Control (Harper Security Ops #18)

Eleven

ELEVEN

Alana

“Thank you, Doctor.”

With a nod and a wave at my doctor and his office staff, a card for my next appointment in my opposite hand, I opened the door and stepped out into the waiting room.

My eyes instantly locked on Ty as he stood and assessed me. Seeing him take me in like that, my heart skipped a beat.

The last couple of weeks of my life had been such a whirlwind, and through all the chaos of it, meeting Ty was easily the best part. There was something about him that made doing this so much easier.

And it wasn’t about him acting as my bodyguard, so I wouldn’t have to worry about my safety that did it. While that certainly helped, it was only a small part of it for me. There was something else that set him apart from so many of the other people in my life. The only problem was that I couldn’t pinpoint if it was one specific thing or multiple things that had me feeling such an immense appreciation for him.

Was it that he’d agreed to help me dig into this story? Was it the way he allowed me to take the lead on it? Was it that he never questioned my methods or the path I wanted to take while working on the biggest story of my whole career?

Perhaps it had nothing to do with any of that.

Maybe it was that he’d refused to accept money to help me. Maybe it was the way he occasionally teased me. It could have been the way my body reacted from the simplest touch of his fingertips on my skin. Or, it might have been the way he stood from his seat and looked at me like he was gauging whether I was okay the second I walked back into the waiting room following my doctor’s appointment. An appointment he insisted he wanted to bring me to simply so he could spend some extra time with me.

Once he’d gotten whatever confirmation he’d needed from his visual inspection of me, Ty moved toward me and asked, “Everything all good?”

My shoulders fell, such disappointment moving through me. “I wish.”

Concern immediately littered his features, and he seemed to place his hand on my lower back instinctively. “Are you okay to walk?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

Keeping his hand where it was, Ty jerked his head toward the exit. “Come on. Let’s get you to the car.”

Without another word, Ty led me out of the office, to the elevator, and out of the building.

Only after we were back in his car did he turn fully toward me and press for more information. “Is something wrong with your foot? Is it not healing properly? Did the doctor take your stitches out?”

My heart squeezed at the concern he showed for me. I’d dated a couple of men over the years, but none of them were like Ty. None of them cared or made me feel all warm inside the way he did.

“He did take the stitches out,” I confirmed.

“Was it painful?”

“It wasn’t terrible.”

Some relief seemed to sweep through him, but there was still an edge of worry. “I feel like the doctor gave you some bad news.”

“Yeah, he did,” I confirmed. “Apparently, I need to take it easy for the next few days, because although my doctor expected to see some swelling, what he saw was more than he would like. He’d asked me if I’d been keeping it elevated and allowing it to heal, and I had no choice but to admit I’d been doing a lot of walking. I explained that I hadn’t realized I needed to take it easy when I had the walking boot, believing I could just go about my business like normal. All of that to say, I’m not cleared to return to work yet, because he wants to see some improvement with the pain and swelling before granting me that permission.”

“So, you’ve been overdoing it?”

“I guess so. It’s probably the same reason I wound up missing breakfast at home yesterday morning, too. Apparently, my body took over and decided it needed the extra sleep in order to be able to repair and recover, and since I haven’t been giving it that throughout the day, it left me no choice. Maybe I’ll only be able to make one or two visits each day while working on this story until I get a little further along in my healing.”

Ty frowned. “Have you been working and visiting all of these spots the last few days while experiencing pain in your foot?”

I feigned innocence. “I thought some pain was to be expected.”

His eyes roamed over my face, studying me. “Why do I get the feeling you’re minimizing the amount of discomfort you’ve been feeling?”

I bit my lip and looked away from him. My foot had been aching for days. Up until the point I’d had my first visit with my doctor, it had been doing well. But I’d been home, resting, and only doing minimal walking around my house throughout the day. Ever since that visit, I’d been up and moving around so much, not taking a break in between, and my foot wasn’t happy at all. But since I was so determined to get some answers, I ignored what I was feeling throughout the day, waited until I was home, and took some pain medication every evening.

“Okay, so change of plans for today,” Ty declared.

