What Makes Us Stronger (A Well Paired Novel Book 3) Page 19

  “Don’t tell anyone else. Especially Parker. If things go sour between you and you break it off, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”

  “We’re not going to break it off. We love each other.”

  “People don’t go into marriage thinking they’ll end up in divorce. It happens. Don’t let love blind you.”

  “That’s cold.”

  “It’s fact.”

  She refused to believe Ty would ever do anything to betray her. Even if somewhere down the road they went their separate ways, he’d never out her. He wasn’t like that.

  But then, she never thought her husband would have her murdered.

  Or her father would be part of the master plan.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  ALL DAY LONG TY COULDN’T get the image of Lily climbing into some fancy black sedan out of his mind. She had her head lowered as if trying to hide as she’d slipped into the stranger’s car.

  Hell. Stranger to him, apparently not to her. He’d flattened himself against the front door to Chambers Accounting Firm as he watched the car turn in the opposite direction, driving out of town.

  Old, bitter bile worked its way up his throat as he remembered kissing Kristi goodbye as she went on her leave to Dallas. He’d pined away for her during her four-week leave and when she’d returned, he was so caught up in seeing her again that he didn’t see the signs. Her distance. Her evasiveness. The quick hang-ups when he’d surprised her in her tent, brushing off the calls as idle chitchat with her friends back home.

  How would Lily handle her betrayal? Ty had caught a glimpse of the man when he’d pulled into the Sea Salt Spa parking lot. Dark hair. Dark suit, from what he could see through the tinted windows. Polished, if he was anything like the Lexus he drove.

  Which was the exact opposite of Ty.

  Which was the same as the Dallas oil guy.

  Needing to work off his steam and figure out what to do about what he’d just witnessed, he’d dragged his feet back to his truck, which was parked at his mom’s bookstore. He and his father had finished up the Winston house ahead of schedule and had stopped by to visit his mom.

  While his dad flirted with the elderly patrons, Ty had thought walking downtown to see Lily was a better use of his time.

  His head hurt, and if he was honest with himself, his heart burned as well. Served him right for doing exactly what he’d told himself he’d never do again.

  Fall in love.

  Wanting to avoid his parents, especially after their knowing looks when he said he was going to take a walk earlier, he snuck into his truck and sped home. Tempting as it was to drive around searching for the black Lexus, he really didn’t want to come to terms that Lily was seeing someone else.

  There’d been signs all along. Maybe not of her being with another man, but secrets. Lots of them. She’d evaded any question about her past, her family, where she lived before Crystal Cove.

  While he totally understood wanting to move on and not talk about the pains of the past, he’d opened up to her. At the time, he hadn’t thought about her doing the same, airing her dirty laundry before him. Hell, he wanted her laundry on the floor and Lily naked.

  Served him right for having a one-track mind. Ty pulled to a quick, hard stop in his driveway and shoved the door open. Needing to let off steam, he didn’t even bother going inside and went around back to the shed in search of his chainsaw.

  Today was as good a day as any to cut down the tall oaks out back that dropped more acorns than a drunk acrobat. He was sick and tired of raking up the thousands of acorns every fall and spring. Maybe with the tree gone his lawn would finally grow.

  He checked the chain and oil then pulled the ripcord, starting up the chainsaw with a satisfying purr. The smell of the oil and the raw feeling of destruction under his hands did nothing to soothe the churning in his chest, but he’d keep pretending anyway.

  Shutting the chainsaw off, he rummaged through his workbench until he found his safety goggles. He still wore his steel-toed boots and crummy jeans. The hot afternoon sun would be a bitch, though. Ty shucked his shirt and put on his glasses as he marched over to the giant oak.

  It didn’t take long to fell the tree and slice through the branches. The worst part of the job was dragging the limbs to a pile away from the woods where he’d burn it in a few months, once the wood was good and dry.

  And the temperature wasn’t so hot. Ty swiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and continued with his trips until all that was left was the bare trunk of the tree. It had to be at least two feet thick.

