The next morning, Colette’s phone rang incredibly early. Long before the alarm went off.
Colette moaned in confusion, so Tavis sat up, reached across her, and snagged it from her bedside table, glancing at the screen to see who was calling. “It’s your father,” he murmured.
She groaned as she took it from him. “I better answer or he’ll just keep calling until I do.”
Tavis nodded and dropped onto his side next to her. He didn’t really want to climb out of bed, and he doubted she had anything to say that would be so private she wouldn’t want him to hear.
Colette connected the call. “Dad? Why are you calling so early?”
The man’s voice was so loud, Tavis could hear every word. “Oh. I didn’t realize how early it was. I wanted to catch you before you got too busy to answer. You haven’t called home in weeks.”
“That’s because I’m busy.”
“Doing what?” The man sounded genuinely perplexed.
Tavis’s brows shot to his hairline. What the fuck? He watched Colette grit her teeth and roll her eyes before she schooled her voice to respond with a deep breath. “I’m working on my PhD, Dad. I’m not on vacation.”
“Of course. No reason to get snippy. Surely you have time to call home.”
Tavis wasn’t sure why she would ever call home if this was how her father spoke to her. No wonder she had a strained relationship with the man.
“Listen, I spoke to Richard Tillerman the other day. He came to my office.”
Tavis’s hackles rose, and he watched as Colette pursed her lips and held her breath. She looked like her head might explode. She didn’t respond. Tavis doubted she could without screaming. Tavis was even more curious to know about Richard Tillerman and his story. Plus, he had a reason to ask now.
William Loughlin continued, “He said he’s been texting you and you never respond.”
“Why on earth would he tell you that?” she snapped.
“Don’t use that tone with me, Colette. He simply asked if you had a new number. What I want to know is why you aren’t answering him. He’s a nice man. Perfect for you. Lord knows anyone who would continue to pursue you when you ignore them is someone worth paying attention to.”
“Stay out of it, Dad,” she gritted out. Her knuckles were white. If she could, she would have made the phone buckle in half. Tavis could feel the rage wafting off her. “It’s none of your business. I’ll choose who I date and don’t date, and I’m not dating Richard Tillerman. Case closed.”
“Why not? Give me one good reason? He’s good looking, hardworking, and intelligent. His family is influential and wealthy. He’s the perfect match for you.”
“Not going to happen. Don’t ask again.”
“Colette,” the man barked. “You’re being unreasonable.”
She sat upright. “No, Dad. You’re being unreasonable. If you like the man so much, you go out with him. Do not call me at the crack of dawn to fix me up with men, Dad. I’m not even on the same continent as Richard. Goodbye.” She ended the call, her hands shaking.
For a moment, Tavis thought she might launch it across the room, and he wouldn’t blame her. He might grab it and do so himself.
Finally, with a growl of frustration, she tossed it onto the mattress and bolted from the bed, running for the bathroom.
He was used to her stomach being unsettled in the morning. It had been every day so far, but he hated that she had more than one reason to vomit today. Tavis swung his legs over the edge of his side of the bed and rushed after her, catching up and grabbing her hair just in the nick of time before she started heaving into the toilet.
At least now Tavis knew why there were incoming texts from Richard Tillerman. And he had a reason to inquire. Though it was painfully obvious why the man was texting, Tavis didn’t understand why Colette hadn’t mentioned a word?
Granted, Colette was entitled to some privacy, but Tavis had specifically asked her if she knew anyone who could be a threat for any reason. She should have mentioned Tillerman. The man was phone stalking her. And he’d gone to her father’s office? What the fuck?
When Colette finished dry heaving, Tavis handed her a cold damp cloth. This was their daily routine. In a moment she would drop onto her butt and groan before telling him she didn’t like him following her into the bathroom to watch her heave.
Today was different though. She did drop onto her butt and lean against the wall to wipe her forehead and then her lips, but she didn’t speak. Instead, she stared at the floor.
“Sorry about that,” she finally whispered.
Tavis winced. “Sorry about what? You didn’t do anything.”
