The young nurse smiled. “Of course, Ms. Collins. Have a nice day.”
Avery walked into Ty’s photo shoot feeling anxious about her decision. His reaction last night told her that he wouldn’t mind if they had conceived a baby, but after taking some time to think about it, he may have been grateful she decided to take the necessary action to undo their mistake. Only she hadn’t. She had made a decision that may well affect the rest of his life without even consulting him about it.
She stood in the doorway, watching him. He looked sexy, pensive, every woman’s fantasy. She had no doubt women would rush out in droves to buy his music and watch his videos. He had that unique quality that separated the millions of hopefuls from the handful of superstars.
She had been so engrossed in watching Ty that she hadn’t realized someone was standing behind her until she felt his hand on the small of her back. She jumped back, startled by the unexpected caress.
“You must be Avery.”
She looked up into the piercing blue eyes of one of the sexiest cowboys she had ever laid eyes on in the flesh. His black hair was peeking out under the brim of a black cowboy hat, which he tipped, flashing a wicked grin that told her awestruck reaction was par for the course.
She extended her hand, knowing without a doubt the cowboy in question was Ty’s younger brother. The resemblance was uncanny. The most notable difference was Ty’s clean-shaven appearance in contrast to the scruffier look his brother seemed to favor. “You must be Ty’s brother?”
“Sure am, J.T. McCall.” He took the hand she offered. “You’re even prettier than Ty said you were.”
She rolled her eyes. “Does that line usually work for you, cowboy?”
He chuckled. “Smart too. I can see why he’s got a thing for you.”
Her heart sped up at his innocuous comment. She was dying to ask his brother what he had said about her, but pride stopped her short of asking the question. “You just here to offer your brother a little moral support?” she asked, leaning her hip against the wall as she watched Andrew work his magic with his subject.
“You could say that.” He looked at her carefully. “Truth is, he was feelin’ a little down this morning. But I guess you’d know all about that now wouldn’t you, Avery?” His good ole’ boy charm faded in the blink of an eye. In its place was palpable resentment.
She took a step back when he moved in to crowd her personal space. “I don’t know what Ty told you, but...”
J.T. watched his brother carefully. “He told me enough.” J.T. waited for the photographer to call for a break before walking toward Ty. They exchanged a few words when Ty glanced in her direction, his expression unreadable.
J.T. walked toward her and seized her elbow. “I offered to run out and grab some food. Why don’t you come with me?”
She didn’t appreciate J.T.’s high-handed approach. “I think I’d rather stay.”
“Too bad,” he whispered, gripping her upper arm as he led her toward the bank of elevators.
She shook him loose and turned on him. “Who the hell do you think you are, man-handling me like that?”
He punched the button for the elevator. “I think I’m the guy who’s gonna prevent my brother from hooking up with another opportunist who is dumb enough to think she can use an innocent baby to trap him.”
Avery’s mouth dropped open. “What are you talking about?” She felt the bile rising in the back of her throat. “Did Ty say that he thought I tricked him into...”
He ushered her onto the elevator and punched the button for the lobby. “Ty’s a good guy; he likes to believe the best about people.” He leaned against the wall and set one booted foot over the other. “Me… not so much.”
She pretended to be unaffected by his words. “You’re too young to be so cynical, J.T.”
“I was just a kid when that bitch railroaded my brother, but I remember what it did to him, finding out Mel wasn’t his.” He gripped the railing behind him until his knuckles turned white. “It damn near destroyed him.”
She was struck by the unconcealed fury in his eyes and for the first time felt fear in the face of his rage. This was a man with a lot of suppressed anger where women were concerned, or maybe just one woman, his sister-in-law. And now she seemed to have earned membership in that elite club. “He told me about what happened with his wife.”
J.T. scowled. “She was never a wife to him. He was her one chance to secure her fifteen minutes of fame. When his record deal fell apart, she was gone. But not before she told him she’d been bangin’ his buddy for years.”
“I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like for him,” she said quietly.
“He was young. She was his first love. Then when he found out that this little girl he’d given his heart to wasn’t his, it damn near killed him. He was a mess for months after that, didn’t even wanna get outta bed in the morning.” The elevator opened and he gestured for her to step out ahead of him.
They were silent as they walked down the street to a small cafe that served sandwiches and pastries to the lunch crowd.
He held the door as she walked through. When she walked to the counter to place an order, J.T. placed his hand on her shoulder. “How ‘bout I get us a couple of coffees while you grab us a table. I’d like to talk a bit longer, if that’s okay with you?”
She hesitated, unsure she wanted to continue this conversation.
He sighed. “Look, I know I came on strong back there. I’m sorry. I guess I’m just overprotective after what I saw him go through with Abby.”
“Okay, but I’ve only got a few minutes. I need to get back.”
He nodded. “Fair enough.”
She claimed a vacant table in a rear corner of the crowded cafe and waited for J.T. to bring their beverages. She was a caffeine addict, but for the first time, she considered whether that may have to be one of the small sacrifices she would have to make to ensure a healthy pregnancy. She raised her hand to get J.T.’s attention.
He took a few steps toward her.
“Can you make mine herbal tea?”
“You got it. Can I get you anything else?”
“No thanks. I’ll just grab a sandwich to go when we’re ready to leave.”
“Okay.”
She watched him collect the foam cups, wink at the smitten waitress, and capture the attention of every female in the room without appearing to realize his effect on the female patrons. Avery couldn’t help but smile when he finally claimed the seat across from her. “Tell me, have you got a girlfriend, J.T.?”