I snapped my head back in his direction. “What?”

“No investigating is happening today.”

“I could do something,” I reasoned, feeling a slight panic bubble up inside me. “Maybe just one visit.”

He shook his head. “Not today, Alana. I’m not the kind of guy who can go along with something if I know it’s actively causing you harm. Would the doctor approve of you doing any work today?”

“Probably not, considering he told me he’d like me to really try to rest and relax for the next two days, only getting up to move from the couch to the bed or to use the bathroom and take care of menial tasks like making myself meals,” I murmured.

“Okay, then let me bring you home and wait on you hand and foot while you take some time to rest,” Ty suggested.

I wasn’t quite sure what to say.

Never in a million years did I think a man like Ty would ever say something like that to me. In fact, other than my mom doting on me because it was the only thing that’d help her remain calm when I was younger and living at home, nobody had ever gone to such lengths to request I allow them to take care of me.

It was at that moment when my phone rang. I fished my hand around in my purse and pulled it out, not recognizing the number on the display. Normally, I would have ignored such a call, but since the number was local and I realized it could have been the doctor’s office calling me because I forgot something, I slid my finger across the screen and answered the call. “Hello?”

“Alana?”

Despite how different it was from the last time I heard it, I instantly recognized the soft, feminine voice. “Mrs. Fitzpatrick?”

“She’s awake. My Yasmine is finally awake for more than a few minutes at a time.”

I sent a wide-eyed look in Ty’s direction. “Are you serious?”

“It was a couple of hours ago, very early in the morning. It was still dark outside, but it was like my whole world had lit up. I can breathe just a little bit easier now.”

“Oh, I’m so happy to hear this news,” I told her, feeling myself grow emotional. “How is she doing? Can I come by to visit with her?”

“She’s doing okay, still very groggy. I’m sure she would love to see you, Alana. But if I’m honest, she’s really not in a state to visit with anyone yet. I’d recommend waiting a couple of days before coming here to see her. I just thought you’d want to know that she’s been steadily making improvements, and she’s finally really back with us.”

It was such a tremendous relief to hear that Yasmine was on the road to recovery. And to hear the change in Mrs. Fitzpatrick’s voice—it was like she’d had hundreds of pounds of weight removed from her shoulders—was encouraging.

As much as I wanted to see Yasmine, I’d respect her mother’s recommendation to give her a few days. “Will you call me when you think she’s ready for visitors?”

“Absolutely.”

“Thank you. This news has turned my whole day around; I’m so happy.”

“Me, too. But I should get back to her now.”

“Of course. Thank you so much for letting me know. I’ll look forward to hearing from you soon.”

The smile she was wearing could be heard in her voice. “You’re welcome, Alana. We’ll talk soon.”

Mrs. Fitzpatrick and I said goodbye to one another and disconnected our call. I hadn’t even tossed my phone back into my purse when Ty asked, “Yasmine’s awake?”

I beamed at him, feeling my eyes get wet. “She is.”

His features softened, and he reached his hand out to the side of my face. Ty stroked his thumb gently over the apple of my cheek. “I’m glad your friend is doing better.”

Maybe it was my emotions. Maybe it was Ty. But I pressed my cheek into his hand, loving the way it felt. “Thank you, Ty. Thank you for being here with me.”

His thumb stroked over my cheek once more, the tender touch a whisper of comfort and affection. “Can I take you home now?”

I inclined my head. “Yeah.”

Ty’s hand lingered just a moment longer. Then he pulled it away and drove me home. We spent the drive sitting in silence. Or, well, mostly in silence. The radio was on, but the volume was low, like background music in a movie scene.

I spent the ride back to my place—where Ty had picked me up this morning—feeling sorrow over needing to cool my efforts on my investigation, so my foot could have more time to heal, feeling immense gratitude for the news of Yasmine’s recovery, and experiencing the utter excitement I felt about the shift taking place between Ty and me.

We made it back to my place, and we took a few minutes to get settled. I gave Ty as much of a tour as he’d allow, quickly learning that although he’d been content to let me lead when it came to the work I was doing, he wouldn’t sit back and do nothing when it came to my well-being. It was as heartwarming as it was frustrating, because while I loved the care that he showed, I didn’t like feeling helpless.

