Made For Loving You (Rescue My Heart Book 3) by Kait Nolan (i can read book club txt) 📕

absence in every square inch of the place. He’d probably have to move.

Before he could lift his hand to signal the bartender for another, a familiar figure slid onto the stool beside him. Harrison eyed the row of empty glasses. “Thought you gave this up.”

Instead of answering the implied question, Ty asked one of his own. “How did you find me?”

“We split up. Sebastian headed out to your place. Porter took the tavern. I was the lucky winner.”

“How’d you even know to look for me?”

“Your, shall we say, precipitous exit from the inn did not go unnoticed. Ari texted Ivy.”

Ty squinted through eyes that were starting to go a little bleary, trying to place the name. Dark hair. High school student. Thought Paisley was the coolest thing since…something cool. “Why does Pru and Flynn’s teenage daughter even have Ivy’s number?”

“They became buds when Ivy stayed there last year. Anyway, she indicated that you and Paisley had a fight, and you did not look great when you left. Given the state of the investigation and the fact you’ve been wound tighter than a bow string for days, it seemed prudent to check.” He glanced at the glasses again. “You planning on keeping going with that?”

“You planning to stop me?”

“From getting behind the wheel, absolutely, but if you want to get shit-faced instead of actually dealing with the problem, that’s your call.” He shrugged, as if it truly didn’t matter to him. “It’s a dumb call, but your life, such as it is.”

Bristling, Ty curled his fingers around the empty glass instead of into a fist. He’d clocked Harrison once over hard truths and had felt like an asshole ever since. Even in this state, he wouldn’t do it again.

“I fucked everything up, just like I knew I would. I hurt her, just like before. Except this time, it wasn’t because I had some noble purpose, but because I’m too fucking broken to be what she needs and deserves.”

The bartender wandered back over, pointing at the bottle that would bring him oblivion for just a little while, but at a shake of Harrison’s head, he retreated again.

“What exactly do you think that is?”

“Somebody who can be that hero she’s always wanted. Somebody who can keep her safe and find this asshole who’s upending her life. Somebody who doesn’t make promises he can’t keep.”

“Hm.” Harrison glanced at his watch. “Should’ve been Sebastian to catch you in this mood.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Just that he’s got a lot more experience shoveling horse shit.”

“Excuse me?”

“That is some grade-A, top-quality horse shit, my brother. And maybe that’s on me. I’m the one who told you last year you needed to find a new mission. I didn’t realize you’d take me quite so literally.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Finding a new mission is not about taking that literal military mission mentality and applying it to everything else. You’ve been treating life like a fucking op. One with an expiration date any day now. You haven’t set down roots, haven’t connected with anybody but those already in your inner circle. Until Paisley. She snuck past that infamous guard of yours because she was already there. And it’s been the best damned thing that could have happened to you. Over the past weeks, I’ve seen you alive again, not just going through the motions. But you’ve turned her into a mission, and that’s not how love works. She’s a person. A pretty damned awesome one. She is not with you because she needs or wants a bodyguard. She’s with you because she loves you. It’s in every look, every word she writes. That’s not a thing you have to earn. It’s a gift, and to act like it’s anything else is the height of foolishness.”

He hadn’t been treating life like a mission. He’d just been surviving, existing until she came back into his life. She’d made him want to be that hero she claimed to see. He’d tried. He’d tried so damned hard to live up to those expectations. To be worthy of her love. And he’d failed.

“I didn’t protect her.”

“You’re running an op without enough information. Sometimes shit gets FUBAR. You know that. But she’s fine. She’s safe. And if you’ll pull your head out of your ass, you’ll keep her that way.” He laid a hand on Ty’s shoulder. “Don’t throw her away because you’re conflating your feelings about Garrett’s death with this situation. You’re not responsible for the actions of other people. You’re only responsible for your own.”

His own actions had likely destroyed whatever chance he’d had with Paisley. “I was an asshole.”

“I’m sure you were. Just as I’m sure she’ll forgive you for it once you’ve appropriately groveled.”

Something ballooned in his chest. It took him a minute to recognize it for what it was. Hope.

Was Harrison right? Did he stand a chance of having her forgive him even after everything he’d said, all the pulling away and hot and cold routine? Only one way to find out. Ty dug out his wallet and threw money on the bar. As he slid off the stool, the room promptly dipped.

Harrison’s arm slipped around him. “Whoa there. Gotcha.”

“I need to go apologize for all the things.” And then maybe he could underscore all of those apologies with orgasms. She liked those. Maybe that was his new mission. Seemed like a way better one than what he’d been on.

Harrison began to steer him across the scarred wood floor toward the door. “I think you need to sober up first. I’m not gonna dump your ass on Paisley to take care of in this condition. We’re going back to my place so you can sleep it off.”

“We can brainstorm how I should grovel.”

He tugged open the door. “I’m sure Ivy will be full of ideas.”

Chapter 13

Paisley went from sleep to wakefulness in an instant, knowing even before she reached for the other side of the bed that the warm presence there was Duke instead of Ty.

He