Acting Happy (Texas Desires #2)

by Rylie Roberts

  “Are you all right with me being in here? I can leave. I just missed you, as lame as that makes me sound.” Ty placed his coffee cup in front of the chair right beside hers and leaned in, putting his face close, probably to gauge her reaction. Instead of answering that question, she asked one of her own.

  “Why do you want me to go to California? We barely know each other.” She searched his gaze for answers. After a whole morning of trying to figure out what was happening to her, she’d started again questioning Ty’s motives. The best she could tell, she added another layer of drama to his life that he clearly didn’t need.

  Before he had a chance to answer, she hurried on to say, “I’m not sure I fit there, Ty. I was so confused when I got out of that car last night and those flashes started. They blinded me. I stumbled. I wouldn’t have been able to make it inside if it weren’t for you. Then when we left, there had to be a hundred photographers between the restaurant and this building. I’m gonna embarrass you. I can’t even walk right in high heels.”

  “No way could you ever embarrass me,” he said emphatically as he took the chair beside her and turned it toward her.

  “Why do you want me to go?” she asked quietly, searching his face. One thing she did consider…perhaps he’d gotten her this job to keep her there in Dallas. Maybe since they left Tennessee, he was trying to get her set up somewhere that he could visit when he wanted.

  “Kenzie… Baby… I love you. I know that makes you uncomfortable, and I get that it’s a new raw emotion for me. It’s making me erratic at best, but I told you, and you have to see for yourself, I don’t have the luxury of time or tradition. In order for me to date you, you’re gonna have to be with me. Besides that, Titan’s Fall starts filming soon. I have to get back to my life. Please come. Give us that time for me to try and win you over,” he said, reaching out for her armrest to turn her chair to face his. He clasped both her hands in his.

  “It all feels like a fairy-tale whirlwind. It’s hard to think straight,” she confessed, tightening her fingers around his.

  “I’m taking that as a solid you-agree-to-come-with-me, and we’re not going to discuss this any further until I’ve convinced you that we belong together.” It was probably more the lifeline of his handhold, but she smiled at the relief she had when he lifted both her hands, kissing the knuckles of each one as Lara entered the room.

  “We’re all set. The sign-on bonus should hit your account in the next few days. Margaret made you copies,” Lara explained while walking around the room to her side of the table. Kenzie rose as Lara handed her the paperwork and then reached out to hug her tight. “I know we’re going to do great things together. I’m excited to be working with you.”

  Kenzie closed her eyes and hugged Lara a little tighter not able to help the silent plea.