She shrugged. “You didn’t need a firsthand, front-seat spot for the William Loughlin sideshow.”
He chuckled and squatted down next to her. “I didn’t mind. It helps me understand you better.”
“I’m sure you didn’t want to know any of that. It’s embarrassing.”
He cleared his throat and went straight for the elephant. “Why didn’t you tell me about Tillerman?”
“That’s also embarrassing.”
“Why?” He was beyond confused. If a man Colette had dated even one time was harassing her, he was a suspect, and Tavis needed to know about it. This made no sense.
“It just is. Please drop it. I don’t want to discuss Richard.”
Tavis stiffened. Something was off. “How long ago did you date him?” He tried not to let his voice sound accusatory, but was pretty sure he failed.
She jerked her gaze up and glared at him. “Several months, and I never once let the man touch me.” She shuddered from head to toe, her face scrunching up in disgust. “So don’t fucking look at me like that. He’s not the father of the baby. I didn’t lie to you. I haven’t had sex with anyone for over six months. And I’ve never ever had sex with Richard. The paternity is not in question.”
“Okay,” he said softly. “I didn’t mean to…”
“Yes, you did.” She dropped her face. Her voice was steady and filled with defeat. “And you have every right. I get it. How the fuck could you possibly trust me?”
Tavis reached forward and lifted her chin, his chest tightening. “That’s not true. I do trust you. I’m sorry for my momentary lack of sanity. If I’d thought it through for half a second, I would have realized how stupid my train of thought was. Please, forgive me.”
She nodded and dropped her face again the moment he released her chin.
Tavis waited a few moments and then spoke again, trying to keep his voice calm. “If someone is harassing you, Colette, no matter how minor it may seem, I need to know about it. I can’t protect you if I don’t have all the information.”
She inhaled slowly and spoke to the floor. “It’s no big deal. He’s just persistent. Please drop it.”
“It’s obviously a big deal or you wouldn’t react so viscerally to the mention of his name. I can dig around and find out anything I want to know about Richard Tillerman, Colette, but I’d rather hear most of it from you.”
She shoved off the floor and scrambled to her feet, stomping into the bedroom where she climbed back into bed. It was still super early. The sun wasn’t even up.
Tavis left the light on in the bathroom when he joined her, the fine hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He sat on the edge of the bed and waited.
After a few minutes of silence, she spoke, not looking at him. “He’s the son of one of my father’s friends. A banker, same as his father. Masters in business or some shit. He doesn’t give a shit about me. He only cares about the connections he thinks I could provide if he married the secretary of state’s daughter.”
Tavis flinched. Married? “Has he asked you to marry him?”
She sighed and whispered, “Yes. Flippantly. More like pointed out the benefits. As if it were a business negotiation one might have on a first date.”
Tavis sat up straighter. “And you don’t think that’s important?” Part of him wanted to shake her, but he sensed she was withholding some piece of information. Maybe protecting Richard? Why would she do that?
“It’s not.” She groaned and rolled onto her back. “Tavis, I’m begging you to drop it.”
He stared at her. She wasn’t telling him something. He was sure of it, but now wasn’t a good time to pressure her. She was exhausted and hungry and undoubtedly had an upset stomach. “Okay,” he said softly as he lifted one of her hands and rubbed his cheek with it. “For now.”
“Thank you.”
“Want to get in the shower? I’ll go make you some toast and bring it up.”
“Thank you for that too.” She smiled, but it was forced.
The irony in all this was that she had gotten extremely defensive thinking he didn’t trust her, and yet, she was absolutely intentionally withholding information.
As soon as Tavis reached the kitchen, he lifted his phone and shot off a quick email to Ajax and Ryker. He wanted to know every damn detail about Richard Tillerman. He didn’t even feel guilty about it. Colette had to know the first thing Tavis would do would be to dig around in the man’s history.
Which meant whatever was going on or had gone on between Colette and Tillerman wasn’t something Tavis would easily uncover on his own. Something personal had happened between them. But what? And what could be so embarrassing that Colette would seal her lips about it? She hadn’t even had sex with the man. What else was there?