“Look, I’m not calling you a liar. You’re acting weird, and I’d like to know what’s going on.”
When she didn’t say anything but looked at him as if he wasn’t there, he threw up his hands in exasperation.
“Fine. If you say so.” He ran his fingers through his hair and said, “Can we at least go for dinner now?”
Watching her shake her head nearly broke his heart. What in the world was going on?
“I’m sorry; I’m not in the mood to going out. I’m exhausted. I just want to go home and sleep.”
Tyler was so disappointed; he didn’t know what to say. All he wanted to do was fall on his knees and beg her not to do this to him, and whatever he might have done to upset her, he was really sorry. He didn’t understand why she was acting this way, and it scared him that she might want out of their relationship.
Or did she find out about the secret party and was only acting out to make things difficult for him? Looking at her impassive face, he didn’t think that was the case. If she knew, she ought to be happy, not acting as if she would like to take a stick to him.
“Aww, Mom, please come with us,” Lili stepped in and pleaded with her mother.
Tyler could kiss his daughter for her interference, and he did. Lili giggled while Kaiya rolled her eyes.
“Mom, please!” Lili’s lips quivered.
“Oh, alright,” she finally acquiesced, lifting his heart. “For your sake, sweetie.”
He took the insult well. In fact, he would take any insult from her, as far as she came along.
The drive to the hotel was tense and silent. Lili’s chatter all the way was the only thing that kept the tension that was rising between the two adults from escalating. Tyler was at his tether’s end. If Kaiya was acting as if death warmed over her like this, then the surprise engagement was bound to be a flop. His heart wrenched at the thought that she was most likely to refuse his proposal.
“Mom, are you okay?” Lili finally asked after she had tried to coerce her mom into talking to no avail.
Tyler almost kissed his daughter again as he waited for Kaiya to answer.
Kaiya turned on her seat to bestow her daughter with a warm smile—a smile he hadn’t received all day.
“I’m fine, sweetie. I just had a long day.”
Tyler hoped the long day would end beautifully for her. All day he had thought that everything would be perfect. He hadn’t thought that the star of the day would lose all her twinkle.
His lips moved in silent prayer that everything would turn out as he hoped it would.
***
Keep it together, Kaiya. Don’t show him how much he hurt you with his deceit.
Kaiya said those words repeatedly in her mind as Tyler drove the car to the restaurant where they were going to have dinner. Her heart yearned for her to hold him and beg him not to leave her for Erin, but her head told her to get a hold on herself. She couldn’t beg for his love. It wouldn’t work if he was with her out of pity or for Lili’s sake.
Kaiya’s jaw dropped when Tyler pulled up at the parking lot of the same hotel she saw him and Erin coming out of.
The gall and hide of him!
Unable to stop herself, she said in between clenched teeth, “Can I see you outside for a minute, Tyler?” Then she turned to her daughter with a smile that she hoped the little girl wouldn’t see as forced. “Sweetie, could you please wait here while I talk to your dad for a minute?”
Shrugging, Lili reached for the radio’s knob to turn it up and sing along with Jasmine’s and Aladdin’s song.
“Okay, Mommy.”
Without looking in Tyler’s direction, she removed her seatbelt, pushed open the car door, and stepped away from the vehicle. Tyler did the same and came around the car to look at her inquisitively.
“What’s up, Kai?”
“What’s up is you playing a two-timing game with me!”
