“I’m in a goddamn hurry,” he interrupted, making me laugh through the pain that flared in my chest. “I know I sound like a possessive asshole, but I want you here, Heidi. I want you where I can see and touch you; where I know you’re safe.”
His words melted my resistance.
He may have gone about it the wrong way, but there was nothing malicious nor underhanded about him wanting me to live in his apartment instead of one of my own.
Deep down, I knew that.
The man had plenty of faults—just like me—but wanting to keep me safe while making sure that I was provided for wasn’t one of them.
A million thoughts raced through my mind.
The most prominent? Take the leap.
Closing my eyes, I took a steadying breath.
When I opened them again, he was looking down at me, an anxious expression on his face.
Please let this be the right choice…
“Fine, I’ll move in with you,” I said before I lost my nerve. “But I’m paying my share of the rent and utilities. I am not a leech, and I won’t sponge off you.”
“You aren’t paying shit.”
“Zip it, Casanova. If you want me under your roof, then you’ll let me do as I said.”
“We’ll see.”
“Yeah, we will,” I fired back, crossing my arms over my heaving chest. “But first, I have a few conditions I need you to agree to.”
He ran his hand over the top of his head. “Shit, here we go.”
Ignoring his smartass comment, along with the victorious smile he wore, I continued. “One, you have to let me move into the guest bedroom.” I waited to see if he would flip out before continuing. Thankfully, he didn’t. “I know you probably want me in here with you, but… well, I kinda need time to adjust.”
My words sounded stupid to my own ears considering we’d just had unprotected sex the night before. For heaven’s sake, I’d let the man come inside me, had even demanded it, despite not being on any form of birth control.
“What else?” Ty’s voice sounded more jumbled and deeper than before. I had zero doubt that I was testing every bit of patience he possessed.
“Two, as I said before, I’m paying my share of the bills and buying my own food, and I don’t want to hear another word about it.”
The look I shot him dared him to argue.
It was a challenge he accepted.
“If you think for one damn minute I’m letting you pay a single dime, then you’ve got another thing coming. As for food, if you’re alone, you can pay for it all you want. But when you’re with me, I pay. Period.”
“You are not—”
“Heidi,” he interrupted, effectively ending my tirade before I could get started.
“What?”
“Shut up.”
My eyes bulged. “Excuse me?”
He cupped my cheeks and tilted my head back. “I said, shut up.”
“How frickin’ dare—
The sweet kiss he pressed to my lips silenced the venom I was about to spew all over him while causing my mind to blank. When he pulled back, all I could hear was the steady cadence of my own heartbeat as it filled my ears and pulsated through my limbs.
“I’ve spent my entire life waiting for you,” he said, his face inches from mine. “After thirty years, I finally have you by my side. Let me take care of you, baby. I swear on my life I’ll do a good job.”
His words pierced my soul, and every ounce of fight that remained inside me dissipated like vapor floating on the breeze. My entire body grew lax as I stared up at him, unshed tears blurring my vision. The man had the power to take me from spitting mad to docile as a newborn lamb in two-seconds flat.
It was maddening...
But also heart-warming.
“You’re really good at that,” I whispered, blinking back the tears I refused to let fall.
He tilted his head the slightest bit. “Good at what?”
“Making my desire to argue with you vanish.”
One side of his mouth turned up in a smile. “At least I mastered something.”
Thoughts of the night before popped in my head.
He’s mastered a lot more than that.
The things he did to me…
The way he made me feel.
Smiling, I pushed the dirty images that flashed in my head away and covered my face with my palms to hide my blushing cheeks. “Oh God, we both have to be at work by nine,” I mumbled, dropping my arms to my sides. “What time is it?”
“Half past seven.” He nodded toward the bathroom that was attached to his bedroom. “Why don’t you go hop in the shower while I cook you breakfast?”
I quirked a brow. “Are you going to pack my lunch too?” I asked, teasing.
