Cross My Heart (13 page)

She wanted to be the girl who'd gotten on that bus and she wanted to see what her life and her future held.

 

M
ARC
D
UMONT PACED
the floor of the ballroom area of what he'd come to think of as his home. It wasn't, of course. He had no rights to the mansion any more than he had rights to Lilly's trust fund. Not anymore.

Years of anger management sessions and Alcoholics Anonymous had brought him to this—from being a man on the verge of achieving everything he'd wanted, including a fiancée he loved and a future—to a man about to lose everything thanks to the sudden resurrection of his presumed dead niece.

He poured himself a glass of club soda. It wouldn't be easy being at this party with the cocktails flowing, but his fiancée insisted the guests would be disappointed without alcohol. He suspected she didn't want to encourage the talk and speculation caused by a dry party. So he'd just have to gear himself for one minute at a time instead of one day. Or one hour. The temptation to drink was still strong.

Stronger now that things around him might fall apart.

 

T
HE HOUSE LOOKED BIGGER
and more imposing than Lacey remembered. No matter how many people were inside, to Lacey it still felt as lonely as it had after her parents died. As Ty drove her up to the place where she'd grown up, the lump in her throat grew larger, the fear greater.

If she closed her eyes, she could imagine her parents—her mother greeting her with a hug and a kiss, and milk and cookies after school, waiting for her father to come home after a long day at work. It didn't matter to him that her mother had money. He enjoyed a day's work and she assumed he hadn't wanted to live off his wife.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ty asked.

She glanced at him and forced a smile. If he could show up at the mausoleum dressed in a suit and tie, she could handle walking inside. “I'm a big girl now.” She treated him to a lighthearted laugh.

He shook his head. “I'm not buying the act. We can turn around right now and nobody would know the difference.”

“I would.” But she appreciated his offer. “Besides if we left, then nobody would see how well you dress up.”

In a powder-blue shirt and black sport jacket, he wasn't her rebel, but her knight coming to her rescue all over again. Still, even in her dreams, he'd never looked this sexy or this male.

“Thanks,” he said gruffly. He inclined his head toward her. “Since you're looking pretty hot yourself, you're right. We should do this.”

Her body tingled at his compliment. She was so glad he'd noticed. When picking out her little black dress, she'd had him in mind. When she'd looked into the mirror to view herself in the dress, she'd imagined Ty's eyes staring back at her. But nothing in her imagination had prepared her for the heated look he gave her now.

He slowly pulled his gaze away and back to the road, turning up the long circular drive.

Lacey turned her attention back to what awaited her tonight. A valet greeted them as they stepped out of the vehicle.

“Fancy.” Lacey wondered how her uncle was paying for this party.

She knew he had some money of his own from whatever jobs he'd worked over the years but he'd never come close to matching her mother and father's wealth. The incoming money from her father's business was long gone. And though the upkeep on this house was covered by the trust, or at least that had always been her assumption, she doubted her uncle received a stipend once he no longer had Lilly to care for.

But since she didn't know the exact terms of the trust, all she could do was guess based on the information her uncle had given her when she'd lived here with him.

The assumptions would end, since she'd made an appointment with the law firm Hunter had told her had possession of her parents' will. Information was power and soon she'd have some in her hot little hands.

With Ty's hand on her back, they walked into the house side by side. Lacey's first glimpse told her the decor was exactly as she remembered. Gray-and-white marble floors, white walls and floral furniture all remained the same, but the warmth she recalled from her early childhood was missing. She wasn't surprised. Lilly had learned not long after her uncle moved in that people made a house a home—or an empty shell of one instead.

“Are you okay?” Ty whispered.

“Yes,” she lied.

Everything about how she was feeling felt wrong, from her racing heart to the overwhelming nausea. She wanted to run away fast, which made her all the more determined to face down these demons and these family members.

“Lacey, I'm so glad you could come.” Molly greeted them with a smile.

The other woman's friendly voice immediately put Lacey at ease. “Thank you. I'm not sure how I feel about being here,” she said, allowing a nervous laugh to escape.

Molly reached for her hand. “It's going to be okay. I wanted you to see how different things are now. Come meet my mother.”

