Acting Happy (Texas Desires #2)

by Rylie Roberts

  “Ty, you don’t have to babysit me…” She started to forcefully pull away, but he held on tight, drawing her closer for another quick kiss.

  “We agreed to stick together for the foreseeable future. You promised. Stop trying to get out of it,” he teased and finally let her go. “Besides, that’s what commitment means. You have to be subject to all the hell involved in my life, just like me in yours, because that meeting sounds hellish.”

  That was said with a waggle of his eyebrows and humor in his voice.

  “I might need to rethink that agreement,” she replied cheekily. He had just started to pull away from the curb and quickly slammed on the brakes at her words, tossing her forward against the seatbelt.

  “Your word is a binding contract in all fifty states,” he said, giving her a critical eye. He grew serious though. “Not enough time has passed that you can joke about leaving again. I was hurt bad when you left.”

  “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I told you it was all about me,” she said, but he didn’t let her continue.

  “I know. I get it. I take responsibility for that. We just need to wait to laugh about that one. It’s still too raw.” There was a pause as Ty stared out the front window before he finally began to pull out of the parking garage. Once on the street, he clasped her hand with his, drawing her knuckles to his lips.

  The Boys & Girls Clubs wasn’t more than a few miles away. Even in this heavier traffic, they arrived quickly. Ty followed the directions Kade sent and parked in the lot leading to a private entrance. Kade was already there, leaning against a police cruiser, waiting for them right outside the back door.

  By the time they made it to Kade, he had his hand on the door handle as he said quietly, “Not everyone knows about this. You’ll be a surprise.”

  Kade opened the door, and she watched Ty take a deep breath, close his eyes, and tighten the hand holding hers. When his eyes opened, his smile increased, and she figured that was probably his game face.

  “These things always make me nervous. I’m afraid I’m not gonna meet whatever expectations they’ve built around me,” he said to Kenzie, loud enough that Kade heard him and turned a questioning gaze to her.

  “He’s not good around a lot of people. Isn’t that kind of shocking? He’s reserved, very much an introvert,” she explained.

  She watched Kade’s facial features morph into several different expressions. She understood those looks. It was how she’d felt when she’d first heard that odd statement about this charismatic man. Kade never said another word; instead, he turned and took them down a long hall that ended in a large, open gym.

  The people that knew about Ty’s arrival must have staged this. They walked into a gymnasium full of adults and children playing various games. Kenzie looked over her shoulder. People were leaving their offices, huge smiles on their faces, walking behind them as Kade and Ty moved forward. He had placed Kenzie behind him, still holding her hand. It felt more a protectionary move than anything else, but she had to crane her neck to see the reaction. The noise level in the place slowly quieted to where only a whisper could be heard. Then chaos ensued. Balls were dropped, games abandoned as the kids swarmed Ty. He never let go of Kenzie’s hand, and for that she was glad. She got a front row view of the genuine awe the kids had for Ty, and in return, he had for them.

  If there was any question left, it ended in that moment. He was truly everything she’d ever wanted in a man.

  Chapter 44

  This was one of those rare moments that Ty appreciated the money his life provided. Malea had talked him into flying a commercial flight back to Hollywood. The experience of traveling at the wee hours of butt-crack dawn wasn’t all that great but was made much better in the primo seats of first class. Kenzie was only momentarily excited when they’d boarded the flight but hadn’t wasted too much time falling back asleep. She had her head on his shoulder, snoring softly while he paid the exorbitant price of Wi-Fi in order the check the headlines for today.

  Clearly, after the last few weeks, he wasn’t the best judge of these type things, but so far, everything on the tabloid sites and news entertainment pages seemed to be reasonably positive regarding Kenzie being back in his life. Now, he just needed to get a couple shots of them walking through LAX to help prove to the world they were truly back together and a united front in their decisions before he did his best to remove them altogether from the public’s daily watchful eye.