  Revving the chainsaw again, he stuck his left foot on the tree for support and sliced through the wood. He cut three-foot lengths that he’d run through the wood splitter later. The tree would provide enough wood to keep the house heated for most of the winter.

  Which he’d spend alone with only Meatball for company.

  The humidity and blackflies stuck to his skin making the chore he usually saved for fall even more miserable. Which fit his mood perfectly. As he neared the end of the tall oak, he caught a glimpse of movement to his left.

  Lily.

  Not ready to see her, to talk to her, he pretended he didn’t see her and continued working, the vibration of the chainsaw growing heavy in his hands. At least she was smart enough not to get too close or call out to him. It was another ten minutes before he came to the top of the tree. With no more to cut, he flicked off the chainsaw and let it hang from his hand by his side.

  “Hey, sexy lumberjack,” Lily called from behind.

  He still hadn’t figured out how to handle her. Ty avoided confrontations. He wasn’t a fighter. Wasn’t one to argue. He’d rather ignore the problem at hand and walk away. Hard to do with her standing in between him and the house.

  Slowly, Ty turned.

  Shit. Why did she have to look so gorgeous? With her wide grin and those tight pants that stopped below the knee, and a sleeveless top that accentuated her curves, he’d have a hard time pushing her away.

  “You look like you could use a shower.” Lily stepped closer, her floral scent billowing in the wind, covering up the smell of sweat and woodchips that covered his body. “I’d be more than happy to help you with that chore.”

  When she reached out to touch him, he held up his hand to stop her. “I’m a mess.”

  “I don’t mind.” That wicked, salacious grin that drove him crazy curved her lips.

  And then he remembered why he was pissed. Just a few hours ago she’d been out with another man.

  “I need to put this away.” Ty held up the chainsaw, putting it between them so she wouldn’t step closer, and headed toward his shed.

  Time. He needed more time with his thoughts before he confronted her.

  To be fooled again, and in almost the same way, made his already hot temper boil. And he didn’t even have a temper.

  Kristi had returned from Dallas and hadn’t acted any differently at first. Cute. Flirty. Friendly. She’d made excuses when he wanted to be intimate, for that he was grateful. It would have been a thousand times worse if they’d slept together after she’d been with another man. Hopefully, she stayed faithful to the baby’s father. The kid didn’t deserve to be brought up in a home with parents who didn’t love each other.

  Lily, however, had offered to help him shower. In other words, sex. No, he wouldn’t be touching her after she’d been with another man.

  Aware of Lily outside the shed, he took his time cleaning up the chainsaw and storing it. He straightened his already organized tools and then braced himself for the lies.

  “Have you eaten yet?” she asked as he closed the shed doors and held out a glass of water.

  “I’m not hungry,” he lied. His stomach betrayed him and growled. Knowing the Winston project would be done early, he worked through lunch and had hoped to grab a bite to eat when he stopped by Lily’s. That seemed so many hours ago. The sun had dipped below the tree line, still filling the sky, but working its way towa
rd sunset. It had to be close to seven. If Ty didn’t eat soon he’d pass out.

  “I bet you haven’t stopped to rest all day. You need to stay hydrated. Drink.” She forced the water on him and he took the glass, ignoring the sharp sting of deceit as their fingers brushed.

  In three big gulps the glass was empty. He needed about four more glasses to replenish what he’d sweated out all afternoon. And another gallon of ice water to cool his boiling blood.

  Without saying a word, he brushed past her and into the house. Forgoing manners, he didn’t hold the door open for her and made his way to the bathroom, even locking the door behind him.

  It wasn’t an asshole move. It was necessary. If Lily joined him in the shower, he didn’t think he’d have enough strength to ward her off. He took his time washing up. No point in shaving, although that would have eaten up more time. Making sure his towel was wrapped tightly around his middle, he padded across the hall to his bedroom, thankful Lily wasn’t waiting for him in there.

  Sounds from the kitchen and the smell of ground beef cooking on the stove worked its way down the hall. Food hadn’t been on his mind until Lily brought it up. He’d eat and then send her on her way.

