It’s a peaceful evening, a great ending to a pretty good day. After the fight and amazing makeup between Ty and myself, today was a little touch-and-go to start. As the day wore on, I realized being mad at Ty for something Pettis said wasn’t worth it. I have to trust him and I do. I’m trusting my gut.
My lungs pull in the crisp air as I walk down the sidewalk and to the sound of a hammer in front.
Rounding the corner, I see Ty nailing up a loose board on the garage. Wearing a pair of jeans with a hole in the knee, a long-sleeved white thermal shirt, and his Arrows cap, he looks edible.
He glances up at me. “What are you looking at?” he laughs.
“Just wondering if the sexy man working on my garage wants to go in for dinner?”
“Does he get you for dessert?”
“That could be arranged.”
He stands and puts his tools back in the bag and disappears to the side. As he puts his stuff away, I spy a basketball lying beneath the hoop. I pick it up and take a couple of shots, missing both.
I hear his laugh before I see him. “It’s hard to imagine you’re the wife of a basketball coach with a jump shot like that.”
“My husband doesn’t teach me how to shoot,” I pout.
“What a dick he must be,” Ty smirks. Extending his hands to the front, I toss him the ball. He shoots from where he’s standing, barely jumping or trying, and the ball swishes through the net. “That turns you on, doesn’t it?”
Rolling my eyes, I shoot again. And miss.
“That turns me on,” he says, retrieving my shot. “That’s why I haven’t taught you to shoot. I just like watching your boobs bounce like that when you miss.”
“You’re an asshole,” I tease, catching the ball.
He follows the ball and presses a kiss to my lips. “Play me a game.”
“Why would I do that?”
“I’ll make it worth your while.”
Tilting my head to the side, I sigh. “And how’s that?”
“If you win,” he says, “I’ll do dishes for a week. And if I win . . . I’ll eat your pussy every night for a week.”
Laughing, I shoot him a look. “That doesn’t seem like you win either way.”
“How do you figure? If I do dishes, you’ll be happy and that makes me happy. If I’m eating your pussy—and let’s face it, that’s gonna be the end result of this—we’re both happy.”
“Silly boy,” I say.
Throwing the ball towards the net, I’m shocked that it goes through. Ty rebounds and takes my place, easily swishing the ball through the net.
I shoot again and miss. He shoots and drains it from the edge of the driveway.
“Damn it,” I say, putting my feet where his were. “There’s no way I’ll make that.”
“Nope, there isn’t,” he laughs. “I’m all about watching your body. So, you know, go ahead and shoot.”
I do and it doesn’t come close.
“That’s an H,” he says, draining another one from the other side.
Before I can shoot, Jiggs’ truck rumbles down the road and into the driveway. I flinch as his headlights shine in my eyes until he flips them off.
The door to his truck whines as he opens it and climbs out. “What are you two doin’?” he asks, motioning for me to toss him the ball. I do and he shoots and makes it.
“Playing HORSE,” Ty informs him. “I just won.”
I start to object, to point out the game isn’t over, but he flashes me a look so sinful I nearly melt into the driveway.
“I made baked spaghetti,” I say instead. “Where’s Lindsay?”
“Home. She’s not feeling good.” His eyes settle on me and I read between the lines.
“Did you two fight all night?”
“More or less,” he sighs.
Before he can expound, Cord’s truck hits the gravel and comes to a stop next to Jiggs’. Yogi stands in the back, takes in the scene, before lying back down as Cord and Becca get out of the truck.
I wait for a smile, a grin, but they don’t come. Flashing Becca a questioning glance, she shrugs.
“Hey,” Ty greets them. “You guys hungry?”
“I hear you’re a great cook,” Becca says, pulling me into a quick hug. “Do you have a bathroom I can use?”
“Sure,” I say, taking in the worry lines around her eyes. “It’s through the door to the right. Want me to walk you in?”
“No, that’s okay,” she says and heads off. I get the distinct feeling she wants a few minutes alone, so I let her go.
