Free The Millionaire's Arranged Marriage by Tina Martin Page B

after you’ve done all the hard work?”
    “Okay. I’ll get a spoon.”
    Tyson stands, takes off his apron and grabs a spoon. He’s back, sitting next to me and we take a spoonful of dessert at precisely the same time, tasting it.
    “ Mmm...this is very good, Tyson.”
    “Glad you like it.”
    As we continue eating, I give the kitchen another once over. He has just about every kitchen appliance any chef would dream of.
    “So tell me a little more about yourself, Tyson.”
    He grins.
    “What?” I ask him.
    “You know plenty about me...you know I’m a chef ...that I’m your husband’s first cousin and...”
    “I mean personally...like you pretty much know all about my personal business with Dilvan and all. So what about you? Is there someone special in your life?”
    He gives me an inquisitive glare that almost transforms into a frown.
    “What?” I ask.
    “The way you phrase d your question makes it sound like Dilvan was special to you.”
    “No...that’s not how I meant it. I...I was just trying to ask you if you were involved with anyone.”
    “No. I’m not. Now you would like know why, right?”
    I don’t answer him, but still, he says, “I was in love with a woman about five years ago. We were engaged, actually, but she got a job offer in Chicago and I owned my own restaurant in Atlanta and wasn’t willing to pick up my entire life and go to Chicago. So we split up, and now she’s happily married with two small kids, still living in Chicago and I’m here.”
    “Why didn’t you go with her?”
    “It didn’t feel right.”
    “But you ended up moving from Atlanta anyway to the Outer Banks, so you could’ve just moved with her.”
    “Nah. Besides, we’d gotten into a huge fight...she said I wasn’t supporting her dreams as much as she supported mine and one day I came home from work and she was gone.”
    “Just like that?”
    He nodded. “Yep. Just like that.”
    “So how do you know she’s married with kids?”
    “I hear things, you know...but I have no hard feelings. I know I did the right thing. Sometimes you have to listen to your mind and not your heart.”
    “ Trust me, I know that all too well.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Well, I didn’t say anything before, because I didn’t want you or Padma to look at me like I was foolish, but I actually didn’t want to leave Dilvan’s house. I mean, in my mind, I have this image of what Dilvan and I could’ve been if he was a sane individual,” I say with a chuckle. “And even when I knew it was time to go, my heart still wanted him to love me.”
    “I don’t think that’s foolish at all. My sister went through something similar with her ex...boy could she tell you some stories.”
    “Maybe I’ll get a chance to meet her one day.”
    “Maybe.”
    I take another spoonful of tiramisu, savor it because it’s my last and then lay the spoon on the table. “Tyson, do you have a home phone?” I ask him, because I want to call my Father and talk to my sisters before I go to bed.
    “Nah, I don’t have a home phone, but you can use my cell.”
    “Okay.”
    “You don’t have a cell phone?” he inquires.
    “No. Dilvan didn’t allow me to have one.”
    Tyson shakes his head. “So how were you able to contact your family?”
    “Whenever I would go to Padma’s house, I secretly called them from there.”
    Tyson takes his cell phone from the countertop and says, “Here you go, dear. Use it whenever you want.”
    He st ands, stretches his muscular arms high up in the air and says, “I’m going to go take a shower.”
    “Okay. I’m going to call my Father. Hopefully he’s still up. I’ll leave your phone on the counter.”
    “Okay, Bri,” he says, then began walking towards his bedroom.
    “What did you call me?” I ask. It sounds like he called me the ‘bri’ in Gabrielle, but I’m not certain if that’s what he said.
    He turns around and has a sly smile on his face. “Bri...I’ve decided to give you a nickname