What Makes Us Stronger (A Well Paired Novel Book 3)

by Marianne Rice

  “That’s okay.” Grace laughed and dropped her arm from Lily’s shoulder.

  “Besides. Tonight was an extra book night thrown in the mix. We just got together last week knowing it would be hard to get away on back-to-back weekends. I brought tons of food. Maybe tonight we’ll actually talk about the book. Which is why we are here anyway.”

  Even the escape of Lisa Gardner’s latest suspense wasn’t enough to distract her from the dangers that could be in store for Lily. And anyone close to her.

  Grace tugged at Lily’s arm, and she followed her to the grouping of chairs and sofa. “This is the first book I’ve read cover to cover in less than three days. Anyone else stay up all night reading?”

  Jenna chimed in, rambling on about the main characters, and Lily let out the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. During the encounter by the front door, she’d avoided direct eye contact with everyone. Hope’s gaze across the table burned into her, and she tried to ignore it by diving into the snacks.

  They discussed nearly the entire book and even made suggestions for a sequel, and then Mia brought up the elephant in the room.

  “I’m actually surprised to see you tonight, Lily. Figured you’d be with Ty.” Mia scooped her chip through a mound of guac and shoved it in her mouth. Lily fidgeted in her seat while they waited for Mia to finish chewing and finish her thought.

  Better to control the conversation and be on offense rather than the defensive end all night.

  “Ty and I don’t spend every waking minute together. We both have our own separate lives.”

  “Guess so. Still. When he told Dad he needed a few days off and was leaving for a long weekend, I assumed he was taking you with him.”

  The stinging behind her eyes burned, as did the final thread of hope she held on to.

  “Mia. Be nice. If she and Ty need time apart, it’s none of our business.” Hope may have come to her defense, but her wrinkled brow and tilt of her head told Lily she was wondering the same thing.

  “I...” Deciding on honesty instead of more lies, she told them what she could. What she hoped was true. “Ty and I need some time apart. As Mia said, if we’re not working we’re always together. I have my time with you all and he... Ty has Cameron and Ben, but they’re so busy with work and... wives. I’m glad he could get away.”

  “Ty didn’t go with Ben or Cameron. He went by himself.”

  “Alone time is important too.”

  “Oh, honey. Are you and Ty having problems? I’m sorry to hear that.” Jenna seemed to be the only clueless one in the group. Alexis was probably out of the loop as well, but the winery had been busy so she stayed home tonight.

  “It’s okay. I’ll talk with him when he gets back.” Waiting until Sunday night would kill her, but maybe time was what they needed. He could gather his thoughts, come to his senses and realize he needed her, and Lily could prepare herself to tell her sordid story again.

  And pray he could handle being with someone who had a target on her back.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  EVEN A WEEKEND AWAY with nothing but a tent, his fishing pole, and Meatball wasn’t enough to clear his mind. Ty was a son of a bitch. Never had he been so rude to a woman. To anyone.

  Lily’s deception angered him. He couldn’t help his irritability. Wednesday at work he was a bear to his crew. He didn’t yell, that would be completely out of character for him; instead, he’d snipped passive aggressive comments their way.

  “Hey, Ty. Framing’s done on the windows. What do you think?” Greg had asked.

  “Looks good for a first-timer.” Which he wasn’t.

  Greg had been with him for three years and did quality work. The window framing was fine, as far as Ty could tell, but he didn’t have the patience to inspect it as thoroughly as he usually did. Tossing that comment out made Greg second-guess his work. Ty trusted him to do a good job but didn’t have it in him to dole out compliments.

  Knowing he needed to get out of Dodge, he told his crew he was taking some time off. Something he never did. Something he never needed to do. His father didn’t question him. Just gave him a slap on the back and told him to have a good time.

  Most likely they thought he was taking off with Lily. Mia assumed so. When she saw Lily still in town, hanging out with her suit, she’d understand why Ty needed to leave.

