Ty smiled, shaking his head, remembering his mom and the things she used to do when her boys were sick. The special foods she made, the silly songs she’d sing to get them to laugh even when they didn’t feel well.
“So the end of school came—at twelve thirty instead of three o’clock, because it was a mini day. The school buses didn’t run on mini days, so everyone’s parents came to pick them up. But guess whose mom was a no-show?”
Ty stared at his brother, eyes widening. “Mom forgot to get you?”
“Damn straight she did, and who could blame her? She’d been up all night with a sick preschooler, cleaning up vomit, trying to get your fever down, then the school throws in this once-a-month schedule change that also changes the normal transportation arrangements. She was tired and off-kilter, and she forgot.”
“Well, hell,” Ty muttered, leaning back in his chair.
“Luckily, Mrs. Roberts, the principal, saw me wandering the lawn and brought me in to call home and wait until someone could come get me. Ended up being Grandma, who said I was lucky, because when she was little, her mother forgot to send her older brother to walk her home, and she was so little, she tried to do it by herself and got lost. They found her in the neighbor’s cornfield at dinnertime crying she was so hungry and tired.”
Ty chuckled, amazed his brother had a story like this to tell in the middle of one of the worst weeks he could remember.
“Parents fuck up. You’ve told me that a hundred times, and you’re right. I’ve been worried Jodi wasn’t stable enough for this, or she’d try to take advantage of you. But I never said I expected her to be perfect.”
“But maybe I have,” Ty answered quietly.
“Or maybe you’re just afraid to let her in all the way. And I haven’t helped with that. I’ve been suspicious and paranoid, and you were right to get pissed at me. I was out of line. Jodi’s given me no reason to treat her the way I have.”
“I want her to be who I think she is,” Ty said.
Cade nodded. “Then maybe you need to let her.”
Hours later, after Cade had gone and work was done for the day, Ty lay on his back in the bed of his truck and stared up at the stars. The sky had very little light pollution out on the ranch, and he never stopped marveling at how truly insignificant it made him feel when he looked at all that inky black full of millions of pinpoints of energy—stars, planets, galaxies. He had no doubt there were other worlds out there, other lives unfolding, other beings who might look different but might feel very much the same. That common thing called humanity might be more than human really, because Ty had a hard time imagining any life form that didn’t experience basic things like the need to protect its young, or the desire for a life partner.
He let his mind wander back to the first days he’d known Jodi, back before the pregnancy, before things became so full of stress and responsibilities that the two of them shut each other out, struggling just to survive the whole thing and bring another human into the world relatively unscathed.
God, he’d loved being with her. It had been different than it was this time around. Lighter, freer, not as intense. But he’d loved it all the same. Loved watching her talk to customers at Lynn’s café when she worked. Loved seeing the way her hair tangled around her face first thing in the morning. Loved the way she laughed when he held her down on the sand at the beach and tickled her. Ty realized with sudden clarity that he’d been falling in love with her, and if that hadn’t been interrupted, he would have asked her to stay, would have wanted to finish it off—the falling in love, the keeping her with him always.
For five long years, Ty had shut off any ideas about Jodi because he’d had to. She was gone, she’d left him with a daughter, and time to regret the loss of her was something he didn’t have as a single father. But since she’d come back, he’d been like a homing pigeon, returning to that place as fast as he could—that place where he was falling in love with a woman who he feared might be his one and only.
“Dammit,” he whispered into the dark as he rubbed a hand over his eyes. He couldn’t deny it, especially not to himself. It was separate from Katie, and yet wholly entangled with her. It was a Gordian knot of want and joy, disappointment and fear. Jodi made everything in his world so much more complicated, and Ty was a pretty simple guy at heart. He did what was right. He never faltered. He loved, he protected, he supported. He wasn’t cut out for all these shades of gray, these peaks and valleys, this fucking chaos that had taken over his insides. But he couldn’t ignore it all either. It was here. She was here. And the fact was, he’d fallen a very long time ago. It had just taken him five long years to admit it.
