Simply Irresistible

by Deborah Cooke

  But was the easy choice the right one? It seldom was.

  She wanted what her parents had had. Complete confidence in each other. Love and happiness and the conviction that they were pursuing their dreams together.

  No regrets.

  They drove in silence for a while, then Ty turned down her street. “Tired?” he asked.

  “Exhausted,” Amy agreed.

  He cast her a very hot look as he parked in front of her house. “Did you forget that I promised to make it worth your while?”

  “No,” Amy admitted. They needed to talk and Amy wanted to do that when they’d both had enough sleep. When this wedding from hell was over. “But I can’t tonight. You must be even more tired than me.”

  Something flicked in his gaze, then Ty smiled. “Of course. What time should I pick you up in the morning?”

  “I’ll take the train.”

  His eyes flashed but Amy lifted a finger and spoke before he could. “You just traveled halfway around the world, in a hurry, to keep your promise to me. I appreciate it so much that I don’t want you to have to get up early, then find something to do in New Jersey for four hours. Sleep in, please. I’ll see you at the wedding.”

  The corner of Ty’s mouth quirked. “Sounds like you’re being nice.”

  “I hear it’s contagious.”

  He chuckled, then got out of the car, coming around to open her door for her. When she was standing right beside him, Amy couldn’t resist. She stretched up and kissed him, showing her gratitude with her touch.

  And maybe a little more than that.

  Ty inhaled sharply when she ended their kiss and his eyes were dark. His arm was locked around her waist, keeping her on her toes and crushed against his chest.

  It was a very good place to be.

  Amy’s resolve wavered. She doubted that she’d regret another night with Ty.

  “I want to talk to you about something,” he said and she smiled.

  “It doesn’t feel like you want conversation.”

  Ty brushed her hair away from her cheeks with his fingertips, and the tenderness of the gesture made Amy’s heart clench. “You do look tired.”

  “So do you.”

  “Until tomorrow then,” he said, his voice tight. “And we’ll talk.”

  Amy’s chest was tight. “Yes, sleep well.”

  Ty snorted, as if that was out of the question, and kissed her again, slowly enough to warm her all the way to her toes. Amy wondered whether she was insane to not drag him into the house, but knew she’d think more clearly in the morning. She left his embrace with reluctance.

  Ty stood watching until she was in the house. She heard the sound of his car driving away and looked down at Fitzwilliam, whose tail was flicking.

  “I know. Another late dinner. You’re going to have to fire the staff.”

  He complained, then led the way to the kitchen, his tail waving like a rallying banner.

  “What if I got pregnant?” she asked the cat. “Condoms are hardly reliable. Would Ty want to do the right thing? Would I even want to get married to keep up appearances?” She followed the cat to the kitchen, thinking out loud. “No, but neither would I want to raise a kid alone.”

  Amy pondered that as she put kibble in the cat’s dish. “Mama was pregnant, but she knew she loved Dad with all her heart before that happened. Is it wrong to want to be as in love as Mama and Dad were?”

  It wasn’t. Amy knew it. She didn’t want to compromise anything.

  She wanted it all.

  Amy shook her head at her own whimsy.

  Fitzwilliam hunkered down beside his dish, the image of disapproval.

  “The thing is, Fitzwilliam, that Ty is just fine. He doesn’t need me, not like Matteo does. Maybe he doesn’t need anyone.” Amy found a can of the cat’s favorite food and showed it to him. “I think he likes me. I know I like him. That’s all good. But I’m worried that other things I like will eventually drive us apart. You know?”

  Fitzwilliam fixed her with a look of disdain that she should be so slow.

  “I think it’s important for love to heal people’s wounds, but I don’t think Ty has any. That’s a good thing, I know. He’s normal. He’s reliable.” She sighed. “He’s wonderful, actually. I don’t want to ever see him disappointed in me.”

  Fitzwilliam wound around her legs, purring vigorously.