  The fish didn’t bite all weekend and Meatball was nothing but a menace, wanting to be by his side and even sleep on his sleeping bag in the tent. Normally the mutt wanted nothing to do with him.

  Same as Lily.

  The sun had begun to set over the treetops as he turned down Cranberry Lane and headed toward home. Before he knew it, the sun would be up and he’d be embarking on another morning. Another day without Lily.

  She said she still loved him. So what was with the suit? Jealousy reared its ugly head and flowed through his body. He’d wanted nothing to do with her excuses or explanation. At least Kristi didn’t drag it out. She’d come clean, admitted to wanting to be with someone who had a substantial financial future, and left. She didn’t string him along, tell him she loved him, keeping hope alive inside.

  No, he had no hope for Lily. Whatever explanation she had, she could keep. If the suit was a business meeting, a friend with no strings, she’d have come clean right away, extinguishing any need of jealousy or insecurity.

  But she hadn’t. She’d said it wasn’t what it looked like. So why the hell hadn’t she said exactly what it was? If her slipping in the fancy car with a man who had everything Ty didn’t meant nothing, why the secrecy?

  It was about her past, it had to be. The way she shut down when he asked her if she was married. The suit was involved, knew more about her life than he did and that caused another ripple of rage to flow through his veins. If he was her ex...Ty couldn’t compete with that.

  Pulling into his driveway, he shoved his truck into park and scooped up Meatball.

  “Do your business in the woods and make it fast. I don’t have time for your finicky habits tonight.”

  As if he understood, Meatball trotted off to the woods. How Ty would spend his time tonight, he didn’t know. There was nothing but time on his hands.

  It was no different than life before Lily. Work. Check up on Hope and Delaney who no longer needed him to check up on them, check in with his mom and dad, who were still happy in love even after thirty-five years of marriage. Check in with Mia who would tell him to mind his own business.

  Ironic since she made it her goal to butt into everyone else’s business. He hadn’t responded to a single one of her fourteen texts while he was away.

  Gathering his tent and sleeping gear, he plodded to his front door and dropped his gear inside. He made one more trip, gathering his cooler, backpack and fishing gear. Back in the day he’d looked forward to his weekend fishing trips with his father. In the fall they’d hunt deer, and moose if they got a license. And in the spring they’d turkey hunt.

  Other than that, Ty didn’t do much. Didn’t need much.

  Until Lily.

  She made him need more than he wanted to. Despite her dishonesty, he missed her. The way she teased him when they watched movies together. The way she treated Meatball as if he was the most loving dog in the world. The way she smelled, and sighed, and said his name while they were making love.

  Ty pushed through the front door with the rest of his load and dropped it all in the hallway. Food, beer, then a shower were on tap for the evening, and then back to the grind.

  He paused midway to the fridge and pulled a deep breath to his lungs.

  Lily. He could still smell her in his house. Just like he could smell her on his pillow, on his sheets. Tuesday and Wednesday night he’d rolled over and avoided her side of the bed, not getting an ounce of sleep. That’s when he knew he needed to take off.

  Her scent, memories of their good times together, swarmed him. Had it only been a few months since they’d been in a relationship? Not even.

  And in t
hat short time, she’d ruined his perfectly planned out life by falling in love.

  Almost forgetting about Meatball, he opened the backdoor and called out, “Come on, dog. Suppertime.” As if he knew the struggle Ty was going through, Meatball lifted his head from the rhododendron bush and waddled his way to the back steps. “Good boy. You’re finally learning. Took you long enough,” he mumbled.

  Ty filled the dog bowl with chow and rubbed Meatball’s head. What to make for himself? He’d dined on chips, beer, and beef jerky for the past three days. Real food was in order. Finding a package of boneless chicken breasts in the freezer, he tossed it in the microwave and pressed defrost. Not ideal, but it would work. In the meantime, he scrubbed two potatoes and pricked them with a fork.

  While the chicken defrosted, he went outside to fire up the grill; the swoosh as the flame ignited the only sound coming from his property. He liked it like that. Alone. Quiet. Still.

