Waiting for Ty (10 page)

Ty finally said, “You’re probably wondering why I’m here.”

Keep it friendly.
No pressure.
“You need a place to crash?”

“No.” His throat bobbed as he took a long draw on his beer. He looked good. Sexier than ever. There were dark circles under his eyes, but they didn’t detract. Still, Landon wondered if he’d been sick or maybe working 24/7 on a story.

“You know, man, you’re always welcome here. You don’t need a reason to drop by.”

“Well, I have one. I just don’t know where to start.”

Landon swallowed and tried to smile. “The beginning’s a good place.”

“Yeah, I guess.” He paused, glancing skittishly around the condo, which did nothing to settle Landon’s nerves. If anything, it made them worse. Ty set his beer on the coffee table and clasped his hands between his knees. “I miss you.”

Landon’s forced smile faded even as hope reignited. “Yeah. I miss you, too.”

“Are you seeing anyone?”

His hand shook, so he placed his beer on the end table before he dropped it and then rubbed his damp palms on his jeans. “No.”

“I tried. I really did.” Ty’s voice pleaded with Landon to believe him.

That tiny spark of hope flickered out, leaving him cold. “So it’s over? No friendship? Nothing? That’s what you came to tell me?”

Ty’s eyes widened and his shoulders straightened, his posture no longer defeated. “No,” he said hurriedly. “No, that’s not it. I’d like to try.”

Landon was confused. He narrowed his gaze, concentrating. “Try what?”

Ty stood and took a stutter step toward him before stopping. His gaze held Landon’s, refusing to let go, willing him to understand. “I want to be with you. Weekends. Vacations. Whatever we can manage.”

Landon stared, stunned. He tried to speak, but when he moved his mouth nothing came out.

“Would you be okay with that?”

Hope blossomed in his chest, crowding his lungs, making breathing impossible until he consciously inhaled. “Um...yeah. Yeah. Sure.” The significance of what Ty was saying hit him full force. “Of course.”

Ty paced in front of the large window overlooking a small park and a few blocks away, the medical center. “We need a few ground rules.”

That made sense. If they were going to hide their relationship, rules were key. “Okay.”

“No PDA. It’s okay around family and friends, but with strangers...” He grimaced. “I don’t have a burning desire to tempt a bunch of homophobic rednecks into beating the shit out of us.”

“I get that.” Landon wasn’t even into PDA with women. “Wait a minute. You mean you don’t want to hide it...us?”

“Right. If you’re okay with that.”

“Sure. Yeah. I’m great with it.” Hell, he was fantastic with it. This was more than he’d ever dreamed of. Ty didn’t just want a relationship. He wanted to go public.

“But I don’t want to make some big announcement. Just let people figure it out, you know, organically.”

That suited Landon just fine. He hated being the center of attention. Making a big announcement would plop them right smack-dab in the nucleus. While Landon tried to absorb the revelation, his landline rang from the breakfast bar behind them, but he ignored it until he heard his sister’s excited voice talking to the answering machine. “It’s Nikki. The guy you’re in love with. I know who it is. I figured it out. I want to talk to you, so call me.”

Ty stopped his pacing and his dark brows lifted in surprise. “You told her you’re bi?”

Landon sighed. “I got tired of her trying to fix me up.” He briefly explained the conversation with his sisters.

“So you told them you’re in love with a man. Any fallout from that?”

“Well, it gave Meredith something else to obsessively worry about. But on the bright side, Nikki’s matchmaking attempts have been temporarily averted.”

Ty cocked his head. “But you didn’t tell them it was me.”

“No. Didn’t seem to be much point in that. It would have just screwed up your friendship with them.” He held his breath, hoping Ty didn’t change his mind. Landon could do secret. He preferred public, but hell, he’d take Ty anyway he could get him. He just didn’t want him scared off when things got real.

“Now I’m curious. Who does she think ‘it’ is?” Ty asked.

“No clue.”

“I think I might have one,” Ty said. “A clue, that is.”

“How could you?” As far as Landon knew, Ty hadn’t seen Nikki since Christmas.

“Call and ask her,” Ty said with a mischievous grin.

“Now?”

“Sure. Why not?” Ty looked way too happy for someone who was about to come out. He was almost bouncing on his toes.

“We’re kind of in the middle of something.”