Another week passed, and Ty allowed the schedule he and Jodi had envisioned to play out. She picked up Katie on Tuesdays and Thursdays, took her to dance and then out to dinner. He made sure never to be in the house when she dropped Katie off, but he also stopped sending Lynn as the watchdog at school. He knew he couldn’t hover forever. Either he was going to give Jodi the chance to be a mother or he wasn’t, and that ship had sailed weeks ago.
But try as he might to be satisfied with an arrangement that seemed to be working smoothly, he couldn’t. It felt wrong every time he watched out his office window as Jodi and Katie climbed out of the little CRV and laughed with Lynn on the front porch. He ached when Katie regaled him with stories of the things she and her mommy had done on their afternoons together. Truth be told, he was miserable, and it wasn’t getting any better.
The misery made him unable to focus on his work, which was why he was walking along the boardwalk at two p.m. on a Wednesday instead of sitting at his desk at the ranch reviewing feed orders like he should.
He breathed deep of the sea air and watched the smattering of people out in the middle of the day at the beach. As a couple walking a few dozen feet in front of him shifted course, his gaze was caught by a head of platinum-blonde hair. His heart raced, and he stopped, watching Jodi as she walked very slowly with an elderly couple. The man had a walker he was using, his gait somewhat labored but steady. His wife had a bit of a dowager’s hump but seemed relatively spry, and she walked with her hand resting on Jodi’s arm, whether for balance or simple companionship he couldn’t tell.
He could have easily turned around, gone the other direction, Jodi would have never seen him, but instead, he kept walking toward them, his long strides overtaking them easily. As he approached, Jodi seemed to sense his presence, glancing over her shoulder just as he was reaching them.
“Oh, Ty!” she said, her eyes widening a touch as she slowed.
Her companions stopped, looking at him expectantly, warm smiles on their wrinkled faces.
“Hi,” he answered, smiling at the three of them.
“Are you taking a break from work?” she asked
“Something like that,” he answered.
“Let me introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Moore,” she said. “They were some of my first clients in Big Sur. Violet, Sebastian, this is Katie’s father, Ty Jenkins.”
“Oh yes,” Mrs. Moore said, smiling. “I knew your mother, and Cade used to do yard work for us when he was in high school.”
Ty smiled, remembering Cade bitching about the odd jobs his dad made him take off the ranch so he would have some experience with a boss other than their father.
“I remember that,” Ty said. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
“Jodi, dear,” Mrs. Moore said. “Since Ty is here to chat with us, will you be a dear and go get me a bottle of water from the concession stand?”
Jodi glanced between her client and Ty, who nodded in agreement.
“Um, sure. I’ll be right back.” Her brow furrowed a touch, but she gamely made her way to the nearby concession stand to do Mrs. Moore’s bidding.
“We met your daughter the other day,” Mr. Moore said. “She’s a real pistol, that one.”
Ty laughed. “Yes, she is. I hope she was polite, though. We try to get a balance in there somewhere.”
“She was a perfect angel,” Mrs. Moore said. “She has spunk but is polite and simply lovely.” She paused. “We were so sorry to have kept Jodi from her after school that day.”
Ty tensed. “When was this?”
“The day poor Jodi forgot to pick Katie up,” Mrs. Moore continued. “Sebastian had fallen on his new hip, and we asked her to come to meet us at the hospital. All those doctors ever want to do is give him drugs and put him in a nursing home.”
“I’m not going back to that place,” Mr. Moore stated emphatically. Then he looked at his wife with a tender gaze. “I can’t leave my sweetheart. I miss her too much.”
Mrs. Moore patted him on the cheek. “Jodi is the only person who listens to what we want. She’s given Sebastian so many ways to help his pain and rebuild his strength. And she came to the hospital that day and stayed for hours. She had to fight the entire nursing staff, the hospital administration, and the head orthopedic surgeon to keep them from checking Sebastian into a nursing home. She won, but we felt so bad we had distracted her to the point she forgot Katie at school.”