  At least he thought he did. There was something missing. Someone missing. No matter how wrong it was, he missed Lily. Longed for her. God, he was a sucker. He stilled at the sound of tires on his gravel driveway. It was too soon. He needed to have a stronger hold of his feelings before seeing her again.

  If she came too close, touched him with the softness of her voice, he’d cave and throw everything he’d worked so hard for, his pride, out the window. Maybe when he didn’t answer the front door she’d take the hint and leave.

  No such luck. He caught the sight of her coming around the corner of his house and had the urge to run inside and hide.

  “Ty?” Relieved at the voice, he turned.

  “Hope. Haven’t seen you around in a while.” It wasn’t a random social call, he knew. She probably sided with Lily and would read him the riot act for being an ass to her, for not listening to her side of the story.

  “Smells good.”

  “Nothing’s on it yet. Just heating up the grill.”

  “Well, whatever you cooked last smells good.”

  Steak and grilled asparagus. Lily practically swooned when she cut into the tender meat and praised him for his grilling skills.

  “Am I interrupting dinner?” Hope jerked her head toward the backdoor.

  “Nope. Just me and Meatball tonight. Care to join us?” He wanted her to say no. Not that he didn’t want to hang out with Hope, it was the interrogation he wasn’t looking forward to.

  “It’s almost eight. I ate an hour ago.”

  With her family. Something Ty didn’t have. Sure, he had awesome parents and a bratty sister, but a wife and kid he did not.

  He hadn’t been searching for the Rockwell image around a dinner table, not until Lily came into his life, filling his house and heart with her gorgeous smile, and now he couldn’t get the image out of his head.

  “How’s Delaney?” Better to make her the center of attention than him.

  “Amazing as always. She and Cameron are playing UNO.”

  In other words, she left her family to seek him out with a purpose. “Come on in. I need to grab the chicken from the microwave.” He held the door for Hope and offered her some wine from an open bottle he and Lily had shared on Monday. “I don’t know if it’s still good.”

  “I’m not picky.” Hope knew where the glasses were and helped herself to one, pouring the rest of the Merlot.

  Ty got out a cutting board and fileted the chicken until he had eight thin pieces. He found the bottle of honey barbeque sauce in the fridge and grabbed the tongs from the drawer. “This won’t take long.”

  “I don’t want to interrupt your dinner plans.” Hope held the door for him, and he set the chicken down next to the grill.

  “I don’t think Meatball minds your company.”

  “No Lily tonight?”

  “Why are you here, Hope?” He knew her too well to play games.

  “For a friendly visit?”

  Ty snorted. “I know when you have an ulterior motive. What is it you know, and what is it you think you know?”

  “And what do I want to know?”

  “I’m not offering any information.”

  “And here I thought we were best friends.”

  Shit. He didn’t mean to hurt her feelings. Ty shut the lid to the grill and hung the tongs on the hook underneath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take... to take this out on you.”

  “That’s what friends are for. Want to talk about it?”

  “Not really.”

  Hope laughed, “Yeah. Dumb question.”

  Even though they’d been best friends for more than a decade, Ty never confided much in Hope. It wasn’t because he didn’t trust her, he simply kept his private life private. Besides, Hope always had a lot on her plate, first with her pregnancy and then being a single mom. His role was the listener. The supporter. Whatever Hope and Delaney had needed, Ty provided. Revealing his ugly secrets wasn’t part of the deal, and Hope had always seemed fine with that.

  “In all the years we’ve been friends, you’ve never been serious about a woman.”

  “I’m not the relationship kind of guy.”

  “Bullshit. You have family guy written all over you. The house, the dog, the quiet, loyal friend who is there in a heartbeat. You’re every woman’s dream.”

  “Not yours.” The chemistry simply hadn’t been there. Not like with Lily.

  “You know I love you, Ty.”

  Yeah, he did. And he loved her too. Always would, in that familiar way. The words were hard to say, but she knew. As did Delaney.