  Please let this all work out.

  ~~~

  Tucking her purse under her arm, Kenzie looked around the guest room, making sure everything was back in its place and they’d left nothing behind. The sheer magnitude of clothing they had purchased in their one afternoon of shopping had caused Kenzie’s luggage to quadruple in quantity. All but Ty’s one case had already been taken down to a waiting car. She didn’t dwell on that. Instead, she’d developed metaphorical blinders to help keep her tunnel-vision focused on the things she knew how to process, like tucking the bedspread around the pillow before she left the room she had stayed in.

  “I’ll meet you in the living room,” Ty said, carrying the last piece of their luggage out of the room.

  “I need her for just a minute,” Lara said right outside the bedroom door. Seconds later, she came inside the room and shut the door behind her. She immediately came around the bed toward Kenzie. “I get the feeling you aren’t big on using your cell phone, are you?”

  “No, but that won’t be a problem. I’ll get used—” Kenzie snapped her mouth shut as Lara waved a hand frantically to stop her in midsentence.

  “Listen to me. You take these and put them on,” she said, handing her a pair of sunglasses. “Keep them on you all the time, even if it’s evening. It’ll help against the glare until you get used to it. Kade called me and then we tried to call you. The town’s going nuts about Ty being here unexpectedly with a new woman. Everyone’s trying to figure out who you are and why you two are together. All the tabloids are beginning to speculate. They can’t figure out who you are, but you two are like every other post on TMZ’s website,” Lara explained in fast, clipped sentences.

  “What?” she asked, a little panicked. They’d only been seen together for a minute outside the restaurant when they’d first arrived.

  “I know. Some kid got a selfie with Ty at the restaurant, but he clicked a shot of Ty bending down to kiss you at the table. He posted it on his Instagram innocently enough, but that’s all it took. So listen to me before we get out there around the guys and I can’t talk. Apparently Ty starts freaking when he thinks you’re nervous. Reed says he’s all over the place and he’s worried that it’ll make things worse.” Lara spoke so fast she had to stop and take a breath before she continued, this time holding her baby bump. “Walk like I showed you and wear these glasses. Stay right by Ty’s side or better yet, let him walk ahead of you. You stay a couple of steps behind. It’ll help guide you with all the flashing.”

  “Lara…” she started.

  “I know. It’s why I told you. Freak out right now, but be pulled together when you’re out there and until you get to California so Ty doesn’t mess anything up. Be boring, say zero, give them nothing to talk about,” Lara instructed, and Kenzie just stared at her several long seconds while her head exploded a little.

  “Do I look all right?” she finally asked, looking through the lenses on the sunglasses to make sure they were clean.

  “You look stunning. I promise. You figured out the lipstick. That took me days to do,” Lara said encouragingly.

  Anxious, she could feel her legs already starting to tremble. Kenzie bit her lip and Lara scolded her.

  “You can’t do that, Kenzie. I know it feels like a lot. I was in a similar situation the day I found out Reed was Reed. But you’ve got this. Seriously. It’s a fifteen second walk to the car. Go check your appearance and put the sunglasses on before the elevator doors open on the first floor.” Lara reached out and hugged her again. “Call me when you get there. Let me know you’re all right. I’ll be waiting.” Lara patted her arm and pushed her in the direction of the bathroom.

  Less than ten minutes later, her heart was literally pounding out of her chest as she walked straight to Reed’s waiting limousine. Even being warned, nothing prepared her for the masses of people, mostly females, standing just beyond the building. She’d known he was a big star, but she hadn’t realized his fame seemed to surpass even boy-band level fanatics. No wonder he did everything in his power to stay hidden.

  The deafening roar of girls screaming drowned out that terrible clicking noise from so many cameras going off at once. Kenzie got inside and scooted across the backseat with Ty following. The entire time, he held her hand, never losing his grip. When the driver started forward, it was slow moving with the cameras right in her window the entire time.

  “Look straight ahead,” he said. She looked his way, and he shot that handsome smile at her, caressing his thumb over her hand. “It’ll be construed as hiding if you duck, and you have nothing to hide.”

  Driving through that crowd was unlike anything she could imagine. They inched past, and the whole time questions were being shouted at them from outside. More surprisingly, lots of the questions were vulgar and ugly in nature, all directed to Ty about Kenzie. He reached over, smiling brightly at her as he turned the radio up. “They say those things to get under my skin, get me to react because it makes a headline. It pisses me off like you wouldn’t believe, but we have to ignore all that, beautiful.”