Sitting on one end of the couch with both of my feet propped up on the middle cushion—the germaphobe in me grateful for the booties I wore over my boot whenever I was out in public—I sent a pointed look to Ty at the opposite end of the couch. “I bet you’re really thrilled now.”

“What makes you say that?”

My brows shot up. “Are you kidding? This is going to get boring pretty fast, don’t you think?”

He shook his head, a look of amusement washing over his expression. “No. I’m having a blast.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure.”

Ty rested his hand casually on the top of my uninjured foot, giving my uninjured toes a light squeeze. “Nothing about this is boring to me, Alana. In fact, other than the obvious fact that I don’t want you to be feeling any sort of pain or discomfort, I think this is the best thing that could have happened.”

“What? Why?”

A slow smile formed on his face. “We’ve spent so much time focusing on the reporting of this story, but we haven’t spent a whole lot of time getting to know each other. I think it’d be nice to learn a bit more about you.”

I didn’t doubt Ty could easily see the flush that crept over my skin. As someone who did what I did for a living, that should have easily been one of the first things I wanted to do when it came to Ty.

“Well, that can only happen if it’s going to go both ways,” I reasoned. “You have to be willing to share things with me about you.”

“Fair enough. In fact, I’m willing to let you start. Ask me anything you want,” he urged.

I couldn’t help but notice how relaxed Ty was, even though he’d just given me the opportunity to ask him anything I wanted. It wasn’t as though I had anything I wanted to hide from him, but depending on where he took his line of questioning, there might have been one or two things that would have me cringing.

My eyes searched his handsome face for a bit, trying to decide what I was most interested in learning about him. God, he was good looking. And it was that thought which made me want to ask him about his relationship status. One look at him, and anyone might assume he was already spoken for, especially once they learned about the kind of guy he was.

But I had to believe he was single, based on his interactions with me. He was giving off far too many signals that he wasn’t tied to anyone else.

Unfortunately, no matter how much I wanted to ask, I refrained. Maybe after we got a little deeper into this, I’d build up some courage, or perhaps the conversation would just lead there naturally.

“Okay. Well, I’ll make it easy,” I began. “Can you tell me about your family? Are they here in Steel Ridge? Are you close with them? Do you have siblings?”

“I grew up here in Steel Ridge, living with my parents and my two brothers. We’re close in that we talk to each other regularly, and we always get together for holidays or other celebrations. Everybody is busy doing their own thing and working, but we definitely make time for one another.”

I smiled. “Are you the oldest?”

“Middle child.”

“Mmm. I’ve heard about middle children. Is it as bad as they say?”

Ty’s brows pulled together. “I don’t know what they say about middle children, but I don’t think anything was bad.”

I shrugged. “It’s probably just some made-up thing I read about once. There’s this thought that middle children are somehow neglected and not given nearly as much attention as the oldest or youngest, which then supposedly affects your personality.”

He sent me an amused look. “Do I seem unhinged or like I might be suffering? Should I confront my parents?”

My eyes widened in horror. “No! Oh, God, I didn’t mean to insinuate anything like that. I’m so sorry. I probably shouldn’t have started the line of questioning off.”

Laughter spilled out of him. “Relax, Alana. I was just teasing you, and I’m not at all offended. What about you? Obviously, I already met your parents, but do you have any siblings?”

I loved how Ty was so laidback and easygoing. With the exception of my physical well-being, nothing seemed to get him riled up. “I have one brother. He’s the older one.”

“So, you’re the only girl and the baby of the family.”

“Forget about the middle-child syndrome. They need to come up with a name for people like me.”

“Oh, I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”

I cocked a brow. “You have no idea.”

“Alright, I’ll ease up on that for now. How about you ask me another question?”

Tapping my finger on my chin, I realized that perhaps Ty was right. Maybe following the doctor’s orders for the next two days or so wasn’t going to be so bad. Being here with him was certainly much better than being alone. It was that thought which led me to my next question. “Okay, I’ve got one. Do you live in downtown Steel Ridge?”

