Written in the Scars (27 page)

Burying my head in my hands, I breathe as deeply and slowly as I can. I’m acting irrational. I know that.

We watch each other, a crackle in the air between us. Ty draws me in with this sincerity, with the look of love and protection in his eyes. I place my hand on his chest and feel his heart beat strongly, passionately.

“I was going to talk to you about it tonight,” he says, his voice low enough for just me to hear.

“After you beat me in HORSE?” I say, blinking back my tears.

“I was going to beat you, take you inside, take my winnings, and then figure out how to discuss this.”

“So,” I say, wiping my eyes, “you were going to lick me senseless and use that to weaken me?”

“Shut. Up,” Jiggs groans.

“Exactly,” Ty laughs, the warmth in his tone making me smile.

I pull myself as close to him as possible. “Promise me you’ll come home every night.”

“Of course,” he says. “Promise me you’ll be home every night when I get here.”

I grin up at my husband. “I will. Because you have a bet to make good on.”

“Yes, I fucking do.”

“Enough,” Jiggs groans. “I’m going inside. You said something about spaghetti.”

Jiggs and Ty walk away. As I start to follow them, I look around for Cord. He’s standing at his truck, his elbows on the tailgate, scratching Yogi behind her ears.

Heading his direction, I smack him on the back as I near. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Not much.”

“Liar.”

He glances at me over his shoulder, shaking his head. “You’re a pain in my ass, you know that?”

“I do. Now ‘fess up, McCurry.”

He looks towards the house and gives a little wave to Becca through the window. She smiles back, but doesn’t come out to us.

“Did something happen with her?” I ask, petting the dog.

A small laugh rumbles out of him. “Not really. She’s a good girl.”

“So? I don’t see the problem.”

He gives Yogi one final nuzzle before facing me. Taking a deep breath, he speaks. “My phone rang this morning.”

“My phone rings all the time.”

“Smartass,” he laughs. “So do you pick yours up and it happens to be the woman that gave birth to you that gave you up for adoption that you’ve met once in your life?”

The gasp I emit is quick and shaky. My eyes are bulging, my hand going to my mouth. “You’re kidding me.”

The color of his eyes, usually so playful and clear, are dirtied with unnamed emotion. He doesn’t look like the Cord I’m used to seeing: sharp, fun, smart. He reminds me of one of the kids in my class that is in trouble and afraid.

His head shakes side to side. “She’s incarcerated somewhere in Kansas.”

“What’s she want you to do about it?” I say that, but then realize that’s not even what I’m thinking. “Why would she even call you about that? What the hell, Cord?”

“I don’t know,” he sighs, clearly torn about his predicament.

“So, how does that conversation go?” I ask, starting to see red as I watch Cord fight with the situation this callous and despicable woman put him in. “Hey, I’m the lady that hasn’t cared about you for your entire life. But I need help so come help me?”

“Basically.” He leans against the truck, his head in his hands. Yogi comes up and licks his forehead.

“Fuck her, Cord. You don’t owe her anything.”

“The jail said she was arrested for drug trafficking. If I bail her out, I’d be responsible for her—”

“Oh, no,” I say, pulling his hands down so he’ll look at me. “You aren’t bailing her out. I can see on your face that you feel responsible for this somehow, like because she called you that you should run and help her, but you aren’t.”

Shoving away from the vehicle, he crosses his arms over his chest. “I know that. I do. I’m not stupid, Elin.”

“I know,” I say, my hand resting on his bicep. “But I hate seeing her put you in this spot.”

“I don’t even know how she got my number.”

“She can lose it,” I say, squeezing his arm before letting go. “She’s nothing to you. We are your family.”

The words wash over his face, inch by inch, until they begin to lift the corners of his lips. “Thank you.”

Waving my hand in the air, I snort. “No thanks needed. You know I love telling you what to do.”

“No shit,” he laughs, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and starting towards my house. “I don’t think this thing with Becca is going to work out though.”

“Why?” I ask, stopping in my tracks. “I thought it was going good.”

“We hung out last night and today a little. She’s a great girl.”

I nod, an exaggerated up and down, agreeing with him. He laughs at my antics, but the heaviness is back in his eyes.

“She needs someone that is ready to give her a house and a family. That guy’s not me, Elin.”

“He could be you!”

“He’s not,” he laughs. “My life turns into a mess every time I think about trying to make something out of it.”

Huffing, I nearly stomp my foot. “That’s not true.”

“It is. And it’s okay.” His arm goes back over my shoulders again and we hit the stairs to the house. “I’m just the sidekick, the guy that wanders aimlessly around. I’m okay with that.”

He pulls the door open and waits for me to go inside. Before I do, I study his face long and hard. “Everyone has a purpose in life. Even you.”

“I wish I could figure it out,” he groans as I walk by.

“You will. I promise.”

Starting inside, I’m stopped by the sound of a phone ringing behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I see Ty’s phone on the lawn chair by the basketball net.

Jogging down the driveway, I snag it. Swiping the screen on, I answer it. “Hello?” I say breathlessly.

“Hello,” a female voice responds. “Is Ty there?”

“Um, who is this?”

“Tell him it’s Nila.”

Red. Instantly, I see explosions of red-hot fury. My hand trembles, almost dropping the phone, as I catch myself from telling her off. Instead, I give her what she wants. I’ll get what I want at the same time—the truth.

“Just a second,” I say, heading towards the house.

