Acting Happy (Texas Desires #2)

by Rylie Roberts

  “You have a child?” he asked, and she immediately shook her head no, staring at her wineglass.

  “I was almost seven months pregnant when I miscarried. It happened shortly after I was arrested.”

  Oh, man, she was all over the place and looked over at Ty again. Everything about him changed. He repositioned his body on the sofa, and leaned forward to place his wineglass on the coffee table. She had his complete attention.

  “I have federal charges against me for possession, conspiracy, and aiding and abetting a known criminal. I knew Jason drank too much. I found pot in his things, but I had no idea of everything he was doing, and it was bad.”

  Ty rested both elbows on his knees and just stared at her. He was more serious than she’d ever seen him before. “I’m trying to follow, Kenzie, I am, but are you saying…” He paused for several long moments before he continued. “What are you telling me? Your husband was a druggie?”

  “He did drugs, yes, but he also made and sold them on a level I can’t even understand. I’m a licensed social worker, Ty, and I never realized what was going on right underneath my nose. I actually thought he was severely bi-polar.”

  “And this happened in your house?” he asked.

  “Yes and then no. We were separated for about a year before the SWAT team stormed our property. We bought a house together on some land, so when we broke up, I lived in the house and he moved to the back of the property, in an old trailer he found. He had handled all our finances, and I always thought we were broke. I was saving money on my own to file for a divorce once the baby was born.”

  “Are you divorced?”

  “Yes, they did it as part of my case. I needed to cut all ties.”

  “When did all this happen?”

  “It started almost two years ago, but it’s all still going on right now. I only got approval to come home recently,” she explained. Since at best, she’d been erratic in telling this story, she sat quietly, waiting for Ty’s questions to help piece it all together.

  “So when did you lose the baby?”

  “About a year and a half ago. I guess it’s actually been longer than that now. I try not to think about that, but it happened shortly after I was arrested.”

  “You were separated when you got pregnant?” He was piecing the finer details together, staying focused on the same parts of the story that caused her the most sorrow—she and Ty had always thought on the same level from the beginning. Just thinking about that time in her life caused a profound sadness to form.

  “The marriage wasn’t a good one. Jason drank a lot, and now of course, I know the extent of what was actually going on. We were fighting and it got out of hand. The result, I got pregnant.”

  “So you’re saying he raped you?” Ty finally asked several moments later.

  “I was raised in a very strict church. Everything I was going through— It took me a long time to reconcile myself with leaving the marriage. He beat the tar out of me pretty regularly. I truly believed if I could try harder, love him more, get him the help he needed it would turn around. I was in denial, but that night he hurt me real bad. I was so isolated. I didn’t have friends or anything like that. At the time, I really didn’t think a husband could rape his wife. I was so stupid. Then when I found out I was pregnant. That’s what changed my thinking, blurred all those lines for me. I finally called the police, separated from Jason. They couldn’t do much because too much time passed, but they scared him and he stayed away from me after that until he begged to live in the trailer on the back of the property. He was a mess, in really bad shape. I shouldn’t have let him back on the property.”

  About halfway through her explanation, Ty rose to his feet and began pacing. Intense anger flashed in those amber eyes when he looked down at her. “Where’s this guy now?”

  “His charges are so long and severe the court denied bail.”

  “But you managed bail?” he asked, stopping in front of her.

  “Yes. I had to cash in my 401K. Our property was in my name and that was seized, but I sold everything I could to raise money,” she said quietly, watching him walk back and forth again as she answered.

  “How did you get them to let you leave the state?”

  “I’m not exactly sure, except I had nowhere else to go. I can’t work. I lost my job. Something about a trained social worker not able to see what was so clearly under my nose. I can’t get another job until I get the charges cleared. My attorney feels like the charges will be dropped eventually, but the courts appointed him. When I call him, he makes me feel like I’m the charity case that I am. I don’t stay on the phone long or ask a lot of questions. The court dates keep getting pushed back,” she said, scooting back in the chair so she didn’t have to crane her neck so far to see him.

  “And what if they aren’t dropped?” he finally asked the million-dollar question.

  “The maximum prison time for my charges is ten years,” Kenzie explained.

  There was silence again from Ty. He pivoted on his heel and began pacing the living room. Oddly, she was having a little out of body experience. Out of all the worry she’d carried about her situation and Ty finding out, now that he knew, there was no emotion inside her. She just sat there waiting for whatever question was next or the moment he suggested that she should leave.

  “Is there anything else I should know?”

  “Ty, I was young when I met Jason. He was so good-looking and no one ever paid that much attention to me in my life. I fell hard for him. It’s the only excuse I have.” Those words sounded lame even to her, but she had to try to explain how she’d let herself get in such a situation in the first place.

  “So there was violence, over-the-top illegal drug activity… What did he say he did for a living?”

  “He was always between jobs, except he said he worked for himself. He had some plan that was ever changing,” she said, again watching him stare down at her. There was a tic now in his clenched jaw. Who knew what that meant? Ty turned away from her to pace again.

