Always Enough

by Elliott, Kelly

  Once her body had slowed to almost a stop, I flipped us over. I put my arms under her legs, grabbed on to her hips, and fucked her fast and hard. The sounds of our bodies slapping together ignited a feeling deep inside me I’d never experienced before.

  Sex had always been just that. Sex. No matter who it was with, where it was at, it was only a way to release tension. Emotionally, it had always felt no different for me fucking a girl than it had from jacking off in the shower. Zero feelings. But with Kaylee, this wasn’t just sex. No, this was so much more. God, it was so much more. I hadn’t been able to put my finger on exactly what it was, but I had a damn good feeling why it was different. I simply needed to say it out loud. Bring it to life. Breathe life into the part of me that had yet to awaken.

  “Harder!” she cried out, making my balls pull up.

  Fuck. I didn’t want to come yet. I needed her to come again.

  I slipped my hand between us and played with her clit. Kaylee’s eyes snapped open, and she looked at me.

  “Goddamn it, Ty. You and your even numbers.”

  Smiling, I pressed my thumb on her clit, sending her over the edge before I joined her on the fall.

  It was against my better judgment, and I told myself I was going to pull out again, but I couldn’t. I needed to fill her. I needed to mark her in every way possible.

  She was mine, and I wasn’t ever letting her go. Ever.

  I stood over the bed and stared at her. Her blonde hair spilled across the pillow, and I swore she looked like a princess. I wanted nothing more than to crawl back into the bed and make love to her again.

  Almost as if she could sense me looking at her, she opened her eyes.

  “Hey,” she softly said, her mouth turning up into a beautiful smile.

  “Hey. I have to get over to the arena. I’ve arranged for a car to come get you in forty-five minutes. Is that enough time for you to get ready?”

  Leaning up on her elbows, she tilted her head and let her eyes roam openly over my body, then scrunched her nose in the most adorable way. “Ready for what?”

  “To come to the event this afternoon. I got CBS to give you a special backstage pass. You’ll be up in the booth with me.”

  Her eyes widened with excitement. “Really?”

  “Really,” I said, leaning onto the bed and kissing her. “I’ve got to go. I’ll see you in a bit.”

  “Okay. See you in a bit.”

  She looked like she was going to say something else, but instead, she dug her teeth into her lip.

  “Tonight, we’ll actually talk. Like for real.”

  With a nod and a smile, she replied, “Okay.”

  “See ya.”

  She lifted her hand and gave me a wave. “See ya.”

  It took every single ounce of willpower I had to step to the door, open it, and then walk out. As I headed toward the elevator, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. It seemed like with Kaylee, we always did everything backward, but tonight . . . tonight we would talk. I wasn’t sure how things would turn out, but I believed every word she’d said to me earlier. Every word.

  When I hit the elevator button, a welcome sense of peace washed over me. I walked onto that elevator with the knowledge that everything was going to work out fine. For the first time in a long time, I was excited about my future. Our future.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  KAYLEE

  My body ached in the most delicious way. I stared at myself in the mirror as I ran my fingers along my kiss-swollen lips. Smiling, I closed my eyes and let the memory of earlier take hold.

  Ty’s mouth on mine, his body moving fast and hard. The way his eyes locked with mine when he came . . . it made my stomach jump simply thinking about it.

  My phone rang, and I quickly headed back into the main room and grabbed it from my purse. It was Lincoln. “Hello?”

  “Hey, so how did the talk go? I couldn’t wait another minute. I was dying to hear from you, and since you’re ignoring my text messages, I figured I would call.”

  I chewed nervously on my bottom lip as I sat on the edge of the bed and slipped on one cowboy boot, then the other.

  “Your silence is not a good sign. I’m just saying. Y’all either fought, or you—oh, no. Kaylee.”

  “We’re going to talk tonight, but we sort of talked.”

  “What does that mean?” Lincoln asked as Morgan made the most precious baby noises. There bloomed that silly desire to have one of those little monsters growing inside me.

  “It means that I pretty much said what I wanted to say . . . while he was buried deep inside me.”