Before I hit the steps to the patio, Ty pokes his head outside. He starts to say something, but reads my face first.

“You have a call.” I extend my hand, the phone lying in my palm like a dead fish. “It’s Nila.”

Stepping gingerly towards me, the door shutting behind him, he takes the phone.

“Answer it,” I demand.

“This is Ty.” He listens to the voice on the other side, smiling easily. “Yeah, I’m good. How are you?”

My blood pressure soars sky-high, my body shaking with fury as I listen to him banter so effortlessly with Nila—whoever the hell she is.

“No, I didn’t,” Ty says. “I’ll look for it though.” He turns his back to me. “You’re joking?”

I listen as he whistles through his teeth, taking off his baseball hat and rubbing the top of his head. “Wow, Nila. I don’t know what to say . . .”

“I do,” I mutter. The sound of my voice has Ty spinning around to face me. I glare. He laughs. I flip him off. He grabs my wrist and holds me in place.

“If not, I’ll swing up that way and see ya. I’ll let you know. Thanks for calling,” he says, his voice super sweet. He tosses me a wink as I jerk my hand away from his. “It was good to see you too. Tell your Grandpa thanks again for me.”

As soon as the call is ended, my finger is in his chest. “You lied to me!”

“Calm down,” he scoffs, clearly entertained by my reaction.

“I’m not calming down! She called you. The girl that you didn’t do anything with.”

I start to march to the door, but his arm is around my waist, dragging me into his arms. “Will you stop acting like this?” he laughs. “What’s wrong with you?”

My arms pinned to my sides, I struggle to break free. “You are what’s wrong with me.”

“Tell you what,” he says, resting his head on the top of my head. “Let’s make a deal.”

“I don’t deal with liars.”

“I don’t normally deal with lunatics, either, but I’m making an exception tonight, so I guess you can too.”

The complete lack of fear or frustration in his voice calms me a little. I stop fighting to pull away.

“Let’s go in and have dinner with our friends. Then we can go to bed and I will tell you everything you want to know about Nila Kruger.” He plants a kiss to the back of my head. “And if you’re a good girl, I’ll let you have my cock after we’re done talking.”

“I doubt I’ll want it,” I sigh, trying to not succumb to him.

“There you go, lying again,” he laughs. Swatting me on my ass towards the house, I reach for his hand. He laces our fingers together and we head inside.

TY

Her fingers skirt over the scars on my back, drifting delicately over the raised skin. Her arm is draped over my side, her cheek pressed into my chest, as we lie in silence.

She’s still mad. I don’t think she would be if she knew how adorable she is when she’s mad over nothing. It’s been entertaining to watch.

Warmth surrounds me, and not just from her naked body or the blankets on our bed or the fact that she has the thermostat set on seventy-six. It’s a contentedness, a satisfied, relaxed peace that I’m not sure I’ve ever felt before.

“What are you thinking?” she whispers, her tone thick with sleep.

“Just how much I love you.”

She presses a kiss to my sternum.

“What are you thinking?” I ask, closing my eyes and feeling her touch.

Her chest rises and falls against mine before she looks up at me. “I don’t know how to put it, exactly.”

Wrapping my arms around her, feeling her silky skin beneath me, I release a heavy breath. “Things feel different between us, don’t you think?”

“In what way?”

“Like . . .” I shrug. “I don’t know. Like we made it through all this shit and now we’re on the other side. We fought the fight and now we’re here with the scars to prove it. Nothing could ever get between us now.”

“Except secrets,” she says warily. Her hand wallops my chest as I start laughing. “I’m trying, Ty. I’m trying to believe you but you’re making it really hard.”

Taking her hand, I move it to my cock. “You can say that again.”

She huffs, still irritated and wanting me to cut to the chase. She’s not about to ask—her pride won’t let her. But she’ll dance around the topic all night if I let her. I might.

“The two of us,” I sigh.

“What?”

“How do you feel about it being the two of us? I mean, with everything that’s happened?” I angle myself so I can see her eyes. “Do you want it to be the three of us someday? Or four? Or five?”

“Maybe once we work things out,” she whispers. “Once we’re in a better position financially, we can make another appointment and see.”

Swallowing hard, she tries to look away, but I don’t let her. Finances are one thing, but that’s not what’s bothering her. I capture her chin with my fingers and hold it in place.

“What if I lose another baby?” she asks, fear dripping off each word.

I suck in a breath to steady my words before I release them into the universe. “Then
we
do. Because whatever happens is you and me, not you alone. Got it?”

Her lips tilt in a soft grin, and I kiss her in response.

“Whatever happens in either of our lives—we do together. We’ve proven we don’t do well alone,” I laugh.

“No, we don’t,” she chuckles.

“I can handle whatever happens in my life as long as you’re by my side, Elin. And I’ll be there, holding your hand, as you go through yours. And at night, we will end up here, in bed, together, and we’ll laugh about our day and plan the next. Sound like a plan?”

Her leg lies over mine and she holds my face in her hands. The smile on her face has mine mirroring it. “When did you know you loved me?” she asks.

I think back, trying to remember the exact moment. I remember the first day I saw her at her locker and the way my heart fluttered in my chest. I recall listening to her in Spanish class, trying to sound out the words and being obsessed with the way she rolled her r’s. The way she laughed in the cafeteria, how her locker was always organized, and the way she redid her ponytail a hundred times after gym class made me love her more.

“Ty?” she asks, touching the tip of my nose, bringing me out of my memories.