These Foolish Things (28 page)

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know what I was doing. I knew I wanted
you in my life, but I forgot to make room for you. You’re right. You were right
when you said I thought you’d melt when you saw me this morning. You were right
when you said I took your love for granted,” here she could feel him laugh a
little, “even after I’d had to work so hard to get it.” Liz felt him rub his
cheek against her forehead. “Hell, you were even right to leave me when you did.”

Ty sat Liz back up and held her by the shoulders. Again, his
eyes locked with hers as he spoke softly, but firmly, “But I get to be right,
too. Coming here today was the right thing for me to do and you know it. We
belong together, Liz. I know this without question. Do you remember when I told
you that we’d have no idea what was coming, that you’d have to trust me?”

Liz nodded. Ty kissed her forehead. “Okay. Anytime things
get sticky for you, Liz, you run. When it’s fight or flight, Liz chooses
flight. And I keep running after you. You know why?” Liz didn’t answer. Ty
stroked a finger across her lips, “This,” he said very softly, “The two of us
is worth fighting for.” He lightly kissed her lips and whispered, “I don’t care
who I have to take on. You got away but that was temporary. I’m back in the
game. I’ve had two months of missing you and that was more than enough. I’ve
found the love of my life and she’s not getting away from me again. I’ll get on
my knees and beg, if you want, Liz. I love you that much.” Ty’s voice dropped
into a deep, dark whisper, “You said you still love me. Enough to try again?”

Liz didn’t say anything. Ty tried another tack. “Look, I’m
on a serious losing streak with you. Softball game, court case, contempt charge;
if word gets out, I’m gonna start losing clients. Throw me a bone, Liz, let me
win once in a while. It’s a guy thing.”

Despite herself, Liz giggled for the first time in months.

Ty kissed her forehead again. “All hope is not lost if I can
make you laugh. Will you take me back?” He leaned his forehead against hers.
“Name your terms, Counselor.”

Liz leaned forward and kissed Ty, slowly reacquainting
herself with that particular pleasure. Ty let her take charge of the moment.
Liz leaned back and said huskily, “I guess you still want me.”

With a wicked grin, Ty grabbed her backside and pulled her
as tightly as he could against himself. She could feel his erection. “What do
you think?”

Liz was blushing softly. She leaned into his embrace,
savoring the sensual warmth of him and his arms tightening around her, feeling
more at home and relaxed than she had since she’d last seen him.

She felt and heard Ty sniffing her neck. “Mmmm. Who’d have
thought Lysol could be such a turn-on?” she heard him murmur.

Lysol. “As much as I want to make love to you right now, Ty,
my love, I have to finish cleaning the house since I no longer have a
housekeeper.” Liz tried to sit up and remove herself from his lap. He held her
in place.

“It’s spotless. I bet you’ve been up since about 5 this
morning cleaning it. Am I right?” Liz nodded. Ty continued, “In that case, I
think you’d better get back to bed for a while and,” he paused to kiss her
again, “I’m coming with you.” He emphasized the “coming.”

Liz raised her eyebrows. “Are you inviting yourself into my
bed?”

“Into your bed, your house, your arms, your heart, your
dreams, anywhere I can be with you,” Ty replied. “Told you I wasn’t letting you
go again.”

“I haven’t said I’m taking you back,” Liz said teasingly. “Yes,
you are,” he countered, “or you would have slammed the door in my face.”

Liz bent her head and kissed him lightly. “Answer one
question for me and then...”

He returned the kiss. “What?”

“How much did Corey overcharge you for Norton?”

Ty looked innocent. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh yeah? He’s a purebred Maine Coon Cat and Corey’s the
only local breeder.” Liz turned her head and called, “Here, kitty, kitty.”

In a minute, two very similar kittens bounced down the
stairs and into view.

Ty stared at them, a bewildered scowl on his face. “I’m
sober.”

“Uh huh.” Liz kissed his temple.

“I’m not seeing double.”

Liz kissed him again. “Don’t think so, Babe.”

“Why am I seeing two kittens? I only brought one with me.”

“Right. You only brought one.”

As he thought about it, Ty rested his face against Liz’s
breasts again. “Your shirt needs a V neck. I brought one kitten and you already
had one here.”

“Not bad for a Rhodes scholar. Ouch!” as he pinched her
bottom.

