Well Built (Book Boyfriend #3)(52)

Her heart mocked her for using the word love in past tense, for taking the safe route, for giving in to her fears. She knew now that she'd never fallen out of love with Kyle, but she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud because she knew it wouldn't change anything between them, that their differences and lifestyles were too vast.

And sometimes, love just wasn't enough.





Chapter Eleven





Three months later . . .

Kyle leaned back against the tailgate of his truck, his legs crossed at the ankles and his arms folded over his chest as he admired what he'd created for his mother in the past three months. The once dilapidated property had been transformed into a beautiful building, inside and out, that had the entire town excited about having a brand-new bakery and a venue for events . . . except, of course, Ella's father.

Kyle wasn't sure what Charles was more upset about. The fact that Kyle had purchased the building for his mother-which unfortunately resulted in Ella losing the opportunity to expand the market-or the events of the past that the bitter older man still judged him by and couldn't let go of.

At this point, Kyle was beginning not to care what the reasons were, except that it affected Ella's views on their relationship. Or rather, their secret affair, because that's exactly what it had been since the night they'd fallen back into bed together. Stolen moments on the weekends. Him sneaking into her bedroom-and sneaking right back out after their too short time together. Seeing her at the market while he worked on the building, yet maintaining their distance to keep any gossip at bay.

There were no fun, casual dates that normal couples went out on. No holding her hand and hanging out in public together. No, everything was reserved for those few hours they had together in her bedroom, and during the week, it was sporadic phone calls and texts that kept him going until the next time he could see her, be with her.

He fucking hated it. He'd played by Ella's rules, and on some level, he even understood why she was so guarded, that old habits died hard and for the past ten years, all she'd known was working at the market and taking care of her father. That had been her life because she'd been cast as the responsible one. The dependable one. And she clearly took the role seriously.

But something had to change, because they couldn't keep going on like this. And for the past three months, he'd been patient. He hadn't pushed her for more than she'd been willing to give, though he'd felt an undeniable shift between them over the course of that time, had seen and felt the evidence that there was more than just sex between them.



       
         
       
        

He already knew he was in love with Ella. Hell, he even understood that she was the reason he hadn't committed to any other woman in the past, because Ella gave him everything he needed. Everything he'd ever wanted. Except her love. Her heart was the one thing she'd kept under lock and key.

Then again, he hadn't said those three little words to her, either, mostly because he already knew how it would all play out. Instead of being overjoyed, she'd panic. Instead of jumping into his arms and declaring her love, as well, she'd push him away. He knew this because the few times he'd mentioned taking their relationship outside the bedroom, it hadn't gone well. Her doubts and fears had been immediate, and her fallback excuse was always the same: You're going back to the city, where your life is, and I'm staying here, where I need to be for my father. A long-term, long-distance relationship isn't fair to either one of us.

It always came back to that, and it was difficult to argue about her father and not come across as an insensitive asshole. But something had to give somewhere, and now that his time and work here in Woodmont were done, Kyle's biggest fear was that he was going to be the one Ella cut loose. Unless he did something about it. He just wished he knew what would or could change her mind.

With a sigh, he glanced over to the storefront for the bakery, smiling when he saw his mother bustling around inside. It hadn't taken her long to jump in and get involved and enjoy the prospect of being a business owner. She was a better decorator than she'd given herself credit for, because she'd gone with an awesome magical tea party theme inside the bakery with Alice in Wonderland elements, and everyone who glanced inside oohed and awed and couldn't wait until the place opened.

The industrial baking equipment he'd ordered would be delivered and installed that week, and every day, huge boxes of supplies and stock arrived, which kept his mother busy from morning until evening as she and the few other women she'd hired worked to put the place together for the grand opening that was happening in two weeks' time.