Carly Phillips - Cross My Heart

“Flat.” Ty crossed his arms over his chest.

She winced. “Poor Hunter. But at least he had the courage to offer to go with her,” she said pointedly. She wasn’t only referring to the fact that Ty hadn’t offered the same, but neither had she.

“It didn’t get him very far, unfortunately.”

“But at least now he knows where he stands.”

Ty nodded. “Good point.”

They remained that way for a while, at a standstill, neither one of them knowing what to say next.

Lacey took the opportunity to look him over for the first time. He hadn’t shaved in a few days, his hair was as long as it’d been before, and his leather jacket appeared well-worn. He was her sexy rebel and she was so glad he was here.

“So your mother threw you out and you gave up not just your apartment but your part-time job at Night Owl’s,” she said, spelling things out when she couldn’t stand the tension any longer. “What about your P.I. business?”

“Handed that over to Derek.” He shrugged off his jacket, hanging it on a hook in her front hall. “Seeing as I’m licensed in New YorkState, it didn’t seem like a big deal to start over.”

Her mouth grew dry. “Start over where?”

“Here.” He ran his hand through his hair. “In New York, the city that doesn’t sleep. Seems like a good place for an out-of-work P.I. to start over.”

When she glanced at him this time, she didn’t see the cocky kid she’d fallen in love with at seventeen nor did she see the man with walls a mile high. Instead she saw a vulnerable guy who’d come here with his heart on his sleeve and no idea what kind of reception he’d receive.

She had just one question. “Why? Why leave your home and everything you love behind?”

“Because a smart, beautiful woman once told me home is about the people you’re with, not the place you choose to live. Besides,” he said, his eyes gleaming. “I wouldn’t say I left everything I love behind. I came to find the person I love most in the world and that’s you.”

“That’s all I needed to hear.” With a huge smile on her face, Lacey stepped forward and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and kissing him like there was no tomorrow.

“God, I missed you.” He ran his hand down the back of her head, sifting his fingers through her hair.

“Then what took you so long?” She peppered his cheek with kisses as she asked.

Ty let her slide down the length of his body, but kept her close as they headed for the couch in the other room. “I had some things to sort through,” he admitted.

“I thought I was the one who needed to come home, get some distance and think,” she said, teasing him.

He shrugged. “Turns out we both did. All the years you were gone, I held it against you that you didn’t come back. It wasn’t something I verbalized or even realized I thought about until I saw you again. But once I knew, it wasn’t something I could let go that quickly.”

“Because you were afraid I’d leave you again,” she said, catching on quickly and understanding him as she always did. “And what did I do? I turned around and came back home just like you thought I would.” She lifted their tightly held hands and placed them close to her heart. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You had to be independent to have survived at all. I needed to get over my hang-ups.” He nearly choked on the word. “And I have. Because I love you too much not to be with you.”

“I love you, too. So much that I was making plans to leave New York and come back anyway.” She kissed his cheek, letting him know he didn’t have to worry that she’d ever let him go again. “One way or another, we were going to be together. I’m not going to leave you again. Cross my heart,” she said, her words a solemn vow.

As his gaze fell to the locket she’d never taken off, Ty knew for certain. When Lacey made a promise, she knew for sure never to break it.

“I’m never going to leave you, either,” he said. “Cross my heart,” he said and sealed their vow with a long, long, long kiss.

“What do you think about expanding Odd Jobs?” Lacey asked Ty. “The suburbs have an equal need for people to do things they can’t possibly fit into their day. Beyond housekeeping and dog walking, there’s food shopping and cooking…”

Her husband glanced at her over his morning newspaper.

They’d married soon after she claimed her trust fund in a small, private ceremony in his mother’s house, with just Flo and Dr. Andrew Sanford, Hunter and Lacey’s uncle Marc present. The unique group could have made for an awkward family unit but everyone had been on their best behavior. Only Molly had been missing. Though Lacey had received a postcard from California and knew the other woman was traveling-make that running-she hadn’t put down roots anywhere.

Poor Hunter had thrown himself into his work and women-too many women-to the exclusion of everything and everyone else.

“Are you suggesting we move out of the city?” Ty asked, bringing her focus back to him, not that it had strayed far.

She still loved looking at him every morning. His sexy razor stubble and sleepy-eyed grin never failed to stir her desire. Fate had brought them together again and she didn’t plan to take their second chance for granted.

“Wouldn’t you like more space and fresh air, not to mention room for another dog,” she said, teasing him and gauging his reaction at the same time.

