Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
Ty ate the last bite of his veggie and cheese omelet as he sat next to Lydia on one of the counter stools in the bright morning sunshine. “You know, my eggs have definitely been tasting different lately.”
Lydia frowned as she forked up her last bite of the same breakfast. “They have?”
He nodded. “Picking out the white things has been a game changer.”
She laughed as she shoved at his arm. “Be quiet, you.”
He laughed, too, content as hell as he stared into her gorgeous eyes.
Waking up with Lydia, naked and warm in their bed, had been an excellent way to start the day.
He’d loved it even more when she rolled over and destroyed him with one of her sexy rides.
A shower had happened next before they finally got dressed—him in black athletic shorts and a white tank shirt, and her in a white tank top and green cotton shorts. Breakfast had been a must after that.
It was a damn lucky thing that he would get to do the same thing again tomorrow and every day after that. Now that Lydia was back in his life, he had no plans to ever let her go again. “I had no idea that such a small culinary trick would be so life-changing.”
She laughed again as she shook her head. “You’re ridiculous.”
He shrugged as he puffed out a breath. “And I thought picking the white things off your eggs was ridiculous.”
Her grin was back. “Bully.”
He winked, having a hell of a time teasing her. “Maybe a little.”
She chuckled, shaking her head again. “How do you feel about snuggling up next to me for a second so we can take a selfie and send it to Gram-Gram?”
He nodded. “I feel great about it.”
Lydia snagged her phone. “Gram-Gram’s going to feel pretty smug when she finds out we’re back together.”
He nodded again. “She’s certainly a sneaky one with her ambush tactics.”
Lydia laughed. “Yes, she is.”
“Let’s do it.” He scooted closer, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, grinning as he pressed his cheek to hers.
Lydia took the shot, and they both looked at it.
“That’s a good one,” he said, studying the happy couple smiling on the screen.
“It is.” She snagged her lip with her teeth as she attached the picture to a text and started typing.
Gram-Gram, I want you to meet Ty. He’s a personal trainer and the love of my life. I know the introduction is sudden, which is a bit of a surprise. I should also mention that he’s moving in.
He chuckled as he read what she wrote. “Cute.”
She grinned with her shrug as she sent it off. “It’s what I wish I could’ve said when you two met the first time. I like knowing that I meant every word.”
He snagged her by the chin, kissing her. “I love you, Lyd.”
She pressed her hand to his cheek. “I love you, too.”
Her phone alerted her to a text.
They both looked at the screen, reading her gram-gram’s reply.
I like seeing those happy eyes and big smiles. It looks like he’s right where he belongs.
Lydia grinned as she typed back Yes!
Three dots appeared as Marietta typed again.
If Tyler is going to continue working as a personal trainer, I have several names to pass along. I’ve been singing his praises at luncheons and committee meetings. I know several wealthy old women who are looking to feel as strong as I do.
He blinked in surprise. “Wow.”
Lydia smiled as she bumped her arm against his. “I guess it’s not going to take you very long to build up that client base after all.”
“I guess not. Will you tell her thanks and that I’ll happily take any names that she wants to give me?”
“I will.” Lydia’s thumbs flew over her screen again.
Marietta texted again. Consider it done.
Lydia set down her phone and threw her arms around him. “I’m so excited for you, Ty.”
He hugged her back, feeling excited too. Less than twenty-four hours ago, he’d walked away from his career. Now, he was well on his way to creating a new one. “It seems like things are moving right along.”
She pressed her lips to his. “They are.”
He rested his forehead against hers, savoring the rush of gratitude for everything about this moment. “I love this, Lyd—the idea of us heading off to the jobs we both love, then coming home to each other when the day is over.”
She smiled as she nodded. “That sounds really good.”
He kissed her. “It sounds perfect.”
She kissed him again as she stroked her fingers along the back of his neck. “Should we put our dishes in the dishwasher and get going? Because I believe we have an apartment to pack.”