Ty rubbed the spot he had pinched by way of apology. “They
look so much alike because they’re from the same litter. And Corey’s Alexis
produced the litter the same day Beanie died.” One hand began to creep under
the back of Liz’s shirt, heading for the band of her bra. She didn’t stop him.

“That’s Norton’s brother, Dodger, as in Brooklyn. I got him
from Corey a few days ago. He and Norton were chewing on each other and Norton
was very distraught that I took his buddy away from him.” Liz rubbed her cheek
on Ty’s head. “I was going to go back for him tomorrow. Thanks for saving me
the trip.” She tried to kiss his cheek, but Ty turned his head and Liz found
herself kissing him on the mouth again. A moment later, he had her bra unhooked
and his hand was sliding forward to cup her breast. Ty broke off the kiss long
enough to say, “That’s it. Upstairs. Now.”

“Ty’s way or the highway?” Liz asked. “What if…”

She didn’t get any further because Ty abruptly set her on
her feet with, “My way now, debate later.”

They made their way to Liz’s bedroom hand in hand. As Liz
tugged off Ty’s shirt, she noticed new definition in his chest and abdomen,
bigger shoulders and arms. Ty didn’t object as she ran her hand down his torso,
feeling the ripple and play of his muscles. She slid her hands upward and felt
the stronger, more defined body underneath his tanned skin.

“Counselor, you’ve been working out,” Liz purred, “I like it.”
She wrapped her arms around him and began kissing his chest, working her way up
to his neck and mouth. “Such strong arms you have.”

His breathing was ragged as he said, “The better to hold you
with, my dear. I found a rowing shell in the garage one day.” Liz felt him
slide his hand under her shirt and noticed the change. Where there had been
softness, now there were calluses on his hand.

Ty kissed her, tasting deeply from her lips. “I’ve started
rowing again. It’s the best gift anyone’s ever given me.” He hastily removed
his pants and they twined their naked bodies together. He kissed her again and
whispered, “You’ve given me myself back, Darling.”

Liz kissed him and murmured, “And you’ve brought back the
man I love.”

Liz opened her eyes and raised her head from the pillow. Had
she been dreaming or…

“Ty?”

“I’m here, Baby.” She heard the deep, soft voice and felt
the bed give as he sat next to her.

“I was afraid I was dreaming again,” she whispered.

“No, Darling, you’re awake. Want me to prove it?” He leaned
over and gently nipped her earlobe.

“Feel that?”

“Uh huh.” It felt divine.

“You’re not asleep, then.” He stroked her hair. “What do you
mean ‘dreaming again’?”

Liz squeezed her eyes shut. “It was bad. I either had
nightmares of Jimmy coming after me again or dreams that we were together and
making love like we did in the beginning. I’d wake up crying. It got so I
didn’t want to sleep.”

Ty gathered her in his arms. “My poor Liz.” He kissed the
side of her face.

As they leaned back from each other, Liz noticed Ty wasn’t
under the covers, no longer had a beard and was clothed. A sneaking suspicion
entered her mind.

Liz leaned back and folded her arms. “You shaved.”

“It itched.” He rubbed his jaw. “And it had served its
purpose.”

“Uh huh. Just how long have I been asleep?”

“About two hours.” She could see mischief in his eyes.

“And how long have you been awake?”

Ty checked his watch. “Actually, I didn’t really fall asleep.”
The suspicion got stronger.

“Why didn’t you stay in bed with me, Mr.
I-Want-to-Wake-Up-Next-to-My-Love?”

He was smiling. “I had things to do and I was next to my
love as she slept. She just didn’t wake up at the same time I did.”

Liz sat up. The closet door was open, revealing……empty
hangers.She closed her eyes. “I suppose my bureau is empty, too.”

“Probably. I may have missed a sock or two.”

Liz opened her eyes and looked severely at a grinning Ty.
“Where are my clothes, Ty?”

“Safe and sound.”

“We’ve done this before. You’ve already seen me naked
today...”

“Still one of my favorite sights,” Ty interjected.

“Thank you, may I have my clothes, please?”

“You don’t need them.” He was suppressing a big laugh.

Liz sighed. “Fine. You know what, I’ll just sleep until you
get tired of this.” She started to settle herself back into bed.

“The sheets’ll be gone and I’ve removed everything but a
face cloth from the bathroom,” Ty stated matter-of-factly.

Liz frowned. “Why didn’t I hear you doing all this?”

