Grasping my hips, he lifted me the slightest bit and deposited me further down his torso, forcing me to straddle his pelvis. Sitting up, he brought his chest to mine and twined his brawny arms around my back, anchoring my body to his.
Chest still heaving, he held me tight as my attempt to keep my tears at bay crashed and burned. “I will never give up on you,” he said, speaking slowly. “Doesn’t matter how much of a stubborn little shit you’re being. You are mine, baby, and I will die before I stop fighting for you, for me, for us.”
My chin trembled. “Promise?”
“I fucking swear it.”
“Good,” I replied, taking a deep breath. “Now kiss me.”
With the setting sun surrounding him like a halo, he sealed our fate with a tender brush of his lips. It was the perfect moment, one which I would remember for the rest of my life.
Twenty-Nine
Ty
Heidi was ready to kill me.
Madder than hell, she glared at me from across Dr. Jenkin’s stuffy private office, her arms crossed over her chest. Cheeks tinged red with fury, she looked close to jumping up from the plastic chair where her perfect ass sat and storming across the room.
If that happened, she'd likely strangle me.
The consequences be damned.
I'd seen my woman mad before, but this was something else entirely. The fire that danced in her blue eyes was one that promised retribution and demanded penance for the crimes I'd committed.
And those crimes? They consisted of buying her the best hearing aids her audiologist had to offer, despite the hefty price tag we both knew would come with them.
Not that it mattered.
Thanks to working two jobs, the money in my savings account wasn't lacking, and dropping the cash needed to provide for her wasn't an issue.
But she didn't see it that way.
Having grown up in a family that struggled financially, she pinched every penny she could, rarely spending money on things that weren't necessary.
All of her clothes were purchased from the clearance rack, she gave herself facials and painted her own nails. And hell, don’t get me started on her grocery shopping habits.
I kid you not, the only time I ever saw her buy something name brand was toilet paper. Everything else was store brand or purchased with a coupon.
I'd offered to take her shopping, and she turned me down. I tried to pay for her and Ashley both to have a pedicure, but she rebuffed me, claiming she'd paint her own toenails. I brought home name brand cereal once instead of the cheap shit she usually bought, and she gave me the stink eye.
For the most part, I'd backed off, letting her scrimp and save however she saw fit because I understood why she did it. But I would be damned if I let her take the cheaper route this time.
I didn't care how mad she got or how big of a hissy fit she threw—she was getting the best my money could buy, and that was the bottom line.
"Baby," I said, chuckling. "I'm not going to sit here and argue with you. I may let you get away with certain things, but this won't be one of them."
She opened her mouth to reply, and no doubt throw a handful of snark my way, but I held up my hand, demanding her silence and turned my attention to Dr. Jenkins.
"You're a doctor, so I'm trusting your judgment," I told him before pointing at the two silver hearing aids that sat on his desk, the same ones he'd shown us moments before. "Are those the best fit for my girl?"
"Yes, Mr. Jacobs," he replied, nodding. "These new Quad Soundwaves have no limits when it comes to sound experience, and they excel at providing background noise reduction in busy environments, which I know was one of your concerns when it came to Ms. Johnson's hearing."
I hated him calling her that.
It should be Mrs. Jacobs...
"The battery in these also lasts 30% longer than the previous model, and comes with an expertly-designed charging dock and travel case."
"What other features do they have?" I asked, leaning forward in my chair.
"Tons," he replied, smiling wide. "Not only are they smaller and more discreet than the model that she currently has, but they are also lightweight and easy to wear. Not to mention, the amplification abilities of these little boogers is the best I've ever seen. Unlike some of the other assistive devices we offer, these will give you a much clearer, more natural sound quality."
Pausing, he opened a desk drawer to his right and pulled out a handful of brochures. Gesturing for me to take them—which I did—he continued. "With the Quad Soundwaves, Ms. Johnson will have the ability to fine-tune and adjust her hearing experience from any smartphone or tablet at any time, anywhere in the world. These little guys"—he held up the hearing aids, practically fawning over them—"also feature a tracking device in case you misplace or lose them. But the best part? They offer unrivaled tinnitus management."
I didn't need to hear more.
I was sold.
"She's taking them," I said, glancing over at Heidi. "Right, Angel?"
Her right eye twitched. "How much are they?" she asked Dr. Jenkins, ignoring me.
He hesitated briefly. Then, "For the pair, the price is $4999.99."
She sucked in a breath, then made a choking sound. "Ty, don't you dare—"
"We'll take them," I said, cutting her off. "How quickly can she get them?"
Dr. Jenkins’ eyes twinkled. "She can take them home today since they feature a dome-shaped receiver and therefore do not require a custom fit. All we need to do is make sure they are comfortable and then program them according to her needs."
I waved a hand in the air. "Let's get it done then."
"Ty—"
When I looked over at Heidi again, every trace of anger and hostility that had lined her face before had vanished. In its place was reluctance mixed with another emotion I couldn't read. "What is it, Angel?"
Her hands shook as she stood from her chair and made her way toward me. "I can't let you do this," she said, her voice almost a whisper. "It's too much money."
