Chapter 13 #2
She shook her head, stopping him from putting the truck in gear. “It’s okay. I saw a therapist for a couple of years after everything happened. She helped me learn that the most painful moments in our lives can also be our biggest strengths. More often than not, they teach us the most.”
“What did you learn?”
“To love big because you don’t know how much time you have. To be fiercely loyal and protect the people who protect you because they can be gone in an instant. To make the most of each day because it’s truly all you've got.”
“That’s really nice.”
She sent him a small smile as she nodded.
“Is it true… You were supposed to be on the helicopter that day?”
She nodded again. “We’d gone up to the compound for April vacation.
I was so excited that I was finally going to get a chance to help Grandpa Beau with his campaign—that we were going to fly in a helicopter.
Uncle James, Aunt Cindy, and Will frequently did their part since politics was destined to be Uncle James’s path, too, but that day it was our turn—The Virginia Monroes as Gram-Gram always used to call us. ”
He held her gaze as he nodded, giving her his undivided attention, letting her talk.
“I woke up sick that morning. I tried to ignore my nauseous stomach and pounding head. I also tried to avoid my parents. When your mom’s a pediatrician, she can spot an illness a mile away.”
Ty chuckled.
She grinned. “I stayed in my room for most of the morning, pretending that I was reading a book. Eventually, we all piled into the Escalade and headed for the airport. Before we left, I grabbed a ginger ale, praying that if I sipped on it, I’d be okay.
Unfortunately, I ended up puking all over myself and Gram-Gram as we pulled into the airport parking lot. ”
Ty cringed. “Yikes.”
She laughed. “It was pretty awful. I was crying because I felt so bad. Burke was freaking out. My dad, being my dad, joked about it. He was so laid-back about pretty much everything.” Her smile faded.
“My mom was going to come back to the compound with Gram-Gram and me, but Gram-Gram insisted that she go, and I assured her that I would be okay.”
Ty reached for her hand.
She held it tight, finding comfort in the warmth of his.
“By the time we got back to the compound, there were two police cars in the driveway, and Uncle James and Will came running outside. The rest is mostly a blur, but I remember Uncle James comforting Gram-Gram on the ground, and Will telling me that our family was gone. Eight minutes after takeoff, the main rotor blade malfunctioned and fell off. The impact with the water killed them all instantly. A fishing vessel got to the wreckage fairly quickly, but it didn’t matter. They had all passed.”
Ty sighed, squeezing her fingers.
She held his stare. “My mom wanted to stay with me that day. She said she would, but I told her to go. If I hadn’t done that, I would still have her. I wouldn’t have lost her, too. That feels heavy to carry sometimes.”
He nestled her palm against his cheek. “You can’t take that on, Lyd. There was no way you could’ve known what was going to happen.”
She nodded, knowing he was right, but it didn’t always help. “For the most part, I’ve grieved and found peace with what is, but I’ve never been able to get over my fear of helicopters.”
“That seems reasonable after everything that happened.”
“I guess,” she said with a jerk of her shoulders. “But I’ve never actually been on one—will never go on one. They terrify me. The sound they make. The look of them. Everything about them. But I don’t mind planes, which has never made sense to me.”
“I guess sometimes our fears don’t make sense.”
“I guess not.”
He nuzzled her skin again. “Let’s take a break from the past. Come take a walk with me at the park.”
She nodded, ready to move on. “Okay.”
Ty kept Lydia close with her hand tucked in his as they walked down the path that veered closer to the river in the shade.
They’d grabbed an ice cream cone by the fountains and stopped to talk to a couple of her former students at the playground, yet he couldn’t stop thinking about Lydia’s sad story.
He’d known many of the details of her family’s demise.
The FBI was privy to more information than the public.
Yet hearing Lydia tell him about her family’s final day had been heartbreaking.
Knowing that a mere twist of fate had kept her and her grandmother safely on the ground had left him surprisingly shaken.
She smiled as she looked at him. “This was a great idea. This path is always so pretty in the summer.”
He smiled back, relieved to see that she was no longer haunted by the past. “This is a gorgeous park.”
She nodded. “It really is.”
He pulled her closer, trying to focus on the present—on his job, even as they inched ever closer to a real friendship. “You know, we don’t have a lot of time before we head up north. When do you want me to take you to DC?”
“We could go on Sunday.”
He nodded. “Let’s do it.”
“I really need to visit my gram-gram while I’m there. She broke her hip in May and ended up needing a full hip replacement.”