He shrugged. “I will if you want. I’m an expert at it after packing Chase’s for a dozen years.”
That made me chuckle.
I could just see a tiny Chase carrying around a lunchbox that his big brother had packed earlier that morning. “You did good with him,” I said, repeating my words from the night before, knowing he needed to hear them. “Real good.”
“Yeah,” he replied before dropping his gaze to my belly. When he looked back up, something akin to hope filled his eyes. “I’m hoping you’ll give me a chance to do it all again.”
I already knew the answer, but I still asked the question that burned in the forefront of my mind. “Do what again?”
“Raise a kid.”
I swear my throat nearly swelled shut. Somehow, I still said, “That isn’t going to work for me.”
His handsome face dropped.
Yet he said nothing.
Not wanting him to misconstrue the words I’d spoken in haste, I quickly added, “A kid, I mean.” Needing to touch him, I placed my palms on his bare chest, kneading his pecs with my fingers. “I want two, maybe even three.”
I expected him to smile again, maybe even smirk.
He did neither.
Instead, he growled and tore my hands from his body before taking a step back. My heart clenched.
Did I say something wrong?
“I need you to get in the shower.”
I stepped forward, regaining the closeness we’d shared seconds before. “Are you mad at m-me?” My voice broke on the last syllable.
Ty’s eyes flared. “No,” he barked, eager to answer me. “But, baby…” He clenched his jaw tight and took a deep breath. “I need you to get in there”—he pointed toward the bathroom door—“and away from me.”
“What? Why? I don’t understand—”
My mouth snapped shut when his hands landed on my hips. Dipping his face closer to mine, he growled, “You did nothing wrong.” His words only confused me more. “But if you don’t get your pretty little ass out of my sight right now, I’m going to end up bending you over my bed and fucking you until I know damn well I’ve put my first child in you.”
A whimper escaped me, and despite the soreness pulsating between my legs, my thighs clenched. “Oh God,” I whispered, shifting my weight from one foot to the next.
“Shower, Heidi,” he demanded, releasing me. “Now.”
It was a demand I obeyed.
Turning, I headed for the bathroom.
Once at the threshold, I stopped and glanced at him over my shoulder. His head was tilted back, his eyes closed. He looked close to losing his mind.
Seeing him like that caused my inner troublemaker to stir.
Wearing a playful expression, I turned, facing him. “Hey, Casanova…” His head snapped in my direction; his gaze locked on mine. “After you get done making an appointment with my audiologist, call and make one with your optometrist.”
His confusion was clear. “What?”
“You said I had a pretty little ass; therefore, you obviously need to get your eyes checked.” I swiveled, giving him a glimpse of the very thing I spoke of, and stared at him over my shoulder. “I know my behind is pretty but it dang sure isn’t little.”
>
I didn’t need to look in the mirror to know my eyes were twinkling.
Ty glanced down at my rear end. “What can I say? I like big butts, and I cannot lie.”
A burst of laughter exploded from my chest. “Whatever you say, Sir Mix-a-Lot.”
He smirked. “I’ll get your clothes out of the dryer and put them on the bed.” My eyes narrowed, and before I could ask what he was talking about, he continued. “I washed and dried them after you fell asleep last night. I knew you had to work today, and I didn’t want you wearing dirty clothes.”
Wait a minute…
“You didn’t go to sleep when I did?”
He shook his head the slightest bit. “No.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to watch you sleep.” I opened my mouth to respond, but the words wouldn’t come. “Shower,” he repeated. “I’ll get your clothes and cook you breakfast.”
I nodded before stepping further into the bathroom. After shutting the door, I walked over to the sink and placed my hands on the granite countertop. Eyes on the mirror before me, I pulled in a deep breath.
“There’s no going back now,” I whispered softly to my reflection. “You’re already falling.”
It was the absolute truth.
Twenty-One
Ty
“This is complete horseshit.”