Ty blinked at them, blood rushing through his ears, his heart beating far too fast.
“Well,” he said weakly, “all’s well that ends well. Katie got picked up just fine, and you’re out here in the sunshine and fresh air instead of a nursing home.”
Mrs. Moore nodded, her gaze a little too shrewd for Ty’s taste. “Yes,” she agreed. “It did all end well. Jodi is truly an amazing young woman. Katie’s so lucky to have her for a mother.”
Just then, Jodi walked back up with the bottle of water that Ty now suspected had been a ploy on Mrs. Moore’s part. He said polite good-byes and turned back the way he’d come, striding along the boardwalk at a clip that matched his pulse. Fast.
22
After Jodi dropped the Moores off at their house, she went back home. She didn’t have any other clients for the rest of the day, so she planned to take a run, do some reading, and maybe stream a few episodes of Nashville with T.J., who was missing Vaughn while he was on an art-buying trip in New York.
As she pulled into her circular driveway, however, Ty’s big truck sat waiting, and she had to remember to breathe deep so she wouldn’t fall apart. Seeing him on the boardwalk today had been torture. All she could think about was the way his touch felt on her body, the tone his voice had when he murmured sexy words in her ear. Now the fear of him keeping her from Katie had faded, all seeing him evoked was memories of them together, and those were painful as hell.
She climbed out of the car and watched him warily where he stood leaning against the post of her porch, all long limbs and broad shoulders. It would really help if he were unattractive in some way. Maybe a receding hairline, or a gut hanging over the waistband of his jeans. But no. She sighed. He was the most beautiful man she’d ever laid eyes on, and that made it all so much harder.
“Hi,” he said, his voice low and rough, as she stepped onto the top step next to him.
“Hi. Is everything okay with Katie?”
He nodded. “Yeah, it’s all good, but I was hoping we could talk. Do you have a few minutes?”
Her heart raced, adrenaline shooting through her so her hand shook as she reached to put the key in the door. “Um, sure,” she said, fumbling with the lock. “Come on in.”
They made their way into the house, and she turned for the kitchen. “Do you want a cup of coffee?”
“Sure,” he answered, although he didn’t sound like he really cared. As she busied herself making the coffee, he rested against the doorframe, watching her silently. Once the machine was set to brew, she put her back against a countertop and crossed her arms, feeling defensive even though he hadn’t said a word.
“So, what’s up?” she asked, trying to sound carefree and casual, but failing miserably.
“I heard the story about what happened the day you forgot Katie,” he said softly, his eyes full of liquid heat.
Her heart squeezed in pain, and she nodded. “The Moores were the clients I told you about that day.”
He nodded, pushing off the doorframe and taking a step closer.
“What you did for them was amazing,” he continued, taking another step toward her. Her cheeks felt hot, and she had to catch her breath for a moment.
“I realized something the other night.” A step closer. “When we first met, before you got pregnant…” A step closer. “I was falling in love.” Her heart beat hard and fast as he came yet a step closer. “If Katie hadn’t come along…” He took one last step, standing in front of her now, liquid heat in his dark gaze.
“Katie complicated something that was so simple—you, me, the way we were feeling about one another—and it’s a complication we’ve been struggling with ever since. I haven’t handled that well. Over and over again, I’ve pushed when I should have stepped back, stepped away when I should have stuck.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and her breath hitched in her chest, everything stopping for a long second before heart and lungs started back up, pumping furiously, making her wonder if she’d survive this newest onslaught of emotion.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, leaning in just inches from her face, his warm breath fanning over her skin like thousands of tiny feathers. “I should have believed in you more—I should have believed in us more.” He rested his forehead against hers, his hands coming up to rest against the countertop on either side of her hips at the same time. He caged her in, and being trapped had never felt so good.