  His cheek rested on her head as the plane started its descent. She hadn’t budged when the overhead announcement came on and didn’t seem to be waking now. He figured that was a good sign her nerves weren’t getting the best of her, because they most certainly had when he’d first mentioned this idea last night.

  When the wheels hit the pavement, Kenzie lifted her head, looking disoriented, first at Ty, then out the window.

  “We’re here,” she said in a tired voice and reached up to pat her hair. “Should I go check myself?”

  “We can stop by the bathroom, but you look fine. You’re wearing your sunglasses, right?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “That’ll be enough.” Ty ran his finger through the front pieces of his hair before he grabbed his beanie, tugging it in place on his head. His sunglasses hung from his collar, ready for action.

  Once the plane came a complete stop, the attendant escorted Ty and Kenzie off first. Kenzie did stop in the closest restroom to the terminal. She came out wearing her sunglasses, her blonde hair brushed and hanging loose down her back. No question, his heart was connected, because as far as he was concerned, she was the most beautiful woman in the entire world. She came to a stop right in front of him and took a deep breath, making him smile as she gathered her courage.

  “I’m ready.”

  “Me too.”

  He added his own sunglasses in a very secret agent kind of move, gaining the hoped for smile and laugh from her, and took her hand in his. They had one long hall to walk. A car waited right out front. Being so early in the morning, only a little past seven, they only ran into a couple of photographers. But they got their pictures taken. Ty didn’t answer any questions, and he took her straight to the opened door of the waiting car. For some unknown reason, it finally seemed he’d gained control of this media circus. Giving them what they wanted, but on his terms. It felt damn good.

  ~~~

  “It wasn’t terrible. Honestly. I stayed in the dressing room and worked. He’s got a good setup in there. I’m still in training, but I got in a solid nine hours of nothing but studying. It seems like my whole job is to determine which charities to give insane amounts of money to. I love that,” Kenzie said, leaning forward to place her glass of Ty-made mojitos on the patio table. He’d served her and Julia his special concoction, then disappeared. He was doing something in the far corner of the cabana that she couldn’t see, but he was intent on completing.

  “That’s great! I’m excited for you. You need that,” Julia said, taking a long drink from her glass, finishing it off before reaching for the pitcher and pouring another. The mild temperatures had persisted, making it unseasonably warm and incredibly nice outside for this time of year. “I don’t normally follow entertainment news, but my assistant showed me a post where you two were at the Boys & Girls Clubs in Dallas and I got excited. Ty seemed to be having a good time.”

  “I think he did. We stayed there for hours. He wrote a big check that they didn’t even ask for. I loved that so much. I know how much that helps them,” Kenzie said.

  “Who was the hot blond officer in the pictures?”

  “That’s Kade. He’s Lara’s best friend, but they’re closer than that. Reed calls him family. He’s wonderful. So handsome, Julia… He should be modeling or something.”

  “Is he dating anyone?” Julia asked speculatively.

  “He’s gay,” she answered, biting her lip. She’d love to fix Julia up with someone like Kade. They’d be a good fit together.

  “Of course he is!” Julia wave
d her hand in the air as she took another sip of mojito.

  Kenzie laughed at the utter disappointment on Julia’s face. Her phone buzzed, rattling on the table, alerting her of a text message. She looked down to see her mom’s name cross the screen. This was something new. Her mom had become an avid texter over the last few days, now wanting pictures of all the “fun things” she thought they were doing while back in California.

  “I ran into Connor last night. Apparently he and Ty had a fishing trip planned for yesterday. He drove up from San Diego. Now, that guy’s a serious hottie.”

  “Connor?” Kenzie asked. Her mom’s message forgotten as she tried to read the expression ghosting across Julia’s face.

  “Absolutely,” Julia confirmed with a nod.

  “Julia, you’re blushing?” Kenzie started. Was Julia into Connor?