“And we’ll get back to it. If she’s right, you can confirm. If not, you can tell her it’s me.” His expression became somber. “It’ll be a start. You’ll know I’m serious about this.”

Landon joined Ty at the window, close enough to inhale his clean, spicy scent. He slipped his fingers between Ty’s, their first touch in two months. The joy of that tentative bond spread through him. “I don’t doubt your sincerity, Ty. You wouldn’t jerk me around.”

Ty squeezed his hand reassuringly. “If you’re not comfortable telling her, I’ll understand. After all, I walked out on you.”

He couldn’t let Ty take all the blame for that weekend. It wasn’t fair. They’d both been there. They’d both made mistakes. He grasped Ty’s shoulders. He longed to wrap his arms around him, kiss him. It had been so long. But he knew once his lips touched Ty’s, he wouldn’t stop until they made love. They still had too much to work out before that happened. “You didn’t walk out on me. We didn’t plan that weekend. It just happened. You needed time to process it. For that matter, so did I.” Another thought occurred to him. He slid his hands down Ty’s arms and linked their fingers together again. “What about your family? Have you told them anything?”

Ty looked over his shoulder and through the window. “I want them to meet you first. Get to know you. Then maybe they’ll have an easier time accepting me...us.”

“You think that’ll work?”

“No. Maybe.” He shrugged and met Landon’s gaze. “I don’t know, but it’s worth a try. I told Mom I’d come for Easter next weekend. Can you come with me?”

“I told Nikki I’d spend Easter with them.”

“And so it begins. The juggle of families and holidays.” Ty chuckled. “Never mind. Maybe we can go for Mother’s Day.”

“That would be great.” But his stomach rolled at the idea. And not just because he’d be meeting new people. They weren’t just any people. They were Ty’s family, and he needed to make a good impression on them. For Ty’s sake.

Since the battery in his cell was dead, Landon picked up the landline from the breakfast bar. He leaned back against the bar and punched in his sister’s number. Ty joined him, smiling broadly for the first time since he’d entered the condo. He seemed almost relaxed as he sat on one of the barstools.

Nikki answered on the first ring. “Landon.” She didn’t even wait for him to say hello. “Is it Ty?”

Landon’s jaw dropped. What the fuck? “How did you know?”

“He called this morning looking for you.”

“So?” It wasn’t the first time Ty had called one of his sisters to try and find him.

“There was something in his voice. Don’t ask me to explain it. It just all came together. Is he there?” Excitement pitched her voice higher and louder, so Landon held the phone a few centimeters from his ear.

He nodded then realized she couldn’t see him. “Yes.”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt.” She said something else, but it was muffled so he figured she wasn’t talking to him.

“Okay. I’ll let you go.”

“No, wait!”

He should have known she wouldn’t let him off that easily. “I’m here.”

“Are y’all working it out?”

“Yeah, we are.”

Nikki’s squeal forced the phone farther from his ear. “Can I tell Jake and Meredith that y’all are together?”

He lowered the phone and spoke to Ty. “She wants to know if—”

Ty waved him off, grinning and rolling his eyes. “I can hear her. The people in the next condo can probably hear her.” He held out his hand for the phone. “Let me talk to her.”

Landon gratefully relinquished the receiver and plopped down on a barstool, exhausted.

“Nikki? It’s Ty.” He paused, and Nikki must have gained control of her excitement because her voice was no longer bouncing off the walls. “Yes, you can tell them.” Silence broken only by the hum of the refrigerator. “I appreciate the invitation, but I have plans with my family.”

Landon lifted his brows, and Ty mouthed, “Easter.”

“Yes, the following weekend is good for me,” Ty said. “I’ll ask Landon, and we’ll get back to you.” Another pause. “Hang on. Let me tell him.” He lowered the phone. “She says she’ll let you out of Easter if you want to go to with me.”

Oh, shit. He’d hoped to accustom himself to the idea of meeting Ty’s family before he actually had to do it.

Ty chuckled and raised the phone again. “He’s got that deer-in-the-headlights look.” He nodded at something she was saying. He was so good with her, better than Landon was. He seemed to take everything she said in stride. “Thanks, Nikki. Your support is important to both of us.” Silence. Landon lifted a finger and traced one of Ty’s dimples. Ty’s eyes darkened, and he licked his lips. Landon craved the taste, the texture of those lips. His sister’s timing sucked. “Yeah, I’ll talk to you later.” He extended the receiver to Landon. “She wants to talk to you.”

