A few seconds of awkward silence followed.
“Lilly and I were just about to get some fresh air.” Ty broke the tension and nudged her forward with his hand.
“It was nice seeing you,” Lacey said to her uncle. She shot a grateful glance at Ty. She’d been uncomfortable with her uncle who was virtually a stranger.
So were the rest of the guests who must be friends of her uncle and his fiancée because Lacey knew no one. She and Ty stepped outside onto the terrace, which, thanks to the nice autumn weather, had been opened for the party.
“My mother used to play bridge with friends out here,” Lacey said. She inhaled, forcing cool, fresh air into her lungs and immediately felt more centered. “I don’t know what I was thinking, coming here.”
Ty leaned against the railing. “You needed to see the house, the people. Gain some closure. It’s understandable if you ask me.”
She inclined her head. “I’m going to go to the bathroom. When I get back, would you mind if we left?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yes, I mind. I wanted to stay and shut down the place,” he said, grinning.
“You’re a laugh riot.” She playfully poked him in the shoulder. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“I’ll miss you.” He met her gaze with a sizzling one of his own.
Surprised and pleased, she turned and wound her way through the crowd, heading for the bathroom. Not the powder room downstairs but the one in the upstairs hall, directly outside the old bedroom where she’d grown up.
Chapter Eight
Molly watched Tyler Benson over the rim of her Diet Coke glass. Lacey had walked toward the doors seconds before, leaving Ty alone. Drink in hand, he wandered around the room crowded with guests. Like Hunter, Ty was obviously a man who kept to himself, and in this crowd, Molly couldn’t blame him.
Coming here hadn’t been easy on Lacey or on Ty. The past probably surrounded them until they wanted to choke on it, Molly thought. But they’d come. And she was grateful.
She might be silly, but she hoped they could all come to a peaceful coexistence, just as she prayed her mother was finally marrying for love and not money. She wondered which wish, if any, had a chance in hell of coming true.
She walked over to Hunter’s best friend. “Ty?” she asked, capturing his attention.
He turned. “Hello again.” He greeted her with warmth.
She enjoyed studying people, and Ty, with his dark hair and hooded expression, gave off a rebel-like attitude she couldn’t mistake. He was guarded, and she understood why.
“Enjoying yourself?” she asked wryly.
“I’m hanging in there.” She caught a hint of laughter in his voice.
“Well, I’m glad you could make it.”
“Thanks.” He placed his empty glass on a passing waiter’s tray, then shoved his hands into his pockets.
“I heard you had a little excitement at the mall the other night.”
She nodded. “I’m still shaking.” She still saw that car coming at them. Good thing Lacey had such quick reflexes, she’d thought over and over since then.
“I can understand. Mind if I ask you something?” Ty gestured to an empty corner of the room where they could speak in private.
“Of course not.” She stepped toward the area he’d suggested. “What is it?” He had her curious.
Ty leaned close. “How’d Dumont take it when you told him about Lilly being alive?”
She tried not to stiffen. She attempted not to become defensive. She tried and failed, even though he was entitled to have that question answered and a whole lot more. But the truth was, Molly didn’t have the answers he sought. She’d asked Marc the bare minimum—what she could handle hearing and no more. Molly hadn’t considered herself a coward, but faced with losing the inroads she’d made with getting closer to her mother and having a family, she discovered she was definitely a coward and more.
“Why do you want to know?” she asked Ty warily.
“Because,” Ty said.
“Because isn’t an answer and you know it.”
He gave her a curt nod. “Because the last time something happened that screwed up Dumont’s plans, he reacted. Lives were changed as a result. And he might be playing the role of the good, repentant uncle by inviting Lilly here, but I’m not buying into it. And I intend to make sure she doesn’t suffer again because of some revenge scheme he has going.” Ty ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the wall, his gaze locked with Molly’s.
She admired his defense of Lilly and wondered if anyone would ever love her enough to look out for her that way. She’d certainly never experienced it before, not even as a child, which probably explained why she fought to keep her mother’s love now.
“Let me tell you something,” she said, focusing on Ty’s words. “You and Hunter might think I’ve been taken in by Marc’s charms, but I haven’t been. I weigh facts and I make up my own mind.” Except this time, she hadn’t asked. But Ty didn’t need to know that.
He grinned. “That’s good to know.”
“What’s got you smiling all of a sudden?”
“You’re feisty.”
“So?”
“You could give a man like Hunter a run for his money,” Ty said, his dark mood lifting just for a moment.
She was shaken by his perceptive words. “We’re not talking about me and Hunter.”
Ty nodded. “I wish we were. That kind of conversation would be much more fun.”
She had to laugh, and then, because he’d mentioned Hunter, she decided to tell him the truth. “Look, I went to Marc and told him Lacey was alive, just like Hunter expected me to do.”
“And?” Ty prodded.
She drew a deep breath. “He was stunned. At first, he was angry, then he controlled it,” she said, remembering. “Finally, he asked me to leave so he could be alone. I did. That’s all I know.” Molly brushed her hand over her black dress, smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles. Then she toyed with the fringes on her bright lavender belt.