Lacey glanced back at Ty who shrugged and together they followed Molly through the foyer and into the large living room. She might as well have stepped into a dream because instead of the austere atmosphere she remembered when she'd lived here with her uncle, there were people laughing and the same man who'd abused her now sat at the baby grand playing the piano and smiling.

She blinked twice but the sight remained. Maybe he
had
changed.

“Lacey Kinkaid, I'd like you to meet my mother, Francie. Mom, this is Marc's niece,” Molly said, pointedly.

A pretty brunette dressed in what looked like a Chanel suit, grasped Lacey's hand. “It is such a pleasure to meet you. We're so glad you could come.”

“It's nice to meet you, too. I wish you nothing but happiness,” Lacey said, feeling awkward.

“Thank you.”

“And this is Tyler Benson. He's Hunter's best friend. I told you about Hunter,” Molly said.

Ty tipped his head toward the older woman. “Nice to meet you, ma'am.”

“Lilly, you came!” Uncle Marc came up beside his fiancée.

Thankfully he was smart enough to keep a respectful distance from Lacey, no kiss on the cheek or attempted hug. “If you could be big enough to invite me, I decided I should come. I hope you and Francie will be very happy,” Lacey said stiffly.

She felt Molly's eyes on them, watching the interaction.

“Thank you, dear,” Francie answered for him. “I've got to go see where the champagne is. They're supposed to be walking around with a choice of Dom or Cristal.” Molly's mother headed through the French doors, presumably to find the catering staff.

“Dom or Crystal. She does enjoy spending,” Uncle Marc said wryly.

“She always has,” Molly murmured.

“Then I hope you can afford her.” Nobody could mistake Ty's point. He wouldn't be supporting his soon-to-be wife with Lacey's money.

“I passed my Series Seven stockbroker exam and I've been doing well with Smith and Jones,” Marc said of a company in town.

“Well, we wish you luck,” Lacey said, not knowing what else to say.

The older man nodded. “I appreciate that. Please mingle. Meet your relatives. They were all stunned to hear of your return.”

“I'll do that.” She turned, eager to get away from her uncle as soon as possible.

“Let's get a drink first,” Ty suggested. Taking her off guard, he slipped his hand into hers and led her toward the bar.

“Does he know the whole story about what we did and where I've been?” she whispered to Ty.

He shrugged. “I don't know how much Hunter told Molly, but I don't think he does. And I don't think it matters, either. It's not like he's entitled to answers.”

Lacey smiled. “Now that I agree with.”

Ty ordered from the bartender and soon handed her a glass of white wine.

She took a long sip of the dry liquid but the tension remained. “It's even harder being here than I thought it would be.”

Ty wrapped his hand around her waist, his embrace secure. But there was nothing safe about how he made her feel because along with the comfort came a tingling sense of arousal and desire. A deep, all-consuming need that only he could fulfill.

“Breathe in deep and relax. And try to remember that you're not a teenager in this house anymore and you sure as hell aren't alone.” He whispered the words into her ear, his voice deep and husky.

Without thinking, she leaned against his shoulder. “It's a good thing I'm older and wiser because I really am overwhelmed.” No matter how much she tried to tell herself otherwise. “Your being here means everything to me.”

“Have I ever let you down?”

She shook her head. Ty always came to her rescue. He loved playing the role of her savior. It didn't matter if it was as big a thing as rescuing her from returning to her uncle or someone in school giving her a hard time. Ty had always been there.

“Lilly!”

She turned to see a tall, balding man stride toward her. His features were an eerie mix of her father and her uncle Marc, making it easy to see the men were related. But so many years had passed, she had to be sure. “Uncle Robert?” she asked.

“You remember me?” he asked, walking up and taking her hands in his.

She nodded. “A little. But the family resemblance made it easier.” She shifted toward Ty. “This is my father's other brother,” Lacey explained. “And this is Tyler Benson, an old friend,” she said, the word
friend
a pale description of what Ty was to her.

“A pleasure,” Uncle Robert said.

“Likewise.” Ty studied the man as they shook hands.

