Simply Irresistible

by Deborah Cooke

  “Give me your email,” Amy said to Ty. “We’ll send you a new itinerary. You should have it by the time you get to Hawaii.”

  “I think I love you,” Ty said and Amy’s mouth dropped open.

  Then he ended the call, leaving her staring at it in wonder.

  She almost forgot to check Matteo’s number at midnight. It rang and rang, and she laid awake for long hours, afraid of what kind of trouble he’d found.

  And whether she could have made a difference.

  * * *

  Late.

  Ty hated being late.

  Even if it wasn’t his fault.

  Maybe especially if it wasn’t his fault, because he couldn’t fix it. The flight was late leaving LA and missed its landing slot at Newark, which meant they circled for what seemed like an eternity before finally landing. Ty shot through the terminal and grabbed a cab, only to be caught in the jam of Friday night traffic heading into the city. F5 was lit up and the cab inched along the street toward the building. He finally paid the driver and walked the last two blocks, pushing through the crowds with his briefcase and suit bag.

  He had to go back to New Jersey, but he wasn’t going to meet Amy’s family looking the way he did now. He was charging to her defense, and he was going to look like a champion who had at least a chance of kicking butt and taking names.

  He’d had a sense ever since leaving Tokyo that he was coming home, not just to New York, but to Amy. He’d called her at each connection point and savored the sound of her voice. She’d been writing and he could hear the thrill in her voice at her accomplishment. He was proud to have been even a tiny part of that, to even be able to observe her taking charge of her life again, and he was looking forward to another night in Brooklyn.

  At Amy’s house.

  Ty was going to make sure she knew how much he appreciated her help.

  The burner phone was still on the kitchen counter. Ty checked and it had thirty-seven missed calls. That did just about nothing to improve his mood. He called Joe and told him he’d need the car in fifteen minutes.

  Ty had a shower and shaved again, dressed in a crisp white shirt and navy suit. In thirteen minutes, he was standing at the exit of the private lot and garage where his car was pampered.

  “Ooo, hot date tonight,” said Joe with a low whistle of appreciation.

  Ty smiled and tipped him, then roared toward New Jersey.

  And Amy.

  What was she doing calling Matteo thirty-seven times? That was worse than her going to New Jersey alone on Tuesday night.

  It was past time for the truth.

  * * *

  There was no sign of Ty.

  And Matteo was still AWOL.

  Amy feared the worst. She’d talked to Ty when he was in Hawaii and he’d called again from LA to say that flight was late. Ever since, there’d been silence. She’d called him and gotten no answer. She’d called Matteo—repeatedly—and no one picked up.

  Jade loved the book but thought there was something missing. She and Amy had talked about some possibilities on Amy’s lunch break Friday, but none of them felt right to Amy. She needed to think, but she wasn’t feeling creative with so much before her.

  She hadn’t heard from Lisa’s co-worker about the apartment and though it hadn’t been long, the prospect of not having a tenant worried her.

  Amy left the office at the last possible minute on Friday night and took the train to New Jersey. She’d gotten a ride to the church from her uncle, who was disgruntled that she hadn’t made better arrangements.

  That would be arrangements that didn’t inconvenience him.

  Amy couldn’t decide whether she wanted most to see Ty or to inhale a glass of wine. Brittany was in full Bridezilla mode, Aunt Natalie was snapping at everyone, and the minister was trying to get Josh to repeat his vows.

  “I thought you had a date, Amy,” Brittany said with a smile that wasn’t very kind.

  “Ty’s flight is late,” Amy replied smoothly. She saw the two bridesmaids, Tamara and Brigid, exchange a knowing glance.

  She was so tired of all of them.

  Amy sat down, wondering whether she’d ever see any of them after the wedding was over.

  “You’re probably wondering if it was worth it,” Aunt Pauline said quietly, taking a seat beside Amy.