The boys are in the midst of a conversation when I turn around. Jiggs looks at Ty, and I see his Adam’s apple bob in his throat. He doesn’t look at me, and it’s clear he’s making a concerted effort not to.
“What are you talking about?” I ask, my eyes trained on my brother because I know he’ll break way before my husband.
Ty turns his back to me, his head twisting back and forth. “Damn it, Jiggs. You could’ve called me instead.”
“How was I supposed to know you hadn’t told her? This isn’t a bad thing, you know.”
“What in the world are you talking about?” I demand. Although I know the answer, I want to hear it from them.
I want to hear it from Ty.
I watch his back tense, his shoulders stiffen, his lungs drawing in a deep breath before he turns to face me. His eyes are dark, his jaw set firmly in place. “Blackwater called. The mine is reopening this week.”
Goose bumps ripple across my skin as I begin to shuffle backwards. “You aren’t going though, right?” I look from Ty, to Jiggs, to Cord, and back to Ty. My mouth goes dry as they fail to respond.
“E . . .”
I fire a look at Jiggs. “Are you going back?”
“Of course,” my brother says. “I’m a miner, Elin. My wife is having a baby. I need a job.”
“Are you going, Cord?”
“Yes,” he sighs and places a hand on my shoulder. “It’s normal to be worried. The last time you dealt with that place, your husband came out on a stretcher.”
“He was almost killed!” I say, pointing to Ty. He’s watching me, a wariness settling over him.
“Do you have any idea what I felt when they called and told me you’d been hit by that timber? That you were on your way to the emergency room and they didn’t know how bad it was?” I ask, tears burning my eyes. “I thought, ‘This is it. This is the accident we all wait for. The one my mom waited for when my dad mined, the one my grandmother prayed to avoid every morning when Grandpa left for the fields. It’s happened to me.’”
I squeeze my eyes closed. “I got there and they wouldn’t let me see you. They said you were in surgery, and I kept thinking that I didn’t get to tell you goodbye that morning. You left without waking me up, do you remember that?”
He nods, reaching for me. I take his hand and let him pull me to his side. His arm stretches around my shoulder, holding me close.
I look at Jiggs. “You guys can’t go back down there. You just can’t.” Glancing from Ty to Cord and back to Jiggs, I reiterate it again. “None of you can go back there.”
“We get it, Elin, we do,” Jiggs says. “We were down there when that thing fell on him. I was scared to beat all hell. There are no other jobs here.”
“You could go back to school. You could—”
“And go into debt? And get a degree that we can never use? And how are we going to pay the bills while we are doing that?” Ty asks.
I’m too numb for the tears to fall. My shoulders slump, my mind vaguely remembering the spaghetti in the oven, but I can’t even bother to mention it.
“We’ve applied everywhere,” Jiggs says, shrugging. “No one is hiring. For every opening, there’s fifty applicants. This is all we have, not to mention my wife is wanting me to move to fucking Florida over the job market. This is a good thing, Elin. This is what we’ve been hoping for.”
Burying my head in my hands, I breathe as deeply and slowly as I can. I’
m acting irrational. I know that.
We watch each other, a crackle in the air between us. Ty draws me in with this sincerity, with the look of love and protection in his eyes. I place my hand on his chest and feel his heart beat strongly, passionately.
“I was going to talk to you about it tonight,” he says, his voice low enough for just me to hear.
“After you beat me in HORSE?” I say, blinking back my tears.
“I was going to beat you, take you inside, take my winnings, and then figure out how to discuss this.”
“So,” I say, wiping my eyes, “you were going to lick me senseless and use that to weaken me?”
“Shut. Up,” Jiggs groans.
“Exactly,” Ty laughs, the warmth in his tone making me smile.
I pull myself as close to him as possible. “Promise me you’ll come home every night.”
“Of course,” he says. “Promise me you’ll be home every night when I get here.”
I grin up at my husband. “I will. Because you have a bet to make good on.”
“Yes, I fucking do.”