  Dressed in jeans and an Army shirt, he braced himself for the inevitable as he joined Lily in the kitchen.

  She stood at the stove, stirring meat in a pan with one hand and holding a box of pasta with the other. She must have heard him and looked over her shoulder with a smile. “You know I can’t cook much. I can manage spaghetti and jarred sauce. Looks like you’ve put in a long day and need something more substantial, so I’m mixing in some burger. Sit. It’s almost ready.”

  He didn’t like her pretending to be nice. Guilt. It had to be. Kristi had done the same thing.

  Words hadn’t come to him yet so he grabbed a beer from the fridge, biting back the words to offer Lily a drink, and sat. Another asshole move. If he got her a drink she’d read it as a sign of interest. Of him wanting her to stay longer. She needed to leave sooner rather than later.

  “By the way, I fed Meatball. He actually scratched at the door after his meal and came close to trotting down the stairs.”

  Shit. Too caught up in his own depression, he’d completely forgotten about his dog. The poor mutt had been shut up in the house all day. This was why he wasn’t cut out for the relationship thing. Women got to him. Made him brood. Distracted him from what he wanted. Hell. He didn’t have a clue what he wanted.

  He watched as Lilly strained the pasta in the sink, the steam billowing up around her.

  Dinner. That’s what he wanted. He’d shovel down the food and tell her to be on her way. Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.

  Ty sipped his beer and watched Lily move around his kitchen. Yeah, her ass did look good in it. Not in a chauvinistic way. Hell, Ty had done more cooking in their relationship than she had.

  There was no arguing the woman was gorgeous. Stunning, actually. And charming. The woman was always so pleasant around everyone.

  It was a farce. A big flipping farce. That’s how they did it. Two-timers, backstabbers, conniving witches knew how to put on a front. The sweet, angelic, pure as white show to cover up the ugly, muddy mess underneath.

  Ty clenched his jaw and flinched when Lily leaned over him, placing a plate piled high with spaghetti and meat sauce in front of him. Once again his stomach betrayed him—betrayal seemed to be everywhere—so he dove in without waiting for Lily to sit.

  Rude and he didn’t care. If he waited for her she’d smile at him, touch his hand, kiss him. Ty couldn’t have any of that. He didn’t care if he looked like an animal, scarfing down his food, not coming up for air.

  “I guess my cooking can’t be that bad.” Lily laughed. Her sweet voice pierced his ears causing him to wince. “Or maybe it is and you’re too hungry to care.”

  Yeah. Something like that. Only he couldn’t taste the spaghetti until it turned sour in his stomach. Scraping his chair back, he stood and brought his plate to the trash, dumping the rest of the remnants. He rinsed his plate and would have put it in the dishwasher but Lily stood in his way.

  “Ty?” She placed a cool hand on his forearm. “Something’s wrong. Do you want to talk?”

  For the first time since she arrived, he met her stare with his. Her eyes read like a mixture of worry and fear.

  Fear of what? Being discovered. Damn, he hated this. Even with Kristi he didn’t have to confront her. She came clean when she told him about the pregnancy and the due date. There weren’t many words exchanged after that. Embarrassment. Wounded pride and ego. Hurt. A broken heart. Nothing words could fix. Only time.

  Ty dropped his plate in the sink and stepped away from her to the other side of the kitchen and crossed his arms.

  “Let’s talk.”

  “Okay.” She looked at him with compassion and he turned his head, staring out the backdoor window. “What’s going on?”

  “How about we start with you doing the talking?” He didn’t want to start this, just end it. His heart couldn’t take much more.

  “Okay.”

  What did he really know about Lily Novak? Nothing. At first he’d been fine keeping the talk of their pasts to a minimum. But he’d come clean, telling her of his skeletons, of personal hurt that not even Hope knew about. And she’d given him nothing.

