Ryan obeyed and pushed the door open. He headed toward the barn where he’d parked. If Ty planned on a brawl, it was best to keep it away from the family-friendly event.
“I told you to stay the hell away from Mia.”
“I know.” He turned around and slid his hands into his pockets. A sign of his purpose. To make peace. Not to fight.
Ty crossed his arms, doing the exact opposite. He was a big man. His biceps alone could strangle a man to death. From what he’d researched on him, he never used his size or his body as a weapon. In the Army, he had a dozen clean kills to his name. No fights. No signs of violence. On paper, Sergeant Ty William Parker was a peaceful soldier. A combination of Tom Brady and Tom Hanks. Two of the greatest Toms.
In person he was Thor.
“You’re a threat to my sister and everyone else in this community. We don’t need you bringing your filth to Crystal Cove.”
Trying to explain to Ty that the bad guys didn’t typically follow Ryan but that he followed them wouldn’t help his case any.
“The last thing I want is for Mia and any of her friends or family to end up hurt.”
“Good. Then we agree. I’ll walk you to your pansy car.”
It wasn’t a truck, but his Lexus was anything but pansy. Again, not an argument that would make peace.
“Actually, before I go, I’d like to talk to you.”
“We have nothing to talk about.” Ty puffed out his chest, not that he needed to.
They had plenty to discuss, but again, Ryan didn’t correct him. Relaxing his shoulders, he rocked back on his heels doing his best to come across casual.
“I’ve made some changes in my life.”
“I don’t give a damn about your life, Thorne.”
For a man of few words, Ty was on a roll tonight. Ryan had to respect him, though. He was looking out for not only his sister but his wife as well. If he were in Ty’s shoes, he’d do the same thing. It was exactly why he did leave Crystal Cove.
“I’ll never forgive myself for Mia’s kidnapping. I know if she wasn’t ... if we hadn’t been close, she wouldn’t have been a victim. I can’t take back the past. I can, however, work on changing my future.”
It hurt like hell to say the words. Countless hours in therapy had paid off. Maybe.
“Change your future all you want. Leave my family out of it.”
“See, that’s the thing. I don’t know if I can.”
Ty dropped his bulky arms and stepped into Ryan’s space. “You—”
“Ty? What’s going on?” Carter stepped into their circle, followed by his brother Brady, and then Ben Martelli and Cameron Smithfield.
“I don’t want any trouble on my property.” Ben looked from Ty to Ryan.
“Jenna sent me after you goons.” Tristan draped one arm across Ty’s shoulder and the other across Ben’s. “What’s going on?”
Six pairs of eyes homed in on him. Ryan didn’t want to hide his emotions, using the FBI interrogation techniques. Instead, he let himself be real for the first time in years. Like ripping off a Band-Aid, it was the quickest—and hopefully least painful—way to get to the point.
“I think I’m in love with Mia.”
Silence.
Except for a goofy ass grin from Carter, of all people. “I knew it.”
Ty shrugged off Tristan’s arm and glared at Carter. “What do you mean you knew it?”
“Please. You should have seen them at the diner. And everyone in town knew they’d been doing the nasty all summer.”
Ryan cringed as did everyone else except Ty, who poked his finger into Carter’s chest. Ryan had been on the receiving end of his strength and didn’t envy the guy right now.
“What”—poke—“do you mean”—poke—“by that?”— poke.
“Well, if I have to explain—”
“Easy now.” Cameron stepped in the middle of the circle, placing a hand on Ty’s shoulder and easing him away from Carter.
At least the focus was off Ryan.
“Did you all know about this? That my sister was sleeping with the FBI?”
Ryan watched as Ty scrutinized his friends, each looking away and shifting in their shoes.
“Ty.” Cameron got his attention again. “Let’s listen to what to what Agent Thorne has to say.”
Once again, he was in the hot seat. He preferred when Ty’s friends were there. Ryan scratched the back of his head and searched for the right words. He hadn’t gotten this far in his planning.
