Chapter 5
Why the hell did I agree to this?
Tyler kept on asking himself that question as he tidied up the living room in preparation for Kaiya and her niece’s visit. He wished now that he had found an excuse to escape from the so-called play date. But since he would do anything to make Lili happy, he had no choice.
And now he was going to have Kaiya in his home, and they were both going to pretend as if they didn’t have a past between them. For a moment, he wondered if the children would notice the palpable tension that was always between them whenever they met. For their sakes, he was willing to put back his bitterness and play the cordial host.
As he stared around his still sparsely furnished living room, he wondered what she would think of the house. Would she think it was too ostentatious? Would she question why he had chosen to live there?
Staring out the window at the quiet street, Tyler saw Kaiya in his mind’s eye. He couldn’t get the image of her out of his thoughts.
She was more gorgeous than ever. From her jet-black hair to her beautiful face to her shapely body, Kaiya stirred something in him that he thought had died a long time ago.
Shaking off his thoughts, a frown marked his features. Beautiful though Kaiya might be, she had chosen not to be with him all those years ago. It was useless thinking of someone who didn’t think he was worthy of being with her. He desperately needed to set those thoughts aside since she made her decision long ago, and she hadn’t chosen him.
Nevertheless, he found it hard to stop his heart from hammering when thoughts of her flashed through his mind. He pondered on how it would have been between them had she not turned her back on him.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, he saw that it was only an hour before Kaiya and her niece would arrive. Hurrying, he arranged what little furniture the living room could boast of, made sure there was no single speck of dust in the room, and walked to the door.
The door opened before he could reach it, and his mother came into the room. From the look in her eyes, Tyler knew instinctively what she wanted to discuss. He had been avoiding the conversation ever since the day he introduced her to Kaiya at the dance school.
“Ty, I have something to discuss with you,” she informed him as she walked toward one of the armchairs in the place.
Sighing inwardly, he followed her and stood by the fireplace, avoiding her gaze. She had obviously noticed him taking the extra time to clean himself up and the house to be in the best shape for Kaiya’s arrival.
“What’s going on between you and Kaiya?” she shot straight from the hip.
Wincing at the sharpness of her tone, he shook his head and said, “There’s nothing going on between Kaiya and me.” Feeling like a teenager who his mom had caught having sex, he reddened and ran his fingers through his hair.
Cocking her brows, she gave him a look packed with disbelief. “Are you sure? I saw the way the two of you looked at each other.”
“Mom, please, believe me, nothing is going on between us. If anything, we can’t stand each other.”
She shook her head with doubt-filled eyes. “That wasn’t the vibe I noticed the other day. And here you are, looking as if you stepped out of a man’s magazine because you cleaned yourself up real good for today’s meeting with her.”
Blushing, Tyler looked at the shirt he had chosen to put on that day. He had a number of them he had never worn and had decided to put on one of them for the playdate. His chinos trousers were also creaseless, and his shoes were polished and shining.
“Tyler,” his mom solemnly called, causing him to frown. Ignoring his reaction, she continued, “Is this woman going to pose a problem in our lives?”
Aghast that his mom would think that he would allow Kaiya in to break his heart again, he rubbed his hand across his face before saying, “Mom, I don’t have any intention of bringing Kaiya into our lives. Our small family will stay as it is. And let me reiterate that there’s nothing going on between us.”
She clicked her tongue. “Could have fooled me.”
Red-faced, Tyler looked away. From the corner of his eyes, he saw her rise from the chair. She walked slowly to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“Sweetie, I don’t want you to get hurt again. I don’t want Lili to get hurt. All you’ve been doing these past days is cleaning the place just so that she can accept you. You want to show her that you’re now equals, which is not necessary. You don’t need her validation, Tyler. You’re an amazing man, son, and father. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Tyler just stood there, staring into thin air after his mom left. Had he been unconsciously trying to please Kaiya so that she would accept him in the same social status? That would be super foolish of him if that was what he had been doing. A faithless bitch didn’t deserve any of it.
With a look of determination on his face, he took long strides to the door and yanked it open. The doorbell rang just then, and his heart slammed painfully against his chest. It was too late to go and undo all the things he had unconsciously done to please Kaiya.
He sighed heavily.
***
Kaiya wondered for the umpteenth time if she should have lied that she had a migraine or stomach upset just to get out of the playdate. Kalilah, of course, would know she was faking it and would insist she went.
Why her sister couldn’t understand that she felt like she was playing with the enemy was beyond her. When she picked up Milania, who was looking super cute in a pink dress, Kalilah had winked at her and told her to have a fabulous time.