“Enough,” Jiggs groans. “I’m going inside. You said something about spaghetti.”
Jiggs and Ty walk away. As I start to follow them, I look around for Cord. He’s standing at his truck, his elbows on the tailgate, scratching Yogi behind her ears.
Heading his direction, I smack him on the back as I near. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Not much.”
“Liar.”
He glances at me over his shoulder, shaking his head. “You’re a pain in my ass, you know that?”
“I do. Now ‘fess up, McCurry.”
He looks towards the house and gives a little wave to Becca through the window. She smiles back, but doesn’t come out to us.
“Did something happen with her?” I ask, petting the dog.
A small laugh rumbles out of him. “Not really. She’s a good girl.”
“So? I don’t see the problem.”
He gives Yogi one final nuzzle before facing me. Taking a deep breath, he speaks. “My phone rang this morning.”
“My phone rings all the time.”
“Smartass,” he laughs. “So do you pick yours up and it happens to be the woman that gave birth to you that gave you up for adoption that you’ve met once in your life?”
The gasp I emit is quick and shaky. My eyes are bulging, my hand going to my mouth. “You’re kidding me.”
The color of his eyes, usually so playful and clear, are dirtied with unnamed emotion. He doesn’t look like the Cord I’m used to seeing: sharp, fun, smart. He reminds me of one of the kids in my class that is in trouble and afraid.
His head shakes side to side. “She’s incarcerated somewhere in Kansas.”
“What’s she want you to do about it?” I say that, but then realize that’s not even what I’m thinking. “Why would she even call you about that? What the hell, Cord?”
“I don’t know,” he sighs, clearly torn about his predicament.
“So, how does that conversation go?” I ask, starting to see red as I watch Cord fight with the situation this callous and despicable woman put him in. “Hey, I’m the lady that hasn’t cared about you for your entire life. But I need help so come help me?”
“Basically.” He leans against the truck, his head in his hands. Yogi comes up and licks his forehead.
“Fuck her, Cord. You don’t owe her anything.”
“The jail said she was arrested for drug trafficking. If I bail her out, I’d be responsible for her—”
“Oh, no,” I say, pulling his hands down so he’ll look at me. “You aren’t bailing her out. I can see on your face that you feel responsible for this somehow, like because she called you that you should run and help her, but you aren’t.”
Shoving away from the vehicle, he crosses his arms over his chest. “I know that. I do. I’m not stupid, Elin.”
“I know,” I say, my hand resting on his bicep. “But I hate seeing her put you in this spot.”
“I don’t even know how she got my number.”
“She can lose it,” I say, squeezing his arm before letting go. “She’s nothing to you. We are your family.”
The words wash over his face, inch by inch, until they begin to lift the corners of his lips. “Thank you.”
Waving my hand in the air, I snort. “No thanks needed. You know I love telling you what to do.”
“No shit,” he laughs, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and starting towards my house. “I don’t think this thing with Becca is going to work out though.”
“Why?” I ask, stopping in my tracks. “I thought it was going good.”
“We hung out last night and today a little. She’s a great girl.”
I nod, an exaggerated up and down, agreeing with him. He laughs at my antics, but the heaviness is back in his eyes.
“She needs someone that is ready to give her a house and a family. That guy’s not me, Elin.”
“He could be you!”
“He’s not,” he laughs. “My life turns into a mess every time I think about trying to make something out of it.”
Huffing, I nearly stomp my foot. “That’s not true.”
“It is. And it’s okay.” His arm goes back over my shoulders again and we hit the stairs to the house. “I’m just the sidekick, the guy that wanders aimlessly around. I’m okay with that.”
He pulls the door open and waits for me to go inside. Before I do, I study his face long and hard. “Everyone has a purpose in life. Even you.”
“I wish I could figure it out,” he groans as I walk by.
“You will. I promise.”
Starting inside, I’m stopped by the sound of a phone ringing behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I see Ty’s phone on the lawn chair by the basketball net.