That conversation had been one of the most painful she’d ever had, mostly because of all the questions she hadn’t asked. She couldn’t look at Ty head-on knowing what Hunter claimed Marc Dumont had done to him and to his friends. And she hated feeling selfish because she had every right to the close-knit family she desired. Didn’t she?
Marc had become an important part of Molly’s life. A father figure of sorts, someone who seemed to want her around. After a lifetime of being pushed away by the adults in her life, that mattered. Even as she struggled to reconcile the monster these people claimed Marc had once been with the man she knew now.
Molly glanced at Ty. “You have to understand that I met Marc at a different stage in his life. He said he goes to an AA meeting every week and I believe him. And yes, I know getting Lacey’s money was a part of his plan when he proposed to my mother, but he seems accepting of how things are now that Lacey is alive.”
“Okay,” Ty said at last.
“That’s it? That easily?”
He pushed himself off the wall and straightened. “I know you believe what you’re telling me, and that’s good enough for now. Just watch your back,” he said by way of warning.
“Not to worry. I can take care of myself.”
He glanced at his watch. “Lilly’s been gone awhile.”
Molly glanced toward the doorway. “Why don’t you go find her,” she suggested.
Because she could definitely use a stronger drink.
Ty felt bad about grilling Molly, but he’d needed to push her in order to gauge her honest reaction to Dumont and to the situation they all found themselves in. He’d also been assessing her for Hunter’s sake. Ty was looking out for his best friend who had strong feelings for this woman. Her mother was marrying into a snake pit, and he wondered where Molly fit into the family.
Which brought him to another question. Where in the world had Lilly disappeared to in this monstrosity of a house? Ty could
n’t imagine what she was feeling now any more than he could envision growing up in a place like this. The house was a mansion, the grounds seemingly endless. He wondered if Lilly could separate the later years she spent here from her childhood and remember the place held good memories, too. Either way, Ty was certain the absence of her mother and father made this visit extra difficult for her now.
After he checked the downstairs bathrooms, he climbed the long stairs in the foyer and began searching the empty rooms upstairs. There were bedrooms that looked as if they’d been closed off for years. He’d look in, find it empty and move on. At the end of the hall, there was a double door that must lead to the master bedroom suite and he started heading in that direction.
Although there was a crowd downstairs, the low hum of voices receded as he walked further away. As he came closer to the master suite, he realized there was another bedroom adjacent with a light shining from inside.
Bingo, he thought. He slowly opened the door and stepped inside.
Lacey sat in the middle of her old twin bed, a stuffed animal she’d been forced to leave behind in her arms. She’d spent the time since she’d walked out of the party wandering the old rooms upstairs. Not much had changed, except for the master bedroom. That Marc had transformed into a bachelor’s room with dark colors and old wood furniture. She remembered her parents’ bleached-wood, light-blue-painted furniture, and she immediately began to cry.
Not quiet tears, but big, gulping uncontrollable sobs, caused in part by being in her own home, surrounded by strangers. It had been years since Lilly had fallen apart or even let herself become so immersed in memories that she cried. She couldn’t afford to be weak when she’d needed to be strong in order to keep going on. Forward. Living life, no matter what stood in her way.
But the complete change of her parents’ room had thrown her badly, and when she closed her eyes, the memories of all she’d lost flooded through her.
“Lilly?” Ty asked quietly. “I’ve been looking for you.”
She opened her eyes and met his somber gaze. “I got distracted,” she whispered, her fingers digging into the ratty fur of her old stuffed pet.
He strode forward and seated himself beside her. “Your old room?” he asked.
She nodded.
“It hasn’t changed,” he said, glancing around.
“I know. Either he didn’t have the money or… I don’t know why.”
“Are those ladybugs on the walls?”
“Red, white and royal blue ladybugs,” she said proudly. “I chose the wallpaper with my mom.” Lacey bit down on her lower lip. “She said bright colors would keep me cheerful all the time.”
He looked around some more. “Looks like a happy place to grow up. Was she right?”
“Until she and my father died.” Without warning, Lacey swung her feet off the bed and stood. “Let’s get out of here, okay?”
“You’re the boss.” He rose, following her lead.
“Don’t lie. You don’t let anybody call the shots,” she said.
“Unless it’s you,” he muttered.
Or at least those were the words she thought she heard him say as she turned off the light, then shut the bedroom door behind her for the last time.
Lacey stood by Ty’s side as he gave the valet the ticket for his car. Instead of focusing on the night she’d had, she thought about Ty instead. The valet in a green jacket appeared, driving Ty’s nondescript American car. Not a sports car, not a truck, just a car. Ty tipped the other man and climbed inside. Lacey followed him in, settling into the passenger seat.
As he pulled down the long driveway, she took in the strength and air of authority he brought to everything he did. For the hundredth time, she admired his handsome bone structure and sexy mouth that held a tiny dimple on the right side when he smiled. Which wasn’t often enough, Lacey thought.
