Tangled Up in You

by Samantha Chase

  “Yeah, but—”

  “And don’t even get me started on the having a family part,” he finished.

  Now Bobby felt completely deflated. He’d thought he had an ally in Riley, but apparently he was wrong.

  Holding up a hand, Dylan spoke. “For starters? Wow,” he said, glaring at Riley. “So basically what you’re saying is that because Bobby’s never been in a serious relationship before, he can’t possibly want one now?”

  “That’s not what I meant,” Riley argued.

  “But it’s kind of how it came off,” Matt interjected.

  “Fine, then let me clarify,” Riley said, sounding mildly defensive. “Bobby, we’ve known each other for most of my life. I respect you. However, this is all new for you, so maybe it’s just not…you know, love yet. And what’s the rush? You two have been dating for, like, what, a month? Two?”

  Rather than speak, Bobby nodded.

  “It’s just a little fast. That’s all I’m saying.”

  “Wait,” Matt said. “How long were you with Savannah before you knew you were in love?”

  “That’s not the point.”

  “Yes, it is,” Dylan said. “And for the record, it was under three months for me and Paige.”

  “It wasn’t even a month for me and Viv,” Matt responded.

  “If anyone should have been avoiding a serious relationship, it was me,” Julian added. “But when I met Charlotte, I just knew. You can’t set your watch by it. You know when you know.”

  For the first time in several minutes, Bobby felt himself begin to breathe and relax. “So I’m not crazy?”

  Three out of four of them shook their heads before they looked over at Riley, who immediately rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine. I guess it’s possible that it’s not too soon.”

  Bobby chuckled softly. “I hate to break it to you, but I really wasn’t looking for your approval.”

  “Oh!” Dylan laughed. “I did not see that coming!”

  It would have been easy to joke and make light of the whole thing, but Bobby didn’t particularly feel like making jokes right now. He held his ground. “Here’s the thing. While it would be nice if everyone was happy for us, ultimately, it doesn’t really matter. The only opinion I’m worried about is Teagan’s.”

  Riley studied him hard for a moment. “You know you have a lot to overcome, right?”

  “Not you too,” Bobby muttered with frustration. “I’ve heard it all already from Quinn.”

  “I’m not talking about your history, I’m talking about hers.” Motioning over his shoulder toward Teagan, Riley continued. “She’s had to work like a hundred times harder than most. Being a single mom and losing the man she thought she was going to marry? That would crush most people. I know my aunt and uncle have always been there for her, but that may not be a good thing. You’re going to have to deal with them on some level too. You have to try to find your way in their family dynamics.”

  He hadn’t really thought of that.

  “And on top of that, you’ve got the kid. You’re not just dating Teagan, you’re dating Lucas too.”

  “I know. They’re a package deal and I don’t have a problem with that.”

  “And right now, he probably doesn’t either. But as this relationship progresses and you want to have Teagan’s attention, you have to know that any attention you get is being taken away from her son. And he’s a kid who’s only known this one way of life. Are you prepared to deal with that?”

  Bobby nodded confidently. “I am. I can’t say it’s going to be easy or that I’m prepared for everything, but I know I’m going to try my best to make sure they’re both happy. And really, isn’t that all any of us can do?”

  He was saved from the possibility of hearing any negative comments when a knock sounded at the dressing room door. It was Mick, the band’s manager.

  “Okay, we’ve got clearance to start heading out,” Mick said. When he spotted Bobby, he walked over and shook his hand. “Good to see you, Bobby. It’s a real shame what happened out there. Glad to know you’re in here and safe.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Pointing over his shoulder, Mick said, “The shooting outside. It was a traffic stop. Officer got shot.” He shook his head. “So senseless. From what I’m told, the parking lot is still pretty much at a standstill, but we’re clear to go out the back way with a police escort.” He looked around the room. “We’ll meet out in the hall in ten minutes!” And then he was walking back out of the room.

  Bobby felt like he was going to be sick. How many of these shows had he worked? How many times had he pulled someone over on the way out due to reckless driving or speeding? Before he knew it, he was being led over to a sofa and nudged to sit down.

  “What’s going on?”

  Looking up, he saw Teagan walking toward him, worry written all over her face. She was instantly at his side, taking his hand in hers.

  “We just… I mean, Mick told us…”

  “An officer was shot outside,” Riley said quietly. “That’s all we know. It’s why we had to stay back here.”

  She didn’t say anything, didn’t offer any commentary on the situation, and he wasn’t sure if he was angry or relieved.

  “Okay, let’s all get out of here,” Julian called out to the room. Leaning over, he shook Bobby’s hand. “Always good to see you, man. Take care of yourself.” Then he smiled at Teagan. “It was nice to meet you, Teagan.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “You too.”

  Bobby watched as Teagan hugged Charlotte, Paige, and Vivienne goodbye in turn. Slowly, he came to his feet and shook both Matt and Dylan’s hands and waved to their wives. When it was down to just Riley and Savannah in the room with them, Bobby fought the urge to bail on their plans for dinner. But that wouldn’t help anything. He was back to the distraction method instead of running, something that was beginning to majorly annoy him. But for tonight, it was his only option.