“Where's Aunt Vivian?” Lacey wouldn't recognize her but she did remember he'd been married.

“I take it you haven't heard.” The other man's eyes glazed over and Lacey realized she'd touched a sad subject. “She had a stroke a few years ago and she requires constant care. She's in a facility back home.”

“I'm sorry.”

“No need. It's part of life,” her uncle said.

Obviously he'd had years to come to terms with his wife's situation.

A few seconds of awkward silence followed.

“Lilly and I were just about to get some fresh air.” Ty broke the tension and nudged her forward with his hand.

“It was nice seeing you,” Lacey said to her uncle. She shot a grateful glance at Ty. She'd been uncomfortable with her uncle who was virtually a stranger.

So were the rest of the guests who must be friends of her uncle and his fiancée because Lacey knew no one. She and Ty stepped outside onto the terrace, which thanks to the nice autumn weather, had been opened for the party.

“My mother used to play bridge with friends out here,” Lacey said. She inhaled, forcing cool, fresh air into her lungs and immediately felt more centered. “I don't know what I was thinking, coming here.”

Ty leaned against the railing. “You needed to see the house, the people. Gain some closure. It's understandable if you ask me.”

She inclined her head. “I'm going to go to the bathroom. When I get back, would you mind if we left?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes, I mind. I wanted to stay and shut down the place,” he said, grinning.

“You're a laugh riot.” She playfully poked him in the shoulder. “I'll be back in a few minutes.”

“I'll miss you.” He met her gaze with a sizzling one of his own.

Surprised and pleased, she turned and wound her way through the crowd, heading for the bathroom. Not the powder room downstairs but the one in the upstairs hall, directly outside the old bedroom where she'd grown up.

M
olly watched Tyler Benson over the rim of her Diet Coke glass. Lacey had walked toward the doors seconds before, leaving Ty alone. Drink in hand, he wandered around the room crowded with guests. Like Hunter, Ty was obviously a man who kept to himself and in this crowd, Molly couldn't blame him.

Coming here hadn't been easy on Lacey or on Ty. The past probably surrounded them until they wanted to choke on it, Molly thought. But they'd come. And she was grateful.

She might be silly, but she hoped they could all come to a peaceful coexistence just as she prayed her mother was finally marrying for love and not money. She wondered which wish, if any, had a chance in hell of coming true.

She walked over to Hunter's best friend. “Ty?” she asked, capturing his attention.

He turned. “Hello again.” He greeted her with warmth.

She enjoyed studying people and Ty, with his dark hair and hooded expression gave off a rebel-like attitude she couldn't mistake. He was guarded and she understood why.

“Enjoying yourself?” she asked wryly.

“I'm hanging in there.” She caught a hint of laughter in his voice.

“Well, I'm glad you could make it.”

“Thanks.” He placed his empty glass on a passing waiter's tray, then shoved his hands into his pockets.

“I heard you had a little excitement at the mall the other night.”

She nodded. “I'm still shaking.” She still saw that car coming at them. Good thing Lacey had such quick reflexes, she'd thought over and over since then.

“I can understand. Mind if I ask you something?” Ty gestured to an empty corner of the room where they could speak in private.

“Of course not.” She stepped toward the area he'd suggested. “What is it?” He had her curious.

Ty leaned close. “How'd Dumont take it when you told him about Lilly being alive?”

She tried not to stiffen. She attempted not to become defensive. She tried and failed even though he was entitled to have that question answered and a whole lot more. But the truth was, Molly didn't have the answers he sought. She'd asked Marc the bare minimum—what she could handle hearing and no more. Molly hadn't considered herself a coward but faced with losing the inroads she'd made with getting closer to her mother and having a family, she discovered she was definitely a coward and more.

“Why do you want to know?” she asked Ty warily.

“Because,” Ty said.

“Because isn't an answer and you know it.”

He gave her a curt nod. “Because the last time something happened that screwed up Dumont's plans, he reacted. Lives were changed as a result. And he might be playing the role of the good, repentant uncle by inviting Lilly here, but I'm not buying into it. And I intend to make sure she doesn't suffer again because of some revenge scheme he has going.” Ty ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the wall, his gaze locked with Molly's.