Working on their friendship and earning Mia’s trust had been his focus. Earning Ty’s trust should have been up there on his white board as well.
“You said you’re in love with Mia,” Cameron reminded him.
Ty growled, and Ryan watched as his hands turned into tight fists.
“Yeah.” Bearing his soul to a woman was hard enough. Bearing it to six men he hardly knew was a whole new world of embarrassment.
“Does she love you?” This from Ben.
“I don’t know.”
Carter chuckled, and they all slowly turned their attention to him.
“You find this funny, Marshall?” Ty barked.
“Only that you guys have been so blind to it. She’s been using me to make her FBI guy jealous.”
“That doesn’t mean she loves him. He put her life in danger. She wasn’t the least bit upset when I told him never to come back.”
If that was true, Ryan was wasting his time. Why did he think a few times of amazing sex would make Mia fall for him the way he had for her?
“I don’t know how she feels about me, but I’d like the opportunity to talk to her. To see if ... if maybe we could...”
“The hell you will.”
“Besides the obvious, what’s your issue with him?” Ben pointed a thumb toward Ryan.
“There doesn’t need to be anything more! He damn near killed my sister.”
“He also saved her.”
Ah, Tristan the caterer, the voice of reason.
“He wouldn’t have to save her if he hadn’t put her life in danger.”
“If you love her, what’s your plan? Why are you here? Are you expecting her to move to the city or wherever you live? Mia’s family is here. Her friends are here. What is it you’re willing to give up for her?” Brady Marshall hit the nail on the head with his barrage of questions.
It was always the quiet ones who were the most perceptive. Funny how Ty used to be the quiet one. Apparently not when his sister or wife were involved. The quiet card applied to Ryan as well.
Looking around the circle of Mia’s friends, he didn’t feel intimidated or even threatened surrounded by the intense amount of testosterone. Instead, it was gratitude that filled his chest. Whatever happened between him and Mia, he was thankful she had the Avengers to watch over her.
“I’d like to spend some time with Mia, if that’s okay.” He directed his attention to Ty. “I don’t want to hurt her. If she thinks me being here is doing that, I’ll leave. All I ask is some time to ... talk with her.”
“What do you want to talk to her about?” Ty crossed his arms again.
“Mia can handle herself,” Carter said.
For months Ryan had been worried about the man coming between him and Mia, and here he was defending Ryan.
“I know my sister can handle herself. That doesn’t mean I want him anywhere near her.”
“Oh, my god. Ty!” Mia’s voice came bellowing across the parking lot. “What are you doing?” She jogged over to them and pushed her way into the mob that had formed around him. “Cameron? Ty? All of you. What’s going on?”
She skipped over Ryan and glared at each of the men in the circle.
“Sweetheart.” Carter draped an arm around Mia and tucked her under his arm. A little too close for Ryan’s liking. “Your boyfriend here—”
“He’s not her boyfriend,” Ty growled.
Somehow Carter went from nuisance to entertaining in a matter of seconds. Ryan didn’t know what to m
ake of his knack for annoying others, or the amount of amusement Carter seemed to have in annoying Ty.
For now, he was grateful for the distraction.
“Enough. Why are you all out here looking like you’re about to offer Ryan up as a human sacrifice?”
“It’s okay. We were just talking. I’m sorry for causing a scene.” He took his keys out of his pocket and looked Ty directly in the eyes. “I’ll see you around.” It wasn’t a threat or a warning. It was a fact he wanted Ty to get used to.
The narrowed eyes and clenched jaw were not a good sign, but at least Ty didn’t argue the fact.
Ryan softened his smile and said to Mia, “I’ll be in touch.” He took the risk and bent down to kiss her cheek. Without looking back, he walked away as slowly and casually as he could until he reached his car.
“YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING to do.” Mia cocked her chin up at Ty and ignored the guys as they made their excuses and slipped away.