“No. What would make you ask that?”

“Well, I was just thinking how nice it was that I’m not sitting here alone, feeling bad about needing to pause my steps to uncovering the truth about Annie, and so I was remembering how we met. Barring the horror of the car accident, you happened to be at the right place at the right time. Were you heading home from somewhere, or were you out shopping? I mean, the holidays are approaching.”

In a flash, Ty’s entire expression changed, his body going rigid. Surely, he couldn’t have had such a negative response to recalling my accident, but it was evident he was not the same light-hearted guy from only moments before.

Worrying that I’d crossed some line I wasn’t aware I shouldn’t have, I quickly backtracked. “Um, it’s okay if you don’t want to?—”

“It’s okay,” he assured me. His eyes roamed over my face, something I couldn’t read passing through his expression. “I had actually just learned mere minutes before your accident that my now ex-girlfriend, who does live in downtown Steel Ridge, was cheating on me.”

Without thinking, the words just spilled out of me. “Oh, my God. Are you serious?”

“Yep.”

I stared at him, hesitated, but ultimately said, “If you don’t want to talk about this, I completely understand, but are you saying you learned about this through a friend or a phone call or something? Or, are you telling me you learned because you saw her out with him?”

“Neither.”

My brows pulled together, trying to figure it out. I wanted to ask for more, but I couldn’t bring myself to push for information that was likely painful for him. So, I remained silent, unsure of what to do at all.

“Evangeline and I hadn’t spent much time together over the five weeks leading up to that night,” he started. “She was studying to take her CFP exam, and she had wanted to put her focus into that. That night, I’d decided to surprise her with dinner. She’d been working so hard to prepare for that exam, and I thought it’d be nice for us to get together for an hour, have dinner together, and she could go back to studying. I showed up at her place, found her in a robe, fresh from a shower, and some man I didn’t know wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. It wasn’t difficult to figure out what was happening, and she didn’t deny it, either.”

I was at a loss for words.

How? Why?

Ty was easily the best guy I’d ever met. He was handsome, charming, smart, and unbelievably protective. I’d learned this in a matter of days, and I was willing to bet I’d just barely scratched the surface of the kind of man he was.

I tried to think of what kind of woman Evangeline would have to be to have a man like Ty in her life and toss him aside like he was nothing. Because from where I was sitting, he was everything I thought a girl could ever hope to have in her life.

“You’re not saying anything,” he noted.

I shook my head, trying to rid the thoughts from it. “I’m sorry. It’s just, I can’t imagine what would ever make someone do that, especially when she had a man like you. God, Ty, I’m so sorry. How are you doing?”

“I’ll admit it wasn’t exactly an ideal situation, and I’d never want to experience that again. But I’m much better now. I mean, I get to sit around for at least the next two days and take care of you,” he teased.

I wanted to say that it had been her loss, that he deserved much better, and that I was the lucky one, but I didn’t want to be insensitive. “I promise to do my best to keep you occupied.”

He chuckled. “I appreciate that. So, what about you?”

“What about me?”

“I know you said you don’t have a boyfriend, but when was your last relationship?”

I sighed. “My last serious relationship ended about two and a half years ago. We were together for just over a year, and it became too much.”

“Too much?”

“I would want to spend time with him, doing things to have fun or going on a date every so often. He’d never want to go out. It got to the point where I became sick of always being stuck inside, so I’d decide to call a friend to do something instead. Then he tried to tell me I wasn’t allowed to go out, not even for lunch or dinner with Yasmine. I wasn’t going to allow him to control me, so I ended things between us. Ever since, I’ve tried dating, but nothing more than a handful of dates with people who were nice enough. Those dates never amounted to anything more because there was no chemistry. So, it’s been years since I’ve been in a relationship and at least eight months since I’ve been out on a romantic date.”

It wasn’t until I took in the look on Ty’s face that I realized how much rambling I’d done. Gosh, what was wrong with me?

Just as I wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole, Ty placed his hand on my leg just above my ankle and said, “We’re going to have to see about changing that for you sometime very soon.”