  “You can ride to the hotel with us and we’ll have someone bring your car when the lot clears out,” Riley said. “That is, if you’re okay with it.”

  Teagan readily agreed and Bobby simply nodded. It wasn’t ideal, but considering the circumstances, what choice did he have?

  Within minutes, they were being herded out of the building flanked by security guards. Each of the guys had their own car, even though they were all going to the same place. The only thing keeping him somewhat sane was hearing Teagan giggle as she climbed into the limo.

  “I didn’t think you’d have an actual limo,” she said as she settled into her seat. “I figured it would be some kind of town car or SUV—nothing this fancy.”

  Riley laughed as he sat next to his wife. “Sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t. I don’t know if you noticed, but the other guys have the big SUVs today. I guess Mick figured we might want a little more space this time.”

  Bobby watched as a security guard shut the door, wondering if they were going to drive by the crime scene. Would he be able to see anything? Would he recognize anyone? Slipping his phone from his pocket, he didn’t think twice about doing a quick online search of the local news to see if there was any information out there.

  Nothing yet.

  Putting his phone away, he reached for Teagan’s hand and did his best to join the conversation. She was still gushing about the concert and he could tell how much Riley was loving it. Savannah glanced his way as if to prompt him to participate.

  “You guys really did sound great, Ry,” he said when there was a lull. “I think the time apart really did wonders for all of you. You’re sounding better than ever.”

  “Thanks,” Riley said, grinning happily. “So listen, we wanted to share something with you guys that we haven’t shared with the rest of the family yet.”

  “Really?” Teagan squealed happily.

  Sav
annah smiled and took Riley’s hand in hers. “We’re going to be back home for Labor Day, but we’re just dying to tell someone!”

  Bobby didn’t even have to guess. “You’re having a baby,” he said, a smile of pure happiness on his face.

  They both nodded. “I did tell Owen,” Riley explained, “but that’s a given.”

  “Of course you did,” Teagan said. “He’s your twin. I would have thought you were crazy if you told us before him.”

  “Well, we tend to try and make these announcements in person and to be honest, we didn’t think we were going to be making this one again.”

  “Total surprise pregnancy,” Savannah said, but it was easy to tell that she wasn’t disappointed at all about it. She placed a hand over her belly. “We’re barely at eight weeks and we’re thankful the tour is winding down. As much as I love traveling with the band, I kind of want to be back home and have some down time with the kids for a while.”

  “Plus,” Riley said, a little more subdued, “we need to put the house on the market.” He shook his head. “We’ve tried to think of ways to make it work, but it was never made to be a house for a big family.”

  “I’m really going to miss those views,” Savannah said wistfully. Resting her head on her husband’s shoulder, she added, “That’s really what made me fall in love with Riley.”

  “Hey!”

  They all laughed, and within minutes they were pulling up to the hotel.

  “Are any of the guys joining us for dinner?” Teagan asked.

  “We can totally ask them if you want,” Riley replied, “but I thought it would be nice for just the four of us to hang out. I know we’ve seen more of each other in the last few months than we have in the last ten years, but there’s always so many people around. I was hoping to have a little quiet time to catch up.”

  Which is exactly what they did. Dinner was waiting for them up in their suite, and after checking in on Riley and Savannah’s sleeping kids, they all sat down to eat.

  Conversation flowed easily, and even though Bobby was always up-to-date with the Shaughnessys, he enjoyed hearing Teagan talk about her life. There was so much he still didn’t know about her, and he loved listening to it all. Every time she shared a story about something in her life before she’d moved, he got to know her a little bit better.

  He already knew her strength, her intelligence, and her incredible selflessness and determination. But what he was learning about more and more was how she had a great sense of humor, loved romantic comedies and eighties rock, and she wasn’t afraid to make fun of herself.

  Basically, she was perfect.

  Perfect for him, perfect in every way. And everything about her just made him want her more.

  What the hell time was it? Was his car here yet? Could he take her home now? Hadn’t they visited long enough?

  As if on cue, Riley’s phone beeped with an incoming text. He looked at the screen and nodded before looking at Bobby. “Your car’s here and the keys are at the front desk.”

  “Thank you so much for doing that for us, Riley,” Teagan said. “I can’t imagine how long everyone must have been stuck in the parking lot.”

  “Yeah, it’s a shame something like that had to happen.”

  “Bobby,” Savannah started, “you’ve worked a lot of these shows, right?”

  He nodded.

  “Thank goodness you weren’t the one working tonight,” she said. “It’s scary when it hits so close to home. And with what you’ve already gone through, I for one am thankful you didn’t have to be a part of that.”

  He knew what she was saying and yet…it still irked him a little.

  “I think Bobby’s done playing superhero, right?” Riley asked.

  “What do you mean?” he asked, mildly defensive.

  “I would think after what happened to you, you’d be a little more cautious about wanting to go back to work. You’ve been on the force for over fifteen years, Bobby. Maybe it’s time to look at other job options that don’t put you in harm’s way,” Riley replied.