  Amy glanced up in surprise and her aunt smiled. The oldest of the three sisters, Pauline had to be close to sixty. She was slim and tall, and something in her features reminded Amy of her dad. The touch of silver at Pauline’s temples was a painful reminder that her dad hadn’t had time to get gray hair and she looked down again, her heart in her throat.

  “I would have told you to run and not look back, if you’d asked me.” Pauline sighed. “You were free of it all.” Her gaze roved over her mother and siblings, then returned to Amy. “You didn’t have to follow anyone’s advice and that must have been wonderful.”

  Amy wasn’t prepared to look at her sole care of her parents in such good light. “How could I have asked you?” she said, her tone carrying a challenge. “I had no idea how to find any of you.”

  “True,” her aunt admitted. “Not a one of us was there for you, and that was just wrong.”

  “What was wrong was that you weren’t there for Dad,” Amy said.

  Her aunt flicked a look at her. “So, they didn’t tell you after all,” she mused. “I wondered whether they would.”

  “Who didn’t tell me what?”

  Aunt Pauline sighed. She indicated her mother with a fingertip. Amy still couldn’t think of Helena as her grandmother, although she was. “My father—your grandfather—had very firm ideas about the world, and his wife was the one most expected to adhere to them. We all were. We all were trapped. I even stayed in a terrible marriage, just to keep from challenging his notions.” She gave Amy a look. “Good women don’t get divorced, you know.”

  “I see.”

  “About a year after my father died, I finally filed for divorce from Craig. It was the most liberating thing I’d ever done and I regretted not doing it sooner. I spent more than thirty years of my life miserably unhappy. Sure, I have three wonderful kids, but our marriage was terrible. But I stayed, rather than defy my father’s expectations.” She nodded. “I defied him once, though, and he never found out.”

  “Really,” Amy said, wondering what this had to do with her.

  “I adored Peter,” Pauline admitted, tearing shining in her eyes. “We were only two years apart, but he was my big brother and I thought he could do anything. In the end, he did the impossible. He refused to become the heir to the throne. He wrote poetry. He went away to college and didn’t come back. He made his own future, independent of the one my father insisted he should have.” She took a deep breath. “And he married your mother because he adored her. They were happy. I could see it and hear it. And no one, not even my father, was going to make Peter give up Gabriella. It was like a fairy tale.”

  “It didn’t end like one,” Amy felt obliged to note.

  “No, it sure didn’t.” Pauline swallowed. “Peter called to tell me about Gabriella, and I could hear how devastated he was. I cried with him, because I’d always believed that love conquered all and he was living the proof of it. It wasn’t right that she died so young. Then he told me about his own diagnosis and I cried even more. I’ve never felt so discouraged as I did that day.” Her throat worked. “But he tried to console me. He told me that if you follow your heart and pursue your dreams, there can be no regrets.”

  Amy looked down at her hands, because she was afraid she would cry.

  “I thought about that for a long time. Too long, really. Then my sixth grandchild was born and my seventh was on the way, and I wondered what kind of example I was giving to all of them. I went to the house, but the neighbor said Peter was in the hospital. I went to the hospital and checked with the nurses’ station. They said you were running errands that afternoon and wouldn’t be in to visit until later. I made them promise not
to tell you I’d been there. I wasn’t sure whether they’d do it or not.”

  Amy was astonished. “I’m glad you went to see him,” she said. She’d really had no idea.

  Pauline nodded. “It was so precious to spend time with him. I went four times in all, and then he died.” Amy watched her aunt’s tears well. “I was such a coward, Amy. I thought you would hate me for not coming sooner. I passed you in the corridor that last time, and I didn’t have the nerve to speak to you. I didn’t want to start something that I might not be able to finish. My father forbade us all to go to the funeral. I couldn’t defy him that time either.” Her tears fell and Amy took her hand. “And Peter was right. I didn’t follow my heart so I have plenty of regrets. Once Father died, I was able to change, but I regret all those lost years and lost opportunities. I regret not having known Gabriella at all.”

