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“Great.” He started for her. “That’s all I needed to know.”
“No, it’s not.” She fended him off with her hand, backing him into a nearby chair. Then she crawled onto his lap and wrapped her arms around hisneck.
A muscle jerked in his jaw. “That bad, huh?”
“Maybe,” she whispered against his chest.
“Let me guess. Your real name is Bonnie and Lonnie is actually Clyde and you used to work in the banking industry.”
“Nope.”
“You’re a princess in disguise and we’re going to have to move to some European capital and raise little dukes and duchesses.”
She shook her head with a husky laugh.
His throat constricted as he swallowed. “You and Lonnie aren’t really divorced,” he whispered.
Is that what he thought? She gave him a reassuring hug. “Trust me, we’re divorced and I have the papers to prove it.”
“Well, honey, I’m fresh out of ideas. Idon’t suppose you want to tell me what the problem is?” When she didn’t answer, he gestured toward the envelope clutched in her hand. “I assume it has something to do with that letter you’re busy turning back into pulp. Tell me about it, sweetheart. Tell me what’s wrong.”
He was being so patient, so understanding. It wasn’t fair to keep him in suspense like this. Not since it was only her pride at stake. “I told you that when I left home with Lonnie, Iwas pregnant. But...” She moistened her lips. “But there’s one more thing I may not have mentioned.”
“And what’s that?”
“I...I also hadn’t graduated from high school.”
He frowned. “But you’re twenty-nine. How could you not have...?” A hint of color crawled across his cheekbones. “Never mind.”
She choked on a laugh. “I didn’t get held back, Ty. The truth is...” She took a deep breath. “I’m not twenty-nine, I’m twenty-six.” She waited while that sankin.
It didn’t take long. He shot up in the chair and her head cracked his chin. “Damn! You were sixteen when you got pregnant with Hutch?”
“Well...almost.” She struggled to escape his lap, but he wrapped his arms around her waist, refusing to let go. Giving up, she subsided against him. “I’d just completed my sophomore year. Lonnie was a senior. We’d been dating for a couple of months and we went to the prom together.” It was her turn to blush. “Suffice it to say it was a memorable night and we didn’t spend all of it dancing. Nor did we practice safe sex.” Her mouth twisted. “Talk about stupid kids.”
“Then you discovered you were pregnant?”
She nodded. “It finally dawned on me at some point during the summer. Lonnie had already graduated and offered to take me with him when he left town. As soon as my aunt and uncle realized I was leaving—with or without their permission—they let us get married.”
“And then Lonnie deserted you the month before you gave birth?” he questioned, disbelief evident in his gaze. “He deserted a sixteen-year-old child.”
She shrugged, fighting to distance herself from the emotions those memories stirred. “He had a better job offer. Or so he said. He promised to send money.”
“And did he?”
“Enough to get by.” Barely. “He wasn’t a total louse. But I wasn’t in any position to work. Even if I hadn’t been pregnant, it isn’t easy for a sixteen-year-old to get full-time employment, as I soon found out. Not the sort that will pay for food and rent and baby-sitting fees. So, as soon as Hutch was born, Igot a job by lying about my age. Since I looked older than sixteen and was so tall, Igot away with it. Once I’d saved up enough money, Iwent after Lonnie.”
“And that’s how you lived for the next five years? Chasing Lonnie?”
She attempted a grin that fell short. “Sounds like a movie title, doesn’t it?”
“What ended the chase?” He shook his head. “Never mind. Ithink I know.”
Time for another confession. “I heard Hutch telling you about our breakup.”
Ty shot her a telling look. “You should’ve given that man his walking plate and glass long before you did.”
“I realize that now. But I was young and scared and it took a while to figure out that I could make it on my own, that I didn’t need Lonnie.”
