I smiled and followed Tim into his office when he got there. “Hi.” I shut the door and turned around for what was usually my morning kiss waiting on me, but Tim had already gone to his desk. It was as if he hadn’t seen me.

“Okay.” I walked to the front of his desk with my hands behind my back. “What’s wrong?”

He looked up and shook his head. “I’m so sorry.” He came around the desk and kissed me, but it wasn’t as passionate as we normally were.

I cupped his face and stroked his cheeks with my thumbs. “What is it? Did someone code last night or sneak out?”

He tried to keep the more serious issues away from me, but I told him if we were going to be in a relationship, he had to tell me everything. He wasn’t allowed to keep things bottled up anymore.

“No.” He put his forehead to mine and squeezed my hips. “Brody is going to be unavailable for a few days.”

“Oh, I hope he isn’t coming down with what I had a couple of weeks ago.”

“No, that would be a blessing.” He gave me a quick kiss and went around to the desk.

“Did he relapse?”

Tim closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. “As much as it pains me to say it, I would prefer that over this.” He looked at me. “Please, I cannot tell you. I need to keep you safe.”

My mind went to the last appointment Brody had the day before. “He took that job with Joshua Mosley, didn’t he? You’re worried if he doesn’t help his daughter then Joshua will go after Brody.”

“Something like that.”

“What’s her addiction?”

He shook his head. “I will not drag you into this. The less you know the better. Please, don’t ask me to involve you.”

I walked around the desk and sat on his lap. “I appreciate your concern for me, but I’ve told you that I don’t want you to bottle anything up. I need you to be straight with me.”

“I am being straight with you. You know the basics. You don’t need to know the details. This is a very dangerous man, and I’m not going to involve you in something because Brody made a bad decision.”

“But you’re involved.” I made him look at me. “How involved?”

“Believe me, I’ll be involved as little as possible. My place is here.” He caressed my face. “With you.” He kissed me.

* * *

A couple of weeks had passed and Brody still wasn’t back to work. Tim was growing more and more concerned with Brody and more distant with me. I was trying to give him the space he needed because I was just a girl he was dating. His brother was the one who needed him.

I looked at the lunch I got for him in my hands and back to him asleep at the desk and wondered if I should shut the door and let him sleep instead. He was probably tired because he hadn’t been eating right, so food came first. He could nap after.

I walked in, shutting the door behind me, and put the container in front of his nose. When that didn’t wake him, I walked around the desk and lifted him to sit up. “Tim.”

He opened his eyes and smiled when he saw me. I was on his lap before I knew it and he was kissing my neck. “I could wake up to this every day.”

I held his face and made him look at me. “Yes, you could.” He’d refused to see me outside the office since Brody took on the dangerous job. He said if we were seen together on a personal level it could become dangerous for me. I wished he’d told me the truth about what was going on. I wasn’t afraid of the man who hired Brody. I was fearful of the stress Tim was under.

“You need to do what’s best for you. Not what’s best for Brody or what you think is best for me.” I stood and slid his lunch closer to him. “Take care of you for once, please.”

“It isn’t that easy. I know what happens to families when people do what they want. I’ve seen the devastation selfishness has caused.” He pushed the lunch away and put his head in his hands. “I’ve lived it. I can’t do that to other people.”

I put my arm around his back. “You are not responsible for the world’s happiness or protection. Only your own. Please believe that.”

He turned and wrapped his arms around me, pressing the side of his face into my belly. “You’re the only one who gets me. You’re the only one I can talk to.”

I hugged his body to me and ran my fingers through his hair. “Come over tonight and talk to me. I promise nothing will happen to me if you come to my apartment.”

He sat up and looked up at me. “You can’t promise that. When this is over, I promise to tell you everything. I promise to make you understand why I’m doing what I have to do, but until then, your safety is my priority. Please trust me.”

I nodded even though I felt he was overreacting. If he felt he was protecting me, I’d allow him that peace of mind. What he didn’t realize was I was going to start taking care of him. It was about time someone did.

I pushed him back into the chair and sat on his lap. “You’re going to eat this lunch if I have to feed it to you myself.”

I heard the bell to the front lobby ring and I closed my eyes. “Okay, you sit and eat. I’m going to see who that is.”

“I like the idea of you feeding me. Come back and give me dessert.”

I smiled and pointed to the container. I didn’t give him a dessert. “Only if you clean your plate, mister.”

I opened the door and snapped my attention to the sound at the front. It couldn’t be. “Uh, stay here. I’ll be right back.”

She called out again. “Hello? Is anybody back there?” It was my mother.

I slapped my hand to my forehead and hurried so she didn’t yell again. I walked out the door instead of going to the receptionist desk. “Ma, quiet down. What are you doing here?”

“What? Is it a crime to see my only daughter?” Her dark hair was in a bun on top of her head as it always was. She was a little more dressed up than normal and noticed when I looked over her outfit. “Your father had some business in the city so I tagged along.”

“Where is Dad?” I looked around the lobby.

“He’s attending to his business. We got here a little later than I wanted to, so you probably already had lunch.”

“Yeah, but what are you doing here?”

“What’s with the third degree?” She lifted her hands in the air and tossed them back down. “I thought you’d be happy to see me since you never come home anymore.”

“Of course, I’m happy to see you. You’re just freaking me out a little is all.”

“Baby.” She held my face. “Everything is fine. I just wanted to see you.”

“Okay.” I looked at my watch. “I get off—”

“You can’t take the afternoon? I don’t know if we’re staying after your father’s meeting.”

“Sure, she can take the afternoon.” Tim was behind me with a smile I hadn’t seen in weeks.

“Oh, well aren’t you handsome.”

“Ma.” I closed my eyes.

“What? He is.” She held out her hand and walked over to Tim. “Now, which one are you?”

He laughed and took her hand, but kissed it instead of shaking it. “My name is Tim and it is quite the pleasure to meet you. I see where your daughter gets her beauty.”

“Oh, and you’re a charmer. She may have my face, but she has her daddy’s blond hair.” She turned to me. “I like this kid.”

“Good, then you’ll say yes when I invite you and your husband to dinner.”

A shot of panic ran through me. “They’re not sure they’re staying.”

“Your father will never turn down a free meal.” She took my arm and pulled me close to her. “Show your mother the city while we wait for the guys to show up for dinner. I think we have some catching up to do.”

Tim held the door open. “Come see where April works her magic for the office. She needs to grab her bag anyway.”

My mom walked through the door and he held it open for me. I stepped through but put my hand on his chest to let my mom get a few feet ahead of us before I whispered, “What are you doing?”

He pulled my hips close to him as he leaned down and whispered back, “In case it isn’t clear, I’m meeting your parents.”

I looked at him. He’d wanted to keep us a secret from the office and Brody until we knew more about the direction our relationship was going. The fact that he was implying he was going to show our relationship to my parents had me hoping for more than just a physical fling no matter how talented his lips and fingers were.

“Okay, but who is meeting my parents? My boss or my boyfriend?”

He smiled and cupped my face before he kissed me. “I think they’ll be more interested in the boyfriend.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” I kissed him again but stopped when my mother clapped and squealed her excitement. I put my forehead to his. “I’m so sorry.”

He squeezed my hips. “I’m so not.”