Ty shook his head as if disappointed in something she’d done. “Why do you always have to do things the hard way?”
“What did I supposedly do now?” It didn’t seem to matter to her brother that more and more candles were filling up her birthday cake each year, or that she’d been a grown and independent woman for more than a decade. To him, she’d always be the immature, annoying little sister.
Having a protective older brother was one thing; having an overbearing bossy bully of a brother was another.
“Why couldn’t you find an insurance agent or a nice teacher to settle down with?”
“Who says I’m settling down with anyone?”
“Good.” He took her elbow in an attempt to guide her back to the function hall.
Mia stopped in her tracks. “Good?”
“You’re not settling down.”
She rubbed her temples with her fingers. “I’m so confused. I thought you wanted me to find a stuffed shirt.” Not that she cared what her brother wanted. It was her choice to make.
“I don’t want you with Thorne.”
So that was what this was all about. It wasn’t like his surprise visit in town was about her anyway. Either he was checking in on Lily or meeting someone about one of his other cases. Whatever his business, it had nothing to do with her.
Except the just sex part.
Which wasn’t going to happen.
Was.
Not.
Happening.
Mia had too much self-respect to drag her heart through another soap opera that was guaranteed to end with another dramatic cliffhanger.
“Perfect, because I’m not with Thorne.”
Ty tapped her chin with his fist and peered down at her. She’d never seen him this edgy. This high-strung.
“Do you love him?”
She nearly fell on her ass. Love him? “No,” she said too quickly. It was partially true. She didn’t want to love him. Love took time. It happened after you dated someone for months. Went on trips together. After you met his family. She’d done none of that with Ryan.
Well, she sort of met his family. His parents were perfectly perfect. They reminded her of her own parents.
Besides, love was more than sex. So much more, which was why she knew she didn’t love him. Couldn’t love him.
Her heart didn’t have enough experience in the guy department to know better. Feelings and emotions had never tangled with the dating or sex side of her flings.
Fling. Yes, that was all it was with Ryan. A fling.
“You sure about that?”
“Yeah.” Totally sure about the fling. She started walking toward the hall, and Ty kept by her side.
“You don’t love him,” he said as if reassuring himself and her.
Oh. That. She fidgeted with the hem of her sweater. “Nope.” She prayed the high squeak of her voice didn’t give her away.
Not that there was anything to give away. Love wasn’t in the equation, she reminded herself.
“Good.” Ty let out a relieved sigh. “I told him as much. He seems to think there’s something going on between you two. I’ll feel better when he leaves town.”
“Wait. What?” Again, she stopped. “Why were you two talking about me, and how did love fall into the conversation?”
“There you are.” Lily, rounded with pregnancy and ready to pop out the baby any minute, appeared out of the dark shadows of the night. “All the husbands returned except mine.” She wrapped her arm around Ty’s waist and kissed him on the cheek.
“Sorry. Mia and I were just talking.”
“Uh huh. That’s why your sister looks like she’s ready to throat punch you?”
God love her sister-in-law for being so intuitive because Ty could really use a throat punch right about now. He never meddled in her love life before, and now that she had one...
Had. Past tense. Damn, she hated when her brother was right. Ryan wasn’t the one who mixed love with sex. Of course, her ever-loyal brother would confuse the two.
Dropping the subject seemed like a better idea than taking her brother out, especially since he meant well. “I’m heading out.” She hugged Lily. “Call me the second you have a contraction. This kid’s gonna need her auntie to come to her rescue every time her overbearing dad messes with her life.”
“I’m not overbearing.” Mia gave Ty the evil eye, and Lily snorted. “I’m looking out for my kid sister.”
“Like I said, there’s nothing to look out for. Sure, Ryan and I had a fling this summer, but that’s over. I’m sure he’s here to check on you”—she dropped her gaze to Lily—“and to do whatever FBI agents do after they close a case. I’m good. Moving on with my life.”