“I doubt you’d have heard a mariachi band in the hallway.
Judging from the snoring, you were sleeping pretty soundly.” Ty added quietly,
“Obviously something you haven’t really done for a while.” His grin was
replaced by loving concern as he gently pushed hair from Liz’s face and
smoothed out the frown lines with his fingertips.

“Why did you steal my clothes, Ty? I’m not going anywhere.
This is my house.” As delightful as the caresses were, Liz tried to stay
focused on the issue of clothing and why she didn’t have any. It was tough with
the distraction.

“I have my reasons. We’re starting over. You need to learn
to trust me again. This worked before,” Ty continued to stroke her hair as she
lay there. “Besides, I like the thought of your beautiful body just underneath
that sheet waiting for me.”

Liz gave him a skeptical look. “You are so full of it,
Tyrone, your eyes ought to be brown.” She pretended to peer closely at them.
“Oh, wait! They are brown!” They both laughed.

The playfulness was returning and it felt wonderful.

“Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz. When will you learn that you are
beautiful?” Ty looked deep into her eyes as he said, “And you always will be.” Liz
ducked her head. It amazed her that such a simple statement could have such a
powerful effect. Ty kissed the top of her head.

“What’s this?” Ty held a bundle of sealed envelopes in his
hand.

“That was in a drawer in my night stand.” Liz held out her
hand. “So?” Ty kept the packet out of her reach.

“What were you doing in my drawers?” As soon as the words
were out of her mouth, Liz could have bitten off her tongue and not missed it.
Ty roared, laughing so hard he almost choked. Liz sat, face buried in hands,
shoulders shaking while she laughed.When he could talk again, Ty answered her,
still laughing. “I was looking for something.”

“What?” Liz could barely talk herself.

“Our copy of John Donne.” The mood suddenly went somber.

“It’s in Wellesley.” Liz was quiet, serious. The pain of
having left him was still too near the surface.

Ty got serious, too, picking up on Liz’s mood. “Okay, we’ll
find it later. But right now,” Ty held up the packet again. “What are these?”

“Letters. I wrote them over the last two months.” No sense
being evasive or defensive. This was Ty.

“I see my name on the top envelope. Are they all for me?” Ty
was watching her face. Liz nodded. “You never mailed them.”

“No.” Barely a whisper. “I just wrote them and threw them
into the drawer.”

Ty moved closer to Liz and put one arm around her. She
shivered at the feeling of his hand on the bare skin over her spine. Almost
absently, he pulled her tightly to him and began to stroke her back. “Why
didn’t you send them?” From the gentle tone, Liz knew he already knew the
answer. But he wanted her to say it.

“I was afraid you didn’t want me anymore. That I’d hurt you
too badly by leaving you and you didn’t want to hear from me.” She let it all
out. Liz could feel her chest tighten again. “Leaving you was the hardest thing
I’ve ever done and until today, I didn’t know if I’d done the right thing.”

Ty rubbed his cheek on Liz’s head as he said, “I have never
stopped loving you and I will never stop. I’ve been angry at you and at myself,
but I’ve loved you all along.” Ty looked into Liz’s eyes. “Never, and I mean
never, doubt my love for you ever again.” He kissed her. “Now, will you read
one to me?”

“No.” Liz’s refusal was quiet and firm.

“Why not?” The question was gentle.

Liz put her arms around him. “Because I’ll start crying
again and I’ve done nothing but cry for the past two months. I don’t want to cry
anymore, Ty. Not for a long, long time.”

“Okay.” Ty’s answer was soft. “Do I get to read them?” He
kissed the top of her head. “I won’t if you say ‘No.’”

As much as she wanted to say “no” and take back the letters
to burn them, Liz knew what was at stake. Ty would allow her to withhold the
letters because he loved her. Liz knew she had to trust him and here was the
first step. With a kiss, she said, “They’re yours. Take them.”

Ty returned the kiss, tenderly, skillfully. They held each
other for a few minutes.

At length, Ty asked, “Still want your clothes?”

“Well, I can’t stay like this for the rest of my life,” she
said. “What do I need to do to get my clothes back?”

Ty’s face grew serious. “Come home with me. Now.”

“No.” It was barely a whisper.

Ty was surprised at the answer. “Why not?”

“I can’t go back there. I wasn’t safe. I wasn’t happy. The
bad memories are too bad and I’ll be reliving them every day if I go back. I
lost Beanie there. I lost you in that house,” Liz’s face and tone were deadly
serious. “I don’t want to be there even for another day.”