He doubted she wanted to
talk
to him. More like
lecture
him on the importance of meeting Ty’s family, and the sooner the better, and how it wouldn’t be as bad as he imagined. If only he’d been born with a nanoshred of his sister’s social ease.

Sure enough, Nikki spent the next five minutes trying to convince him that meeting Ty’s family wouldn’t be as bad as he thought. Landon paced the room impatiently as he half listened, his attention more on Ty than his sister. Finally, he agreed with whatever she was saying just to shut her down. When he hung up, Ty slid his arms beneath Landon’s and around his back, pulling him close. Landon’s knees went a little weak, and he let out a long breath, feeling like he’d been holding it forever, not two months.

Ty murmured against Landon’s throat, “Well, I’m glad your sister is on board. It’s a good start.”

As far as Landon was concerned it was the icing on the cake, the cream gravy on the chicken-fried steak. His life was fucking wonderful.

Ty pulled back and flashed the dimples Landon loved. “So yeah, in answer to your earlier question, I could use a place to crash tonight.”

When Landon didn’t say anything, Ty tilted his head to the side. “What’s wrong?”

He stared at Ty in wonder. “I’m just having trouble believing this.”

“Give it time,” Ty said, his voice rough with emotion.

Landon didn’t see it coming, couldn’t have said how it happened, but their lips touched. Tentatively at first, then gently, softly as they found their way home. Gradually, he gained strength from Ty’s strength, and his incredulity melted under the sweet, warmth of Ty’s mouth.

Chapter Fourteen

Landon tried some self-hypnosis to calm his nerves as Ty’s pickup bounced, splashed and slid along the muddy road. It wasn’t working. Neither was Ty’s attempt to engage him in conversation. They weren’t going to tell Ty’s family about their relationship. It was just a friendly visit so they could get to know Landon. That should have relieved his terror somewhat. And maybe it did. Hard to know at this level of panic. Didn’t help that it was raining. They’d be stuck inside. Sitting in the living room. Staring uncomfortably at each other. Throat clearing. Forced joviality. Serious discussions about the weather. On the bright side, at least there was some weather to discuss.

“Just talk about sports. Football would be best,” Ty said. “No questions about how many head of cattle he runs or how many acres of land he owns.”

“So no talk about the ranch?” Landon clarified.

Ty was gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. “Might be best just to listen and nod if the subject comes up.”

“I don’t think we can talk about football for the next two days.”

“Just follow my lead. You won’t have to say much. Dad’s pretty quiet, but Mom talks a blue streak. Kurt takes after Mom.”

Landon’s eyes followed the windshield wipers. Back and forth. Back and forth.

Ty made a sharp right and stopped at a gate. “You wanna open it then close it behind me?”

Landon nodded. He sloshed through the mud, raindrops cool on his face. He’d rather stand in a downpour than face Ty’s family. After closing the gate, he trudged back to the truck. The white clapboard house that Ty had grown up in was maybe a hundred yards away. His heart thudded in his ears, and his stomach flip-flopped sickeningly. It would be better if they were only going to be here an hour or two. But the trip from Austin was too long for that. He was stuck here until tomorrow afternoon.

Ty released his death grip on the steering wheel and laced his cold fingers through Landon’s on the seat of the truck, where no one could see them. Not that anyone would be out in this weather. “It’s gonna be okay,” he said, his voice a little shaky.

Landon’s optimism was failing him. In what alternate universe was it “gonna be okay,” especially with Ty so nervous?

“My mom loves meeting my friends. She’ll have you feeling at home in no time.” Ty took a deep breath before slowly blowing it out. “Let’s go.”

Ty untangled his fingers from Landon’s, leaving him feeling a little bereft. They climbed out of the truck. Dragging his feet, Landon followed him up the steps to the porch. Ty opened the screen door, knocked, then without waiting for an answer, opened the front door and shouted, “Hey, we’re here.”

Landon stood stiffly just inside the door that opened into the living room. Through an interior door on the other side of the room, a woman entered in a flurry. Ty’s mom, Landon assumed. Average height, blond hair sprinkled with some gray, about chin-length. The man who followed her was definitely Ty’s dad. No denying that gene pool. Anyone who wanted to know what Ty would look like in twenty-odd years need only look at his dad. A weathered face, strong body and a full head of steel-gray hair.