  “Why’s she blushing?” Ty asked. She had been so lost in that the conversation she hadn’t heard Ty’s approach.

  “She ran into Connor yesterday—” Kenzie started, but Ty cut her off.

  “What was he doing… Dammit, I forgot to call him. Shit, is he still in town?” he asked Julia.

  “I don’t know.”

  “He never called. Or I didn’t get a call…” Ty said, reaching down to his swim trunks, patting the pockets.

  “I told him you were in Dallas, trying to get your girl back. He agreed that took priority. He seemed more concerned about that than having missed you,” Julia offered.

  “Damn. I need to call him, babe. I’ll be back,” Ty said absently, leaving them sitting there.

  “And I need to go. I’m already late,” Julia said.

  “Can you drive?” Ty asked, turning at the door of their bedroom.

  “I had a driver bring me over,” Julia explained. Ty nodded and didn’t wait for anything else. He went inside the house as Julia turned to Kenzie and whispered, “I had another little fender bender, nothing serious, but my insurance company’s mad.”

  “That’s the third one this year?”

  Julia had confessed her road rage issues while they were window shopping. It still surprised her that this mild, gentle woman got so aggressive while behind the wheel.

  “I swear I’m a very relaxed person until I get stuck on the road in traffic with angry people. I lose my head. This time I purposefully ran into the back of someone being ugly to me. He flipped me off for no reason. I know it’s terrible, but seriously, all the yelling and name calling just makes me angry,” she said, not really sounding apologetic in her response, making Kenzie truly laugh. She’d never heard anything like that before. Julia was her role model in the sweet, good, and kind department, because she seemed to always choose the side of patience. It was incredibly difficult to see her ramming her car into another because she was irritated.

  “Come on. I’ll walk you out,” she said, rising then heading toward the kitchen door. “You should probably rethink that whole driving your car into people thing.”

  Julia ignored that, and she leaned in to Kenzie, bumping her in the shoulder. “I’m glad you gave him another chance.”

  “Me too. I just didn’t see the situation clearly,” she immediately replied. In such a short time, both Lara and Julia had become great friends.

  “He makes it hard. He seems to carry the weight of the world on those shoulders of his,” she said quietly.

  “He told me you talked to him. Thank you.”

  “I wish I had done it a day earlier.”

  “I think everything happened too fast with us. We needed to step away and reevaluate,” Kenzie answered honestly as Julia opened the front door. “Those last pictures were never going to go over well with me.”

  “I hated that for you.” Julia leaned in, giving her a tight hug. “Call me. Let’s try to go to lunch or shopping or something before you head back to Dallas.”

  “I will.” When Julia started down the steps, Bruno got out of the driver’s side to open her door. Kenzie stood in the doorway and lifted a hand to wave. He did too, but never lost that scowl he always wore.

  “Con-man, I’m sorry. I forgot about that fishing trip. I was crazy in my head. I’m sorry.” Ty’s voice echoed through the open foyer before she ever saw him coming toward her from their bedroom. Kenzie turned to shut the front door. “I’ll make it up to you. I’ll get us something scheduled, all on me.”

  Ty came up behind her, hooking an arm around her waist, drawing her from the front to the back door, guiding her back outside as he listened to whatever Connor said.

  “No, we’re good now. Right?” he asked, looking down at Kenzie.

  “Yes,” she said, walking out in front of him, but not entirely certain where he wanted her to go.

  “I’ll have Anthony call and get your schedule then I’ll plan something else.” Ty pointed her in the direction of the cabana. “Really?” He sounded surprised and stopped in his tracks, looking up at the sky, listening to whatever was being said on the other end of the phone. “I can drive down in a few days if you need to talk.”

  Ty still wasn’t paying her any attention at all. They were just stopped in the middle of the backyard. Dusk had settled. The back lights were slowly coming on, and they stood there, Ty holding her in place with a hand on her arm.

  “Okay. I’ll call you. Talk later.”

  Ty lowered the phone and looked down at her. His eyes focused on her, proving he’d been lost in that conversation.

  “What happened?” she asked, concerned.