He chuckled. “Let’s just say I’m playin’ the field.”
“How’d I know you were gonna say that?”
His genial smile slipped when he looked her in the eye. “Ty told me everything. What happened two years ago and again last night.”
She took the plastic lid off her cup. “I’m not comfortable talking to you about this. I understand that you’re trying to protect your brother, but he’s a grown man. He can take care of himself.”
J.T. leaned back, stretching his long legs out in front of him. “You’re a straight shooter. I admire that.”
She sensed the veiled compliment was leading into a warning so she remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
“Fact is, I think you made the right call, going to see the doctor this morning.”
Ty really hadn’t left out a single detail, a matter she intended to discuss with him later. “Again, I have no intention of discussing that with you,” she said, trying to remain calm.
“You don’t have to. When I stopped to think about it, I realized if you had been trying to trap him you wouldn’t have to gone to those lengths to rectify the mistake you two made last night. You would’ve just hoped like hell that you got pregnant and sprung it on him when it was too late to do anything about it, sorta like Abby did when she told him about Mel. She knew my brother was a stand-up guy and if he knew a woman was carrying his baby, he’d insist on marrying her, whether he loved her or not.”
Trying to appear unaffected by his words, she took a sip of her herbal tea. She hated herbal tea. The flavor of the tea, mixed with J.T.’s words, made her want to retch.
“Anyways, I guess this is all a moot point now, right?”
She nodded her head, not meeting his eyes.
He reached across the table to touch her hand. “Listen, I’m sorry if I acted like a jerk earlier. If you and my brother want to be together, you’re right, that’s no one else’s business. I just don’t want to see him get hurt again.” He squeezed her hand to draw her attention to his face. “So if you’re not interested, best to tell him now. Don’t lead him on. He doesn’t deserve that.”
She cleared her throat, trying to push words past the lump that had formed. “You’re right, he doesn’t.”
He stood, pushing his chair back. “Good, I’m glad we cleared the air. Now, what can I get you to eat?”
She shook her head. “Actually, I’m not very hungry after all.”
Ty was planning to kill J.T. when he got his hands on him. The fact that he had corralled Avery the minute she walked in the door told Ty that had been his plan all along. He appreciated his family’s concern, but his relationship with Avery was already precarious. The last thing he needed was J.T. saying or doing something to put more distance between them.
After he’d had time to cool off, he realized Avery had been right last night. She made the responsible decision, thinking with her head while he’d allowed his heart to lead him.
“We got some great shots today, Ty,” Andrew said, smiling. “I think Avery will find at least half a dozen she can use.”
Ty heard the outer door open and Avery and his brother walked in, carrying several paper bags from the corner deli. She looked tired, distraught, scared. Ty was definitely going to kill his brother.
“Are we done here, Andrew?” Ty asked.
He set his camera down on a nearby table. “We are and not a moment too soon. I don’t know about y’all, but I’m starving.”
Avery smiled and held a paper bag out to him. “I guess we arrived just in time, then, didn’t we?”
He grinned and accepted her offering. “You are an angel.”
“J.T., can I have a word with you outside?” Ty asked.
“Sure,” J.T. said, setting a bag and tray of cups down on Andrew’s desk.
When they were down the hall and out of earshot, Ty said, “What the hell did you say to her?”
J.T. shrugged, looking guilty. “I just told her I thought she made the right call going to the doctor and that if she wasn’t serious about you that she should cut you lose.”
Ty slammed his brother against the wall, knocking his cowboy hat off as he fisted his cotton shirt in both hands. “What the hell gives you the right to mess with my life?”
“I’m just lookin’ out for you, man. You’d have done the same thing in my situation.”
The rage slowly seeped out of his body. He knew J.T. was right. He would have done the same thing for any one of his brothers. He slowly released his brother. “I just don’t want to lose her, man.”
J.T. gripped his shoulder. “Ty, I hate to say this, but I don’t think you ever had her in the first place.”
Ty glared at him. “I think the fact that she slept with me last night proves that she’s into me. Avery’s not like you, J.T.. She’s not into recreational sex.”
“I didn’t say she was. Tell me something. Has she ever told you she’s ready to make a commitment?”
Ty knew where this was going and he wasn’t ready to acknowledge the fact that Avery may not be ready for the kind of relationship he wanted. He chose to believe she just needed more time to come around to his way of thinking. “Look, we haven’t known each other long, but she’s really starting to open up to me.”
“You’re not answering my question. Has she or has she not told you that she’s ready for the kind of relationship that you seem to want?”
Ty didn’t even have to think about it. He knew Avery’s position on relationships. Even without Abby as an obstacle between them, he couldn’t be certain Avery would allow him to get any closer than he had last night and in his mind that wasn’t nearly close enough. He wanted to know everything there was to know about her. He wanted to know what made her laugh, what made her cry, her plans for the future.
His brother was right; he’d been acting on impulse, rushing to get her into bed, instead of trying to build a solid foundation of friendship that would allow their relationship to succeed over the long haul. His marital status wasn’t likely to change anytime soon, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t use that time to make Avery fall in love with him.
“You’re right,” Ty said, sighing. “I’ve been pushing too damn hard. It’s just that no woman has ever affected me the way she does.”
J.T. chuckled as he bent to pick up his cowboy hat and settle it on his head. “I can certainly see why. She’s hotter than hell.”
“I’m serious, man. When we hooked up a couple of years ago, it felt like I’d been hit by a Mack truck. I knew there was something different about her. Then I woke up and she was gone. You don’t know what that did to me,” he said quietly.