  “I’m deeply sorry for your pain. I am, and I don’t want to detract from how badly I want to find this Jason and kick his motherfucking ass, but what about any of this makes you think I’d turn you away?” He asked in way that appeared to wonder if perhaps she hadn’t told him everything. She had to make him see the much bigger problem.

  “Ty, you’re one of the most famous men in the world. Can you even imagine what would be said about you if anyone knew we spent time together?” she asked reasonably.

  “You think I care?” he asked incredulously. “You do. I can see it in your eyes. Let me set you completely straight. I don’t give a fuck about that, Kenzie. I would care if that gossip was hurting you, but for me, I couldn’t give a shit.” He went straight for her, dropping down on one knee as he took both her hands in his. “I can’t imagine the pain you’ve been through.”

  Stunned silent, all she could do was stare. When he’d spoken of Jason, the vengeance in his voice combined with the care he’d used in handling her was almost too much to understand. Without question, she’d truly believed Ty would cast her aside. Heck, he absolutely should be creating distance, but he wasn’t.

  The sting behind her eyes caught her off guard. Dang, she was going to cry. A tear formed, building enough strength to slip down her cheek as she stared into those extraordinarily kind eyes.

  “Don’t cry,” Ty said, lifting a thumb to her cheek, caressing away the tear before he cupped her neck, drawing her forward for a tender press of his lips. “Come with me.”

  Ty pushed back on his heels, rising in one fluid motion. He pulled her up with him and clasped her hand tightly as he dug his cellphone from his jeans pocket. “You remember Braden from the cookout?” He glanced at her, waiting for her nod before he continued. “Braden’s my attorney. His firm handles all of Reed’s legal concerns, too. Are you up to talking to him?”

  “Why?” she asked. Ty began working his phone, moving toward the kitchen.

>   “Between Bray, Reed, and I, we’ve got connections. We have to know people that can help you with this situation,” he explained, pulling out a chair at the kitchen table, dropping her hand as he continued walking, pacing now around the kitchen table as he thumbed through his phone.

  “I can’t ask you to do that,” she started, staying on her feet, trailing behind him.

  “You didn’t.”

  He’d answered her a few times like that and just continued doing whatever she didn’t want done. Kenzie drew in a deep breath, weighing her frustration. That might be the first annoying thing she’d ever thought about this man. When she formed her argument and started to speak, Ty cut her off and his focus shifted to his phone.

  “Bray, man, you busy? Do you have a minute to Skype?” There was a pause with Ty staring out across the kitchen, into the backyard. “Cool, give me a minute. I gotta find my laptop and turn it on.” Ty lowered the phone, pointing to the chair for her. “Give me a second. You gotta talk to him. Sit down, babe.”

  He was being somewhat cryptic, and she had no idea what he was thinking. Ty came back with a laptop and a cord. “I haven’t plugged this in since I’ve been here.”

  He quickly placed it in front of the chair he’d pulled out, plugged it into the closest electrical outlet, and booted up the computer. Ty dragged another chair closer, and she finally took the seat. The glorious numb feelings of earlier began to fade, and a severe vulnerability slid into its place. “Do you have the information on your attorney?”

  “Yes, I’m not sure I know the telephone numbers. You have my cell,” she said.

  “He just needs the name.” Skype came up automatically, and Ty worked the keyboard until Braden’s face came on the screen.

  “I see Grizzly Adams still lives strong and well. Hi, Kenzie, he still being good to you?” She smiled but must have looked worse than she realized because Braden leaned toward his screen, taking a closer look at her, and began to frown. “What’s going on?”

  “I need your services. Kenzie’s gotten herself in some trouble, and I need you to work your magic, buddy,” Ty answered for her.

  “No problem. I’ll do whatever I can. I can’t stand to see that look on your face, sweetheart.” Bray turned away from the screen, getting up from where he sat. She heard a door shut and he was back, a pad of paper and pen in his hand. “Start from the beginning and let me know what’s going on.”

  She took a deep breath, looking over at Ty. He looked so serious.

  “He’s safe, I promise.”

  On that oath, she started the whole story over again.

  Chapter 23

  The conversation with Bray took about forty-five minutes. His buddy was remarkable at adding enough compassion in his questions to keep Kenzie talking. For him, he just sat there quietly, staying totally pissed off. He’d figured she’d been abused and that was heartbreaking on its own, but he had no idea of the rest. In what world would anyone believe this woman would be involved in anything as dirty as her ex-husband’s lifestyle? McKenzie Stanton was goodness. She radiated a wholesome, positive energy with every breath. He couldn’t imagine what she’d gone through or how she had managed to maintain the decent kindness of her personality. Only then did he notice Kenzie sitting smaller than normal in the chair. Her skin was pale, her back slightly hunched with her hands locked together in her lap.

  She was anxious and embarrassed. He’d been so caught up in his own anger that he’d missed the obvious signs. Ty reached over and put a hand on hers. With his other hand, he hooked a finger under her chin, turning her toward him. When her eyes came to him, the intense trepidation in her gaze took his breath. He immediately scooted closer while cupping a hand at the nape of her neck, drawing her to him.