  “He’s talking about not re-enlisting. It’s kind of shocking. The military’s all he ever talked about when we were growing up,” Ty said, reaching around her waist to again get her moving.

  “Is he okay?”

  “He sounds real good. Solid. We might need to drive down to San Diego next week. See what’s going on with him,” Ty said, walking up the steps to the cabana.

  “You should go. I’ll stay here,” she offered. Connor would want to talk to Ty, not have a girlfriend hanging around. He needed that one-on-one guy time.

  “What? We agreed together forever. Are you already trying to get out of that?” Ty stopped, and Kenzie lost the focus on what they were discussing when she saw what he’d been working on. He’d planned an outdoor picnic. A heavenly aroma stirred her hunger, drawing her attention to the covered foil pan on the stove. Furniture had been pushed back, and a giant blanket in the middle of the space beckoned her with its serene blues and greens. He’d lit candles, had an ice-bucket with wine chilling close by, and he walked around Kenzie, placing his phone to the side of one pillow. Music started almost immediately, a deep, tender melody wafted through the air, drawing her into the scene he’d created for them.

  “You’re so sweet,” she said, beaming up at him.

  “I’m so in love,” he teased back, taking her hand to bring her to the blanket.

  She stopped dead in her tracks and looked at him closer while tugging her fingers loose of his hold. She immediately went around the blanket and looked out over the backyard.

  “You did this on purpose.” she said, lowering her brow, turning back toward him.

  “What?” His face turned too innocent too fast, and she placed both hands on her hips.

  “Ty Bateman. Are you serious? We can’t have sex out here.”

  “Babe, come on.” He went straight for her. She rounded the other side of the blanket. That didn’t stop him at all. He walked straight across the extra blankets and pillows he had lying between them. “I made sure no one could see from any angle. I promise it’s safe.”

  “Ty, we can’t. That’s what started it all in the first place.”

  Ty’s arms went around her, drawing her to the center of the blankets.

  “Have dinner out here with me and give me a chance to talk you into it. We loved that night, and they took that away from us. We need a new memory,” he suggested. His strong hands tugged on her arms until she sat on one of the pillows he had scattered around.

  “I don’t think it’s a good
idea,” she said firmly, mainly because it was a terrible idea. Even with the household staff gone and the photographers being sued, they still had six security guards around the house. They could be anywhere.

  “Talking you into it is half the fun. Come on. Relax.”

  Ty went for the stove and gingerly held the sides with his moving fingers—none staying too long in any one spot of the obviously hot foil pan almost dropping it on the blanket as he got closer. When he went for the napkins and glasses, she lifted the lid. There were all sorts of grilled vegetables and fruits on one side, along with plenty of bite-sized meats for him on the other. A nice hand-made foil divider separated the two sides.

  “When did you do this?”

  “I ordered it this morning. It got here while you and Julia were talking. The housekeeper brought it out… Wait, no. They’re gone for the night. All of them. Except the guards, who’ve been instructed to stay far away from the backyard,” he added quickly as if that might be an obstacle.

  “You have a one-track mind.” She couldn’t hold in the smile at all the trouble he’d gone to.

  “Absolutely. Yes, I do,” Ty said, waggling his brow.

  ~~~

  Three hours later while lying underneath Ty who had drawn the blankets up over them to help achieve his goals, Kenzie found the energy to push the sated, relaxed man off her. In the roll, he managed to move quicker than she’d thought possible. He scooped her up, dragging her across his chest. The position was awkward, but at least she could breathe now. She lay there listening to his heart pound wildly in his chest at the same time making a funny noise. No, that wasn’t right. Kenzie lifted her head, looked around, and saw Ty’s phone going nuts, vibrating like crazy.

  “Ty, someone’s trying to reach you. Get the phone,” Kenzie said. He didn’t move a muscle. After a second of watching him, she crawled up his chest, smiling as she got a good grunt when her knee came close to his now flaccid cock.