Truth Meets Love by J. D. Freed Read Free Book Online

had Tyler; Shelby has Marcus. As 30 approached I couldn't help that I was adopting the "If it is meant to be it's not going to be me" attitude about that unwritten phase in my life. Love may not be in my cards…
    I come back to reality and look at Tyler, who is watching Macey with a grin. I answer his unspoken question. "It is not the expense of the repairs and you know it. I like to feel capable. Let's not go there right now, please? OH… and thank you so much for the flowers this morning. That angel made my day, even with all the other excitement." As I pull him in for a side hug while carrying in the last of the paint cans, he asks me about my presentation and if the "flower power" assisted in my success. I assure him they did and that I nailed it, leaving out the details of meeting with Mr. Harrison, as I was working hard to still block that one out.
    I give Tyler the high level details of the closing scheduled 10 days from Monday. I would be spending the day getting ready to show the unit tomorrow evening. I need to spend Sunday reviewing the closing documents. I need to review the numbers before signing off on the transition plans for the resources assigned on the Mathis project. I would be meeting Mr. Greyson for dinner Monday night and I wanted to be prepared. I do not want my mentor to feel disappointed in his decision to give me this opportunity. I think a small part of me even wants him to be proud of me. I also have some questions about some figures I had reviewed in the closing documents' project schedules and contracts. They don't mesh with the government contract dollars and legal closing documents. They seem lower than the actual the cost of the consolidation on the project schedules. I e-mailed those figures to Sam and Mr. Greyson for their insight and explanation.
    Tyler sighs and holds me tightly against him as we watch Macey pulling around her imaginary puppy in the front lawn calling, "Come on, Lucky."
    He steps toward Macey. "Going out for pizza to feed my girl and listen to all the reasons why puppies can be good for you for the 100th time this week. I will be so glad when her sixth birthday is over next weekend and I can come up with another excuse for not letting her have a dog. I don't think my speech about barely being able to keep her alive as an infant, let alone a puppy, went over very well last year. Then we are getting groceries and picking up Emily from the airport."
    Tyler's 22-year-old shy, lovable, gorgeous sister is Emily. She is finishing cosmetology school in New York this spring. She is staying with Tyler and Macey while Pugs goes on vacation for the next couple weeks. I have been waiting for her to arrive. I need a cut and color change.
    Tyler asks, "Do you need anything? You look… great, really. I keep waiting to see you with dark circles under your eyes and flipping around here braless in holey pajamas and your slippers, but you don't. You look… happy. It looks really good on you, Love. It has been awhile."
    I snort and laugh out loud. "I am, but do us all a favor and just get her a dog already. I am not sure how you've held out this long."
    He is adamantly shaking his head already. "NO DOG!"

Chapter FOUR
    Changing My Stars
    Hadley-
    I smile as those little holes in my heart feel the pull that make me search Mace's eyes for comfort, seeing her soulful eyes smiling back at me. I know he still misses Dez, too… she was the animal lover, always negotiating for a good time to get a dog. She never had one growing up but she used to sleep with strays in the park after bribing them on cold nights or sneaking into random back yards in her suburban neighborhoods or barns when she could scrape up enough money to travel. A shelter wasn't safe for a 16-year-old girl all alone at night.
    Men, as we both learned in one of life's great lessons, can be a lot more dangerous than any dog! It is hard to fathom all that she survived on her own for so long and how we survived that night we met.