I raised a questioning brow, but Ty didn’t elaborate.

There was a moment of silence before he said, “Alright. What’s your next question for me?”

I shook my head. “Oh, no. No, I’m zero for two on the questions. Maybe you should start the next round.”

Laughter spilled out of him. “Fair enough. How about you tell me what made you want to become a reporter?”

Now, it was my turn to laugh. “I wish I could give you some glamorous reason or tell you it was always my dream, but that’s not the case. It was during my junior year in high school when my first real boyfriend, my first love, decided to cheat on me. That became the year I learned just how much I hated secrets and the importance of the truth.”

“And here I thought we might have to go a few rounds before finding something we can connect on,” Ty declared. “I’m sorry to hear about your first boyfriend. He sounds just as awful as my most recent girlfriend.”

I smiled. “He truly was the worst. I think you and I need lessons in picking better partners.”

He shot a knowing smile my way, a gleam in his eyes. The prolonged eye contact was almost too much, forcing flutters to form in my belly.

We were barely an hour into this two-day break. If this continued like this between us, I thought it might mean trouble. He was mere weeks out of a relationship. I didn’t want to be the girl who helped him get over it before he moved on.

“Okay, Ty. Stop looking at me like that and tell me about you. Why did you become a bodyguard?”

His lips curved into a smile.

Then he told me all about his career choices.

“Well, believe it or not, when I got out of the military, I considered a different career field,” he confessed.

I cocked a brow, feeling intrigued. “Oh? What was it?”

“Secret service.”

My eyes nearly fell out of my head. “What?!”

His lips twitched. “Does that surprise you?”

“Uh, kind of. I mean, with the military background, I guess it fits. And you’re obviously capable, considering you’re a bodyguard now, but you don’t seem that uptight. Is that why you decided against it?”

Laughter spilled out of him. “I decided against it because I realized there’d be no choices or freedom. I’d run the risk of being given an assignment, the job of protecting someone who I didn’t necessarily agree with, and I’d have no option but to still do the job. I didn’t want to spend my entire working life having no control over the work that I was going to be a part of.”

I tipped my head to one side and assessed him. We had this in common. Sure, I hadn’t realized until more recently that I didn’t like not having the option to choose what stories I covered, but now that I’d been doing this on my own, I felt undeniably fulfilled. Ty had the foresight years before me, but we both appreciated the same thing when it came to our careers.

I sent a mischievous look his way. “But what about the suits?”

“What?”

My tongue darted out and licked my lips. “If you’d joined the secret service, you’d be wearing a suit every day.”

“And there’s just one more reason I’m glad I decided to be a bodyguard at Harper Security Ops.”

“Bummer,” I mumbled.

“What?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I think it’d be nice to see what you look like in a suit. I’m convinced there aren’t many guys who can pull it off the way you could.”

Ty didn’t miss a beat. “Well, if that’s the case, when do you get into a dress?”

“A dress? Why?”

“Most reporters I’ve seen on television are wearing dresses. When do I get the privilege of seeing that?”

Did he want to see me dressed up?

“First of all, I think you need a bit of education. There are reporters, news anchors, and journalists. You might think they’re all the same, but they’re not. And I’m not a news anchor.”

“But you’ll be in front of the camera if you decide to do a podcast,” he reasoned. “And I think it’d be great, because I’m convinced there aren’t many women who could pull off a dress the way you could.”

Heat hit my cheeks. “I’ll wear a dress for you the day you put on a suit for me.”

“Oh, that’s enticing. I just don’t know if it’s smart. Do you think this town could handle the two of us?”

I smiled at him. “Maybe we’ll create our own headlines.”

His gaze darkened. “Let’s wait until you’re out of that boot and back on your feet. Then we’ll make it happen.”

My belly flipped. Whether he was serious or just playing around, I didn’t know. But I’d have been lying if I said I wasn’t the least bit excited at the prospect.

Our question-and-answer session continued for quite a while afterward, none of the questions delving into quite the same territory, though. And when dinnertime rolled around, Ty dazzled me with his cooking skills and made some grilled cheese sandwiches.