Acting Happy (Texas Desires #2) (25 page)

“You look more like yourself.”

“I like being hidden,” Ty answered honestly, turning away from the window. Reed was up, going for a coffee maker on the bar in his office. “It wouldn’t hurt you to work less,” Ty said, taking a few steps toward Reed.

“Says the man who never slows down.” Reed turned away to push the button to fill his coffee cup. “Besides, that’s the old me. Lara’s changed all that. I wanna be home with her.”

“She offices here with you? Did I hear something about that?” Ty asked, taking another long drink from his mug.

“Yeah. Right across the hall. I want to talk to you about that before I say anything else.” Reed grabbed his cup, placing it on the table beside where Ty stood. He didn’t sit, instead going back to his desk, shuffling through some papers before he found an envelope. About the time Ty took a seat, Reed came back around and tossed the packet toward him, hitting the table. “I got that about thirty minutes ago. It’s the confirmation Kenzie’s case was dropped. Based on rumor, her attorney group’s very slow, but they would have probably gotten this to her in the next month. I figure having the official paperwork might ease some of that tension she’s carrying around.”

“Thanks, man. I figured you guys could get this done faster than I could, but I never expected this quickly,” Ty said, opening the envelope. He pulled out the papers all stapled together. The front page came directly from the judge dismissing the case. Reed was right, seeing the evidence in his hand relieved him. Just wait until Kenzie got a look. Maybe if he could get back there before she woke, he could wake her with this huge surprise.

“How are you doing with it all?” Reed asked, taking his seat, crossing one leg over the other and lifting his mug to his lips.

“You were right, if that’s what you’re wanting to hear,” Ty said, stuffing the papers back inside the envelope.

“No, not at all, but it’s good to hear. You need to remember that in the future.”

“Everything she went through was hard to hear. She’s had a hard time,” Ty said, lifting his cup. Like normal, his internal aggression spiked when he thought about how difficult Kenzie’s life must have been during those cruel years.

“I read she miscarried in jail.”

“Yeah, she skimmed over that part. I was so focused on wanting to kick that guy’s ass, I didn’t push her for much more than she was willing to say,” Ty said, now really having to fight the building anger.

“As I read, the one thing I kept thinking was that she seemed a lot like my Lara. I don’t know this, but I’m not sure Kenzie understands her value to the world,” Reed said, taking another drink.

“She was too isolated growing up in the mountains. When she came to Texas, she was ripe for the picking.”

“She’s beautiful,” Reed added.

“She is.”

“But she doesn’t care about that, does she?” Reed asked.

“Not that I can tell,” Ty said which became another concern in pushing her into his world. Superficial appearance meant everything. How would she do with that?

“Does she know you’re planning on keeping her around?” That was one of the things he liked most about Reed. He called it like he saw it.

“I think a better question is why in the hell is Kade still considered Lara’s roommate? Like present tense roommate?” Ty asked. He couldn’t hide the smile at the fierce look on Reed’s face. Last night he’d watched with his own eyes as a much more relaxed and sedate Reed acted like a reasonable human being, lovingly handling his almost wife.

Reed eventually gave a hollow laugh and answered truthfully. “I was jacked up about it. Still am. She doesn’t want to rush things more than we have. She stays with me every night, but a lot of her shit’s still over there.”

“I like her, Prescott. Kenzie and her got along great.”

“I saw that. Figured they would after meeting Kenzie at the cabin. So here’s what I’m thinking. I handed my foundation to Lara, and she’s doing a great job, but her doctor wants her to rest more. Her blood pressure has risen. We’ll need someone to jump in and learn the ropes, then take over for a few months when the baby’s born. My problem’s been that it’s got to be the right person. Lara’s had a tough road in helping to change our image internationally. She’s doing it, but apparently I can be a real motherfucker to deal with. My reputation isn’t good. When I was reading Kenzie’s background, and after spending time with her, I think she might be what we need,” Reed explained.

“I want her to have every opportunity, but more selfishly, I want her to go back to LA with me,” Ty said honestly.

“Well, that’s the beauty of it. I wanted Lara with me, so I get it. The job won’t require her to be here. There’ll be some traveling. It’s unavoidable, but she can have her office anywhere.”

“Then I’m sure she’d love it. She doesn’t see herself as employable. It’ll help build her back up,” he said, somewhat relieved. He wouldn’t have stopped her from taking the job or even staying in Texas but that would have been a difficult commute, and he wasn’t entirely certain she could handle a long-distance relationship under all the daily scrutiny he faced.

