“For the most part, things around town look pretty much the same,” Lacey said as they drove down Main Street and turned the corner that led to his apartment around the back of the bar.
He nodded. “You know what they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same.” He parked in his usual spot behind the building and after getting out of the car, she followed him up the stairs to his apartment.
He shoved his key into the lock and let them inside. It felt strange not to have Digger greet them with her pathetic whining and begging for attention but Lacey hadn’t wanted to leave the pooch home for hours in a place that was still new to her. And because the hardwood floors and area rugs were part of the charm of his rented apartment, Ty had readily agreed with Lacey’s idea to ask Hunter to take the dog for the night.
Ty started for his bedroom, in what Lacey thought was an obvious attempt to escape any awkward moments between them. She couldn’t blame him. They weren’t on even footing, nor did they have an understanding of any kind. All she knew was that she liked being here with him.
With Ty, she felt like she was home. She always had. “Ty?”
He turned at his bedroom door. His hand gripped the frame as he faced her. “Are you okay?”
She shrugged. “Sort of.”
Because not only had she spent the evening reliving the happy memories with her parents and the painful ones inflicted by her uncle, she’d also reflected on the mistakes she’d made along the way in living her own life. “I’ve done a lot of thinking tonight. Uncle Marc’s not the only one who made mistakes.”
Ty stiffened. “No way do you think you’re responsible for what happened with him because if you do—”
“No. No. My mistakes came later on.” She drew in a deep, calming breath. Of all the errors in judgment she’d made, the biggest had been turning her back on the people she’d loved. Those who’d taken her into their homes and their hearts. Those who’d taken risks just by helping and loving her.
She clasped her hands together in front of her. “Do you think your mother would want to see me or is she angry because we let her think I’d—” She trailed off, finding it difficult to finish the thought but since she’d done the deed, she forced herself to face it. “Is she angry because I let her go on believing I was dead?” Her throat swelled with a mixture of guilt and pain.
Ty’s worried expression turned into a smile. “I happen to know for sure that she’d love to see you. And before you ask why I didn’t bring you to her sooner, I was waiting for you to ask first.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Why?”
“Because I knew you’d ask when you were ready,” he said simply, proving once again how well he understood her.
“I guess I needed to put the ghosts of my past to rest and I did that tonight,” she said, the realization giving her a strength she hadn’t known she’d been missing.
The thought filled her with pride in herself. Pride in the person she was becoming because she sure as heck was still a work in progress, Lilly thought wryly.
He nodded. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure you’d want to see my mother at all.”
She shook her head, his words making no sense. “Why wouldn’t I want to see Flo?”
Ty remained by his bedroom door, mere feet from Lilly but far enough from temptation to have this conversation without reaching for her. Touching her, whether out of need, compulsion or even sympathy would lead to far more. At this point he knew it as well as he knew his own name. If he allowed her to touch him both emotionally and physically, he didn’t know how he’d deal with life after she left. For Ty, a guy who rarely let feelings get in the way, coping with the fact that he felt so strongly for this woman was driving him insane.
Somehow he turned his attention to their conversation about his mother. “I didn’t know which category of memories Mom fit into for you,” he said honestly. Though Lilly had a big heart, he’d wondered if in some way she grouped his mother in with the awful memories she’d rather tuck away and not revisit. “After all, from your perspective, you were in foster care.”
He chose his words with care, refusing to be a party to his mother’s lie—if he could help it. He still didn’t think Lilly needed to know the ugly truth. Sometimes lies of omission were the kindest ones. But should the truth ever come out, he didn’t want Lilly to be able to say he perpetuated the lie after her return.
“Your mother was one of my better memories.” Lilly’s soft smile hit him in the gut. “Just like you are.”
That did it. He’d spent the evening keeping his distance in every way he could. From the moment she’d stepped out of his guest room wearing a simple but elegant black dress and a pair of high heels that accentuated her long legs, he knew he’d better build his walls higher. It hadn’t helped. When he’d found her in her old bedroom, arms curled around a stuffed animal, he’d had to stop himself from lifting her into his arms and carrying her out of that house and away from those people.
Instead he’d opted to let her find her own inner strength. She’d put her demons behind her, telling him he’d been right. Except now, she wasn’t just independent, she was sure of herself and what she wanted.
And she obviously wanted him.
He swallowed hard, trying like hell to focus on their conversation and not on how her tousled hair fell sexily around her face or how her cheeks had turned pink from the breeze.
He cleared his throat. “Well, now that everyone knows you’re alive, you can just stop by my mother’s any time before you go back to New York .”
And that was the kicker, Ty thought. She’d be going home to a life she enjoyed. Hadn’t she said as much from the moment he’d found her again? No matter how important she claimed he was to her, Lilly’s new life didn’t include him.
“I’ll definitely go see Flo.” Lilly nodded, decision made. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you for coming with me tonight. Whether you knew it or not, having you there made the night bearable.”
“I’m glad and you’re welcome.”
Without warning, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tight.
“You’re the best,” she whispered, her breath soft and warm in his ear.
He was also damn aroused and getting more so by the second. Her br**sts pushed against his chest and her cheek brushed lightly, enticingly against his. The moment quickly turned from gratitude to so much more.