CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Tara
It took a while after Ray’s death, but things started to get back to normal. Work was back in full swing, and despite my insistence that he take more time, Sean was almost ready to get involved. I ran most of the day to day business and I loved it. Now that Zach was gone, my life at Yates’ Motorcycles was better than I ever thought it could be. The only thing missing was Ray. I missed him each time I walked past his now empty office.
It was hard, but we were all determined to keep living our lives. So, in the spirit of getting back to normal, I met Niki on my lunch break. She was getting her nails done in town, and I knew of a great sushi place right next door. I planned to stop in and catch up with her before picking up some food to take back to the office.
“I’m sorry,” Niki said for the hundredth time. “I know he was important to you.”
“He was,” I said. “But you don’t have to apologize every time we talk, Nik. I’m okay. I’ll be okay.”
“How’s work going?” Niki asked. “Now that he’s gone.”
“Hard,” I admitted. “I miss him a lot and so does everyone else. His presence still hangs in the air, you know? When I walk past his office, I feel like he’s still there. Watching me.”
“Creepy,” Niki chuckled.
“Very.” I laughed. “But also kind of comforting? In a way. It’s like he’s watching over me, making sure I’m doing the job the right way.”
“He doesn’t need to do that,” Niki said. “Even ghost Ray trusts you implicitly. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have picked you to run the damn thing.”
“I know.” I smiled. “Still, I don’t want to fail him. He put so much faith in me. I don’t want to let him down. Him. Or Sean.”
“Sean, huh?” Niki asked with raised eyebrows. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s sad,” I said. “Of course, he is. His father just died.”
“But they weren’t exactly close, were they?” Niki asked. She switched hands, letting the manicurist start on her left.
“No,” I said. “They weren’t, but they put all that aside in the end. Remember, Ray left the entire company to Sean. You should have seen Zach’s face when the lawyer read that part of the will. I’ve never seen anyone look that pissed.”
“Good,” Niki said. “If anyone deserves it, it’s that asshole.”
“True.” I nodded. “He practically ran that company into the ground. The only reason it’s still afloat is because of Ray and me. Plus, Sean really deserves this opportunity. He doesn’t really have the business mind, but his heart is always in the right place. He’ll do the right thing, which is more than anyone can say for Zach. With Sean in charge, I really think the company will be better than it’s ever been.”
As I spoke, I could feel my heart beating faster in my chest. Whenever I talked about Sean, I got butterflies. Even when he wasn’t around me, he had such a profound effect on me. In our short time together, we’d managed to bond so deeply that I knew we would never be able to leave each other’s lives.
“You’re glowing,” Niki pointed out. “You’re happy.”
“I am,” I admitted. “We’re all still grieving for Ray, but Sean makes me happy. Sean and Paisley.”
“How are things going with you two?” Niki asked. “Really.”
“Things are amazing,” I said. “I can’t think of a better word to describe it. After Ray died, I wasn’t sure if Sean would want me around, you know? I thought he might need some time to make peace with the loss on his own, but he didn’t. He and Paisley have both made every effort to see me and include me in their day to day lives. If we go even a day without having dinner together, Paisley gets upset. It’s nice to be missed that much, you know? To be cared about so deeply.”
“Hey, I care about you,” Niki teased.
“Ha. Ha.” I laughed. “You know what I mean. It’s like we’re becoming a real family.”
“A family, huh?” Niki asked. Her tone suggested concern, but it didn’t bother me. Niki always had my best interests at heart, and I knew she only worried about me because she loved me so much.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “A family. It’s amazing, Niki. It really is.”
“You know,” Niki began slowly. “When you first started seeing Sean, I was really skeptical. From everything you told me about him, he did not seem like your type. At all. Now, though… I can see how happy he makes you. And if you two can survive the death of his father, then you can probably survive anything.”
“I hope so,” I said.
“It’s nice to see,” Niki said.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“You in love again.” Niki smiled slyly.
I opened my mouth to speak, but I didn’t know what to say. Did I want to argue? Did I want to confirm her suspicions? I hadn’t even told Sean that I loved him yet. Should I really admit that to Niki first? I looked in her eyes and knew that it didn’t matter. Whether I said it or not, Niki knew me too well. I couldn’t have hidden my feelings from her even if I wanted to.
“He’s really great,” I said simply. The smile on my face said everything. Niki smiled back at me just as her manicurist finished her final finger. She leaned back in her chair to let her nails dry, and our conversation changed smoothly to another topic. We spent the rest of the hour talking about Niki’s job and her latest crush, but my mind never completely left Sean. I saw him the night before, but I already missed him.
