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He let out breath. “Just need to ask you some questions. Can I walk you home?”
In actuality, she’d planned to remain at the park and spend time with a puppy, but now she had no dog. She didn’t want to adopt two and she wasn’t sure anymore if she really wanted the responsibility of a dog, much less a puppy.
“Fine. But I don’t know what more can possibly be said.”
He remained silent. Taking her elbow, he guided her to the sidewalk. They walked slowly, each in their own thoughts for a few minutes. From the corner of her eye, she admired his profile. He was still the most handsome man she’d ever met. His brown hair glistened in the sunlight. There were a few gray hairs sprinkled at his temple, which only made him more attractive. Tobias was tall, six foot five, muscular with wide shoulders and a flat stomach. From what she knew, he worked out regularly and by the fact he’d raced and helped the team win the relay, Tori guessed he ran, also.
It was not fair that he had such a pull on her. If anything, she needed to feel dislike of him. But they had history, and ties that would bind them forever.
“Why are you looking at me like you want to strangle my neck?” He lifted a brow and looked to her. When his eyes traveled to her lips, Tori frowned and bit her bottom lip.
“I was considering our history and the fact I don’t really hate you.”
His lips twitched. “I don’t really hate you either.”
When his eyes narrowed in thought, Tori frowned. “What?”
“Come with me. Let’s go for a drive.”
“A drive. I really don’t think that’s a good idea. What exactly do you want to talk about? She stopped walking and put her hands on both hips. “You’re acting strange. Well, stranger than usual.”
“And you always make things difficult. I want to talk. I need to ask you some questions. And I think if we drive somewhere besides your house or my place, then the neutral setting will be perfect.”
Her stomach tightened. Whatever he was going to say must be really bad that he wanted her not to have a way to escape from it. Tori wasn’t about to show any weakness or let him know that being alone with him terrified her. She was dating Alec now and it was time to let him know.
“Fine. But not too far that I can’t get away from you if you piss me off.”
“If anything, you’ll be the one to make me want to run. You have such a way with things.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
He looked away from her with an expression of innocence. “Nothing. Come on, my truck is over here.” He took her elbow and shouted goodbye to Luke who waved them off.
Thoughts of howto tell Tori the truth tumbled around in his head. Tobias thought of one way to explain what he had to say and then changed his mind. How hard could it be to be totally honest, to tell her exactly how he felt and what he hoped for?
Truth be told, he wasn’t exactly sure what it was that would be the best for them. In a way, he agreed with Luke that, perhaps, it wasn’t too late. There was a strong possibility that Tori could still have children and would agree to it. However, the odds were definitely not in his favor.
The attraction between them was tangible, so strong he instinctively knew when she entered a room or looked in his direction. The pull between them hadn’t faded over the years. That they’d entered into a routine of insults and barbs had been a form of barrier. For him at least.
Tori seemed to take great delight in hurling put downs and insults at him. She’d actually become quite proficient, if he were to be honest.
“What are you chuckling about?” Tori asked, making him realized he’d been thinking out loud.
“About how good we are at trading insults. Over the years, I have to admit, I’ve looked forward to sparring with you.”
She huffed. “I will say you’re particularly good at it. I have to work to be mean. It seems to come naturally to you.”
“I’m not a cruel person,” he scoffed. “Everyone says I’m a nice guy. Mrs. Barbara, whom I help out, says I’m a sweetie.”
“You’ve got her snowed.”
Enjoying the familiarity of the conversation, Tobias lifted a brow. “Allison and Leah both often invite me to dinner. They like having me around.”
“Both of them like feeding strays,” Tori quipped. “They don’t keep any of them though.”
Tobias chuckled. “You turned down a pair of puppies who were crying because they wanted to be together. That,” he said the last work with a sharp emphasis, “is very mean. Villain mean.”
“It is, isn’t it? I keep thinking about the poor little things. They are so cute.” She sniffed.
