Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Lydia opened her eyes in the bright morning light as a car alarm blared three stories down on the street. She blinked as she rolled over, letting her eyes adjust, realizing that Ty had kicked off most of his covers at some point in the night.
She trailed her gaze from his beautiful face to his magnificent torso, snagging her bottom lip with her teeth as she studied just how cut he was as he slept deeply on his back. Chiseled pecs and abs. His sexy Adonis belt. Long, powerful thighs. And then there were his boxer briefs.
She swallowed as her eyes wandered back to his underwear, officially understanding that he hadn’t been kidding when he made a joke about his big hands on his rooftop deck. Andy had worn boxer briefs, too, but he hadn’t looked like that. Apparently, everything about Ty was impressive.
She exhaled a slow breath as she rolled onto her back, pillowing her head on her arm, forever surprised that she kept finding herself in very interesting situations with Ty—her fake boyfriend whom she now shared a bed with.
She turned her head, looking at him again, remembering how wonderful he’d been yesterday.
When he’d hugged her in the bathroom after Gram-Gram nearly broke her with her words.
When he’d taken her to see his dad’s grave, sharing a deeply personal part of himself with her.
When he’d joked with her and made her laugh, then taken her to enjoy a messy dinner.
She grinned as she thought of how he’d made her cover her eyes as he guided her closer to the spectacular view at the top of the old post office tower.
And then he’d held her hand while they drifted off to sleep.
He stirred, blinking his eyes a couple of times before his sleepy gaze met hers. “Hey,” he said in a deeper voice as he rolled to his side, sending her a slow grin.
She ignored the swift rush of butterflies that danced in her stomach as she rolled, too, smiling back. “Hey.”
“Did you sleep okay?”
She nodded. “Like a rock. How about you?”
He nodded this time. “The city sounds are like a lullaby.”
She laughed. “I’ll have to make you a city sounds playlist when we get back to Oliver Heights.”
He chuckled. “That’s not a bad idea.”
She rolled her eyes, still grinning. “Do you mind if I take a shower?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. While you’re cleaning up, I can walk down the street and grab us a couple of groceries.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“Am I just getting us stuff for breakfast, or do you want to stay for another day?”
“I like being here with you, but maybe we should get back so we can start packing. Gathering stuff for a month-long visit doesn’t happen overnight.”
He nodded, grabbing her hand as he rolled to his back again, sandwiching her palm between his and the warmth of his chest. “So, we’ll have some breakfast and hit the road?”
She nodded, ignoring the next rush of butterflies as she felt the steady beat of his heart. “Are, uh, are eggs on your grocery list?”
He nodded this time as he turned his head, meeting her gaze. “I was thinking that we could make avocado toast with eggs. The deli down the block makes this really amazing sourdough.”
She hummed in her throat. “That sounds great.”
“Then let’s make it happen.”
They both got up, taking a moment to make their side of the bed.
She peeked up from under her lashes as she smoothed the covers and put her pillow back on the comforter while Ty did the same, studying his excellent body now that he was on his feet, figuring that there was nothing fair about a man who looked like Ty Corddry.
He headed into the bathroom, rolling on deodorant before he brushed his teeth. “Do we need anything for the drive back?”
She shrugged as she fixed her hair, pulling it back into another ponytail. “Maybe some grapes.”
He smiled as he walked back out. “I can grab us some of those.”
She chuckled, thinking of their many conversations about the simple summer fruit. “I should be finished with my shower before you get back, but just in case I’m not, I want to help you make breakfast.”
He pulled on a T-shirt that he grabbed from his drawer, then a pair of athletic shorts. “You know I don’t mind cooking.”
She headed for the corner where she’d stashed her bag, bending to grab her black tank top and denim short shorts that she planned to wear for the day. Fresh panties and a bra came next. “I do know that, and I appreciate it, but I want to make the eggs. I need to pick out the white things.”
He frowned. “The white things?”
She nodded as she stood straight again. “You know those little white things that are attached to the yolks? I have no idea what they are. I’ve never taken the time to look it up, but they gross me out.”
He grinned as he pulled a pair of socks from his top drawer. “Lyd, I don’t know what to say right now. The white things on the egg yolks gross you out?”
She nodded as she laughed. “They’re all clumpy and chunky. It’s absolutely disgusting.”
