“I’d say hell is a nicer place than where she’s been living the last few weeks,” Evan said giving him a pointed look. “Thanks for taking care of her for me Wyatt.”
“Not exactly the way I thought I’d meet Arabella Angel; let her rest she needs it,” he stated before leaving.
“Want to tell me why you’ve been acting like a complete and utter ass while Bella’s been suffering?” Evan demanded once the door was shut.
“I made a huge mistake. No, Ididn’tsleep with Penelope, and she’s gone. She left town and the company too. I honestly thought Bella wanted Quinn.”
“Do you even realize the leap it took for her to tell you Tyler? For years the only ones who knew were me, Mandy and Charlie; she trusted you with that, with her body and her heart and you repay her by accusing her of sleeping with Quinn, multiple times and then don’t let her explain what you saw before leaving.”
“How do you…”
“Bella’s my patient again.”
“Your patient? I thought you worked for the shelter,” he said completely confused.
“I also run an ob/gyn practice Bella came to me because she’s been having issues.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked as panic gripped him again.
“That’s her place but I’d take a nice long look at the last two months Tyler, there’s obviously something you’ve overlooked, a reason why she’s been so emotional lately.”
“Evan…is…are…” he paused trying to get his emotions under control. “Before we had our fight, she was complaining that the smell of Penelope’s perfume was making her sick, and I’d laughed wondering at first if she wasn’t…Bella’s pregnant?”
“Not as dumb as I thought,” Evan said with a smirk. “Don’t upset her again.”
“Not a chance,” he stated. “This…her blacking out it doesn’t have anything to do with her condition, the baby…”
“As Wyatt said, physically they’re fine, other than Bella being dehydrated, but we’re fixing that. She’ll come around when she works through it herself.”
“Let’s hope that’s soon,” Tyler said before being left alone with his thoughts and her. He’d been a royal idiot, but he’d make it up to her somehow.
It was late evening before she finally roused and the moment her eyes fluttered open, he saw the pain he’d helped cause.
“Bella, baby,” he whispered moving over to kiss her forehead. “I’m so sorry about everything honey.”
“Ty, what are you doing here?” she asked moving to sit up. “What am I doing here?” she added realizing where she was.
“Do you remember what happened this morning?” he asked cautiously. “The magazine article…”
It all came flooding back to her and she felt the sob well up in her throat. She tried to stifle it, but she couldn’t, and the tears started to flow again. She knew her hormones were only partially to blame; the rest was the utter disbelief that he was there with her.
“Ty…”
“Bella, baby,” he groaned sliding onto the bed and pulling her into his arms, holding her tightly against him as he let her cry much as he had the night, she’d first told him about the attack.
“My sweet baby,” he said once they’d stopped. “I am so sorry Bella, for everything. I was an ass through and through and I know I don’t deserve it, but I can’t live without you baby.”
“Ty…”
“Don’t,” he said knowing he needed to tell her the whole truth. He wiped away the tears that clung to her lashes and kissed her gently. “Bella, I have loved you for the longest time baby. I was so jealous each time you went out with someone new, but I knew you didn’t feel the same, so I held back. When you told me the truth, I wanted to hold you and never let you go but you weren’t ready, and you still didn’t feel the same.”
“Ty…” she tried but he went on.
“When you stepped out onto that runway at the Christmas show I knew I was going to lose you and I tried desperately to hold onto you. I was secretly rejoicing when Mom put that announcement into the paper because I knew the only solution would be for us to get married. I told myself to stop on our wedding night, but I’d wanted you for so long, loved you so much that I couldn’t. When you let me in let me show you how it should be between us, I was lost. I knew one day you would find someone else, someone you could fall in love with, and it drove me to a place I hated Bella. Every man who looked at you wanted you in my mind and when you seemed so comfortable being around Quinn, I saw the way he looked at you, and I…I let the jealousy get the best of me. Your passion is enough to enflame me, and I knew you’d find it somewhere else.”
“Ty, are you finished?” she asked as her heart pounded with wonder.
“Almost,” he replied caressing her face. “I’ve said I love you a thousand times or more but Bella, I don’t mean it as just the girl who’s been my best friend for years. I am completely in love with you. You are the only woman who fills my heart and the only woman I want. I know you don’t think of me that way but maybe one day you will.”