She stretched her hands above her head and forced a smile across her lips.
“We still on for lunch on Monday?”
“Unless you’ve spit out my niece by then.”
“Or nephew.” Lily rubbed her belly.
“See ya then.” Mia spun on her heels—not an easy feat to do when she was used to sneakers and flip-flops—and went inside to get her keys and phone.
After her quick good-bye hugs to her friends, she crossed the parking lot to her car. It wasn’t until she was sitting behind the wheel that she noticed something on her windshield. A beautiful sunflower rested across her wipers.
Mia picked it up and sighed as she drew it to her cheek. She was not the hearts and flowers kind of girl, but a lone sunflower might have tripped her heart a beat.
Setting it on the passenger seat, she buckled up and drove home as she tried to process the past twenty-four hours.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Sunday would be a whirlwind of customers at The Happy Clam. It was always busy the day after the fall festival. With Hope on maternity leave and the extra flow of traffic in town, Mia knew she wouldn’t have a chance to even grab a French fry from the kitchen during her ten-hour shift.
With that in mind, she pulled into The Sunrise Diner for a monster breakfast to fuel her for the day.
“Hey, Scilla,” she said as the bell to the diner chimed above her head.
“Hey, pretty thing.” Scilla carried a tray full of food in one hand and a pot of coffee in the other. “The early morning mob is slowing down, but I still don’t have a clean table for you. You’ll have to grab a seat at the counter.”
“Works for me.”
Mia found an open seat. A couple near her parents’ age sat to her left, deep in conversation, and a young college couple to her right. The young kids were on their phones, of course.
A few minutes later, Scilla let out a long sigh and set the tray full of dirty dishes on the counter in front of Mia. “I tell ya, this fall festival weekend has done wonders for our community, but I’m getting too old for this kind of rush.”
Normally, she ran the diner solo, but during typical busy weekends she hired local teens to help out. Two of them were working the dining area, wiping tables and setting them with clean placemats and silverware.
“Maybe it’s time to hire on mo
re permanent help.”
“Are you asking for a job?” Scilla set the coffee pot on the warmer and picked up the tray again.
“I’ve got my hands full right now.”
“It’s sweet how you girls support each other. Don’t know what Hope would do without you.”
“She’s got Marley and Allison. I’m just a fill in when needed.”
“You’re a lot more than that, hon. You’re always putting your friends and family first. I heard about your book deal. ‘Bout time you start taking care of yourself. Your mama’s awfully proud of you. So are the rest of us.”
“Thanks, Scilla. It’s all a little surreal. I mean, I didn’t even know I wanted to be an author.”
“And an artist. Jenna and Grace were in here the other day raving about your drawings.”
The highest compliment if ever there was one. Jenna’s pottery and paintings were simply stunning. Mia’s drawings of cartoonish sea creatures could hardly compare.
“I’m still learning the ropes.”
“A new career, a new future, a new man.”
Mia snorted. “No. No man in my life, Scilla. The bacon grease must be clogging your eye sight.”
“Not even a grease fire could cloud up the color rings around you two.” The quirky waitress grinned mischievously and looked up over Mia’s head. “There’s a table in the corner. Go make yourself comfortable. Mia will be over in a second.”
“Will do,” a deep, familiar voice chuckled from behind her.
Mia clenched her jaw and glared. “Don’t meddle, Priscilla. It’s not what you’d like it to be. Rumors run thick around here.”
“Oh, honey.” She patted Mia’s hand. “That’s where you’re wrong. It’s not what you’d like it to be.”
She scrunched her face in confusion.
“You keep trying to pass it off as nothing. But like I’ve told many before you, the colors don’t lie. You two may not have been ready before, but you are now. There’s no fighting any more. Go sit with your man. I’ll be over in a minute to take your order.”
With that, she left and slipped into the kitchen.
The couple to her left turned toward her. By the glint in their eyes, they too had believed Priscilla’s witchery.
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