***
When I made it to Sean’s that night, he and Paisley already had dinner on the table. I grinned as I let myself inside and walked into the kitchen. Paisley jumped out of her seat to hug me quickly, and Sean leaned down to kiss me. We all sat down together and enjoyed our meal, talking about the day. When I told Niki that we were starting to feel like a family, I’d been telling the truth. Every time I walked inside Sean’s house, I felt like I was walking into my own.
We finished eating and cleaned the kitchen together. Paisley was itching to go for a ride on Sean’s motorcycle, but he made her help with the dishes first. Her little body vibrated with energy as she hurried to finish her job. She loaded the dishwasher at lightning speed, almost breaking a few dishes in the process. Sean pretended to scold her, but I could tell he wasn’t angry. He loved how eager she was to spend time with him. It seemed that, after everything, Sean and Paisley had become the true definition of father and daughter. It was everything Sean wanted, and everything I wanted for him.
“Okay,” Sean said as he turned on the dishwasher. “Let’s go.”
“Yes!” Paisley squealed.
We all left through the front door and made our way to the driveway. Paisley climbed in the front of the bike and Sean sat behind her with his arms forming a protective cage around her. I smiled and hopped on behind him. It was a tight fit with all of us on the bike, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. I wrapped my arms tightly around Sean’s waist and felt him shiver slightly at my touch. I leaned forward and pressed my lips to the back of his neck, and he inhaled sharply. I grinned and laid my head on his back. It was little moments like these that made me the happiest.
Sean drove us a few blocks until we reached the neighborhood park. He parked the bike, and we all climbed off. Paisley ran toward the playground without giving us a backward glance. I grinned and followed Sean over to an empty bench. We sat down, making sure we could still see Paisley clearly from where we sat. Sean held my hand in his and we sat silently together, enjoying the sounds of the park and the beauty of an Arizona sunset.
“There’s something I’ve been curious about,” Sean said, finally breaking our blissful silence.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Why did you go to work for my father?” he asked. “I never asked how you got involved with Yates’.”
“Well,” I said slowly. “You know I have a business degree, right?”
“Right.” He nodded. “It’s just… You don’t exactly strike me as the corporate type, you know? If I didn’t know any better, I would have pictured you doing something completely different.”
“You sound like Niki.” I laughed. “She’s always called me a sellout.”
“A sellout?” Sean asked. “Really?”
I sighed. “There was a time when I hated the corporate world. Niki still does and she can’t believe that I ever went over to the dark side.”
“So, why did you?” Sean asked.
“Because I realized that I had to grow up.” I shrugged. “At some point, we all have to become adults, you know? I realized I couldn’t live my entire life flitting from job to job, living a life without any real responsibilities. As much as I wished I could, I knew it wasn’t smart. I watched my parents struggle for too long for me to follow that path.”
“What do you mean?” Sean asked.
“We weren’t wealthy,” I said. “Not at all. My father’s love of motorcycles sometimes set us back too far. He spent money we didn’t have, and my mother loved him so much that she never fought him on it. It was okay. We survived, but it wasn’t easy. I always told myself I wouldn’t live that way, that I would never have to struggle that much again. And, luckily, I haven’t. I got my business degree, and I’ve been working ever since.”
“Makes sense.” Sean nodded. “I understand now.”
I smiled and turned my attention back to Paisley. She was sliding down a twisty slide, laughing the whole way down. I envied her ability to just be blindly happy, to not have any stresses or worries to cloud her mind. After losing both her mother and her grandfather in one summer, she still managed to be positive and lively. She was an inspiration to me, and as I sat there watching her, I couldn’t ever imagine my life without her in it.
“Besides,” I said suddenly, looking back at Sean. “If I had never gone to work at Yates’ Motorcycles, I wouldn’t be here.”
“And where is here?” Sean asked.
“With you,” I smiled. “With you and Paisley. If I never got my business degree, if I never applied at Yates’ Motorcycles, if your father never hired me… then I wouldn’t have been in the boardroom on the day Ray asked for new ideas to build profits, and I wouldn’t have found your picture. You would never have come to work for the company, and we never would have met.”
“I probably wouldn’t have ever gotten the chance to forgive my dad,” Sean said sadly. “I owe that to you.”
“Everything happened for a reason,” I said, squeezing his hand. “One thing led to another, that led to one more, and that led us here. The entire universe conspired to put us together, don’t you think?”
“I do.” Sean smiled. “I’m glad it did.”
“Despite Niki’s protestations, applying at Yates’ was the best decision I’ve ever made,” I said with confidence. “I can’t imagine having never met you. You and Paisley are… You’re my favorite people.”
“She loves you, you know?” Sean said, gesturing toward Paisley.
“I love her, too,” I promised. I looked at Sean and wanted to tell him that it wasn’t just Paisley I felt so strongly for. I loved Paisley, but I also loved him. The way he looked at me in that moment told me I didn’t need to say it. On some level, he already knew.