Without breaking eye contact with her, I spoke to Dr. Jenkins. "Doc, can you give us a minute?"
"Sure, sure," he said, rounding his desk. "I'll be in the room directly across the hall. When you're done here, just come on over. Then we can discuss which route you wish to take."
He walked out of the room, softly closing the door behind him.
Standing, I closed what remained of the space between Heidi and me. "I'm getting you the Quads," I said, taking her hands in mine. "I don't care how much they cost, they'll be worth it."
"It's five grand," she said softly. "I didn't even pay that for my car."
I would hope she hadn't.
Heidi was proud as hell of her car because she'd paid for it with her own money, but it was a fifteen-year-old Focus and wasn't worth a squirt of piss.
I didn't tell her that though.
Simply because I was fond of my balls remaining intact.
"Your hearing is worth a lot more than 5k, baby." Before she could take my words the wrong way, I quickly added, "It's fine if you don't want to wear them when we’re at home. Christ knows I don't mind signing, and I love watching your eyes as you read the words I speak."
Every word was the truth.
"But I want you to have the option of hearing well when you're in a large group, and I sure as hell want the tinnitus to stop because the thought of you being in pain guts me. Understand?"
"You're not going to let me say no, are you?"
A grin spread across my face. "Have I ever?"
That earned me an eye roll. "No," she hissed.
I shrugged. "There's your answer."
Blowing out a breath, she ran her soft hands down the sides of her face before looking back up. "If I agree to this, you have to let me pay you back."
There was nothing for her to agree to.
My decision had been made, and she damn sure wasn't paying me a dime.
Providing for her—financially included—was my job.<
br />
But once again, I wasn't telling her that.
If I did, she'd dig in her heels and make my job ten times harder.
Stubborn little shit...
"I'll tell you what," I replied, running a knuckle down the side of her jaw. "For every child you give me, I'll knock two grand off what you owe."
Her lips parted as she blinked up at me, seemingly at a loss for words. "You have lost your damn mind," she finally said, cocking her hips to the side.
Ah hell, here comes the sass…
"One baby better earn me a lot more than two grand, especially if it looks like me."
She fluttered her eyelashes, giving me doe eyes.
I chuckled and cupped her cheeks. "I may be inclined to agree with you, but you sure know how to drive a hard bargain."
The smile that tipped her lips hit me square in the chest, making my heart beat double-time.
"You should see me at yard sales," she replied, hooking her fingers into the waistband of my jeans. "I can out-haggle Grandmama, and that's saying something."
It damn sure was.
The Crazy Old Biddy was a bargain hunting, coupon clipping, money-saving phenom. If there was a deal to be had, she'd fight tooth and nail to get it.
"I'm buying them, Heidi," I told her, not wanting to get off track, something which was easy to do when Grandmama was brought up. "And you're going to wear them. Not all the time if you don't want to, but I want them in your ears when you're at work. Got it?"
Bending to my will, she nodded. "I've got it," she answered, her beautiful voice soft and sweet. "But you have to let me thank you later"—her eyes dropped to the front of my jeans—"ya know, when we get home."
Dropping my hands from her face, I pulled her hands free of my jeans and took one in mine. "We need to get this show on the damn road then," I said, nodding toward the door. "Cause my dick just got hard as fuck."
Tossing her head back, my Angel laughed.
It was one of the most beautiful sounds I'd ever heard.
"Alright," she said, righting herself and meeting my gaze once more. "Let's hurry, because I certainly wouldn't want you to suffer"—she pointed to my stiff cock with her free hand—"if you know what I mean."
Without giving me a chance to respond, she headed for the office door.
Like always, I followed, a smile on my face the entire way.
Thirty
Ty
After leaving Dr. Jenkins’ office, I drove my girl to the shelter.
She didn't have to work, but Maddie had called and asked her to stop by. Apparently, she wanted her to meet a new hire they'd just added to the team since she'd be shadowing Heidi during training.
I wasn't real enthused about the situation.
It was my day off, and I wanted to monopolize all my girl’s time. It was a shit desire, one which was selfish beyond reproach, but I couldn't help it.
The truth was, I didn't want to share her with anyone.
The woman was my entire life, so of course I wanted to spend my every waking second with her.
After turning right off Sycamore Street, I pulled my truck into the secondary lot located directly behind the shelter. I’d just killed the ignition and unbuckled my seatbelt when Heidi's phone chirped, alerting her to an incoming FaceTime call.
"Crap," she hissed, staring down at the screen. "It's Daddy."
Resting my wrist on the wheel, I turned, facing her. "Then answer it."
She shook her head. "I can't."
"Want me to answer it?" I asked, more than a little irritated over the way she'd been dodging Daryl left and right.
Her refusal to tell him about us didn't sit right with me for various reasons.
One, I believed in being upfront about everything, even if the truth you spoke fucking sucked.
Two, even though I knew it wasn't the case, part of me wondered if she was ashamed of me. Daryl didn't like me, he'd made that clear in the past, and he sure as shit didn't want me within one hundred feet of his baby girl.
Bottom line, though, Heidi was a grown woman capable of making her own decisions—a fact she never failed to remind me of—and she needed to tell him that she'd chosen to be with me.