  “Ugh. First off, the visual wasn’t needed, and two—Kaylee! You said you were going to talk to him before anything else.”

  I stood and walked back into the bathroom. After putting the phone on speaker, I quickly got to work pulling my hair up into a ponytail.

  “Listen here, Mom, have you seen the man? I mean, you’re married to his fine-ass brother. The moment he touched me, I decided talking could wait. I needed action instead.”

  A slight giggle came across the phone.

  “Also, have you seen his body?”

  “Kaylee!” she repeated in a stern voice, but I could detect a hint of humor there. I imagined a slight grin on her face.

  “I had every intention of talking to him, but things just got . . . out of control.”

  “Did you use protection?”

  That question, I didn’t want to answer. “Sort of. He pulled out.”

  She gagged. “Oh God, another visual.”

  I, of course, neglected to tell her the whole truth on that one.

  “Will you please buy some condoms? Y’all are playing with fire.”

  Pausing for a minute, I took in a deep breath. “I asked him if he wanted kids.”

  “What? Wow! Okay, so there was some talking mixed in with the hot sex.”

  “Yes, there was—I told you that already.”

  “And? What did he say?”

  Smiling like a schoolgirl who’s just gotten her first kiss, I replied, “He said yes, he wanted kids . . . with me. I also told him I loved him.”

  That was met with silence on the other end of the phone.

  “Lincoln?”

  “Hold on, I’m putting Morgan in her swing. I need to do a little happy dance, and I don’t want to give her brain damage.”

  I walked out of the bathroom, checked the time, and realized I needed to be down in the lobby for my ride to the arena.

  “Okay. Oh my God! Oh my God! You told him you loved him? Kaylee, holy shit!”

  I laughed. “I know. He didn’t freak. I mean, there was once or twice when I swore he was about to tell me, but he put the wall back up. I told him I wasn’t going anywhere, and that I was going to fight for us.”

  “You go, girl! Oh my gosh, Kaylee. This is huge. Like, whoa.”

  “Right?”

  I opened the door—and let out a gasp of surprise when a woman with long blonde hair also gasped, her hand poised to knock on the door.

  “Oh, excuse me,” she said, looking past me and into the room. “I was looking for Ty Shaw.”

  “Who is that?” Lincoln asked, still on speakerphone.

  “Hold on, Lincoln.” I quickly took her off and put the phone to my ear.

  “He isn’t here. Is there something I can help you with?” It was then I looked down and saw a little girl standing next to the blonde woman. Dark-blonde hair . . . and blue eyes that looked so familiar.

  My gut instantly twisted, and I forced myself to swallow the lump in my throat.

  “I saw him on TV; he was one of the commentators.” She cleared her throat. “Are you his girlfriend?”

  “Kaylee, what is going on? Who is she?”

  I ignored Lincoln.

  “Yes,” I said, because I was 99 percent sure I could now call myself that.

  “Oh. This is going to be a bit awkward. I’ve been trying to reach Ty for a number of months now.” She looked down at
the little girl.

  “Kaylee? Please tell me what is happening.”

  “Is that your little girl?” I asked, giving the girl a smile. She looked up at me and grinned, her front tooth missing.

  “Oh, no. No. No. I’m getting Brock. Don’t hang up, Kaylee.”

  Tears pricked at the back of my eyes, and I looked at the woman.

  “I’m married. I’m not looking for a relationship with him. I just want you to know that right up front. But . . . I’m a bit ashamed to say this, but I need to find out if Ty is her father. My baby is sick and needs a blood transfusion.”

  My heart broke, but for two very different reasons. I cleared my throat. “I’m so sorry.”

  She gave me a weak smile. “I’m not a close-enough match, and her daddy—her, um, stepdaddy—isn’t a match either.”

  “Ty’s the father?” I asked, my voice shaking.

  “I’m pretty sure, but we used protection, so I know how that makes me sound. It was a one-night thing here in Billings after a PBR event a little over four years ago. I was at a wedding here in the hotel and met Ty at the bar, and one thing . . . um . . . well, you know.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “Kaylee,” Lincoln whispered, her own heartache evident in her voice.