“Then we’ll offer her the job this evening. Lara’s planning on giving her a spa day and doing some shopping. It was her excuse to get out of the house,” Reed said with a chuckle. “She’s not down with her doctor telling her to slow down. She insists that she’s fine.”

“I’ll reinforce the doctor’s orders to Kenzie, but I need to get her some clothing. She’s got nothing to wear outside of some jeans and T-shirts.”

“God, that was Lara. We had a time with that. Had to hide all the fucking prices—that alone cost me a bundle. My buyer can hook her up until you can get her taken care of.”

“I need a bit of a cleaning up too,” Ty said, circling a finger over his hair.

“Margaret can get you set up. Talk to her when she gets in.” Reed’s desk phone started ringing, and he looked down at his wristwatch. “I gotta get this.”

“I’m meeting Kade for a workout,” Ty said, grabbing his empty cup and the packet of papers. He rose, excited to go wake his sleeping beauty with this information.

“Yeah, you’ll regret that in the morning,” Reed said, reaching over his desk to answer the phone.

“Great…” Ty replied as he left the office.

With a lift of the hand, Kenzie tried hard to stifle a yawn. She, along with Lara, had spent an exhausting day between the spa and a marathon shopping experience in a private section of Neiman-Marcus. Two things Kenzie had never done before in her life.

Before they left, Ty had tried to hand her his credit card. She refused to take it even knowing she had nothing appropriate to wear for the formal dinner Lara had arranged to celebrate the dismissal of her case. When she started questioning the cost of clothes, thinking about the little bit of cash she had, Ty had stopped trying to argue with her and looked directly at Lara, ignoring Kenzie altogether. He gave her the card with a bossy instruction to get Kenzie everything she needed for the next few weeks. Lara seemed to take that task to heart.

From the time they entered the store’s private entrance, a never-ending line of sales clerks brought tons and tons of clothing. It didn’t seem to matter what she liked or didn’t like, the goal was to find the styles that best fit her frame. Once that was determined, they spent hours creating whole ensembles. Kenzie tried on dozens and dozens maybe even a hundred different outfits, modeling each one while a team decided what looked best.

It wasn’t until they were relaxing at the spa that Lara began to open up about her life. She spoke frankly and honestly, and her story shocked Kenzie. When Lara talked about the differences in her appearance from just seven months ago, Kenzie called bull. When Lara pulled out her phone and showed her pictures of the past, the transformation between her then and now was almost incomprehensible.

Lara was unlike anyone she’d ever met. She was smart, fun, extremely kind, and generous. When she confided in Kenzie about her life growing up in a dysfunctional home and her long-lasting relationship with Kade, even broaching how she and Reed had gotten started, including the insecurity she’d carried about being with such a man, Kenzie knew then that she had found her soul sister in this woman.

“Ty’s gonna die when he sees you,” Lara said from beside her in the backseat of the Bentley assigned to them for the day.

“Who knew my hair could hold a style like this? I struggle just to keep the ends from falling flat,” Kenzie said and resisted the urge to lift her hands to the soft curls lying over her shoulder.

“You look beautiful. I really like the whole look.”

“I’m not sure about the makeup.” She had voiced the same worry at the salon even though the aesthetician blew off her concern with a flip of the hand. They called the cosmetic look dramatic, making her eyes pop and her lips pout. To her, it just felt like loads of makeup on her face.

“You look great, I promise. I wouldn’t let you leave the salon if you didn’t,” Lara reassured.

The car came to a stop at the end of the line of waiting vehicles close to the entrance of The Adolphus Hotel. Just like everything with this town, the hotel was over-the-top elegant. “I thought we were having dinner?”

“The French Room’s part of the hotel,” Lara explained, and Kenzie followed Lara’s gaze to a group of photographers loitering out front.

“Sometimes Reed gets this, but I bet they learned Ty was here. If not him, someone else he probably knows,” she said, her eyes staying trained out the window at the gathering crowd.

“Would they really do that here in Dallas?” she asked.

“Absolutely, they would. James Franco was in town, and I swear every paparazzo from California descended on Dallas. It was very exciting. Reed managed to get me and Kade on as extras. The movie people got one look at Kade and gave him a one-word speaking part wearing a Dallas police uniform from the sixties. I played his pregnant wife,” Lara said excitedly. She beamed at Kenzie as the driver came around, opening Lara’s side door, but stuck his head inside the car before helping her out.