  All he knew was she’d lived in Arizona and she wasn’t close with her parents, and her mother died when she was young. She’d gone to college and probably worked. Not a heck of a lot to go by. Her twenties happened and now she was thirty. End of Lily Novak’s story.

  “What were you doing when you were twenty-six?” It was a random question, but it irked him that he didn’t know anything about her life.

  Lily gasped, and her eyes grew round before looking away. Interesting. There were secrets.

  “Married? Kids?”

  “What?” She clutched at her chest and averted her gaze.

  Guilt.

  Ty didn’t want to believe that she could betray him this way. She’d seemed so... innocent. The knife in his heart twisted and tugged and twisted again. Her stiff shoulders and silence spoke loud and clear.

  “Who’s the suit?” He kept his arms crossed, his body rigid as well. Only he wasn’t hiding anything, except his vulnerability. “With the fancy car.”

  “Ty.” Her eyes pleaded with him before she closed them. “I... I can’t talk about it right now. I want to, but I can’t.”

  A loud sarcastic snort escaped his lips. “Not good enough.”

  “It’s not what you think.” She opened her eyes and inched toward him. “I promise.”

  Shaking his head, he rubbed his hand across his face and sighed. “Then tell me who he is.”

  “I will. I promise. When the time is right.”

  “And when will that be? After you suckered me out of”—his love—“my house, my money, my job?” She didn’t seem like a gold digger, but his track record with women sucked.

  “I love you, Ty. With all my heart.”

  “All your heart except the part that holds secrets.”

  “There are no secrets in my heart.”

  “That’s a good one.” He pushed off from the wall with his shoulder and went to the front door, holding it open. “You should go.”

  “Please. I love you. This... what you saw, what you think you saw, has nothing to do with us.”

  “If it’s coming between us, it has everything to do with us.” Ty wouldn’t look at her even when she stopped in front of him, her body only inches from his. He could feel her breath, smell her tears, taste her lies. She needed to leave before he broke down and did something stupid.

  Like tell her he loved her too. That the past didn’t matter. That he hated her for keeping secrets from him.

  “When the time is right,” Lily whispered, “I’ll tell you everything. It won’t change the love we have for each other. I promise.” She kissed her fingers and touched them to his lips before walking a
way.

  She promised. Too many damn promises and not enough truth.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  SOMEHOW SHE MADE IT back to her apartment without completely falling apart. As soon as she dragged her body up the stairs and closed the door behind her, she stripped out of her clothes and put on a pair of cheap sweatpants and a loose long-sleeved shirt. It didn’t matter that the night air was still thick with humidity.

  The chills running up and down her spine weren’t from the temperature. The cold, emotionless shut out Ty had given her chilled her to the bone. Crawling into bed, Lily pulled the covers tight around her neck and curled into a ball.

  This is what Thorne had predicted would happen. Love didn’t last forever and could turn on a dime. Was it only this morning she’d been nestled tight in Ty’s embrace after making love as the sun rose and lit up his bedroom?

  It seemed so far, far away. Like the look in his eyes when his gaze finally met hers. She closed her eyes, attempting to keep the tears at bay.

  Of course he’d think she was cheating on him, especially after the betrayal from his fiancée. Only he didn’t let her explain. Ty had already made up his mind she was a cheater and, as if their love didn’t mean a thing to him, kicked her out of his house without a second glance.

  It was the cold, hateful stare that had made her not tell him the truth right then and there. If he could so easily dismiss her, could she really trust he’d keep her identity safe? She’d trusted her father, trusted her husband. No, she never loved Damian the way she loved Ty; they both knew the marriage was more so out of convenience. A business merger in a way. While they’d enjoyed each other’s company and were more interested in growing their business than a family, she never in a million years would have believed him to be a criminal. And a murderer.

  One moment changed everything. Her future, her goals, her values. Not that she’d been longing for a husband, kids, and house with the white picket fence. Success, however, had been redefined.

  Happiness. That’s what made one successful. The months and months of living in fear and being housed in hotels and under watch twenty-four-seven, gave her time to think about her future, whatever that would look like.