Eva wished she had some sort of magic pill to give Tyree that would cure his guilt. She understood him loving his wife, and she certainly didn’t begrudge him those feelings. But she hated knowing that he was having such a hard time moving forward, especially after so much time.

More than that, she hated the tiny insecurities that popped up inside herself. Because the truth was, she was falling back in love with him. Assuming she’d ever fallen out of love in the first place. And though he said he loved her, she feared that he really didn’t. Or, more accurately, that he was holding back. That he wasn’t willing to really be with her, because he feared that somehow taking a step toward her meant walking away from Teiko.

And, she supposed, it did. But wasn’t that okay? Wasn’t that the nature of healing?

Or was she being selfish, wishing that he’d heal faster and feel differently because that was what she wanted, not necessarily what he needed?

Honestly? She didn’t know what to think.

And so she told herself that she wasn’t going to think at all. She was in Austin for the time being, and she was going to do her work, spend time with her daughter, and enjoy as much time and intimacy with Tyree as he and their schedules would allow.

After that, she’d see where they stood. Maybe not the best plan, but her only other option was to put on the brakes and revert to simply co-parenting Elena.

Frankly, she’d moved way past that option.

Last night, he’d left the apartment before Elena had gotten home. They hadn’t returned to the bedroom, but had instead snuggled on the couch, talking and making out as if they were teenagers. It had been sweet, and even a little refreshing, and the only downside was that she hadn’t woken up in his arms.

They had, however, planned to meet for coffee, a walk around the lake, and then a leisurely breakfast. Which was why she was currently hanging out on the corner of Cesar Chavez and Congress, taking random pictures of the scenery just to pass the time.

Then her camera caught him walking up the trail holding two to-go cups and a white paper bag. She took a series of shots, him closer in each one, until finally only the coffee filled the frame. “It’ll be great art,” she said, when she lowered the camera to face his amused expression. “Or just something silly for me to look at when I’m alone.”

“I vote the latter,” he said, then passed her a coffee. “And I know we talked about getting breakfast, but it’s such a gorgeous morning, I thought we might walk longer and have Kolaches.” He held up the bag, and she peered in to find a selection of cheese, fruit, and sausage pastries.

Already hungry, she took out a sausage-filled one and took a bite, enjoying the sharp tang of the pastry-wrapped sausage. “This is great,” she said. “Thanks.”

“I also thought that if you wanted, we could spend the day together. Maybe head over to my house after our walk. Talk a bit. Fix some lunch. I have a covered patio and a great selection of wine. We could get a little drunk in the afternoon, see where it leads.”

She shot him a sideways glance, wondering how far he intended it to lead. Another try after last night? Or did he want to back off the bedroom for a bit? Either way, though, it sounded tempting. And she could talk to him about her fears about his wifely guilt later. No sense ruining a perfectly lovely day with serious relationship talk.

“That sounds great. But are you sure it’s a good idea? I’ve been usurping a lot of your time lately. What are your partners at The Fix going to think?”

“Probably that I’m ridiculously fond of you. And that I haven’t given myself a vacation in a long, long time.”

“Is that what I am? A vacation?”

He popped the last bite of his pastry in his mouth, then took her hand. “You’re a hell of a lot more than that,” he said, with such sincerity it made her heart swell. “But speaking of vacations,” he continued, “are you regretting not going to Vancouver?”

“Only as far as the temperature and humidity goes,” she admitted. “It’s brutal here. But the other amenities in Austin make up for it.”

“Yeah?” he teased. “Like what?”

“Oh, you know. Great local bars. Cute guys on the jogging trails. Lots of places that serve breakfast tacos. General Austin stuff.”

He tugged her to a stop, then kissed her, his mouth tasting like sausage. “That’s all?”

“Oh, wait. There’s this man I’m fond of…”

He laughed, and they continued along the walking path, chatting about the bar, the kids, the weather. Pretty much everything until she circled back to their original conversation. “I just want to be sure that I’m not a distraction. I know the idea is for you to up the revenue at the bar. I don’t want to feel like I’m hindering that.”

“You’re not. And I like the distraction. It feels good, actually. Like I’m finding my center again.”

She paused on the trail. “Do you mean that?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I do.”

A smile tugged at her mouth. “In that case, good.”

“Come on. Let’s head back to my car.”

They turned around, then headed back the way they came, foregoing the longer path that circled the downtown section of the river. “Can I ask you something else?” she asked after they’d walked about a quarter of a mile. “Why didn’t you ever look for me? I mean, I know you sent letters, and since my father hid them, I never answered you. But why didn’t you come looking for me to ask why?”

It wasn’t until the words were out that she realized how much his answer mattered to her. And when he spoke, the words hit her with the force of a brick.

“I did,” he said. “I saw you with David. And with Elena. I assumed she was his.”

She stopped on the track, staring at him. “But that would mean I would have had to have hooked up with David about fifteen seconds after you shipped out.”

“I know,” he said, and she froze, stopped cold by the pain in his voice.

“Oh, Tiger,” she said. “All these years, you’d thought—”

He shook his head, his finger on her lips gently silencing her. “You’re here now. And none of that matters anymore.”