  “Lincoln, I’m going to have to call you back. Let me take care of this . . . not Brock.”

  “O-okay. Call me. And Kaylee?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Take a deep breath. Okay?”

  I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me, then hit end. “I know where he is. Can you come with me?”

  The woman nodded, then reached her hand out. “I’m Katy, Katy Olsen.”

  “Kaylee Holden.”

  It struck me as odd how similar our names were. Even the look of her. Blonde hair, shorter than mine. Her eyes were green, though, which made me look down to the little girl again, her brilliant blue eyes gazing back up at me. My chin wobbled, but only for a moment.

  “The car should be waiting to take me to the arena.”

  “Will they let me in?” she asked as she and her daughter walked alongside me.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

  I pulled out my phone and sent Ty a text.

  Me: Can you get another pass? For Katy Olsen.

  He replied almost instantly.

  Ty: LOL. Did you already meet a friend? Tell me she’s not a fan or something, Kaylee.

  Me: No, she’s married.

  Ty: Cool, I’ll call and let them know.

  A part of me felt horrible for not telling him, but I wanted to see if he’d even remember this girl’s name.

  As we rode down in the elevator, the little girl telling her mom how fast it moved, both of us smiled at her.

  “I’m so sorry, Kaylee. I wouldn’t have ever reached out if it hadn’t been for Olivia needing medical treatment.”

  Bending down, I tapped her on her nose. “Olivia. What a beautiful name. Who is this?” I asked, pointing to the little bear she was clutching in her hands. She was just a little younger than Blayze. The thought that he might have a cousin he didn’t even know made me feel sad.

  “His name is Buzz.”

  With a smile, I gave Buzz a tap on the nose as well. “Hello there, Buzz. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  The elevator opened, and I took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. I’d made Ty a promise, only a few hours ago, that whatever problems came our way, I was going to stick by his side. As heartbreaking as this problem was, and as much as I wanted to take off in a cab and just run, I held my head up and walked toward the doors.

  Then I realized I hadn’t responded to Katy. Before sliding into the black limo that was waiting for us, I took her hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sorry. I just needed a moment.”

  She nodded.

  “I love him, Katy, and I don’t want to just spring this on him. So if he doesn’t recognize you, will you at least wait until after the show? Then you can talk to him.”

  “Of course. Yes.”

  “Thank you, and I know you’re only reaching out for Olivia, and I totally get that.”

  A look of relief washed over her face as she gave my hand a slight squeeze back. “Thank you, Kaylee. Thank you so much for helping me. I recently found out from googling him that he was born and raised in Hamilton. Then, when my husband saw him on TV, I told him, of course, about the one-night stand. He’s the one who told me I needed to come to the hotel. Talk to Ty.”

  I swallowed hard and simply nodded before motioning for her to get in.

  Olivia had fun in the limo and was sad that it was such a short ride. As we were guided up to the control booth where Ty was, Katy asked, “Is he going to be working for CBS now?”

  “I’m not sure. I don’t think he’s made the decision yet.”

  “When I heard about the accident, I felt terrible. I don’t know much about bull riding, and honestly I don’t care to know. He was a good-looking guy who gave me some attention when I was in a bad place. I had just broken up with my boyfriend a few weeks before, so it was a wild and crazy thing to do. Not something I would normally ever do.”

  “Honestly, you don’t need to explain, and I really don’t want to know the details, if you don’t mind.”

  Her cheeks turned red. “Of course. I’m sorry.”

  As we walked down a long hall, I asked, “She’s not the old boyfriend’s?”

  “I . . . I don’t think so. I’m not sure.”

  “You haven’t had him tested?”

  She glanced my way, a look of sadness on her face. “He died in a car accident about two months after I hooked up with Ty. I didn’t even know I was pregnant yet. His family blamed me for the accident. Said he’d been distraught over our breakup. Once I found out I was pregnant, I didn’t bother telling them. I assumed the baby was Ty’s. But when Olivia got sick, I approached them to see about DNA testing. To see if someone in the family was a match. They’re . . . well . . . the family is wealthy, and they accused me of trying to get money. They won’t have anything to do with me or Olivia. I mentioned Ty possibly being the father, and you can imagine how that sounded to them. Knowing I’d slept with another man so soon after breaking up with their son.”