I tore my gaze from the eggs I’d just finished scrambling for Heidi and looked over at Chase. Standing in front of the pantry, he held an opened box of cereal in one hand and an empty mixing bowl in the other.
“What’s the matter now?” I asked, carrying my girl’s plate to the table where Ashley sat, not-so-patiently waiting for Heidi to finish showering and join us.
Chase didn’t reply as he sat the bowl down on the countertop and shoved his hand into the box, digging through the cereal. Irritated as hell, he ripped his empty fingers free a second later and lifted the cardboard to his face, reading the colorful font printed across the front. “These assholes forgot my stickers.” He pointed at the front of the package. “It says right here that they’re included with my purchase. They cheated me.”
My hand froze on the back of the chair I was about to pull out from the table. “You’re kidding me, right?” At twenty Chase was way too damn old to be upset over stickers. “Seriously, tell me you’re joking.”
Ashley giggled but said nothing.
“I’m not kidding you, and hell no, I’m not joking,” he replied, scowling. “The stickers were the entire reason I bought this nasty, sawdust tasting crap instead of my regular Lucky Charms. I was gonna give them to Gracie.”
“Guess you’ll just have to find another way to bribe her into liking you,” I mumbled, sitting down across from Ashley.
“He doesn’t need to bribe her. Gracie already loves him,” Ashley said, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Lucca though”—she smiled—“that’s a different story.”
Chase’s scowl deepened. “It’s because he knows your dad hates me. Your brother may only be six, but he emulates everything Anthony does, despising me included.”
Ashley’s face dropped. “My dad doesn’t hate you nor does he despise you,” she said, glaring at my kid brother over her shoulder. “He just doesn’t trust you.”
The knucklehead’s grip on the box tightened. “He has no reason not to trust me.”
I opened my mouth, ready to intervene before Chase said something stupid that would hurt Ashley’s feelings and might‘ve resulted in Heidi killing him, but Ashley beat me to the punch. “You have a penis,” she whisper-hissed. “That’s reason enough.”
Cheeks flaming, she turned her head back in my direction and dropped her gaze to the untouched oatmeal I’d fixed her minutes before.
I chuckled. “Your girl makes a solid point, bro. If I were Anthony, I wouldn’t trust you either.”
Chase’s eyes narrowed. “Thanks a lot, big brother,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re supposed to be on my side.” He pointed from himself to me, then back to himself again. “Ya know, teammates and shit.”
I shrugged. “I’m just saying. When I have a little girl, you can bet your ass I’m not letting any man with a fire hose dangling between his legs come within fifteen feet of her before she’s thirty, maybe even forty.”
Ashley burst into laughter.
Chase though, he didn’t. “When?” he asked, a look of horror clearly etched on his face. “Did you just say when you have a little girl?”
“Yeah,” I replied, crossing my arms over my chest. “You have a problem with that?”
“I’ve got a big problem with that,” he replied, wide-eyed. “What am I supposed to do with a niece? Girls can’t play football. Can’t you have a son? I mean damn, Ty, I can’t handle a girl. What if she wants to play dress up? Or have tea parties?”
Ashley whipped around in her seat. “If she does, then you’ll put on a pretty pink dress and sit down for a cup of imaginary tea.” Chase’s mouth fell open. “Let me tell you a little secret, Jock.” She smiled. “When it comes to little girls, you swallow down every ounce of pride you have, and you do what makes them happy. Since you and my father can’t seem to have one civil conversation, how about you ask Hendrix? He’ll tell you.”
Of that, I had no doubt.
Hendrix was one of the biggest assholes in the state—like me—but he was one helluva father, and all three of he and Maddie’s kids had him wrapped around their fingers.
I was jealous as hell.
I wanted kids of my own to spoil.
Soon…
“Want to know how many times I’ve seen that man have a tea party with Melody and Maci?” Ashley asked, tapping her fingers atop the table. “He even lets them paint his fingernails and put bows in his hair.”