  “She was wonderful.”

  “I know, because she raised a wonderful daughter, and she made my wonderful brother happy.” The two women smiled at each other, and Pauline took a shaking breath. “I’m still not very good at following my heart. But I wanted to tell you that I’m so sorry. And I would like to know you better. We can’t make up for all the lost time, but I would like to have you in my life.”

  “Dad would like that, too,” Amy said, her voice thick.

  “He would.”

  They smiled at each other, then Pauline kissed Amy’s cheeks. The minister cleared his throat with impatience and Amy stood up again, ready to continue with the rehearsal.

  Follow your heart.

  It was advice to live by, and Amy was going to do it. She’d made a good start, thanks to Ty’s encouragement, and no matter what the future held for the two of them, she was going to pursue her dreams, wherever they led.

  “Oh!” Aunt Natalie said suddenly and Amy saw that she was looking toward the back of the church.

  Amy turned to find Ty striding down the aisle looking as confident and polished as ever. If he was wrinkled, she couldn’t see where. He walked straight toward her, ignoring everyone else, halted before her and tipped her chin up with a fingertip.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said, then brushed his lips across hers. His gaze brightened and she knew he’d noticed that she’d been crying a little. “You look gorgeous,” he murmured, smiled just a little, then bent to kiss her.

  Thoroughly.

  And Amy didn’t care if it was for the benefit of her relatives or not.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Amy had been crying.

  And that meant Ty was ready to slaughter whoever was responsible.

  He was well aware of her relatives watching them and he felt their astonishment, but he’d planned for that. After he’d given her a kiss that should have made his intentions clear, she smiled up at him. He’d kissed off a lot of her lipstick and a strand of her hair had slipped free. Her eyes were shining so brightly that his heart thundered.

  He had missed her so much. In this moment, he just wanted to scoop her up and carry her off to a private corner, at least until they had all the truth on the table between them and he’d convinced her to let him be part of her life.

  But that would have to wait.

  Again.

  “Ty, this is my Aunt Pauline,” Amy said, turning to make introductions. “I just found out that she visited my dad near the end.”

  That explained the tears.

  And that made Ty an instant fan of Aunt Pauline.

  Maybe he wouldn’t have to kill all of them.

  He shook the aunt’s hand and let himself be introduced all around. The bride was as pouty as he’d anticipated, clearly disliking that he and Amy had stolen even an increment of the attention she felt she deserved. The groom looked as if he were attending on sufferance, which was strange. If he was reluctant to marry Brittany, why was there going to be a wedding?

  Ty noticed that Josh’s parents stood back a bit from Brittany’s family and sensed their disapproval. The tensions were really odd, and he’d been to enough weddings to be aware of the ones that should have been present.

  He looked again at Brittany and noticed that her breasts were straining her dress, as if they’d suddenly become larger. She looked more tired than was typical for a bride, and seemed more inclined to become emotional than all the women he’d known in his life.

  If she was pregnant, that would explain a lot.

  * * *

  By the time the rehearsal and the dinner were over, Amy was worn out. Ty put his arm around her when they left the restaurant and she found herself leaning against him. She’d never expected to come to rely on him so much, but he’d been great. He’d charmed them all, answered their questions, and diverted their rude comments. He made it look like he and Amy were madly in love and she felt the change in how her family regarded her.

  She was feeling pretty smitten herself.

  Amy slanted a look at Ty and felt a little hum of pleasure to be in his company again. He looked tired, though he was trying to hide it. Her heart squeezed that he’d made such an effort to keep his promise to her.

  She could love this man.

  She was pretty sure she already did.

  The question was whether he could love her, if he knew the whole truth about her desires and fantasies? Amy had a pretty good idea of the answer to that, but they should talk about it.

  When they weren’t both so worn out.

  “Did you give up on me?” Ty asked when they were on the road.

