Page 169 of What Started In Deception

“Yeah.”

She quickly brushed away the tears on her cheeks. “So, what does all of this mean for you guys?”

“I don’t know. I love Will. Of course I do, but I don’t trust him anymore. I don’t know how to have a marriage with a man whom I can’t count on. He didn’t sleep with another woman, but in so many ways, he still betrayed me.”

Lydia pressed her hand to her heart, hating that Mac was in so much pain—that Will undoubtedly was too. “Maybe a counselor could help you guys. If that’s even what you want.”

Mac took a second to blow her nose. “I don’t know what I want right now. Will’s staying in a hotel for the next few days so he can see the kids, but I’m going to stay with my parents for a while, certainly while Will gets himself some help and tries to figure some stuff out.”

Lydia nodded. “That sounds smart.”

“Mm-hmm,” Mac said. “He got a new phone that doesn’t have internet. It only calls and texts, so he can’t place any bets. And he had his first virtual session with a therapist who specializes in gambling addiction while he was visiting James and Cindy down in DC. They’ll meet a couple times a week for the foreseeable future.”

“Those sound like some good first steps.”

“They are,” Mac agreed. “He said he’s going to prove to me that he loves the kids and me more than he does gambling.”

Lydia pressed her hand to her heart again. “I want him to succeed. For himself. For all of you.”

“Me, too. He also told me that he doesn’t want the partnership at work. He wants to find a new law firm—something with more family-friendly hours.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“I think he’s really good at what he does. Any place that he applies to would be lucky to have him.”

She smiled, feeling optimistic because there was still so much love between Mac and Will despite their problems. “How can I help you, Mac?”

“We can talk about something else for a while—anything else. You and Ty would be a good start.”

She wrinkled her nose. “It didn’t work out, Mac.”

“Yeah, that’s what you said, but why? Because you two looked perfectly in sync on the many occasions I saw you together. You guys have off-the-charts chemistry. I thought I was going to get pregnant just from watching the way he kissed you at the door after your date.”

Lydia laughed. Her first big laugh in days. “You have such a way with words.”

Mac chuckled. “You guys are so sexy, Lydia. You seemed so happy, so what changed?”

“We want different things,” she said, focusing on the truth, relieved that all of the FBI business was mostly finished. Because she didn’t want to lie anymore. “I want a family—a husband and kids. He’s focused on his job.”

“He seemed like he had plenty of time for you in between clients.”

She rolled her eyes because Mac had no idea how false that was. “Yeah, but summer in Massachusetts isn’t real life. It’s a vacation. Ty and I are back in reality again, and what we have doesn’t work.”

“Can I ask you something?”

She started tracing the edge of her computer, already certain that she wasn’t going to like Mac’s question. “You know you can.”

“Are you in love with him?”

She traced it faster, glancing at the box she’d tossed his items into on the floor nearby.

“Lydia?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you in love with Ty?”

“You know I am.”