He tucked her hair behind her ear. “It shouldn’t take us long. I’m leaving the bed and dresser for Davey’s eventual new roommate, so it’s mostly just clothes.”
“We’ll clean out some drawers for you when we get back.”
He stopped her with his hand on her shoulder before she could stand. “Can we make my mom’s day before we go? I think she was almost as devastated as I was when I had to tell her that we weren’t together anymore on Friday night.”
Lydia’s eyes went soft. “Aw. Of course we can.”
Scrolling through his contacts, he found his mom’s information and tapped the video icon, unable to deny that he was thrilled to truly share Lydia with his family for the first time. Their fake relationship was no longer a thing. It finally got to be just the two of them with no deception attached.
Mom appeared on-screen, dressed in her scrubs with her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, already at the hospital. Her big blue eyes grew wide before she beamed and pressed her hand to her heart. “I love what I’m seeing.”
He grinned. “I thought you might.”
“Hi, Bina,” Lydia said, smiling herself.
“Hi, honey. It’s so good to see your beautiful face.”
Lydia smiled again. “Thank you. It’s nice to see you, too.”
Mom backed up closer to the wall in the hallway where she stood. “I’m assuming that whatever was broken is all patched up?”
Ty nodded. “I couldn’t let her get away.”
Mom beamed all over again. “I’m so happy for you two.”
He adjusted the phone slightly in his hand. “I should probably tell you that I resigned from the FBI yesterday. I’m moving to Oliver Heights.”
Mom gaped. “Honey… I… Honey.”
He pulled Lydia closer with his arm wrapped around her shoulders. “This is what I want, Mom. I want Lyd. I want the life that we’re going to make together right here.”
Suddenly, Mom started to cry.
He winced. “Mom—”
Mom shook her head. “I promise I’m okay.” She sniffled. “Oh, honey, this is all that I’ve ever wanted for you. This is what your dad would’ve wanted for you, too. A happy life and a good woman to share it with.”
He swallowed, finding himself blinking back tears as emotion choked his throat. Mom so rarely talked about Dad. Even after all these years, he knew that it hurt her too much. “Thank you for saying that.”
She wiped at her cheeks. “I mean every word, sweetheart.”
He looked at Lydia as her big hazel eyes swam with tears of their own. “Mom wants us to come down for a visit.”
Lydia nodded. “I have a few days left before I have to get back to the classroom.”
Mom’s grin was back. “You guys just let me know when you’re coming, and we’ll make it work.”
“We’ll look at our calendar today,” Lydia told her. “Maybe this weekend?”
“That would be perfect. Maybe let your sister know, Ty.”
He nodded. “I’ll call her later.”
“Okay, honey. I need to get back to work.”
“Have a good day, Bina.”
“I will.” She let out a little squeal and boogie.
Ty laughed as Lydia did. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too, honey.” She blew them both a kiss, then hung up.
Lydia beamed as she looked at him. “I really love your mom, Ty.”
He smiled. “The feeling is definitely mutual.”
She kissed him.
He tossed her a wink as he pulled her back for another press of his lips against hers.
“We should clean up,” she told him.
He nodded. “We should.”
They both stood, putting their dishes into the dishwasher.
He hooked his arm around her shoulders as she closed the door and started the wash cycle. “Should we head to DC?”
She nodded as they headed toward the garage and her Telluride. “DC today to get you moved in. My classroom tomorrow because I have stuff to do.”
He pulled on his sneakers. “I can help you with your classroom.”
Lydia did the same. “If you want to.”
“I do.” He opened the door to the garage. “When school starts, will I be able to come visit you and the kids sometimes?”
She grinned. “Yes.”
“Good. I’m looking forward to seeing Ms. Monroe in action.”
“Well, I’m looking forward to having an extra sexy classroom helper.”
He grinned as he touched the button to open the garage door. “Let’s get this done.”
Lydia stared out the window, studying the numerous buildings as she and Ty drove through the heavier downtown traffic, much like she had when they made their original trip to the city not all that long ago.