She admired his defense of Lilly and wondered if anyone would ever love her enough to look out for her that way. She'd certainly never experienced it before, not even as a child, which probably explained why she fought to keep her mother's love now.

“Let me tell you something,” she said, focusing on Ty's words. “You and Hunter might think I've been taken in by Marc's charms but I haven't been. I weigh facts and I make up my own mind.” Except this time she hadn't asked. But Ty didn't need to know that.

He grinned. “That's good to know.”

“What's got you smiling all of a sudden?”

“You're feisty.”

“So?”

“You could give a man like Hunter a run for his money,” Ty said, his dark mood lifting just for a moment.

She was shaken by his perceptive words. “We're not talking about me and Hunter.”

Ty nodded. “I wish we were. That kind of conversation would be much more fun.”

She had to laugh, then, because he'd mentioned Hunter, she decided to tell him the truth. “Look, I went to Marc and told him Lacey was alive, just like Hunter expected me to do.”

“And?” Ty prodded.

She drew a deep breath. “He was stunned. At first, he was angry, then he controlled it,” she said, remembering. “Finally, he asked me to leave so he could be alone. I did. That's all I know.” Molly brushed her hand over her black dress, smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles. Then she toyed with the fringes on her bright lavender belt.

That conversation had been one of the most painful she'd ever had, mostly because of all the questions she hadn't asked. She couldn't look at Ty head-on knowing what Hunter claimed Marc Dumont had done to him and to his friends. And she hated feeling selfish because she had every right to the close-knit family she desired. Didn't she?

Marc had become an important part of Molly's life. A father figure of sorts, someone who seemed to want her around. After a lifetime of being pushed away by the adults in her life, that mattered. Even as she struggled to reconcile the monster these people claimed Marc had once been with the man she knew now.

Molly glanced at Ty. “You have to understand that I met Marc at a different stage in his life. He said he goes to an AA meeting every week and I believe him. And yes, I know getting Lacey's money was a part of his plan when he proposed to my mother, but he seems accepting of how things are now that Lacey is alive.”

“Okay,” Ty said at last.

“That's it? That easily?”

He pushed himself off the wall and straightened. “I know you believe what you're telling me, and that's good enough for now. Just watch your back,” he said by way of warning.

“Not to worry. I can take care of myself.”

He glanced at his watch. “Lilly's been gone awhile.”

Molly glanced toward the doorway. “Why don't you go find her,” she suggested.

Because she could definitely use a stronger drink.

 

T
Y FELT BAD
about grilling Molly, but he'd needed to push her in order to gauge her honest reaction to Dumont and to the situation they all found themselves in. He'd also been assessing her for Hunter's sake. Ty was looking out for his best friend who had strong feelings for this woman. Her mother was marrying into a snake pit and he wondered where Molly fit into the family.

Which brought him to another question. Where in the world had Lilly disappeared to in this monstrosity of a house? Ty couldn't imagine what she was feeling now any more than he could envision growing up in a place like this. The house was a mansion, the grounds seemingly endless. He wondered if Lilly could separate the later years she spent here from her childhood and remember the place held good memories, too. Either way Ty was certain the absence of her mother and father made this visit extra difficult for her now.

After he checked the downstairs bathrooms, he climbed the long stairs in the foyer and began searching the empty rooms upstairs. There were bedrooms that looked as if they'd been closed off for years. He'd look in, find it empty and move on. At the end of the hall, there was a double door that must lead to the master bedroom suite and he started heading in that direction.

Although there was a crowd downstairs, the low hum of voices receded as he walked further away. As he came closer to the master suite, he realized there was another bedroom adjacent with a light shining from inside.

Bingo, he thought. He slowly opened the door and stepped inside.

 

L
ACEY SAT
in the middle of her old twin bed, a stuffed animal she'd been forced to leave behind in her arms. She'd spent the time since she'd walked out of the party wandering the old rooms upstairs. Not much had changed, except for the master bedroom. That Marc had transformed into a bachelor's room with dark colors and old wood furniture. She remembered her parents' bleached-wood, light-blue-painted furniture and she immediately began to cry.