  I nodded. “I see. I’m sorry they won’t help you.”

  She gave me a sad smile. “So am I.”

  As we walked up, Katy now carrying Olivia, I saw Ty. He looked my way and smiled when he saw me.

  “Oh, my. If that isn’t the look of a man in love, I don’t know what is,” Katy said in a hushed voice next to me.

  His eyes moved to my right, and he frowned slightly but didn’t seem to recognize Katy. He gave her a polite smile, glanced at the little girl, and then made his way over to me. He leaned down and kissed me. Not on the cheek or forehead, but on the lips, for everyone to see. “Hi.”

  It was one simple word, but I could hear it in his voice. Something was off. He turned to look at Katy.

  “Ty, this is Katy Olsen and her daughter, Olivia.”

  The little girl looked at Ty, and he smiled bigger, but I saw it in his eyes.

  He knew.

  A sickness rushed to my stomach, and I almost felt the need to turn and find a trash can to get sick in.

  “It’s a pleasure,” Ty said, narrowing his eyes slightly at her.

  Katy simply nodded.

  “Where should we be so that we’ll be out of your way?” I asked.

  Ty looked at me, a concerned expression crossing his face. “Would you mind if the three of us”—he looked back at Olivia—“the four of us, stepped across the hall to talk?”

  I forced a smile. “It’s nothing that can’t wait until after the show.”

  Ty’s gaze met mine, and I saw the wall going back up.

  I took his hands in mine. “Ty, it can wait.”

  His eyes bounced from me to Katy, then back to me. “I’m not on the air tonight. I told them I wasn’t interested in the job.”


  My eyes widened in shock. “But Ty, I thought you—”

  “No,” he said as he shook his head, stopping my words with a look of determination. “The only place I want to be is on the ranch, with you. Now, let’s go across the hall.”

  A heaviness settled in the pit of my stomach. I knew I had gotten through to Ty earlier. He was willing to try a relationship with me, even though he had fears and doubts and the crazy notion he wasn’t good enough for me. Now, he very well could have a child. I knew this was going to take us back a few steps. Suddenly, I wasn’t sure if he was simply trying to appease me for the time being.

  Placing his hand on the small of my back, Ty guided us to an empty room. Food was on a table, and it appeared people had been in earlier to eat.

  Once Katy had walked into the room, Ty shut the door. Then an awkward-as-hell silence filled the air. I watched Ty as he took in the little girl, then looked at Katy.

  “She’s not mine.”

  I gasped. “Ty!”

  He snapped his head to look at me. “She’s not mine. I have never had sex without a condom.” Facing Katy, he looked at her with an expression I couldn’t read.

  “I’m not here to ask you to be a part of her life, Ty. I need your help, and when I saw you on TV, I had to come. You were in Billings, and . . . I just need your help.”

  “Money?”

  “Ty—” I started before Katy cut me off.

  “She’s sick. It’s leukemia. I need to find out if you’re her father. If you are, you might be able to donate stem cells.”

  Ty looked shocked. “Wait, back up a second. So, you believe I am her father?”

  Katy looked at me, then back to Ty. “I don’t know if you remember that night.”

  “You were in the wedding. I remember.”

  Okay, that hurt more than it should have. How many of his random hookups did he remember, or was it only certain women? I needed to stop thinking so hard about all of this.

  “I only remember because you have the same name as my cousin.”

  Katy smiled. “That’s right. You told me that.”

  Ty seemed like he was getting impatient.

  After clearing her throat, Katy went on. “I’m not the type of woman to have random one-night stands. There are only two men who could possibly be her biological father. You, and my ex-boyfriend, who unfortunately died in a car accident shortly after you and I hooked up. His family is angry with me, for a few reasons, and they refuse to do DNA testing.”