For Keeps by Adriana Hunter Page A

terrycloth robe, Valerie breezed into the kitchen,
startling him and interrupting his internal musing. He gave her a
quick smile and shook his head, getting up to pour coffee for the
both of them.
    Valerie didn’t miss the way
he ignored the question. There was something on Tyler’s mind,
and it frightened her. He’d been lost in thought a lot over the
past couple of weeks, and she could only imagine what it could be
about. Likely, he was becoming bored and restless with the same
routine every day, the same woman in his bed. She had hoped this
whole hockey thing would drag him out of whatever inner turmoil he
faced, but it didn’t look like he even cared about that
anymore.
    He hadn’t mentioned the
tryout since he’d set the appointment.
    She was losing him, and she knew
it, but she needed to make the effort, for her own sanity. He was
worth fighting for – they were worth fighting for, even though
deep down she knew that she had little to offer him that he couldn’t
get from someone else.
    She wrapped the robe tighter
around her waist as she sat across from him, thinking about just how
average she was compared to the women that he was used to dating
before her. She didn’t present the image that fit with him and
what he was expected to be attracted to. In return she didn’t
have the same interests that he had although they could laugh for
hours, when it came to racing she cringed each time he drug her
along. The only thing they did particularly well together was sex,
and while that aspect of their relationship was phenomenal, Valerie
felt Tyler drawing back.
    Sex wasn’t a relationship;
they could have sex and not live together, not be a couple. People
did it all the time. It didn’t mean they had feelings for each
other.
    But somewhere along the way,
Valerie had allowed herself to fall madly, deeply, hopelessly in love
with Tyler. He treated her with respect and kindness, and he
brightened a room with his smile. He was adventurous, and sometimes
she lived vicariously through the stories he told about the things
he’d done, even through his races and, she’d hoped,
through him being drafted to the minor league hockey team.
    With a deep breath that burned as
her heart broke, she looked at Tyler, who had placed a cup of coffee
and a plate with toast slathered with butter and jelly the way she
liked it in front of her. “You aren’t happy, are you?”
    Tyler frowned at her. “Why
would you say that?” he asked through a mouthful of his own
toast.
    She shook her head. “Don’t
pretend, Tyler. This isn’t the lifestyle you’re used to.
I don’t have a yacht, I don’t have parties with rich
friends, and I’m not adventurous. I’m not even that
pretty. I could certainly stand to lose a few pounds, at least, and
maybe start going to the hairdresser and a nail salon.”
    Hating how she always beat
herself up, Tyler reached out and caressed her hand, running his
thumb specifically over her nails. “Valerie, I love the way you
look. You are gorgeous and sexy with curves in the right places.
You’re reasonable rather than high maintenance. There’s a
reason I’ve never spent much time dating. I hate phony,
superficial people, and all the women I met through my father and his
friends were fakes. Everything about them was plastic.”
    He leaned forward. “No,
this isn’t the lifestyle I’m used to, but I hated my
life. I really, really enjoy this life with you.” He gestured
around the apartment. “This place is cozy, and more than enough
for me. Getting up and making coffee and toast, spending a few
minutes in the morning with someone that I cherish…those are
things I never thought I’d be able to enjoy.”
    His words struck her, and Valerie
felt tears prickle her eyes. He said he cherished her. That was
beautiful, and it touched her. Of course, it still didn’t mean
he was in love with her. “Are you sure you’re okay with
settling down like this?”
    There was a mischievous twinkle
in his eye as