“Somehow I don’t think Miss Smelly Breath would appreciate the competition.” He petted Digger’s head. The dog lay on his lap where she always happily perched herself, choosing Ty over Lacey given the choice.

Lacey laughed. “What about you? You could do detective work in WestchesterCounty or you could keep this apartment as your base and use it as an office and still work in the city. It’s an easy commute by train or by car.”

He laid the paper down on the table. “You’ve looked into this already, haven’t you?”

She grinned. “I thought it would make sense to have all the facts before I presented my case. I checked out all the possibilities and the fact is the traffic on Long Island is horrendous and would drive you insane. Of course you could take the train from there, too. In either case there are good schools and different cities we can look into. Of course if you’d rather-”

“Why now? All of a sudden you want to move? I thought you loved the city and this neighborhood. You thought this apartment cozy and perfect.”

“I do think it’s cozy and perfect for the two of us and the dog.” Lilly rose and walked over to his chair, giving Digger a gentle shove. The dog was forced to hop onto the floor so Lilly could settle into Ty’s lap and wind her arms around his neck. “But if we were to expand this family then this place is too small, don’t you think?” she asked.

Hint hint, she thought, snuggling in closer to his warmth.

“Hey, are you trying to tell me you’re pregnant?” he asked, clearly surprised and a little nervous if his roughened voice was any indication.

She shook her head. “I’m trying to tell you I want to be. That is if you’re game, too.”

He wrapped his hands around her waist. “Oh, I’m game.” He shifted his thighs beneath her, letting her feel exactly how ready he was to make her dreams come true.

She laughed. “What about in here?” she asked, lightly tapping his chest. “Is a family something you’ve thought about?”

He nodded. “I just knew we’d been using protection and so…”

“No surprises,” she assured him, understanding now what had caused his nervous reaction.

Ty liked things planned and thought out, as she’d been learning about him the longer they were together. It was what made him such a great P.I., that he could pull the strands of different things together and figure out possibilities other people might otherwise miss.

“Not to worry, you’ll be in on this project from the very beginning.” She wiggled her bottom against his erection and let the waves of desire wash over her.

Not just desire, she corrected herself, but love. She loved him with all her heart and soul.

“We can start looking at houses anytime you want.” He planted a kiss on her lips. “Happy?” he asked.

She nodded. “Very. It’s just that I feel guilty being so blissful when Hunter is so miserable.”

Ty tipped his head back and met her gaze, understanding in his eyes. “There’s not much we can do for him until he gets his act together and gets over Molly.”

Lacey raised her eyebrows. “Would you get over me so easily?”

His lips turned downwards in a frown. “It’s not the same thing.”

“You don’t know that. I saw how they were together. He loves her.”

“And she betrayed him. He put his heart on the line and she stomped all over it,” Ty said in true defense of his best friend. “People get involved with the wrong person and they move on. Look at you and Alex.”

Lacey’s ex had called her not long after Ty’s arrival. Ty had answered the phone and passed it to her with a growl, but at least he hadn’t hung up on the man. They’d had a brief talk and to her surprise, Alex had apologized for his behavior when she’d broken up with him. He’d nursed his wounded pride just long enough to get over the idea of them, he’d said. And though they both knew they’d never be friends, at least their relationship hadn’t ended on a sour note, for which Lacey was grateful. Alex played a defining role in her life and she believed he’d allowed her to realize how much she missed and loved Ty.

Lacey sighed. “Alex and I had a meaningful relationship,” she said carefully. “But I never loved him and he admitted he’d been in love with the idea of marrying more than he’d been in love with me.”

“That makes him an idiot and me a lucky man,” Ty said. “As for Hunter, let the man find his own solution. You can’t fix this for him.”

She pursed her lips in a pout. “But-”

“But nothing. You’ve already done all you can for Hunter, starting by paying off his student loans.”

Lacey winced, recalling Hunter’s angry tirade, but underneath his pride, she knew he appreciated the gesture. It was the least she could do for the man who’d done so much for her. “He’s still working too hard, going from woman to woman, it’s-”

“None of your business,” Ty insisted. As he spoke, his hands found their way beneath her T-shirt.

His palms were hot against her skin and his desire for her was very evident, pressing against her thigh, distracting her. Which she knew was his intent. She did her best not to moan aloud and send Digger running to interrupt.

“Hunter will fix his own future,” Ty said in a determined tone that instructed her not to meddle in their friend’s life. “In the meantime, let’s get started working on ours.”

And how could Lacey argue with that?

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