  “It’s fine, Ty,” she said carefully, even though it was incredibly hard to hear the insults.

  �
�You have to know I wanna tear that guy’s throat out,” Ty said menacingly after the car picked up a little more speed.

  “It’s okay. I promise,” she said, now trying to give him back some of the support and comfort he’d been giving her. She’d never seen anything like what they’d just been through. If he did this on a regular basis, dear lord, his life must be incredibly difficult.

  “I’m not sure you ever get used to it. I’ll get my manager to set you up with some training. It’ll help keep all this in perspective, not take it to heart,” he said, his voice a little haggard, but his eyes stayed focused straight ahead. “I’m sorry. Prescott was right. I did make it worse.”

  “Don’t be. I’m fine.” After a second or two, all she could focus on was the desire to relieve some of the tense burden making the veins and tendons in his neck pop even under the façade of the smile.

  “Look at all the people lined up on the street,” she said, pointing toward the road. There were so many women on the sidewalks, some holding signs, all yelling at him as they came to a stop at a streetlight. She watched Ty look, then smile and lift a hand. He waved until a guy on the back of a motorcycle came up beside the car snapping pictures. There was hate in Ty’s eyes as he twisted back toward her.

  The tables turned in their relationship in that few minutes. She was so unprepared to sense the deep unhappiness seeping from every pore in his body. On instinct alone, she scooted to the center seat right next to him. She placed their joined hands in her lap, holding his with both of hers.

  Once they made it through the first street light, she rested her head on his shoulder. That move going against everything both Lara and Ty tried to explain to her about playing this game with a public image, but she didn’t care. This man had given her everything. She had her life back because of him, and they’d become too connected in the process. She could feel his pain as if it were her own and that made her heart ache. She had no idea what to do about it, but she had to figure something out. She couldn’t stand seeing Ty this unhappy.

  Chapter 30

  Any of the relaxation he’d been able to preserve from his vacation faded in the span of the last four hours. Ty’s gut roiled as he took the street turns a little too sharply up the side of the mountain to his new Beverly Hills home. Kenzie had lovingly laughed and called this nothing more than a glorified hill. How she could be so sweet, he had no idea. If he’d been her, he was certain, the first time the word cunt had been hurled his way, he’d have taken off in the other direction, but she hadn’t. Instead, she’d stayed there by his side.

  He tried to focus on the good in his life. He should have been over the moon with excitement. After all, he was a man deeply in love and had somehow managed to talk her into coming home with him. Luck was clearly on his side, because he saw no possible way this relationship would have worked in any sort of complicated long-distance thing.

  Bottom line? He had to do something to get a grip on the over-the-top circus the media became anytime he got within reach. They’d be a cancer to anything he tried to build with Kenzie.

  “Oh my God. Is this where you live?” Kenzie flipped her head toward him, her eyes bigger than he’d ever seen them.

  “I think so. Best I remember. It’s 613, right?” he asked, pulling his new Ferrari into the driveway, stopping in front of two large ornate wrought iron gates. He rolled down the window and reached a hand to the security pad, entering the code he always used. The one designated just for him. He stopped what he was doing in mid-press when Kenzie unbuckled her seatbelt and moved closer to the dashboard, craning her head out the front window to get a better look.

  “It’s beautiful, Ty. It’s a mansion,” she said, her voice full of awe.

  “Not really. I think it’s only about eight thousand square feet,” he said, turning back to reenter the code, and the gates opened for him. He’d seen the house months ago. It was nice, but Kenzie’s enthusiasm was contagious. Ty kept his eyes moving between Kenzie and the house, trying to take it all in like she appeared to be doing. Whatever she saw had her mouth gaping open, making him stop the car about halfway up the drive and stare at the house.

  Okay, he got it. The house was a beautiful Italian-villa-style home. It was a little past dusk, so all the outside lighting was on, hitting the place just right. The view definitely felt like an invitation, beckoning them home.

  “You like it?” he asked, both hands on the steering wheel as he looked out the windshield.

  “Ty, it’s the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen,” she said excitedly.

  “Oh, then wait until you see the backyard.” He worked the clutch, guiding them to the circle driveway in front of the house. Much like his place in Tennessee, the backyard was what he loved the most. They were on two acres of prime property, and the pool, cabana, and tennis courts were all around back. When he turned off the ignition, an older man came out of the front doors of the house, briskly taking the stairs down.

