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“Can I ask you something personal?” I ask after more time passes.
“Sure.”
“Are you married?
“No.”
“Girlfriend?”
“Nope.”
“Hmm.” I pinch my lips and move them side to side.
“Why are you asking?”
“Why are you single?”
Ty laughs. “This sounds like a dating interview.”
“I’m just shocked you aren’t taken. It makes me believe there’s something wrong with you because it’s certainly not your good looks or heart of gold. Do you have a weird third nipple or something? Chicks can be so vain sometimes. And you have that Southern thing going for you, which most girls like, so that’s a point in your favor. From what I noticed, you’re fit and you’re also tall, which women also love. So honestly, what is it? What’s wrong with you?”
Ty’s silent before he looks at me and cracks a smile. “I’ve learned you’re a rambler, especially when you’re nervous or bored, so I’m going to take what you just said with a grain of salt.”
I laugh and throw back my head because dammit he’s right. I’m totally a rambler. “Sorry. You’re correct. I talk a lot when I feel like I have no control, and right now I’m driving myself crazy with overthinking.”
“I told you to trust me, Maddie,” he states confidently. “I didn’t let Eric near you, nor did you go hungry, and I even bought you tampons you probably didn’t need.”
I cackle at his words. “You’re only proving my point further. The perfect guy. So what’s wrong with you? You wanna keep my mind occupied, talk to me about you.”
He shrugs, but I catch the corner of his lips as it tilts up. “Alright, I guess I can handle that. We’ll be driving all night anyway.”
“Good.”
“For starters, you can call me Tyler. Ty was what I told everyone, so it’d help me stay in character when I heard it. I’m single because, like Liam, I didn’t have the best upbringing. I don’t trust myself in a relationship due to past experiences, and now I don’t date women long enough to know if I can trust them.”
“Well, that certainly sounds like Liam.” I half-laugh, half-frown.
Tyler continues to entertain me by telling me a little about growing up in Lawton Ridge and how he got into boxing and became a trainer. It’s fascinating.
I end up drifting off, and when Tyler wakes me, I realize we’re stopped.
“What’s going on?” I ask, looking around and noticing we’re at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere.
“I texted Liam to let me know when he was alone and could talk. He just responded. It’s time.”
Chapter Eight
LIAM
Victoria has been sicker than usual, and while I’m somewhat concerned and try to help, she blows me off. I’m not a complete dickhead when someone isn’t feeling well, but she’s shown her true colors this past week when the truth came out. Sympathy is the last thing she deserves from me. However, I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t. Between the morning sickness and her body recovering from the fender bender, she’s extra whiny.
Standing in the kitchen, I make myself a sandwich because it’s a safe bet. The other day when I warmed food in the microwave, Victoria nearly castrated me when the smell made her nauseous, so I’ve resorted to ham and cheese.
As I spread mayo on a piece of bread, my nerves get the best of me. How much longer is this going to go on? I’ve been so unhinged since I received that text from Tyler. I’ve been anxiously awaiting an update and have grown more concerned by the silence. No news isn’t always good news when dealing with the O’Learys, especially because two people I care about are in a remote location. If anything goes wrong, it could take days for me to find out from Victoria, if she even mentions it. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I check it in case I missed any calls or text, but there’s nothing. After I eat, I change into some workout clothes and go for a run in the gym Victoria has setup in her penthouse, though she never uses it. I’m convinced it was something for her to spend extra money on.
I run until my heart feels as if it will beat straight out of my chest. My shirt is soaked, and I stand with my hands over my head, trying to breathe. Unfortunately, my mind is still on Maddie and Tyler, and I stupidly hoped wearing myself out would force me to think about something else. The stress of all of this is almost too much.
Victoria’s game is to make Maddie fall for someone else—like Tyler—and hope I’ll stay being her husband and father to her babies. She knows losing Maddie would hurt worse than any physical thing her father could do to me, which is why she did it.
