CHAPTER 8
RORY
I know my mom is actually ignoring my phone calls at this point. She accidentally answered at one point only to hang up on me. I text her, letting her know what happened last night. That some man is looking for her. But she hasn’t even bothered to respond to my messages.
I was happy when Tyson had pushed to stay the night with me and my brothers. What if that man had tried to come back? I like to think I can take care of myself and the boys, but I don’t want my own ego to get in the way of their safety.
Now I can’t stop thinking about him showing up again this evening while I’m working and only the boys are home. I swear my mom is always trying to make my life harder. This isn’t the first time someone has come looking for her. And I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last, unfortunately.
If it was only so easy for me to pick up and move. But there’s no way I could leave my little brothers behind. Mom might not be around, but she does have final say when it comes to them, and she knows she can use that against me at the end of the day. She’d throw a fit if I up and left and not for the reason she should. Nope, she’d be pissed that she wouldn't have a place to crash when she decided to come back.
Dean texts me when he and Logan make it home from school. He does the same when they get to school each morning. I hate how much I put on his shoulders for such a young age, but there aren't a ton of choices.
I have to be at work to keep the bills paid. He told me that he got Tyson to take them this morning instead of taking the bus. He sent me a picture of Logan shoving a giant breakfast sandwich into his mouth. I know it’s ridiculous, but each time Tyson does something for them, it chips away at the walls I’ve built to protect myself.
I text Tyson to see what he’s up to. The second I send the text, my phone rings. His name appears on the screen. I can always count on him. Time and time again.
“Babe, you okay?” are the first words out of his mouth. I should tell him not to call me that, but I find myself liking it a little more each time he says it.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He lets out a long breath.
“You scared me. You never text.”
“Oh.” Guilt fills me. Right, the one time I text him it’s because I’m about to ask a favor.
“You need something? You know I got you.” He fills the silence that I let hang for too long.
“I’m worried about the boys after last night. I’m at the diner working now, and then I’ve got some deliveries. Is there any way you’d be able to check in on them for me?”
“I’m with them now.”
“Oh,” I say again.
“I picked them up from the bus stop. You cool with me getting a tree? Logan keeps talking about it. I might have promised them already. Sorry. Next time I’ll ask you first.”
“I suppose that would be fine.” I give. The thought of Tyson trying to give them some sort of normalcy has another little crack forming in that wall of mine.
“We’ll wait for you to get home to decorate it.” Relief fills me that Tyson is planning on staying with them until I get home.
“Then who is going to follow me around when I make deliveries?” I tease.
“I’ve got that handled,” he teases right back. At least I think he is.
“Ty! We have some decorations in the basement!” I hear Logan shout in the background.
“I’ll leave you to it. You sound busy,” I say, smiling. Tyson has no idea how much weight he’s taken off my shoulders. I tell myself not to get used to it.
“Never too busy for you, babe.”
“Ty.” I sigh, enjoying his words far too much. I hear the boys calling him again in the background.
“I’ll let you get back to your tables. Love you, babe,” he says before ending the call. I stand there shocked for a minute. Tyson has been telling his followers online he’s in love with me. Hell, he’s even told me he’ll always love me and only me, but he’s never flat-out said the words to me before.
I tuck my phone away before I get back to work. Whenever I get a few seconds, I check my emails to see what deliveries I have lined up after work. I’m kind of hoping I don’t have a ton. I want to get home and maybe help with the tree. It’s the first time I’ve been excited for something in a while.