“When are you going to be home? We got a tree. We should all decorate it together!” Logan asks, staring up at me. The excitement rolls off him.
“I think I might be late. I’m sorry, bubs.” I run my fingers through his hair. Logan’s smile drops from his face, breaking my heart.
“Can I talk to you outside?” Tyson asks, standing from the booth.
“Sure.” I rip the sheet off my notepad. “Let me drop this in the kitchen so they can get it started.” I step into the back, putting their order in. Carol tells me she’ll get the milkshakes for me.
When I step outside, I see Tyson standing with three other boys. They are all in high school letterman jackets.
“What’s going on?” I ask as I head over to them. Tyson pulls his coat off, draping it over me. He leans down and brushes a quick kiss against my mouth. It’s so fast I can’t try to get away from it. Though I’m not sure I really want to. He’s becoming far too tempting lately. I’d actually stolen a kiss from him this morning when he was passed out on the sofa. I don’t know what came over me, but I’d done it.
“Don’t get mad” are the first words out of his mouth.
“Oh gosh. What?”
“You might have noticed that you have more than a normal amount of deliveries tonight.” I narrow my eyes on him.
“How do you even know that?”
“I just do. And because I’m the one who allowed them to be placed,” he admits, shocking me.
“The hell, Tyson!”
“I’ve got you. I’ve subbed it all out. I’ve taken all the orders and split them all up between Mark, Jacob, and Ryan.” They each raise their hand when Tyson says their names.
“What are you doing?” I growl.
“Why don’t you guys head out? Remember what I said,” he warns them.
“We swear. We got this, Carter,” Ryan says. The other two nod eagerly, happy to be pleasing the legend, Tyson Carter.
“Then get to it,” he orders, and they all take off toward their cars. “You’re going to end up making a third more than normal after you give them their cuts.”
“Tyson.”
“We’ll see how this goes, and we can end up hiring more people if we need to. You’re the only person who will deliver in some of these rural areas out here in the country. You can turn this into something bigger and end up working less and making more. You have to turn down orders all the time because it’s not possible to get to them all. I even added some rush fees on some of these people.”
“I don’t know about this.” I worry my bottom lip between my teeth.
“These kids are looking for part-time after-school work. Especially during the holidays, and that’s when you have way more orders than you can handle yourself. This is a win all around.” I stare at him, not sure what to say. “Now you can decorate the tree tonight.”
“This is doing too much now.”
“When it comes to you, I’ll do anything.”
“But I have nothing to give in return, Tyson. You know that.”
“All I want is you.”
“There isn’t any of me to give.” I’m already stretched so thin.
“Right now, all I want is a kiss and to decorate a Christmas tree with my girl and her kickass little brothers who I love and adore almost as much as her.” He goes straight for my weakness. My brothers. Also, his kisses that I’m enjoying way too much.
“Shut up and kiss me, Tyson.”
Of course he does as I ask, making another crack in the wall I’ve been trying to build around my heart. The one I’m pretty sure already belongs to him.
nine