Ty was as complex as the things that surrounded him were simple. He was a deep man who kept his feelings inside but who gave of himself just by being there. He seemed to sense and show up when she needed him, and he knew when to give her space. Ten years apart and he knew her better than she even knew herself.
Lacey leaned her head back, feeling the tension seep out of her body the further from the house he drove. “I realized something tonight,” she said softly.
“What’s that?”
She took a breath and rolled her head toward him.
“It’s not a house that makes a home, it’s the people who live there. That big house was full of strangers and the living room wasn’t the same place where my parents and I spent Christmas by the fireplace. Without them there, the place is just an empty shell of something that once was.” Her voice quivered, but along with that realization came a sense of calming peace.
He glanced over for a brief second and treated her to an understanding smile. Whenever he looked at her like that, like she was the only person on earth who mattered, her pulse soared and shivers of awareness danced through her body.
“That’s a huge revelation,” he said, his voice gruff.
She nodded. “It let me leave that house behind because I know I’ll always have my parents with me. In here.” She placed her hand over her rapidly beating heart.
“I’m really glad you’re okay. I know it’s been a rough night.”
She laughed. “That’s putting it mildly.”
“So, what now? Do you want to go back to my place?” he asked.
She shook her head. She’d much rather avoid being alone with him in the close confines of his apartment. The sexual tension was getting so thick she couldn’t stand it. “I’d rather drive around for a while if it’s okay with you.”
“My pleasure.”
She hit the power window button and let fresh air into the car. He did the same, and soon they were driving fast, the breeze blowing around them and the radio cranked up loud. She let the cold air whip her hair onto her cheek, enjoying the rush of adrenaline flowing through her system. Half an hour passed in silence and when Ty ran out of back roads and highway exits, he headed for home.
“For the most part, things around town look pretty much the same,” Lacey said as they drove down Main Street and turned the corner that led to his apartment around the back of the bar.
He nodded. “You know what they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same.” He parked in his usual spot behind the building, and after getting out of the car, she followed him up the stairs to his apartment.
He shoved his key into the lock and let them inside. It felt strange not to have Digger greet them with her pathetic whining and begging for attention, but Lacey hadn’t wanted to leave the pooch home for hours in a place that was still new to her. And because the hardwood floors and area rugs were part of the charm of his rented apartment, Ty had readily agreed with Lacey’s idea to ask Hunter to take the dog for the night.
Ty started for his bedroom, in what Lacey thought was an obvious attempt to escape any awkward moments between them. She couldn’t blame him. They weren’t on even footing, nor did they have an understanding of any kind. All she knew was that she liked being here with him.
With Ty, she felt like she was home. She always had. “Ty?”
He turned at his bedroom door. His hand gripped the frame as he faced her. “Are you okay?”
She shrugged. “Sort of.”
Because not only had she spent the evening reliving the happy memories with her parents and the painful ones inflicted by her uncle, she’d also reflected on the mistakes she’d made along the way in living her own life. “I’ve done a lot of thinking tonight. Uncle Marc’s not the only one who made mistakes.”
Ty stiffened. “No way do you think you’re responsible for what happened with him, because if you do—”
“No. No. My mistakes came later on.” She drew in a deep, calming breath. Of all the errors in judgment she’d made, the biggest had been turning her back on the people she’d loved. Those who’d taken her into their homes and their h
earts. Those who’d taken risks just by helping and loving her.
She clasped her hands together in front of her. “Do you think your mother would want to see me or is she angry because we let her think I’d—” She trailed off, finding it difficult to finish the thought, but since she’d done the deed, she forced herself to face it. “Is she angry because I let her go on believing I was dead?” Her throat swelled with a mixture of guilt and pain.
Ty’s worried expression turned into a smile. “I happen to know for sure that she’d love to see you. And before you ask why I didn’t bring you to her sooner, I was waiting for you to ask first.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Why?”
“Because I knew you’d ask when you were ready,” he said simply, proving once again how well he understood her.
“I guess I needed to put the ghosts of my past to rest, and I did that tonight,” she said, the realization giving her a strength she hadn’t known she’d been missing.
The thought filled her with pride in herself. Pride in the person she was becoming because she sure as heck was still a work in progress, Lilly thought wryly.
He nodded. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure you’d want to see my mother at all.”
She shook her head, his words making no sense. “Why wouldn’t I want to see Flo?”
Ty remained by his bedroom door, mere feet from Lilly but far enough from temptation to have this conversation without reaching for her. Touching her, whether out of need, compulsion or even sympathy would lead to far more. At this point he knew it as well as he knew his own name. If he allowed her to touch him both emotionally and physically, he didn’t know how he’d deal with life after she left. For Ty, a guy who rarely let feelings get in the way, coping with the fact that he felt so strongly for this woman was driving him insane.
Somehow, he turned his attention to their conversation about his mother. “I didn’t know which category of memories Mom fit into for you,” he said honestly. Though Lilly had a big heart, he’d wondered if in some way she grouped his mother in with the awful memories she’d rather tuck away and not revisit. “After all, from your perspective, you were in foster care.”
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