I understood she was worried about his reaction.
Daryl was a good man, but he was going to lose it when he found out that she'd finally given me her heart, and moved into my apartment. He'd wanted the best for both she and Carissa, but Tuck and I each came with scars and a load of emotional baggage.
Neither of us deserved our women.
We'd claimed them regardless.
And I damn sure wasn't giving mine back.
“No, I don’t want you to answer it,” she said, unconsciously reaching up to touch the soft blue-colored hearing aid anchored behind her ear.
Seeing it there made my chest swell with pride.
Not only because I’d given her something she desperately needed, but because she loved them after only an hour. She hadn’t had the chance to thoroughly test them out yet, but from the small amount of time that she had worn them, she already knew they were better than her previous ones.
It was the best money I’d ever spent.
Now to buy a ring…
“I can’t answer it,” she replied, chewing on her lip. “If I do, he’ll see that I’m in your truck and well…”
I didn’t want to be angry with her, I really didn’t, but I couldn’t choke down the fury that climbed into my throat no matter how hard I tried. “Are you ashamed of me?” I asked, refusing to hold back a second longer. “Because if you are—”
“No,” she interrupted, her face paling before my eyes. “I would never be ashamed of you. Why in the world would you ask me that?”
I nodded toward her phone. “Maybe because your own father doesn’t know about us?” I snapped, instantly regretting the tone I’d taken with her.
I’d watched my old man talk to my mother like a dog for years, and I flat-out refused to treat Heidi the same way. I may have been upset, but I wouldn’t treat her like shit.
I’d eat a bullet first.
“Sorry, Angel,” I apologized, feeling like complete and utter shit. “I didn’t mean to snap. It just kills me that he doesn’t know, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why you won’t tell him.”
“It’s okay.” Taking my hand in hers, she laced our fingers together. “I get it, trust me.” Silencing her phone, she tossed it to the seat between us and stared out the windshield. “But for the record, my reasoning for not telling him about you and it has nothing to do with me being ashamed of a single thing, much less you,” she said, her voice quiet. “I’m just not ready to break his heart.”
When her eyes met mine once more, they were filled with tears. “When Mama died eight years ago, it destroyed Daddy.”
I could understand that.
If something happened to Heidi…
Fuck, I can’t even think about it.
“He was lost and whether it was right or wrong, he latched onto Carissa and me with everything he had.” That made sense to me too. “I mean, we’d always been attached to his hip—me more so than C—but after Mama went to Heaven, we were all he had left.”
Tilting her head to the side, she closed her eyes. “When Carissa fell in love with Kyle, I saw how much it broke Daddy’s heart.” Her chin trembled. “The night after we packed her stuff up and moved it into Kyle’s apartment, I watched as he stood in her empty room, agony evident on his face. He looked lost, Ty. So lost. But he still had me, and now…”
She blew out a breath and ran her shaking hands up and down her thighs. “Once I’m gone, he won’t have anyone, and I know it’s going to break his heart all over again. It may make me sound like a baby, but I’m not handling that real well. I love him so much, and I can’t stomach the thought of hurting him, even though it’s necessary for me to build a life with you.”
The pain on her face was killing me.
Knowing that I needed to do something, I pulled
my hand free of hers and grabbed her phone. Clenching it tight, I said, “Let me tell him.” Heidi’s eyes flared, but I kept talking, not giving her a chance to panic. “He needs to know that you’re going to be taken care of; that you’re going to be safe. Let me be the one to assure him you will be.”
Daryl was likely to tear my head off the moment I called him, but I didn’t give a fuck. I’d take shit—whether it be verbal or physical—from anybody at any time if it lessened the burden on my woman.
I’d promised to take care of her.
This was me doing that.
“You sure you want to do that?” she asked, nervous energy rolling off her in waves.
“Yes,” I replied, no hesitation.
Acquiescing to what I wanted, she gave me a jerky nod. “Okay.” A small smile tilted her lips. “But if he reaches through the phone and rips your balls off, don’t blame me.”
I chuckled. “I’d like to see the big bastard try.”
Opening up her FaceTime app, I quickly tapped on Daryl’s name and hit call.
He answered immediately.
“Heidi Bug, where have you—” His words died when he saw my face instead of his youngest daughter’s. “Ty Jacobs, what in the name of tarnation is your troublemaking ass doing with my little girl’s phone?”
Beside me, Heidi sunk down in the seat and closed her eyes.
“Well, damn, Daryl,” I replied. “I missed you too, sugar plum.” His eyes narrowed as his lips thinned and disappeared behind his beard. “Don’t worry, I didn’t steal Heidi’s phone.”
I just stole her, I mentally added.
“She’s sitting right here beside me.” I turned the phone, giving him a brief glimpse of her before turning the camera back on myself. “But you and I need to talk.”
“I ain’t got a thing to say to you,” he growled, his Georgia accent thick. “Now put my Bug on the phone.”
Deciding to rip the band-aid off in one go, I sat straight and said, “I’m in love with your daughter.”
Every Wrong You Right: A Redeeming Love Novel (Book 6) Page 23