He shook his head, still smiling. “What do you do if you go out to eat? Do you ask them to pick the white things out?”
She shook her head as she wrinkled her nose. “I just pretend really hard that I don’t know that they’re in there somewhere.”
He tipped his head back as he laughed. “I have no words right now.”
She tried to glare before it dissolved into a grin as she gave his arm a shove, walking past him. “Go to the store, Special Agent Corddry, and stop teasing me.”
He chuckled on his way out of the bedroom. “I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.”
“Okay.” She locked herself in the bathroom as she grinned, deciding that she didn’t mind sleepovers with Ty.
Ty sat next to Lydia at his tiny dining room table, watching her toy with her avocado toast more than eat it.
Things had been fine when he got back from the store. They’d been even better during breakfast prep. He and Lydia had joked around and laughed like they always did when they made a meal together, but after they took their seats, she started getting quiet on him. “Is everything okay?”
She nodded as she sent him a small smile, but even as her lips curved, it wasn’t hard to see that her eyes were troubled. “It’s fine.”
He shook his head, letting her know that he didn’t believe her. “What’s up, Lyd?”
Any remnants of her smile vanished as she shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I’ve been thinking about yesterday. About our visit with Gram-Gram.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
“I’ve also been thinking about Massachusetts and your questions—about what it is that you want to know about my family.”
He sighed, keenly aware that this was the last thing she wanted to talk about. It was tempting to tell her they could wait, but now seemed like the perfect time to move their conversation forward, especially when she was the one to bring it up. “I want to know normal stuff, I guess.”
“I don’t know what that means when ‘normal’ and the FBI are part of the same sentence.”
“Lyd—”
“They have offices in the main house,” she said in a rush, staring at her plate. “Uncle James and Will. If that’s where you want to put your bugs…”
He exhaled another long breath. “I’m not bugging anything on the compound unless there’s a reason to. At this point, this isn’t a Title III investigation.”
She shook her head as she fiddled with the crust on her bread. “I have no idea what that is.”
“It’s a court order that allows us to use electronic surveillance. There have to be very specific circumstances to get a Title III warrant. Judges don’t sign off on those lightly.”
She nodded, still looking at her plate. “Do you want me to make you a map of the house?”
“No, Lyd.” He stood, taking her hand. “Let’s go over to the couch.”
She stood, walking over to the plush leather with him.
He sat down at the end, resting his back against the arm as he let his legs rest on the three cushions. “Come sit with me.”
She frowned. “You’re taking up the whole thing.”
He smiled as he pulled her down into the V of his thighs. “Sit with me, Lyd.”
Her frown was back as her limbs tangled with his.
“Settle back against me,” he said, waiting for her to fix her legs and rest her back against his chest before he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
“What are you doing?”
“Stepping things up a bit—moving beyond the handholding and being affectionate. I’m being your boyfriend and snuggling you up while you do something that I know you don’t want to do.”
She let herself relax against him, then hesitated before she settled her hands on his arms.
“This is nice, right?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
He locked her up tighter, liking the feel of her damp hair against his cheek—that she was soft, smelled great, and fit just right, cuddled up with him. “Tell me about your family, Lyd. The stuff you would tell your partner who’s about to meet everyone for the first time.”
“Um, Uncle James, Aunt Cindy, and Gram-Gram live at the compound when Congress is in recess. Will and his family live there full-time.”
He nodded, figuring that sharing basic facts couldn’t have been too painful. “Okay.”
“Uh, we all call MacKenna, Mac. It actually sounds weird when I use her whole name.”
“You said Mac’s one of your best friends?”
She nodded. “I’d say she’s my closest friend. She used to own a high-end salon in Shoalmans Bay. I would get my hair done there when I was visiting. She and I clicked from the beginning. I introduced her to Will.”
“Oh, really?”
She nodded as she grinned, tilting her head to look at him. “Apparently, I’m quite the matchmaker.”
He liked that she was smiling—that she seemed relatively relaxed. “What’s their marriage like?”
“Strong. Solid. They adore each other. I want something like they have.”
“And obviously, they have Everly and Maverick.”
She nodded as she smiled again. “Everly’s four. She was born with Down syndrome.”
“I remember that making the headlines.”
