Ty expected the inquisition. He knew Avery’s parents weren’t the type of people to blindly give their consent without having all the facts. “You know that I’m a musician, born and bred just outside of Nashville. My parents and my younger brother still live there. My oldest brother is in the military and my other brother is a police detective in Arkansas.”
Grant nodded. “Those are admirable career choices. Can I ask why you chose music?”
Ty laughed. “I didn’t exactly choose music, sir. It sort of chose me.”
Grant smiled. “I’ve met a lot of musicians who’ve said the same thing.” He winked. “In my line of work, I’ve met some pretty high-profile entertainers.”
“I can imagine.” Ty knew he probably seemed like a minion compared to the legends he’d met. The idea of their daughter settling down with a musician who had yet to make a name for himself was probably less than appealing to two high achievers like Anna and Grant Collins.
“I admire someone who follows their dream in spite of the obstacles,” Anna said quietly. “It shows you have confidence, focus, and determination. That says a lot about the kind of man you are.”
“I agree,” Grant said. “You’re making your dream come true and if you can believe the critics, you have a very lucrative career ahead of you.”
Ty dipped his head, feeling humbled by their unexpected praise. “Thank you. I certainly hope so. This is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do. In fact, I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.”
“I read that your debut single is in the top ten,” Grant said, smiling. “That’s no small feat.”
“I feel incredibly blessed that the country music fans have taken to the song.”
“It seems you’ve got the best people in the business in your corner… Luc, Trey, Avery,” Grant said. “It’s difficult to imagine things won’t turn out the way you want them to, son. As long as you continue to work hard and believe in yourself, good things will continue to happen for you.”
“I certainly hope so. There are a lot of people counting on me. I don’t want to let anyone down.”
“Do you have a back-up plan?” Anna asked. “If your music career doesn’t work out as you hope?”
Ty chuckled. “Well, I have a degree if that’s what you’re asking, ma’am. Although I wouldn’t say I’ve ever thought of that as a back-up plan. My parents have been ranchers all their lives, but they’re selling off the land and planning for their retirement.” He hesitated, knowing he mustn’t sound like the kind of husband they’d envisioned for their only child. “So I guess the answer is no. Not succeeding in this business is not an option for me.”
Grant and his wife looked at each other and smiled. “That kind of determination will see that you do succeed, Ty. If you had a back-up plan, you might be tempted to resort to that when things got tough.”
Ty was surprised and relieved that his response seemed to please them. “I can assure you, when I commit to something, I give it one hundred and ten percent, sir.”
“Does that include your relationship with my daughter?” Grant asked. “Have you considered how you’re going to be able to give her one hundred and ten percent when you’re on the road all the time, pursuing your career?”
Ty knew it wasn’t going to be that easy to win them over. He’d anticipated they would put some obstacles in his path. “I have thought about that. Fortunately, Avery understands what it takes to make it in this business. She supports me and my career wholeheartedly. She’s as determined to see me succeed as I am.”
“That’s good to know,” Anna said. “Tell me, how long have you and Avery been seeing each other? She hasn’t mentioned you during any of our phone conversations. Not that I’m surprised. She’s never been very forthcoming about her personal life.”
“To be honest, we met a couple of years ago, but we just reconnected recently.”
“So you haven’t been seeing each other very long?” Grant asked.
“No, sir.”
“Then how do you know she’s the one, Ty?” Anna asked.
Ty chuckled. “Would it seem ridiculous to say it’s a gut instinct? When I met her a couple of years ago, I knew there was something special about her. Then when we reconnected I had to assume there was a reason she came back into my life.”
Anna smiled. “I admire a man who’s smart enough to trust his instincts and act on them before it’s too late. Too often we don’t act on our impulses and look back years later with regret.”
“Have you ever been married, Ty?” Grant asked.
Ty knew this question was coming and he’d mentally prepared for it. “Yes, sir. In fact, I’m in the process of filing for divorce now.”
Avery’s parents glanced at each other, seeming less than thrilled with his latest revelation. “No offense, but I don’t think you’re in any position to be thinking about marrying our daughter or anyone else right now,” Anna said, setting her glasses back on. She was clearly slipping from the mother role into the more familiar role of therapist. “Perhaps it would be prudent for you to take some time to analyze what went wrong in your first marriage before you consider entering into a second one.”
Ty felt certain she was going to whip out a file and start making notes at any moment. “I can certainly understand why you would feel that way, ma’am. But my marriage has been over for a number of years. I’ve had a great deal of time to reflect on the mistakes I’ve made and I can assure you I won’t make the same mistakes again.”
Grant leaned forward. “Do you mind if we ask what happened with your wife?”
Ty knew the only way he would win them over was to present himself as an open book, someone with nothing to hide. “I don’t mind at all. Abby and I were high school sweethearts. She got pregnant, so we got married our first year of college.” He looked down at his clasped hands.
Anna raised her eyebrows. “You have a child?”
“Yes, ma’am. Although Melanie isn’t biologically mine, I do consider her my daughter.”
Grant frowned. “I don’t understand. Melanie is the child Abby was carrying when you married her?”
“Yes, sir. I believed she was my biological daughter. I didn’t find out the truth until Melanie was eighteen months old. By that time, we’d already bonded...” Ty felt the familiar tightening in his chest whenever he talked about that time in his life, like his heart was breaking all over again.
“But you continued to be a father to Melanie, even after you found out the truth about her paternity?” Anna asked.
“I do my best to try and be a part of her life. Her mama’s not in the picture anymore. She lives with her maternal grandparents now, but I try and see her every weekend.”