  “So what did Lily tell you? Everyone in town think I’m an asshole?” The only thing he’d done wrong was send her away without a chance to tell her side of the story. Other than that, he was completely innocent in this... in whatever they were in. Break up, he’d called it.

  “She didn’t know you went fishing. Mia dropped that bomb on her during our book meeting.”

  “I thought you guys met last week?”

  “We did, but something happened...” Hope leaned against the railing and sipped from her wine. “Lily was off. Something spooked her, and she left saying she didn’t feel well.”

  “Last week?” Ty picked up the tongs and turned over the chicken. She didn’t come over after book club, but he hadn’t expected her to knowing it would be a late night. Had he wanted her to? Hell yeah. She’d sent him a text with an apology saying she didn’t want to wake him and couldn’t wait to see him Friday night. Their weekend together had been perfect. Or had it all been a cover? Had she been out with the suit Thursday night, which was why she left the bookstore early?

  “Did you guys have an argument?”

  “Kind of.”

  “I’m assuming you don’t want to talk about it, but I think you should. If not with me, with someone. It’s not healthy to keep things bottled up.”

  Uncomfortable with the attention on him, he checked the chicken again. “I need a clean plate.” She didn’t follow him inside, and he stalled for time. He put the dirty dish in the dishwasher and took out a clean plate and fork for his chicken. The potatoes would be done soon so he dug around for a can of corn, opened it, dumped it in a bowl and nuked it.

  It was either let the chicken burn and avoid Hope for a few more minutes, or suck it up and face her, and salvage his dinner. Manning up, he went back outside and turned the grill off. “Sure you don’t want any? There’s plenty.”

  “Nope. I’m gonna hover and watch you eat. Hopefully you’ll be so uncomfortable you’ll spill your darkest secrets,” she teased, obviously unaware what any of his were.

  Not that being ditched by your fiancée was a deep, dark secret. Which it wasn’t. Ty plated the chicken and thanked Hope when she held the door for him.

  She didn’t say anything, yet her curious stare made him fidgety while he prepared his potato and scooped up some corn, piling it next to his chicken. They sat next to each other at the table, and Hope remained quiet while he cut his food, chewed, and swallowed. Damn, the woman was patient.

  When his pla
te was empty, he sat back with a loud sigh. “I was engaged when I was in Afghanistan.”

  “You what?” Hope nearly shot out of her seat. “Don’t tell me it was Lily?”

  “No.” Although history had a way of repeating itself. Last week he could see himself engaged to her. Now... not so much. “Another soldier. I had plans to tell the family during my next leave.”

  “We talked every week and you never told me you were dating anyone, much less were engaged.”

  “We tried to keep it on the down-low.” Her idea and he hadn’t seen through it back then.

  “I’m sorry it didn’t work out. Oh.” Hope covered her mouth with one hand and reached for his with the other. “Did she die?”

  “No. Nothing like that. She went home on leave and came back pregnant. Baby wasn’t mine.”

  “Oh, Ty. That sucks. I’m sorry. And you never told me? Why?”

  “You had your own stuff going on. Delaney, trying to make ends meet. Hearing about my pathetic life wouldn’t have done you any good. You’d have felt helpless and miserable for not being able to do something.”

  Hope cocked her head. “I guess that’s true. Why not tell me about the little witch when you came home?”

  Ty laughed. He could always count on Hope to be on his side. “I was trying to move on.”

  “Okay. I can respect that. Thank you for telling me. I know how private you like to keep your life.”

  “Yet here you are trying to pry secrets out of me.” Ty picked up his beer bottle between two fingers and wiggled it. Empty. “Need a refill?” he asked as he got up and got himself another beer.

  “No, thanks.”

  He opened the bottle and tossed the cap on the counter and sipped the cold ale. Hope fidgeted in her seat, most likely processing and trying to figure out what to ask him next.

  “So what does this former cheating ex of yours have to do with Lily?”

  “Nothing.” Ty shrugged and sipped again.

  “Then why are you telling me about her now? There has to be a connection.”