  “What happened to me didn’t happen on the job, Riley,” he countered. “I was on my way home, I wasn’t even in uniform.”

  “But still,” Savannah chimed in. “It has to make you think a bit. I mean, look what happened tonight. Wouldn’t you prefer to be doing something…safer? Something that wasn’t about putting your life on the line? Especially…well, now?” She glanced at Teagan and Bobby knew exactly what she was getting at. He braced himself for Teagan’s response.

  But she didn’t say anything. She didn’t even look at him. She simply pushed the last of her dessert around on her plate.

  “When are you heading back to work?” Riley asked.

  “I’m not sure. Getting medical clearance is…complicated. I have a meeting on Monday, so I’ll know more then.”

  The conversation felt stilted after that.

  At least for him.

  “So, a new baby?” Teagan said after a long, awkward moment. “Do you think you’ll get the twins this time? It seems Owen’s gotten the bulk of those genes, huh?”

  No matter how annoyed he was, Bobby couldn’t help but laugh along with everyone else. Riley’s twin brother was the quietest kid he’d ever met, and he’d grown up to be one of the quietest and smartest adults he’d ever known. No one ever thought Owen would be the one to end up with two sets of twins—and yet.

  “We’ve thought about that,” Savannah said with a nervous laugh. “That whole thing normally skips a generation, but—as usual—Owen proved that theory wrong. I’m seriously hoping that in our case it skips a generation. I’m not sure I could handle twins.”

  “You’d be surprised what you can handle,” Teagan said softly. Bobby knew exactly where her mind had gone, and his heart ached for her. “When it comes down to it, you do what you have to do. Sometimes you find it’s the greatest joy you can ever imagine.”

  There was a knock on the door and Riley got up to answer it. Several members of the hotel staff appeared to clean up the dishes and take them from the room. When Riley asked if anyone wanted anything else, they all declined.

  Bobby saw this as their cue to leave. It was late, and no doubt his friend was exhausted after putting on one hell of a concert.

  “We should probably go,” he said. “Thank you so much for dinner and for the tickets to the show. It was amazing, as always.”

  Riley smiled and shook his hand. “Glad you could come. We’ll see you for Labor Day, right?”

  After that it was a flurry of goodbyes and well wishes and by the time it was just the two of them in the elevator, Bobby was exhausted.

  Neither spoke on the way down or after they picked up the car keys from the front desk. They had an hour’s drive back to his place, and other than idle talk about the show, the music, and an overall recap of that part of the night, they didn’t say much.

  He fought the urge to turn on the radio and wait for the news, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t thinking about it.

  When they pulled up in front of his condo, he looked over and saw that Teagan was asleep, her head resting against the window. She looked so peaceful, but he knew she couldn’t be comfortable. He whispered her name and gently shook her to wake her up. Her eyes fluttered open before she turned to look at him in confusion.

  “We’re home,” he said. “Wait there.” Climbing from the truck, he walked around to the passenger side and lifted her out.

  “You don’t have to,” she said around a loud yawn.

  He laughed quietly and kissed her forehead. “I think I did,” he teased. Once they were inside, he carried her straight through to the bedroom and lay her down on the bed. She put up some token resistance when he pulled off her sandals, but then she seemed to relax when his hands went to the waistband of her jeans and began to pull them down. It had been a long day, a bit of an emotio
nally draining night—and yet looking at her in a white thong, the white beaded halter top, and nothing else had him hard and aching.

  “I’m suddenly not so sleepy,” she whispered, sensing his thoughts.

  It was all the encouragement he needed. One knee on the bed, he quickly pulled his shirt off before lowering down on top of her. Teagan wrapped her limbs around him and when he kissed her, there was nothing else in the world he could think about.

  Right now, that was exactly what he needed.

  He wanted to go slow, wanted to be gentle because she was still midway between sleepy and fully awake, but his need for her was too great. So maybe he was a little rough when he whipped her shirt off. And when he tore off her thong and she cried out, he might have felt even more turned on. But when her hands seemed just as frantic to open his jeans and push them off, he knew they were on the same page.

  The same wild and sexy page.

  And he said a prayer of thanks for it.

  They battled for control, but Bobby ultimately won. With Teagan beneath him, her hands pinned above her head, and her breath coming out in short pants, he had her exactly where he wanted her.

  And he kept her there for a very long time.

  Chapter 9

  “Are you sure you can’t stay another night?”

  They were eating breakfast out on Bobby’s back deck when he asked her that question—for the fifth time. Part of her really wanted to say yes, but besides missing Lucas like crazy, she knew Bobby was distracted. He might not realize it yet, but he needed her gone.

  Last night they had made love in a way that was overwhelming. It was all wild need and heat, and more passionate than anything they’d ever done before. Afterward, she was sure she had blacked out. The next time she opened her eyes, she was alone in the bed. Quietly, she had tiptoed out of the room and found him sitting on the couch in the living room, speaking on the phone with someone in the police department, with his laptop open to the local news.

  “I really need to get back,” she said before taking another bite of the pancakes Bobby had made. “This is the longest I’ve ever been away from Lucas, and I’m afraid I’m going to get a speeding ticket on my way home.”