“I only started to believe in myself recently,” she whispered. “I couldn’t expect you to do something I couldn’t do for myself.”
“Yeah, but I’m pretty slow on the uptake.”
“And now?” she asked, her voice breathy and wary.
“Now,” he said, his lips brushing against her cheek while her neck arched in response. “Now I think I’d better make my move before someone a hell of a lot smarter than me steals you away. Because you are amazing. You’re smart, responsible, charming, and gorgeous. You’re a fantastic businesswoman, and the most caring person I’ve ever known. You’re patient, you’re thoughtful, and you have the biggest, most generous heart in the world.”
She sighed, touching him tentatively, her palms resting against his abs, fingertips barely stroking the muscles beneath his T-shirt.
He kissed her on the lips, once, twice, then one cheek, then the other, she felt her hips drift toward his, everything inside her becoming molten heat.
“I want you, Jodi Morgan. I want you today and tomorrow, and a decade from now. I want you in our lives permanently. I want you on the days you get so wrapped up in your clients that you forget Katie at school. I want her to know if her mother has a lapse like that, it’s only because she cared so much, she couldn’t leave another human being in need. I want you on the days you stand on my aunt’s deck and tell me to get over myself because you know who you are, you worked your ass off to get here, and you’re not going to doubt that, no matter how many times I do. I want you.” Then he pressed against her from lips to toes, and he kissed her, long, hard, with total abandon.
And Jodi kissed him back, her heart bursting out of the chains that had held it for so long. Because in spite of the restrictions she’d put on it all these years, her heart had grown and thrived, becoming stronger each day, blossoming into something that had room not only for Katie, but for Ty and herself as well.
“I love you,” he whispered as his lips traveled along her jaw, his teeth nipping at her tender skin. “I love you so much. And I’m so sorry. Please say you’ll be mine.”
There was no doubt then, no hesitation on her part, no words of caution. She simply said what her newly freed heart told her. “Yes. A thousand times yes. I love you, Ty. I’ve always loved you. And I’ve always loved Katie. I just didn’t know how to let myself.”
Then words faded as breaths and murmurs grew. Clothes were shed, and before long, Ty had turned Jodi to face the counter as he wrapped one arm around her waist, the other b
raced against the countertop. He bit softly into the muscle that ran from her shoulder as she arched her back and pressed her ass into his erection.
“Are you ready, gorgeous?” he asked, his voice like sandpaper in her ears, the vibrations traveling all the way to her core.
“So ready,” she answered. Then he slid into her, one hot inch at a time, both of them gasping for air. As he began to pump in and out, her hips shifted in rhythm, back and forth, creating the most electrifying friction she’d ever felt. There was nothing in the world but heat and slick skin. Ty’s chest hairs against her back, his breath in her ear. His fingers drifted across her nipples. His palm cupped the weight of her breasts. She reached behind her head and wrapped her arms around his neck, making her back arch and changing the angle of penetration.
“Jesus,” he gritted out. “You’re so tight, so hot.”
“Faster,” she gasped, and he complied until they were both crying out in bliss, her core contracting around his thickness over and over until she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to hold herself up any longer.
But he was there, his strong arm around her waist, being strong for both of them, like he always had. Ty had taken the most frightening moment in her life and turned it into her greatest joy. He’d built a family and saved a place for her even though he had no idea she’d ever come back to them.
“God, I love you,” he murmured, sliding out of her and turning her so he could look at her face.
Her heart beat out its agreement. “I love you too.” She placed her palm along his cheek, her gratitude overwhelming her for a moment.
“Don’t cry,” he whispered. “No more tears. Only smiles. No more pain. Only joy.”
“Okay.” She nodded emphatically. “Okay.”
Then he scooped her up and walked her to the bedroom where they lay, simply touching one another, just reveling in the freedom that finally reaching this place gave them.
Ty's Heart: California Cowboys 3 Page 18