  “I can get involved in this, petition the court to take over the case, but I have an idea. Hang on. Let me talk to Prescott. Being here in Texas, he runs in these circles. Give me a minute.” Braden left the screen and his end went quiet. The silence added to the heavy tension already in the room.

  “Kenzie, I’m sorry you had to go through all this,” Ty said, trying for compassion through his haze of pissed off irritation. His hand moved to her head, pulling it down to his shoulder.

  “It’s hard talking about it. Harder than I realized.”

  “I bet. It’s hard hearing. I can’t imagine living through that hell,” Ty said, rubbing the top of her arm with his palm.

  “Can you take me home after Braden comes back?” her voice was small and incredibly insecure.

  “If you want, but I don’t want you to leave. Stay here with me tonight. I want you here,” he said, angling his head for a better look at her face.

  “Ty…” Kenzie started, lifting her head. “You can’t be hanging out with someone like me. It’ll complicate your life. Look at that magazine today; they’d go nuts.”

  “Does that worry you more for you or for me?” he asked gently, hoping she didn’t take offense to that question. He already explained he didn’t give a shit, but she’d been through hell, and if anyone got a hold of this piece of information, he could see the possibility that the media could blow this up in their faces.

  She looked completely confused.

  “For you. Why for me?” she said, blinking at him.

  “Because you’ll then be plastered all over those tabloids with me,” he explained. If it was possible, her face paled a little further.

  “That would be terrible,” she said quietly, searching his face. “But my life’s ruined already. Who’s ever gonna hire me again? A social worker who couldn’t see what was going on in her own house.”

  “I don’t know, Kenzie, but I know a lot of people that could help you get a job.”

  “Ty, we’re having a few weeks’ affair. That doesn’t mean you’re supposed to take me on for life,” Kenzie explained reasonably. All Ty could do was stare back at her. She still didn’t get it. How in the world had she still not understood where he was coming from?

  “I’m not gonna be done with you after a couple of weeks. Beautiful, I’m into you.”

  “Did you not just hear what I said in there? You can’t be into me. What if I’m going to jail?” She shoved out of her chair, putting distance between them. Ty immediately followed, moving her chair out of the way before going after her.

  “We can help in that, Kenzie. I can help you, but honestly, based on everything you said, you aren’t guilty of anything more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” The absolute panic was back on her face. As he came toward her, she moved around the center kitchen island.

  Great, they were back to this again.

  “This is very serious. You can’t make light of it. I don’t have anything. All my credit cards are maxed out because I didn’t have a job and they made me stay in Texas with nowhere to live. I cashed everything in to get out of jail, where I may be going back to if they ever get around to having a trial. Why would you want to deal with any of that? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Did you not hear what I just said?” he asked, getting a little frustrated when she moved in the opposite direction, away from him.

  “You’re just not getting it. I can’t do this with you, Ty. I’m an emotional basket case. We’ve already gotten way too complicated for a silly little vacation affair,” she said, throwing her arms out in shear frustration.

  “As much as I hate to break up this moment, I think you two need to have it with me not listening,” Braden shouted, drawing both their attention back to the computer on the table. In a voice reserved for the courtroom, Bray continued, “Kenzie, come back over here. Take a seat.”

  She instantly abandoned the fight and left him standing there as she went to her seat. He moved much slower, not wanting to upset this tentative truce she’d just placed between them.

  “I talked to Reed. I need to verify this information, make sure it’s on the up and up—not because we don’t believe you, Kenzie, I just need to make sure your ex continues to pay for what he�
��s done. In essence, I need to get my ducks in a row, but in saying that, Reed’s willing to call in a favor and he knows who he can call. Bateman, he says you owe him.”

  “That’s fine,” Ty said, coming to stand behind Kenzie’s chair.

  “I don’t have any money to pay you,” Kenzie started, and both he and Braden cut her right off.

  “I’ll take care of the cost,” Ty said.

  “It’s on the house,” Braden answered at the same time. “So let me get off here. I should know something by morning. You two can assume your previous position. If memory serves, I believe Kenzie was rounding to the right, and Ty you were directly across from her about to change course to the left in hopes of tricking her.”

  “You just had to be a dick, didn’t you?” Ty reached out to the laptop lid.

  “Expect anything less?” Bray called out as Ty shut the lid, closing the connection. In the same move, he caged Kenzie in, not letting her out of the seat as he spoke, his lips close to her ear.

  “You’ve been through a lot today. Too much for one person, but please stop making light of what we have. And stop pushing me off as the same kind of man you married. I’m not him, Kenzie.”

  “Ty…” she started to say, but he wrapped both arms around her, pulling her back against the chair.

  “Shhh. I don’t want the one-night stand you think I do. I’m crazy about you. I’ve known it since the minute I pointed that knife at Cole when he saw you standing outside my front door. Please, open your heart to me. Stop shutting me out.” Kenzie turned as far as she could in the tight hold Ty had on her.

  “I’m not sure what you want from me?” The tears in her eyes were his undoing. He moved, bending at the knee, pulling her into his arms. She didn’t fight him, instead wrapped both her arms around his neck, casting her gaze down as she placed her forehead on his.