger.With Tyler, everything was always so... unexpected, and yet, unforgettable. I knew tonight would be no different.
I took a breath for courage and opened the door, and when he saw me, his eyes widened as he stepped into the hallway.
“Jess,” he gasped, reaching forward to run his hand down the side of my waist, a soft and gentle gesture, but the heat burning in his eyes told me the thoughts he was having were anything but soft and gentle. “You look... stunning. So beautiful.”
“You don’t look too bad yourself,” I replied, taking in his black trousers and black shirt, which was open at the neck, showcasing his beautiful, bronzed skin.
We stood staring at each other for a moment, both lost in our own worlds, until Tyler said, “Was Ava okay, when you took her to your Mum’s?”
“She was fine.” I grinned, grabbing my purse from the side table, getting ready to leave. “She gets to eat whatever she wants, stay up late, it’s practically heaven over there.”
“I’m surprised she didn’t insist on coming with us,” Tyler joked as he held the door open for me.
“Oh, she did,” I replied, setting the house alarm and stepping out onto the path. “But a little bribery and the promise of a treat tomorrow helped to sweeten the deal.”
I locked the front door then turned to see Tyler smiling at me.
“What?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.
“You might have a delivery coming tomorrow.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What have you done?”
He shrugged. “Ava might have a Lego set coming for winning the picture competition at the dessert café we went to.”
“A Lego set that you bought, right?”
Anothershrug. “She was so proud of that picture. I wanted to make sure she got a prize.”
