Chapter 20 #3
“I know Gram-Gram likes to do the shopping herself and buy the place out, but I’m sure she’ll need a chance to rest. I figure if everything is already here, she can play around in the kitchen and take it easy when she needs to.”
“And that’s why you’re you. Always thinking twenty steps ahead.”
Mac waggled her brow as she puffed up her chest and settled her hands on her hips in a power pose. “It’s my superpower.”
Lydia grinned. “I’ve got the kids.”
“I’ll take advantage of that.” Mac wasted no time heading for the stairs.
Lydia glanced at the clock, noting that it was nearing seven fifteen, thinking of Ty, wondering how things were going in the gym. “Ev, do you want to come with me and meet my friend?”
Everly pushed her plate away. “Yup.”
She chuckled as she grabbed a napkin and dipped it into the bowl of warm water, wiping Everly’s sticky cheeks and hands. “You’re all set.”
“Because I’m all clean.”
“That’s right.” She helped Everly get down, then grabbed the bottle and shook it before she gave it to Maverick as they headed down the long hallway toward the gym, stopping outside the glass doors as Ty stood shirtless and sweaty next to one of the fancy machines. “Knock, knock.”
He looked up, sending her a mouthwatering grin. “Hey, you. Who do you have here?”
“These are the cuties in my life,” she said as Everly immediately wrapped her arms around Lydia’s leg and hid her face. “The shy one who is currently attached to me is Everly, and this bruiser here is Maverick.”
Ty grinned at her again. “You look like you’re in your element.”
She beamed as she nodded. “I certainly don’t hate it.”
Ty moved closer, stroking his finger along Maverick’s tiny knuckles. “Hi, buddy.”
Maverick clutched at his finger as he smiled around the bottle in his mouth.
Ty chuckled. “Nice grip.”
Lydia snagged her lip between her teeth, currently finding Ty to be extra adorable. “He seems to like you.”
Ty shrugged. “I have that effect on people.”
She rolled her eyes. “Right.” She wiggled her leg that Everly was still holding on to. “Ev, can you say hi to my friend, Ty?”
Everly shook her head. “No.”
Ty shrugged again. “I guess not on everyone.”
Lydia laughed. “Ev, Ty likes music just like you. He likes to have dance parties.”
Everly peeked up at him.
Ty winked at her.
She buried her face again.
Ty chuckled. “She’ll warm up eventually.”
“It doesn’t usually take her long to come out of her shell.”
Ty shrugged. “When she’s ready, we’ll say hi. Zoey was a shy kid, too. She used to hate it when my parents would force her to interact.”
Definitely extra adorable. She held his gaze. “Thanks for understanding.”
He shrugged again. “Of course.”
She adjusted Maverick in her arms. “I didn’t hear you leave this morning.”
He nodded. “You were out cold.”
“I guess yesterday tired me out.” She snagged her lip with her teeth again, desperately wanting to know how things were going now that the investigation had officially started. “You and Will worked out?”
He nodded. “You just missed him. He left about five minutes ago.”
“Things went well?”
“Yeah, it was good.”
“Yeah?”
He nodded again. “We talked about his bench press technique and cheeseburgers.”
“Oh,” she said as she frowned, still holding his gaze, waiting for him to tell her the rest. Because surely there was more if he’d considered his conversation with Will to be ‘good.’
He sighed. “You can’t look at me like that, Lyd.”
She frowned again. “How am I looking at you?”
“Like you want me to say something. Like you have expectations for how this is supposed to go. You need to relax and let me do my thing.”
She felt her spine snap straight. “That’s a big ask.”
He nodded. “I imagine it is, but I need you to do it anyway.” He stroked his fingers down her arm.
“Enjoy your summer with your family. Have fun with me. I promise I’ll let you know if there’s anything worth knowing.
But this.” He gestured between the two of them and their current conversation. “This is going to drive us both crazy.”
She looked down at the floor. “I’ve done something like this exactly zero times.”
He sighed again. “I know, and I’m sorry.”
She shrugged.
“Hey,” he said gently as he lifted her chin until she looked at him. “Trust me to take care of what I need to take care of while we enjoy our time here.”
She swallowed. “Everything’s different. With my family. With you.”
“Things will settle down. We’ll find our rhythm again. Just like we did before.”
She nodded, even when she didn’t entirely believe it. “I’m going to head to the store. I need to get some stuff for the house and grab some stuff for dinner tonight.”
“I’ll come with you.”
She shook her head. “You don’t have to.”
“I want to, Lyd. We’re going to go to the store together just like we did in Oliver Heights. Just let me grab a quick shower first.”
She nodded again. “I’ll be over in a few minutes.” She gave her leg another wiggle. “Ev, should we go find your mom?”
Everly nodded. “Yup.”
“You have to let go of my leg so we can walk.”
Everly let go as she looked at Ty before they started walking.
“Give me ten minutes,” Ty called down the hall.