It was crazy how much had changed in a few short weeks—and all of it was for the better.
When she and Ty had driven to DC the first time, they’d been newfound friends trying to navigate an unfortunate game that she hadn’t wanted to play at all.
Now, they were moving in together and talking about marriage and children.
Every bit of it made her happy, but there were still lingering details that they had yet to figure out after their summer full of lies.
“Hey,” Ty said from the driver’s seat, snagging her hand off her lap as they inched forward in the congestion on Pennsylvania Avenue NW. “You got quiet on me.”
She shrugged. “I was just thinking about how much has changed in such a short amount of time.”
He nodded. “It’s been a whirlwind. A good one.”
She nodded this time. “Everything’s perfect.”
He took his eyes off the road long enough to meet her gaze. “Except… Because there’s definitely an ‘except’ that follows that statement.”
She shrugged again. “I can’t wait to tell Mac that we’ve worked stuff out—that you’re moving in with me. But there’s this shadow over all of it.”
He nodded. “I can see how you would feel that way.”
“Don’t you?”
He nodded again, easing his way into the left-hand lane for their turn onto 11th Street. “We told a lot of half-truths.”
“Which I hated then and hate just as much now.”
He looked at her again. “We did what we had to do, Lyd.”
She wrinkled her nose at his justification, even if it was true. But it didn’t make any of it better. “We have so many secrets. I constantly feel like I have to watch everything that I’m saying so I don’t make a mistake and say something that I’m not supposed to.”
“Yeah, it’s certainly not easy. It felt really nice to be straight with my mom this morning.”
She nodded emphatically because she’d like that, too. “Yes. I want that with Mac. She’s my best friend, and she’s in the dark about so many aspects of my life. The case is over, and I still feel like I’m lying because to some degree, I am.”
He sighed. “I’m really sorry about that.”
She shook her head, hearing his regret. “It’s not your fault.”
He huffed out a laugh as he took the left, stopping at another red light. “Yes, it is.”
She shook her head more adamantly. “My family was under investigation. You were doing your job.”
He exhaled another long breath. “Everything about this situation is tough. I’m not entirely sure what to do about any of it because I’ve never had this problem before.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Typically, in an undercover operation, I get the information I need, my team makes the arrests that they need to make, and I don’t see any of the subjects again until I testify against them at trial—and that’s if they don’t take a plea deal.
In that case, I never see them again. Obviously, none of that happened with this case. ”
She nodded as he accelerated again. “The reality is you were FBI. You were undercover when we met. That’s part of our story. We can’t pretend it away or ignore it.”
“That’s the thing, Lyd. I don’t want to pretend it away or ignore it. We wouldn’t be sitting here right now if things hadn’t happened exactly the way that they did.”
“Yeah,” she said on a sigh as he stopped yet again. “In so many ways, I just want to wipe the slate clean. I want to be honest with two of the people who mean the most to me, so we can move on. No more secrets.”
He looked from her to the red light and back. “I think James wants us to wait for a while before we say anything.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think I can. Will and Mac need to hear about this from us. It has to come from us, Ty.”
He accelerated, taking a right onto New York Avenue NW. “I agree. It’s undoubtedly going to sting when the truth comes out. It’ll be worse if the information comes from someone else.”
Her stomach immediately grew queasy as he spoke the absolute truth. “I might lose them, Ty.”
He nodded as he took another right, not far from his building now. “You might. But I don’t think you will.”
She closed her eyes as she rested her head against the seat. “I can’t live like this anymore. They need to know. Today. When I tell Mac that we’re together again, I want to let go of the rest. I want her to know everything.”
“We can talk to them when we get to my apartment.”
She nodded, wanting to find some reason to wait, but she couldn’t. Every day that she lied only made it worse. “I know Will’s staying in a hotel down by Mac’s parents for a few days. I can text her and see if they can FaceTime with us.”
“Let’s do it.” He brought her hand to his lips before he turned into the familiar parking garage right next door to his apartment. “I’ll be right by your side.”