Jogging down the driveway, I snag it. Swiping the screen on, I answer it. “Hello?” I say breathlessly.
“Hello,” a female voice responds. “Is Ty there?”
“Um, who is this?”
“Tell him it’s Nila.”
Red. Instantly, I see explosions of red-hot fury. My hand trembles, almost dropping the phone, as I catch myself from telling her off. Instead, I give her what she wants. I’ll get what I want at the same time—the truth.
“Just a second,” I say, heading towards the house.
Before I hit the steps to the patio, Ty pokes his head outside. He starts to say something, but reads my face first.
“You have a call.” I extend my hand, the phone lying in my palm like a dead fish. “It’s Nila.”
Stepping gingerly towards me, the door shutting behind him, he takes the phone.
“Answer it,” I demand.
“This is Ty.” He listens to the voice on the other side, smiling easily. “Yeah, I’m good. How are you?”
My blood pressure soars sky-high, my body shaking with fury as I listen to him banter so effortlessly with Nila—whoever the hell she is.
“No, I didn’t,” Ty says. “I’ll look for it though.” He turns his back to me. “You’re joking?”
I listen as he whistles through his teeth, taking off his baseball hat and rubbing the top of his head. “Wow, Nila. I don’t know what to say . . .”
“I do,” I mutter. The sound of my voice has Ty spinning around to face me. I glare. He laughs. I flip him off. He grabs my wrist and holds me in place.
“If not, I’ll swing up that way and see ya. I’ll let you know. Thanks for calling,” he says, his voice super sweet. He tosses me a wink as I jerk my hand away from his. “It was good to see you too. Tell your Grandpa thanks again for me.”
As soon as the call is ended, my finger is in his chest. “You lied to me!”
“Calm down,” he scoffs, clearly entertained by my reaction.
“I’m not calming down! She called you. The girl that you didn’t do anything with.”
I start to march to the door, but his arm is around my waist, dragging me into his arms. �
��Will you stop acting like this?” he laughs. “What’s wrong with you?”
My arms pinned to my sides, I struggle to break free. “You are what’s wrong with me.”
“Tell you what,” he says, resting his head on the top of my head. “Let’s make a deal.”
“I don’t deal with liars.”
“I don’t normally deal with lunatics, either, but I’m making an exception tonight, so I guess you can too.”
The complete lack of fear or frustration in his voice calms me a little. I stop fighting to pull away.
“Let’s go in and have dinner with our friends. Then we can go to bed and I will tell you everything you want to know about Nila Kruger.” He plants a kiss to the back of my head. “And if you’re a good girl, I’ll let you have my cock after we’re done talking.”
“I doubt I’ll want it,” I sigh, trying to not succumb to him.
“There you go, lying again,” he laughs. Swatting me on my ass towards the house, I reach for his hand. He laces our fingers together and we head inside.
TY
Her fingers skirt over the scars on my back, drifting delicately over the raised skin. Her arm is draped over my side, her cheek pressed into my chest, as we lie in silence.
She’s still mad. I don’t think she would be if she knew how adorable she is when she’s mad over nothing. It’s been entertaining to watch.
Warmth surrounds me, and not just from her naked body or the blankets on our bed or the fact that she has the thermostat set on seventy-six. It’s a contentedness, a satisfied, relaxed peace that I’m not sure I’ve ever felt before.
“What are you thinking?” she whispers, her tone thick with sleep.
“Just how much I love you.”
She presses a kiss to my sternum.
“What are you thinking?” I ask, closing my eyes and feeling her touch.
Her chest rises and falls against mine before she looks up at me. “I don’t know how to put it, exactly.”
Wrapping my arms around her, feeling her silky skin beneath me, I release a heavy breath. “Things feel different between us, don’t you think?”
“In what way?”
“Like . . .” I shrug. “I don’t know. Like we made it through all this shit and now we’re on the other side. We fought the fight and now we’re here with the scars to prove it. Nothing could ever get between us now.”
Written in the Scars Page 18