  “And what about Dad’s legacy? Shouldn’t I try to make a difference, even if it’s not the easy path? There’s something about Matteo that gets to me and I can’t ignore that. My heart tells me that I should reach out to him.”

  After she fed Fitzwilliam, Amy tried Matteo’s number again.

  Twice.

  And worried what kind of trouble he’d found.

  * * *

  Ty awakened to find the sun shining into his apartment. He felt roughly a thousand times better than he had the night before. As much as he hated to admit it, Amy had been right.

  Tonight was another story.

  Tonight would be the night they straightened out everything, for once and for all. Ty had to hope that tomorrow morning, she’d be right beside him when he woke up.

  He rolled over and stretched, then eyed the clock and winced. He’d slept much later than he’d expected. He still had time to go down and work out a bit and shake off a bit of his jet lag.

  He thought about calling Amy, but knew she’d be busy this morning.

  The burner phone was still on the kitchen counter.

  Five more missed messages.

  Two had to have been right after he left. Another in the middle of the night. Another at dawn. Another just five minutes before.

  Fury shot through Ty’s body. Amy had been exhausted. She’d sent him home. But she’d been calling Matteo all night long? If he could have incinerated the phone with a look, he would have done it. Instead, he marched down to F5 and worked out hard.

  He would solve the Matteo problem today.

  Forever.

  * * *

  The wedding, to Amy’s relief, went off without a hitch.

  Even if Ty’s eyes did twinkle when she floated down the aisle in a horrific mound of tangerine chiffon and tulle. She despised the dress and she was pretty sure he knew it. He winked at her as she passed him and she felt her cheeks heat, but she didn’t miss a step.

  He looked wonderful, of course. How many suits did he own?

  She’d been peeking at her cousin all day, when they visited the hairdresser and the make-up artist, and as they dressed at the house, wondering. Was Brittany pregnant? Her dress was so tight across her breasts that Amy thought she’d pop a seam, and it had been altered less than a week before.

  Her tummy was round and soft, too, rounder than Amy remembered.

  And there was the zit on her chin. The make-up artist teased her about it, saying that all brides got either a zit or their period, and that the zit was the easier choice. Brittany’s expression had turned sly, as if she knew she wouldn’t get her period.

  Hmm.

  At least Josh had warmed up to the proceedings a bit. He didn’t stammer over his vows and he looked at Brittany as if he felt something for her. Amy chose to take encouragement where she could find it. The weather was perfect, so the plan to go to a local park with pretty gardens for the pictures was a go. The catering manager met Amy at the facility when the wedding party arrived, and they confirmed a few last details.

  The meal was delicious.

  The speeches were awful.

  And finally, the dancing began.

  Amy wasn’t really surprised to see Ty striding straight toward her, intent on claiming her first dance. Her aunt Pauline looked on with pleasure.

  There was a tension in him, though, one that she hadn’t been aware of until he touched her. “What’s wrong?” she asked when he’d swept her onto the dance floor.

  “Not a thing.” He looked down at her and with proximity she could see his intensity. “Yet.”

  “You’re up to somethin
g,” Amy accused.

  “You have a suspicious mind,” he countered.

  “You look far too innocent. Are you going to do more than we agreed?”

  “No way.” He gave her a hard look that was thrilling. “We have a deal.”

  “That sounds more ominous than reassuring.”

  He surveyed her and smiled, that teasing twinkle back in his eyes. “Aren’t you lovely,” he said.

  Amy knew he was quoting a movie and she knew which one.

  “You’re blind, Tyler,” she said, doing her best imitation of Kristin Scott Thomas. “I look like a giant meringue.”

  “But a citrus one. That’s different.”

  “Different isn’t always good.”

  “No.” He looked at the dress again. “I doubt you’ll even get use of it at parties.”

  Amy giggled and Ty swirled her past her grandmother in that moment. Helena looked up. “Not any parties I want to be invited to attend.”

  “The ecclesiastical purple and the pagan orange,” Ty began, then shook his head. “I forget the rest of that bit.