  “Did you make a mistake? Is this one not yours?” she asked with her hand on the door handle.

  “I suspect he lives here. There’s a set of three apartments above the garage. I understand they’re all taken with the staff that keeps the place up,” Ty said.

  “Three people live here with you?” she asked incredulously.

  “No,” Ty started and stopped, completely perplexed at the unbelieving stare she gave him. “Well, yes, they work here. We have a grounds keeper, two housekeepers and one’s married to a man who oversees things for me. I usually don’t have anyone in on the weekends unless I’m entertaining.”

  “You’re kidding? All that for what one man messes up?”

  He laughed at her, pushing open the door and stepping out before he ducked his head back inside. “Actually there’re two of us now, and he’s waiting to get your door.” He pointed a finger toward her window where the man now stood.

  Once she began to open her door, Ty rounded the hood, handing the keys over to the man he needed to meet, but decided to do that later. Ty helped pull Kenzie from the car and on her feet before he placed a quick kiss on her lips. The melancholy of the ride vanished. She’d managed to once again push away that dark cloud that always hovered nearby.

  “Come on, beautiful.” He took her hand, pulling her up the front porch steps and into the house. She was struck silent when they entered. Ty had to give it to the decorator; she’d done an outstanding job. The grand foyer had two large sweeping staircases leading to the six bedrooms on the second floor. Right beneath there was giant living room with large crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The back wall consisted of three-quarter length windows running the width of that room. Kenzie’s pretty blue eyes lit up as she looked out those windows at the enormous swimming pool.

  “Ty! Can we go out there?”

  “Of course we can,” he said, looking around for a door. “If I can just figure out how to get out there…” He walked several steps one direction and then went the other way. It wasn’t until they toured the dining room, office area, and the kitchen that they found a door leading outside.

  “I can’t believe you own this. It’s incredible!” she said, walking several feet outside. The back was divided in two areas. The patio, pool, and hot tub were in the middle. A full cabana-style pool house was to the left and the tennis courts were to the right. Kenzie turned a full circle until she looked back at him. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

  Pleased with her easy acceptance of the place, Ty tucked his hands inside his slacks pockets and walked slowly behind her as she explored every inch of the backyard. He hadn’t realized how much he’d needed her to love this part of the house. He envisioned them spending a lot of time out there together.

  “Sir, there’s a delivery driver here. Where would you like those things?” the same man from earlier asked from the kitchen door.

  “Is it our luggage?” Ty asked, moving closer to better hear.

  “Yes, sir, among other things.”

 
; “In the master suite. Is that the door leading to that room?” he asked, pointing to an entry directly across from the kitchen.

  “Yes, sir.” Ty nodded and looked back at Kenzie who was clearly letting her curiosity get the best of her as she headed for that door. He’d planned to let her decide where she was sleeping. He’d planned to give her space while they were in the dating phase, but now he just wanted her in the same room as him. She had a way of making everything better with just her mere presence.

  “Can we go inside?” she asked.

  “Sure,” he called out, walking quickly back around the patio. He missed the moment she first entered and saw the room, but heard the excited gasp. Kenzie’s head popped back out the door, her eyes as wide as her smile.

  “Ty, you have a lovely home. It’s beautiful!” She was gone again. By the time he made it inside, she was nowhere to be seen. “My parents’ entire house would fit inside this bathroom!” she called out and her head came outside that door. “I might not ever leave this room.”

  “I could be into that,” he murmured, once inside the bathroom, coming up behind her to wrap both arms around her waist. “You made me feel better. I’m glad you like the house. I want you to be happy here.”

  She laid her arms over his, turning her head to rest against his shoulder. “You aren’t happy here, are you?”

  “I am. It’s just important to me that you’re happy. That mess with everyone following us today scares me that you’ll think it’s all too much and bail,” he answered honestly, kissing her temple.

  “So that isn’t your normal everyday life? I kind of got the impression it was.” Kenzie turned in his arms until she could wrap her arms around his waist and look at him while they spoke.

  “I wanna lie and say no.”

  “It’s intense. I’ll give you that, but you get to take a shower in that thing. Are those showerheads in the walls here too?” she asked, making him smile. Her whole attention was turned to the open shower that was double the size of the one in Tennessee.