He nodded again. “I remember hearing about that in the news.”
She nodded this time. “For the most part, she’s fine. When she fell, her bone broke in an odd way, so her hip replacement was pretty complex, but overall, she’s had an excellent recovery.”
“That’s good.”
She nodded again. “She’s been doing some extra physical therapy at the rehab facility. When I talked to her on Sunday, she said she was going to Uncle James and Aunt Cindy’s house next week instead of to her own. They’ll travel up to the compound together, but I should still stop by.”
“I’ll come with you.”
She nearly missed a step as she shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“It’s perfect, actually. Your grandmother will be the first in your family to know that I’m in the picture—that we’re serious enough that you’re bringing me with you.”
Her brow furrowed.
“It’s time, Lyd.”
She held his gaze for several seconds before she nodded. “Okay.”
He pulled her closer. “So, we’ll head up on Sunday?”
She nodded. “Sure.”
“We can head out midmorning-ish and beat some of the traffic if that works for you.”
She nodded again. “All right.”
“Lydia?” A short blonde woman and a tall black-haired man stopped on the path next to them.
Lydia beamed. “Hey, guys.” She broke her connection with Ty, hugging the woman, then the man. “Long time no see.”
“How’s the summer treating you?” the man asked.
Lydia beamed again. “Really well.” She looked at Ty. “These are my friends from work, Jamie and Greg. Jamie and Greg, this is my boyfriend, Ty.”
Ty shook their hands, thrilled that Lydia hadn’t shied away from making introductions. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You, too,” the couple said at the same time.
Jamie studied Ty, none too subtly. “We had no idea that you were seeing anyone.”
Lydia shrugged. “We’ve been keeping things pretty low-key.”
“There’s no shame in that,” Greg said.
Ty nodded as he smiled, wanting to fist-pump the air. Lydia was currently killing it.
“How have you been feeling?” Lydia asked Jamie.
“Surprisingly good. I’m hoping it stays that way.”
“Aw, I bet.”
“Well, we’ll let you get back to your walk,” Greg said. “Ty, it was nice to meet you. Lydia, we’ll see you way too soon.”
Lydia laughed. “Summer always seems to pass in a blink.”
“Don’t we all know it,” Jamie added.
Lydia waved as Greg and Jamie walked off.
Ty snagged her hand again as they continued down the path, stopping when he realized that she was frowning as she stared at the ground. “What’s wrong?”
“I told them you’re my boyfriend.”
“I know. Good job.”
She shook her head, pulling away from him. “It just came out of my mouth. I didn’t even have to think about it.”
“That’s exactly what we want.”
She turned away from him, still frowning.
He turned her back, staring into troubled hazel eyes. “All of this needs to be automatic.”
“I don’t like it—that it was so easy to lie.”
“It’s just for a few weeks. Everything will go back to normal before you start the new school year.” He hooked his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his side as they started walking again. “That was good stuff, Lyd.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Tell me about Jamie and Greg,” he said, wanting to get her out of her head. She’d done everything exactly right. He didn’t want her overthinking it. “I feel like there’s a story there.”
“Jamie teaches second grade, and Greg’s one of our physical education teachers.”
“They’re married?”
She shook her head as her shoulders started to relax, wrapping her arm around the back of his waist. “They’ve been dating for about a year. She just found out that she’s pregnant, which wasn’t the plan.”
He winced. “Oops.”
She nodded. “They were using a cycle tracking method and had a bit of a mishap.”
He winced again. “That’s why I’m a fan of condoms. I always have been.”
“Andy was, too.” She looked at him. “You’ve never had condomless sex?”
He shook his head. “I’ve had one serious relationship.
During my junior year in high school. Back then, I was super involved in sports and keeping my grades up, so I was never even tempted to free dive.
Now, with my career the way that it is, my hookups are more casual, so it’s definitely not an option. ”
“Your friend with benefits.”
He grinned. “Exactly. I had a similar arrangement in college and out in LA, too. It’s just simpler that way.”
She nodded.
“Going bare is a level of intimacy that I’ve never achieved with a woman. But I’m also not looking for that type of a connection. At least, not at this point in my life.”
She nodded again. “I can see that.”
“What about you? Have you ever ditched the condoms?”
She shook her head. “I had two short-term relationships during my junior and senior years in college, so as far as I was concerned, no condoms was never even an option.”
He nodded. “Makes sense.”