She nodded again. “She’s super smart. She’s doing really well. Will and Mac have worked so hard with her. She had some speech delays, and she’s needed some physical and occupational therapy, but she’s right on track with her peers for the most part.”
“That’s great.”
Her smile was back as her palms started to wander along his arms, making it to the hem of his short sleeves before they headed back toward his wrists.
“Mac ended up selling her salon shortly after Everly was born. She had planned to work part-time, but Ev needed her more, so she and Will made the decision to let her business go.”
“That must have been tough.”
She shrugged. “Mac’s super dedicated to the kids—to her family—so I don’t think it was all that tough.”
“It sounds like it worked out.”
“I’d say so.” Suddenly, she huffed out a laugh as she shook her head.
He wrapped her up tighter. “What?”
“I’m just thinking about Ev and the swimming pool. She hates everything about it. But her OT and PT want to see her in the water this summer. She can be stubborn, but I have every plan on making pool time happen.”
“You really like to swim, huh?”
She nodded. “I do. I swam competitively in high school, but I just want her to have fun.”
He gave her a gentle jostle. “I have every confidence that you can make it happen.”
She grinned as she looked at him again. “Thanks.”
“So, what should I know about Maverick?”
“He’s a super cute baby whom I can’t wait to snuggle. Mac actually had a really tough pregnancy with him. She was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum during the first few months.”
He frowned as he shook his head. “I don’t know what that is.” But he liked that Lydia was offering up information freely—like in any other normal conversation they typically had.
“It’s extreme morning sickness that lasts all day, every day.
She was in the hospital a couple of times because they couldn’t keep her hydrated.
I spent most of last summer taking care of Everly while Aunt Cindy and Mac’s mom took turns flying in to help Will take care of her.
She was really sick until she hit the five-month mark. It was pretty stressful and scary.”
“It sounds like it.”
She nodded. “But this summer, there are no pregnancies to speak of, so it should be much smoother sailing.”
“I’m sure Mac’s okay with that.”
Lydia chuckled as her hands started wandering along his skin again. “I haven’t heard her complain.”
“Do you help out at your family’s nonprofit?”
She nodded. “Gram-Gram and Aunt Cindy spend a lot of time there, but I make sure to get up there at least a few times. There are always food donations to sort through or community members who need help selecting the stuff they want to take home. I also read to the kids at the Shoalmans Bay Library while I’m there. ”
“Can I help you at the food pantry?”
“Of course. Although it’s not just a food pantry.
It’s a crisis center for anyone in the county who finds themselves struggling financially.
We offer food and clothing, and people can get signed up for public assistance with one of our volunteers so they can get a little help while they’re getting back on their feet. ”
“That’s really nice, Lyd.”
“Giving back is important to my family. It’s our responsibility and part of our legacy to support the community.”
He pulled her closer, nuzzling his face against her neck. “You’re a good person.”
“We’re a good family.”
He understood the double meaning as she said it. “Will works in Boston?”
“He does. The compound is thirty minutes outside of the city, so it’s not too bad for him to commute back and forth.”
“And Senator Monroe works in Boston when they’re on recess down here?”
She nodded. “He goes to the state office, but he also likes to get out into the communities and make sure that people know he’s available to hear their concerns since he works for them.
He won’t be at the compound much while we are.
He’s always home for the Fourth, but then it’s mostly scattered days here and there. ”
“Okay.”
She sighed, resting her head more snuggly on his shoulder. “I feel like that’s what I would tell my boyfriend.”
He let his cheek rest against hers. “It’s a good crash course on the Massachusetts Monroes.”
She wrinkled her nose as she turned her head. “That sounds so pretentious. The Massachusetts Monroes,” she added in a snooty tone.
He grinned as she finally smiled. “There’s not a pretentious bone in your body, Lyd.”
“I certainly hope not.” She rested on him again, playing with his fingers. “I guess telling you about my family wasn’t horrible.”
“Good. I didn’t want it to be. There was no reason for it to be.”
“I don’t feel like I betrayed them too much.”
“You didn’t betray them at all.”
She moved to face him, sitting crisscross in the V of his legs. “Thank you, Ty. It was nice to feel cozy.”
He winked, more than willing to wrap her up anytime. “You’re welcome. What do you say we clean up breakfast and get home?”
She nodded. “Sure.”