  “I was afraid you’d arrive after we’d gone to the restaurant.” Amy stole another glance at him. “And I hadn’t given you that address. I tried to call you.”

  “My phone died, and there was no time to charge it in any of the terminals.”

  “Lots of running?”

  “Lots. I got my workout for the week without getting to the gym.”

  “Thank you for doing it. I was really glad you came.”

  “I would have done more than that,” Ty admitted and cast her a look that made her simmer. “The way you smiled when I walked into that church made it more than worthwhile.”

  Amy felt herself flush. “I’ll bet you say that to all the women who use their super-powers for your benefit.”

  “If so, it would be a very select group of women.”

  “Is that right?” Amy knew he was teasing her and she liked it.

  “It is. In fact, I can only think of one person in that group.”

  “That is very select.”

  “Picky, that’s me.”

  “Discerning, maybe?”

  “Definitely.” He drove, and she watched him, admiring how he made everything look easy. “So, we have a deal,” he began and Amy smiled.

  “Several, actually. Which one do you mean?”

  “The ‘no intervening on my part without asking permission’ one.”

  Amy’s smile broadened. “Oh, that one.”

  “Yes, that one.”

  “The one that’s killing you.”

  “Pretty much.” His sidelong smile was conspiratorial and that dimple had reappeared. “So, I need to ask permission.”

  “For what?”

  Ty grimaced. “I hate to say this, but I like your family about as much as I expected to.”

  “Except for Aunt Pauline.”

  “Right.”

  “You can’t make a scene at the wedding.”

  He shook his head slowly. “I really, really want to defend you here.”

  “I’m not sure I need a champion.”

  She got a quick bright look for that. “I don’t like how they talk to you. I don’t like that they’re taking advantage of your kindness and think it’s okay.”

  “It’ll be over soon.”

  “Just let me do one thing.” Ty spoke quietly but with resolve. “Just one.”

  “Not to Brittany. She wasn’t this awful before, and it will be her wedding day.”

  “No, not Brittany,” Ty agreed easily. “Aunt Natalie.” He bit off the name with satisfac
tion and Amy had to tease him.

  “That wouldn’t be nice.”

  “No, not at all. But what goes around comes around. I’d really like to make the delivery.” His tone dropped to an entreaty. “Please?”

  “You’re not going to tell me what you’re going to do, are you?”

  “Nope. It’ll be a surprise.”

  Amy only had to think about it for a moment. “Okay.”

  Ty grinned. “If I weren’t driving, I’d kiss you.”

  “Promises, promises,” Amy teased and liked that she made him laugh out loud. They rode in companionable silence for a few moments, a little hum of awareness crackling between them. She was thinking about dragging him into her house and having her way with him, just to check whether vanilla was as hot as she remembered…

  Then Ty cleared his throat. “Can I ask a tacky question?”

  Amy laughed. “You?”

  “Me,” he agreed.

  “Go on then.”

  “Is the bride pregnant?”

  Amy’s lips parted in shock. She thought of the dress being too tight, repeatedly, after so many fittings. She thought about Brittany’s emotional state, which she’d attributed to wedding nerves. She thought about Josh’s sullen participation and his parents’ resentment of every little decision. “She might be. I never thought of it. They’ve been engaged for ages, though.”

  “So, maybe the groom had second thoughts. His family doesn’t look too happy about the match.”

  “You think she tricked him?”

  “I don’t know. It doesn’t seem as if it would be out of character.”

  Amy chewed her lip, thinking. “No, it wouldn’t be. Not if her perfect wedding might be canceled.”

  Ty shook his head. “Bad idea to try to make it right with a pregnancy.”

  Amy was intrigued by his pessimism. “Because they don’t really love each other?”

  “Doesn’t look like it, does it?”

  She had to agree with that and it made her sad. Ty’s comment about Brittany and Josh made Amy think about her own choices and taking responsibility for them. If she made love with Ty again, she wanted to be absolutely sure of her choice. It would be so easy to invite him in and spend another night together.