  “It’s okay. I forgot a purple sash.” She smiled up at him, feeling much better than she had all day, just because he was determined to make her smile “So, Four Weddings and a Funeral was another popular choice with the sisters?”

  “Of course. Hugh Grant, you know. But that song.” Ty rolled his eyes. “I already have the earworm.”

  “I bet they play it tonight.”

  “I bet they do, my Tangerine Queen.”

  Amy laughed. “You’re just trying to make me feel better.”

  “Yes.” He bent down and whispered in her ear, the feel of his breath doing shivery things to her. “Because it’s a hideous dress. Probably the most hideous bridesmaid’s dress I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen quite a few.”

  Amy sighed with mock relief. “Thank you for that. Help me take it to Goodwill?”

  “No. I’ll help you burn it.”

  “Too much synthetic. I’m not sure it’ll burn. It might just melt and make a lot of smoke.”

  “Great, it’s an environmental hazard, too.”

  She looked down. “I could maybe save the shoes. They could be dyed black…”

  “Shoes and dress are destined to be together forever.” Ty raised his brows. “Everything burns.”

  “But…”

  “You’ll agree with me when you realize the shoes have turned your feet tangerine today.”

  “How do you know these things?”

  Ty put her hand on his shoulder and held up four fingers. Four, he mouthed and Amy laughed again.

  The music changed but Ty kept dancing.

  “But here’s the thing,” he continued. Amy realized all of her female relations were watching, obviously wanting desperately to know what Ty was saying to her. “It’s not a coincidence that your cousin chose this color.”

  Amy pulled back a bit to look at him. “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t think she could have picked a worse color for you.”

  “But it wasn’t about me…”

  “Wasn’t it?”

  “You can’t just say something like that and look all wise and not tell me what you’re talking about,” Amy complained.

  “I wondered, but I knew for sure last night, at the rehearsal dinner.”

  “How so?”

  “Didn’t you see the look on the bride-to-be’s face when we said hello after a long week apart?”

  Amy felt her cheeks heat. “I was busy, being kissed.”

  Ty smiled. “Complaints?”

  She smiled back at him. “Not one.”

  “You should know that the groom was checking you out and your cousin looked murderous.”

  “Tyler!”

  He held up a hand, scouts’ honor. “All true. You’re much prettier than Brittany, and nicer, too.” He shook his head. “If you ever figure that out, it might be the end of you being unpaid staff.”

  “I can’t believe she’d do that,” Amy charged, but there wasn’t as much heat in her words as there might have been a week before. “It would be petty and mean.”

  “Which doesn’t make it untrue,” he murmured. He kissed her cheek as the song came to an end. “And now, I’m going to dance with your aunt Natalie.”

  “What have I agreed to let you do?”

  “I’m just spreading joy and goodwill everywhere I go.”

  That would be a feat, but Amy had no chance to tell Ty so before he winked and headed for her aunt. She bit back a smile that the DJ was playing Love is All Around. She couldn’t look at Ty, because she knew she’d laugh too hard.

  It was an earworm. She’d be feeling it in her fingers for a week.

  She’d even feel it in her toes.

  * * *

  Aunt Natalie was like putty in Ty’s hands. He’d planned this moment and it worked out even better than he’d anticipated.

  There was a certain irony in the song that played as they danced. As far as Ty could see, love was AWOL at this particular wedding.

  “I’m so glad to finally meet you all,” he said with false cheer.

  Natalie regarded him with suspicion. “Amy has talked about us?”

  “No, not so much. She’s very discreet, but we have talked about the loss of her parents.” Ty shook his head, and spoke from the heart. “I wish I’d known her then and could have helped her out. It must have been very tough for her.”

  Natalie averted her gaze. “It must have been,” she agreed without much enthusiasm.

  “Thank goodness she had all of you to support her,” Ty said, knowing it was just the opposite. “It’s so great when families stick together and help each other out.”

  “Isn’t it?”