Not quiet tears but big, gulping uncontrollable sobs, caused in part by being in her own home, surrounded by strangers. It had been years since Lilly had fallen apart or even let herself become so immersed in memories that she cried. She couldn't afford to be weak when she'd needed to be strong in order to keep going on. Forward. Living life no matter what stood in her way.

But the complete change of her parents' room had thrown her badly and when she closed her eyes, the memories of all she'd lost flooded through her.

“Lilly?” Ty asked quietly. “I've been looking for you.”

She opened her eyes and met his somber gaze. “I got distracted,” she whispered, her fingers digging into the ratty fur of her old stuffed pet.

He strode forward and seated himself beside her. “Your old room?” he asked.

She nodded.

“It hasn't changed,” he said, glancing around.

“I know. Either he didn't have the money or…I don't know why.”

“Are those ladybugs on the walls?”

“Red, white and royal blue ladybugs,” she said proudly. “I chose the wallpaper with my mom.” Lacey bit down on her lower lip. “She said bright colors would keep me cheerful all the time.”

He looked around some more. “Looks like a happy place to grow up. Was she right?”

“Until she and my father died.” Without warning, Lacey swung her feet off the bed and stood. “Let's get out of here, okay?”

“You're the boss.” He rose, following her lead.

“Don't lie. You don't let anybody call the shots,” she said.

“Unless it's you,” he muttered.

Or at least those were the words she thought she heard him say as she turned off the light, then shut the bedroom door behind her for the last time.

 

L
ACEY STOOD
by Ty's side as he gave the valet the ticket for his car. Instead of focusing on the night she'd had, she thought about Ty instead. The valet in a green jacket appeared, driving Ty's nondescript American car. Not a sports car, not a truck, just a car. Ty tipped the other man and climbed inside. Lacey followed him in, settling into the passenger seat.

As he pulled down the long driveway, she took in the strength and air of authority he brought to everything he did. For the hundredth time, she admired his handsome bone structure and sexy mouth that held a tiny dimple on the right side when he smiled. Which wasn't often enough, Lacey thought.

Ty was as complex as the things that surrounded him were simple. He was a deep man who kept his feelings inside but who gave of himself just by being there. He seemed to sense and show up when she needed him, and he knew when to give her space. Ten years apart and he knew her better than she even knew herself.

Lacey leaned her head back, feeling the tension seep out of her body the further from the house he drove. “I realized something tonight,” she said softly.

“What's that?”

She took a breath and rolled her head toward him.

“It's not a house that makes a home, it's the people who live there. That big house was full of strangers and the living room wasn't the same place where my parents and I spent Christmas by the fireplace. Without them there, the place is just an empty shell of something that once was.” Her voice quivered but along with that realization came a sense of calming peace.

He glanced over for a brief second and treated her to an understanding smile. Whenever he looked at her like that, like she was the only person on earth who mattered, her pulse soared and shivers of awareness danced through her body.

“That's a huge revelation,” he said, his voice gruff.

She nodded. “It let me leave that house behind because I know I'll always have my parents with me. In here.” She placed her hand over her rapidly beating heart.

“I'm really glad you're okay. I know it's been a rough night.”

She laughed. “That's putting it mildly.”

“So what now? Do you want to go back to my place?” he asked.

She shook her head. She'd much rather avoid being alone with him in the close confines of his apartment. The sexual tension was getting so thick she couldn't stand it. “I'd rather drive around for a while if it's okay with you.”

“My pleasure.”

She hit the power window button and let fresh air into the car. He did the same and soon they were driving fast, the breeze blowing around them and the radio cranked up loud. She let the cold air whip her hair onto her cheek, enjoying the rush of adrenaline flowing through her system. Half an hour passed in silence and when Ty ran out of back roads and highway exits, he headed for home.

“For the most part, things around town look pretty much the same,” Lacey said as they drove down Main Street and turned the corner that led to his apartment around the back of the bar.

He nodded. “You know what they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same.” He parked in his usual spot behind the building and after getting out of the car, she followed him up the stairs to his apartment.