“Hendrix Cole actually lets his daughters paint his fingernails?” Chase asked, dumbfounded.
Ashley nodded. “He and Pop both do.”
A genuine laugh burst from my chest. Cap was a hardass most of the time, but when it came to any of his girls, he was the opposite. There was a reason we’d started referring to him as Captain Marshmallow down at the station.
“Hey, Ashley…” At the sound of my voice, she turned back around and looked at me. “Next time you see Cap getting his nails painted, send me a picture.”
Her eyes twinkled. “That I can do.”
“I’m not letting anybody paint my fingernails,” Chase mumbled, shaking his head. “My toenails maybe, but—”
Boom, boom, boom!
The words died on his tongue when someone pounded their fist against the apartment door three times in rapid succession.
Before I could say a word or stand, three more loud bangs came.
Boom, boom, boom!
Ashley jumped up, sending her chair skittering back toward Chase. “I’ll get it!” she practically yelled, her nerve-filled voice growing louder with each word she spoke. “I’m sure it’s my dad… or my mom.” She bit her bottom lip. “Oh God, please let it be my mom.”
Chase growled as she turned and stormed out of the room. “Homicide Detective or not, if Moretti starts his shit, I’m liable to shove my fist into his face. I am sick and tired of him trying to dictate my relationship.”
“Relationship?” I asked, my brow arched. “Don’t you mean friendship?”
Chase didn’t reply.
Not that I expected him to when he looked seconds away from popping a blood vessel. “Do yourself a favor and keep your temper under control when it comes to petty stuff,” I told him as I stood and slid my chair back under the table. “You and Anthony may not get along, but he’s her father. If you can’t keep your anger locked down, you’re going to end up tearing Ashley apart.”
“What?” he asked through gritted teeth.
Blowing out a breath, I walked over to him. “Word of advice, little brother,” I whispered so Ashley wouldn’t hear me. “Don’t put her in a position where she feels like she has to choose between him and you.” I gave h
im a pointed look. “Because if you do, you may lose the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”
He fisted his hands in anger. “I won’t lose her.” He shook his head as grim determination slid across his features. “I can’t. She’s my best friend. Hell, she’s more than that. Without my Sweetness...”
His words faded away as a venom-laced voice I never wanted to hear again floated through the apartment, sending my adrenaline spiking into overdrive. I couldn’t make out the words being spoken, but it didn’t matter.
The only thing of importance was that the Devil himself had knocked on my door, and the most vulnerable person in my apartment had answered.
“Hey, Casanova!” Heidi hollered from my bedroom down the hall. “Who’s banging on the door? It’s not my sister, is it? If it is, tell her I’m still asleep after you wore me out last night.” She giggled. “No, wait, don’t tell her that. If you do, she may cut your dong off before I have the chance to enjoy it again.” When I didn’t answer her right away, she added, “PS, I have my hearing aids in, so feel free to holler back!”
I didn’t answer her as I took off running for the door, Chase hot on my heels. My heart slammed against my rib cage as I turned the corner into the living room and came to a sliding stop.
When I laid eyes on the scene before me, my blood pressure skyrocketed, and every bit of repressed rage, guilt, and shame I’d long since buried in the pit of my gut rose high into my throat.
Fuck, this can’t be happening!
The thought pinged around in my head like a pinball machine stuck on tilt as I stared at my father, the man I despised like no other, as he stood just outside my open apartment door, a devious smile on his monstrous face.
Ashley was directly in front of him, within striking distance.
Seeing her there, easily within his reach, sent my adrenaline into overdrive. “You son of a bitch,” I snarled. “You made one hell of a mistake by coming here.”
It was one he wouldn’t repeat.
I was about to make sure of that.
Twenty-Two
Ty
Every Wrong You Right: A Redeeming Love Novel (Book 6) Page 16