“Slide out on this side. It’ll keep you out of the traffic, and there’re more photographers over there.”

Kenzie did, and before she ever got on her feet, the cameras began to click. She covered her eyes against all the flash, desperately wanting to see who had gotten them all excited.

“Who came out?”

“They think we’re someone, probably because of the car. Reed would tell you to drop your hand and lift your head. Walk the way I showed you,” Lara whispered close to her ear. Kenzie couldn’t help the smile. They’d worked on this while waiting for the facial masks to dry. She walked as Lara instructed, thrusting her hips forward. It felt so foreign to her body to walk at this angle, but Lara gave her the thumbs up as they went for the front doors. A few feet away, Ty came out through a side door, stalking toward them, a scowl solidly in place across his handsome face as he headed straight for Kenzie. He tucked an arm around her waist as he reached for Lara’s arm, holding her close as they walked up the steps.

“What’s wrong?” Kenzie asked at the anger on his face, but she ducked hers when the flashing kicked up a notch, aimed directly at them. She stumbled on the first step.

“Who is this, Ty?” someone shouted.

“What’re you doing in Dallas?” another voice asked, seeming closer than the last.

“Get lost,” Ty grumbled, wedging Kenzie firmly against his side. He almost carried her up the remaining steps and hurried them inside the building. At this point, Lara managed to get inside before them and was now standing with Reed who looked frustrated as hell. Everyone in eyesight was looking their way.

“You just made it a thousand times worse, Bateman,” Reed hissed in a low menacing voice while ushering them to the entrance of the restaurant and away from the windows.

“Does it look like I give a fuck?” he shot back. All that irritation he’d just used on Reed, turned to Kenzie, and his face morphed, magically changing in front of her eyes as a huge smile hit his lips. “You look stunning.”

She couldn’t help how she reacted. The confusion of what had just happened, the anger he’d greeted them with outside all melted away under his approving appraisal. That inner-thigh tingle thing happened as she looked up at those amber eyes skimming across her face, taking in every detail.

“Lara picked this out. What do you think?” she asked, running her nervous palms over her stomach.

“It’s beautiful. You’re gorgeous,” he said, his eyes now scanning the frame of her body before he leaned in to lightly kiss her lips. Ty was so focused on her that he never looked away even when Kenzie included Lara in the conversation.

“I’m afraid Lara likes to spend your money,” Kenzie confessed, and that eased all the tension from everyone. Reed immediately began to chuckle.

“Stop. I did everything he asked,” Lara defended, knocking a hand against Reed’s chest.

“She watches all my pennies, Bateman. I promise you she didn’t spend that much today,” Reed countered. Kenzie watched Reed craning his neck to get the attention of someone in the restaurant. “We’re ready to be seated.”

When Kenzie started to follow, Ty reached out a hand, stopping her in her tracks. Instead, he crowded her, moving them a foot or two away into a darkened corner. He dropped his hands in his slacks pockets and stood directly in front of her. “You seriously look incredible. Did you have fun?”

“Did you get new clothes?” she asked. Her gaze followed his hands then moved up his chest to see that Ty was wearing a suit with the dress shirt collar left open. She didn’t remember him having that in Tennessee.

“I did, but you first. Did you have a good time? Relax some?” he asked, encouraging her to tell him about her day. Her heart warmed at the look on his face. He seemed genuinely interested.

“I did. Lara’s wonderful. I don’t do a lot of these girls’ days. I loved it. Thank you. She did spend a lot of money, though,” Kenzie warned quietly, looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was in earshot. “She wouldn’t listen.”

“I wanted you to have some nice things. I’m happy she did. I can’t stop looking at you.”

Kenzie could only laugh because that was how she felt about seeing him this morning all clean-shaven. Now, he had taken that whole look to the next level. His hair was styled, his brows looked perfectly shaped, and if she guessed right, he might have been a little tanner. She lifted a palm to his face, caressing his cheek.

“You look very handsome. I like the swoosh,” she said and moved her hand to make the upward motion she always did when they talked about his longer on top hairstyle. He laughed at her. Kenzie’s eyes grew big when she remembered the gift. She reached down to her new purse, and produced a box, handing it to him.