Grant smiled. “That’s very commendable, Ty. It sounds like that little girl is very lucky to have you in her life.”
Ty shrugged, feeling troubled that people often praised him for adding value to Melanie’s life. In his mind, she had given him more than he would ever be able to give her. Having Mel in his life had made him a better man. “The way I see it, I’m lucky to have her.”
Anna smiled at her husband. “Not a lot of men would feel that way in your situation.”
He propped his elbows on his knees. “In answer to your question about Abby, my marriage has been over ever since I found out she lied to me about Mel’s paternity. I remained in the marriage for financial reasons.” It was important to Ty that Avery’s parents didn’t paint him as a saint because of his devotion to Melanie. He wanted them to know the kind of man he was, flaws and all.
Grant glared at him. “Are you telling us your wife is supporting you and that’s the only reason you’ve stayed in this marriage?”
Ty held his hand up. “No, sir, that’s not what I’m saying at all.” He didn’t want Avery’s parents to come away from their meeting with the misguided notion that he was a saint, but he didn’t want them to think of him a deadbeat either. “My in-laws were concerned about some of the choices Abby was making. They thought she might be inclined to jump into another ill-advised marriage.”
“But she couldn’t do that if she were still married to you?” Anna asked.
“That’s right.”
Grant leaned back and folded his arms. “So you worked out a financial arrangement with your in-laws? They agreed to support you as long as you didn’t divorce their daughter?”
Ty could only imagine their opinion of him, based on the conclusions they were drawing. “No, my in-laws have never given me a dime, sir.”
Anna shook her head. “Ty, I’m confused. You said there was a financial arrangement in place that motivated you to stay in this marriage, yet you’re not receiving any financial compensation?”
Ty chuckled, wondering if he had any reason to be amused when he seemed to be losing ground with each word he uttered. “I apologize for making this seem so complicated. It’s really not. The fact is, my parents had fallen on some hard times a few years back and they were going to lose everything. They couldn’t get a bank loan, so my father-in-law stepped up and offered them a ten-year loan with very favorable terms if I agreed to stay married to their daughter.”
“How did your parents feel about this deal?” Grant asked.
Ty remembered the bitter argument that had ensued when he told his parents about the deal he’d made with his father-in-law. They were dead-set against the idea, but the alternative was equally unthinkable. Without that money, they would have lost everything they’d spent a lifetime building. Ty’s solution was their only option. “They weren’t happy about it. They wanted me to divorce Abby and put the whole mess behind me so I could move on with my life.”
“You said earlier that your parents were selling the ranch and planning to retire?” Anna asked.
Ty smiled. She must be a stellar therapist; it seemed she didn’t miss a single detail. “That’s right. They wanted to hold on to the ranch, hoping one of their boys might want to take over one day, but it seems we’re all following our own path.”
“So that’s why you’ve decided to file for divorce now?” Grant asked.
“Yes, sir, that and the fact that your daughter came into my life. Had it not been for her, I probably would have maintained the status quo until the ten-year term was up.”
“How does Avery feel about all of this?” Grant asked.
Ty chuckled, recalling their heated argument when she found out the truth. “She wasn’t too thrilled about it, but I think she understands why I felt I had to do it to help my family.”
Anna regarded Ty carefully. “In my line of work, we often have to make swift judgements about people and situations. Like you, I’ve learned to trust my gut instinct and I have to say, I have a sense that you’re a good man.”
Ty grinned, feeling absurdly pleased with her assessment. He’d come here to win them over by being himself and it seemed he was succeeding. “Thank you, ma’am.”
Grant crossed his legs, setting his hand on his knee. “I have to agree with my wife on this, Ty. Based on what I know of you so far, I’m pleasantly surprised.”
Ty laughed, feeling infinitely more comfortable than he had when he arrived. “Thank you, I think.”
Grant laughed. “Let’s just say my daughter’s taste in men has been questionable, to say the least. I honestly didn’t expect her to find an honest, decent, hardworking young man such as yourself.”
Anna slapped her husband’s forearm. “Grant, hush, don’t start make disparaging comments about our daughter’s boyfriends.”
Now Ty felt like they were finally getting somewhere. He’d broken the ice, come clean about himself and his intentions, and it seemed they were finally ready to open up about Avery’s past. “Did she bring very many men home to meet you?”
Grant scoffed. “No, in fact she went to great lengths to avoid it. The few we did meet were obviously not in it for the long haul. Or should I say, Avery wasn’t in it for the long haul. I don’t know how you managed it, but if you’ve gotten our daughter to even consider the possibility of marriage in the foreseeable future, you should be commended.”
Ty had a sinking feeling in his stomach that led him to believe they were about to reveal information he may not be ready to hear. “You’re saying Avery doesn’t want to get married?”
Anna sighed. “Not as far as we can tell. Two of her previous boyfriends proposed and she promptly broke up with him, claiming she wasn’t ready for a commitment. Quite frankly, we were beginning to wonder if we’d ever be blessed with grandchildren.”
Maybe Ty had been deluding himself in believing he and Avery had a future together, as much as it pained him to admit it. “I’m surprised to hear you say that,” he said quietly. “I want to marry your daughter, but that obviously doesn’t mean she feels the same way about me.”
Grant sighed. “You’ve never actually asked her if she would consider marrying you?”
“She knows how I feel. I can’t imagine my future without her.”
Anna leaned forward. “Has she ever expressed an interest in a future with you, Ty?”
He wished he could say she had. “No.”
“Look, if you came here to ask for our approval, you have it. But I have a feeling it’s my daughter you’re going to have to convince,” Grant said quietly.