  “Like this wedding. Amy hasn’t mentioned it, but I have to think that she’s done so much for Brittany to return the favor to all of you.” Ty smiled and shook his head, aware that Natalie was staring at him. “That’s what family is all about, isn’t it?”

  “I suppose.”

  “My sister used a wedding planner last year and it cost her eight thousand dollars.” He felt Natalie flinch. “The wedding didn’t go as smoothly as this one. It’s so great that Amy offered her organizational skills to help Brittany avoid that kind of expense.” He sighed. “She’s just amazing, isn’t she?”

  Natalie’s eyes narrowed. “I’m glad you think so highly of her,” she said, her tone a little sharper than it had been. “I’m sure she has plans for you.”

  “Plans for me? What do you mean?”

  Natalie smiled coldly. “You look like you have a good income, Tyler. I don’t doubt that Amy learned her tricks from her mother.”

  Ty’s heart clenched and he felt cold. He wouldn’t have believed that Amy’s aunt would say anything so nasty, but realized he was wrong.

  “Tricks?” he echoed, pretending he didn’t understand.

  He wanted her to say it out loud.

  Bitch.

  And then he wanted to make sure that what went around came around.

  Natalie, oblivious to his thoughts, smiled. “My brother was compelled to marry Amy’s mother after she got pregnant. She knew that no one in our family approved of the match, but she tricked Peter, and she got what she wanted. At his expense.”

  “I don’t think she had to trick the man she loved to convince him to marry her.”

  “You weren’t there!”

  “No, but I know that Amy was raised by two people who loved each other, two people who followed their hearts and their dreams.”

  “It wasn’t Peter’s dream to marry an immigrant,” she snarled.

  “Was it Josh’s dream to marry your daughter?” Ty asked quietly. “Because unless I’m very mistaken, the bride looks pregnant.”

  Natalie stared at him in astonishment. The music ended. Ty turned to the newly wedded couple, just in time to see Brittany barf on Josh’s shoes.

  It looked like wedding cake.

  “Brittany!” her mother screeched
. “Are you pregnant?”

  Brittany turned red, as clear an answer as she could have made aloud. Josh looked as if he wanted to disappear and his parents turned away in disgust.

  And that was enough.

  Ty strode across the room to where Amy stood, one hand raised to her lips. He claimed her hand with a flourish and spun her into his arms. “My work here is done. Come on, my Tangerine Queen. We’ve got a dress to burn.”

  * * *

  “That was wicked,” Amy said when she finally stopped laughing.

  “Impossible,” Ty said, changing gears with a vengeance. “I’m nice.”

  That set Amy on another bout of laughter, one that made her cry so much that she had to take off her glasses. Her mascara ran and she used up all the tissues in her little clutch before the mess was cleaned up. She saw white and realized Ty was offering her a handkerchief. “I must look like a raccoon.”

  “No. There are no orange raccoons. They’re black and a tasteful taupe.”

  Amy giggled again. “You shouldn’t have done it.”

  “No, I shouldn’t have. But I enjoyed it.” He shook a finger at her. “And you laughed.”

  “It was too perfect.”

  “They had it coming.”

  They sat in companionable silence as Ty drove and Amy smiled at the realization of how much she enjoyed his company. It was easy to be with him but a little bit electric, too. She thought of Matteo, then, and how incredibly hot the scene with him had been, and yearned for a little bit more than even this.

  She was greedy.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” Ty said.

  “Nothing important,” Amy lied and pretended to yawn. “Just worn out.”

  “You’re shifting your legs,” he noted. “I thought maybe we were thinking about the same thing.”

  Amy looked to find Ty smiling. He wasn’t looking at her, but that slow smile still did things to her equilibrium.

  “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” he continued easily, sparing her only the barest glance. His gaze was warm, though, and his voice had dropped low.

  Amy’s pulse increased.

  “What would you think about making this fake date real?”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, her voice a little higher than would have been ideal.

  “I mean that we’d actually be seeing each other. Dating. Not pretending to date.”