Carly Phillips - Cross My Heart

“Why now? All of a sudden you want to move? I thought you loved the city and this neighborhood. You thought this apartment cozy and perfect.”

“I do think it’s cozy and perfect for the two of us and the dog.” Lilly rose and walked over to his chair, giving Digger a gentle shove. The dog was forced to hop onto the floor so Lilly could settle into Ty’s lap and wind her arms around his neck. “But if we were to expand this family then this place is too small, don’t you think?” she asked.

Hint hint, she thought, snuggling in closer to his warmth.

“Hey, are you trying to tell me you’re pregnant?” he asked, clearly surprised and a little nervous if his roughened voice was any indication.

She shook her head. “I’m trying to tell you I want to be. That is if you’re game, too.”

He wrapped his hands around her waist. “Oh, I’m game.” He shifted his thighs beneath her, letting her feel exactly how ready he was to make her dreams come true.

She laughed. “What about in here?” she asked, lightly tapping his chest. “Is a family something you’ve thought about?”

He nodded. “I just knew we’d been using protection and so…”

“No surprises,” she assured him, understanding now what had caused his nervous reaction.

Ty liked things planned and thought out, as she’d been learning about him the longer they were together. It was what made him such a great P.I., that he could pull the strands of different things together and figure out possibilities other people might otherwise miss.

“Not to worry, you’ll be in on this project from the very beginning.” She wiggled her bottom against his erection and let the waves of desire wash over her.

Not just desire, she corrected herself, but love. She loved him with all her heart and soul.

“We can start looking at houses anytime you want.” He planted a kiss on her lips. “Happy?” he asked.

She nodded. “Very. It’s just that I feel guilty being so blissful when Hunter is so miserable.”

Ty tipped his head back and met her gaze, understanding in his eyes. “There’s not much we can do for him until he gets his act together and gets over Molly.”

Lacey raised her eyebrows. “Would you get over me so easily?”

His lips turned downwards in a frown. “It’s not the same thing.”

“You don’t know that. I saw how they were together. He loves her.”

“And she betrayed him. He put his heart on the line and she stomped all over it,” Ty said in true defense of his best friend. “People get involved with the wrong person and they move on. Look at you and Alex.”

Lacey’s ex had called her not long after Ty’s arrival. Ty had answered the phone and passed it to her with a growl, but at least he hadn’t hung up on the man. They’d had a brief talk and to her surprise, Alex had apologized for his behavior when she’d broken up with him. He’d nursed his wounded pride just long enough to get over the idea of them, he’d said. And though they both knew they’d never be friends, at least their relationship hadn’t ended on a sour note, for which Lacey was grateful. Alex played a defining role in her life and she believed he’d allowed her to realize how much she missed and loved Ty.

Lacey sighed. “Alex and I had a meaningful relationship,” she said carefully. “But I never loved him and he admitted he’d been in love with the idea of marrying more than he’d been in love with me. ”

“That makes him an idiot and me a lucky man,” Ty said. “As for Hunter, let the man find his own solution. You can’t fix this for him.”

She pursed her lips in a pout. “But-”

“But nothing. You’ve already done all you can for Hunter, starting by paying off his student loans.”

Lacey winced, recalling Hunter’s angry tirade, but underneath his pride, she knew he appreciated the gesture. It was the least she could do for the man who’d done so much for her. “He’s still working too hard, going from woman to woman, it’s-”

“None of your business,” Ty insisted. As he spoke, his hands found their way beneath her T-shirt.

His palms were hot against her skin and his desire for her was very evident, pressing against her thigh, distracting her. Which she knew was his intent. She did her best not to moan aloud and send Digger running to interrupt.

“Hunter will fix his own future,” Ty said in a determined tone that instructed her not to meddle in their friend’s life. “In the meantime, let’s get started working on ours.”

And how could Lacey argue with that?