“I saw this and thought of you. Do you want it now or later?” she asked. Ty gave her a perplexed look and took the offering. “I paid for it with my money. It took it all, so if you don’t like it, let’s take it back and get you something else.”

“You shouldn’t spend your money on me,” he said, opening the box. She tried to gauge his reaction. It was hard to do. His expression looked a little too intense as he picked up the jewel-toned, amber silk tie she’d found while walking out of the building this evening, which was the key reason they were a few minutes late arriving to their dinner.

She took the tie from his hands and lifted it to his face. “It’s the exact color of your eyes. I was so surprised to see it.”

“Thank you,” Ty said simply and reached in to lightly kiss her lips as he took the tie back, running a thumb across the silk.

“If you don’t like it or aren’t a tie guy or don’t have anything to wear with it—” She stopped when he lifted a hand.

“I love it. It’s very thoughtful,” he said, placing the tie back inside the box. “Come on, beautiful. Let’s eat and get you back home. I need to see what’s underneath this dress.”

Some mask shuttered the emotions on his face as he changed the line of conversation and started to usher her to the room they’d reserved in the restaurant. She followed, not exactly sure if he truly liked the tie or not. He tucked the box in his front side pocket before taking her hand.

“Stay close. Lara worked with me on the heels, but they hurt, and it’s awkward to walk with my hips this way,” she whispered, looking down at her feet. She was actually balancing on the balls of her feet with how high the backs spiked up.

“Happily.” He did one better, offering her an arm instead. As they walked through the restaurant, passing tables by, she watched every eye in the place turn Ty’s way. It was crazy how much attention he drew. He kept his pace casual, giving her time to navigate in the shoes. “They’re staring at you, Kenzie. You make me proud.”

“Right!” She smiled brightly, turning a corner into a private dining room. Ty held out her seat, and seconds later, excused himself to the restroom as menus and glasses of water were placed in front of her from every angle.

~~~

Ty stood in front of the bathroom mirror quickly working the knot in his new tie. Honestly, he wasn’t accustomed to the generosity of gift-giving. He quickly made a loop, tucking the end through, and decided to amend that previous thought. He got gifts all the time, but they were never thoughtful presents given to him just because he was on someone’s mind, making this one of the best he’d ever received.

Once done, Ty surveyed his work, wiggled the knot to tighten, and then looked down to make sure everything lay just right before lifting his hands to lower his collar. She’d picked an amazing color, and it did match his eyes pretty perfectly. He liked the idea of Kenzie knowing the color so well that she’d been able to pinpoint it, even when he wasn’t around.

“Excuse me, sir. Can you take a picture with me?” a nervous younger voice asked.

Ty looked over to see a teenage guy standing to the side, his eyes focused on Ty. “Sure. But can we do it in the hall so the urinals aren’t in the shot?” he asked, fighting the smile.

“Sure. That’s great!”

Ty gave himself one last look and followed the kid out. He quickly struck the pose, leaning in and smiling with the kid beside him as he snapped the shot. “Thanks!”

“No problem, just keep that to yourself until I get out of here,” Ty said, extending a hand to shake the kid’s.

“I will. We watch you every week on
Titan’s Fall
. My mom’s gonna shit… Wait. Whoa. I mean die…” The kid tripped over his own words while he took several steps down the hall with his face turning red from embarrassment.

“Thank you.” Ty grinned. Clearly the kid had manners. Ty paused, letting the guy get out of the hall before he started to follow. As he stood there a second or two as his thoughts centered back on Kenzie like they always seemed to do nowadays. He shouldn’t have gone out to the car tonight. His only defense was there had just been too much happening all at once. Rumors circulated about someone big being in town. He was inside, hidden in a secure location in this building, watching as her and Lara pulled up. When she stood, he couldn’t believe his eyes. His beautiful country angel had turned glamorous. She was gorgeous, standing there in a wraparound dress, her hair curled and styled, her feet covered in those dainty high heel shoes. She stole his breath like she’d stolen his heart.

When those cameras turned to her and got straight up in her face, he kind of lost his mind. That intense resentment he harbored toward anything media surfaced instantly, clouding his judgement. Reed had tried to stop him, but he’d shrugged the guy off and immediately stepped outside. Bad call because the flashing went nuts. Then he did something even worse, he touched Kenzie in front of them. Hell, he hadn’t just touched her, he’d claimed her with that possessive hold, pulling her against his body.