“And trust your partner,” Lucy said quietly. “Because your real partner always has your back.”
“Always. Even when he’s the dumbest ass in the world,” Michael replied.
Nate huffed. “I’m not getting my report now, am I?”
Lucy stepped up. “We’ll come by later, but for now, we need to talk.”
Michael took her hand and prayed this talk of hers would change his life forever.
Chapter Sixteen
Ty opened the door to his apartment, a deep sense of caution in his veins. His hands were still shaking from what had almost happened in that hallway. He could have lost her. Now he was almost sure he could lose Michael, and he didn’t know how she would handle it.
He wasn’t sure how he would handle it.
It had been such a short period of time, but he’d come to rely on Michael Novack. He’d settled into his place in this relationship, and he didn’t want it to change. He’d been shocked at the surety that had come over him when he’d realized Michael was behind Chet. He’d gone from utter terror to a deep belief that Michael would get them out of the situation. He wouldn’t let them down. Ty had known in that moment that he could have that certainty for the rest of his life.
Or Michael could take it all away in the next few moments.
This was why the relationships of this town worked. It wasn’t merely about sex. It was about support. It was about a firm foundation of love and friendship that they could all build a life on.
He wanted that life. He wanted what the Harpers had, what Alexei and Holly and Caleb had found.
“First off, I want to apologize for how I acted yesterday.” Michael sat down on the love seat, leaving Ty to sit next to Lucy.
Was Michael placing a careful space between them? Ty reached for Lucy’s hand, needing the comfort of her warmth.
He wasn’t sure what he would do if Michael had changed his mind. Oh, he knew exactly what he would do if Michael left them. He would surround Lucy with love. He would do everything he could to make up for the loss of their whole—because he was almost certain they couldn’t be complete without him.
But there was the darker scenario—the one where Michael asked Lucy to leave with him. The one where he got left behind.
“Okay,” Lucy said. “Why don’t you tell me how you think you acted?”
“Like a massive jackass,” Michael replied flatly.
It was good to know at least Michael was being honest. “You did.”
Lucy frowned his way. “I thought we were going to be understanding about this.”
“Well, I’m not sure what this is, so I can’t possibly understand,” Ty shot back. They’d talked about some of the things Michael had been through and how those experiences would affect him, but they couldn’t go through this every time Michael was worried. There had to be ways for them to deal with it beyond walking out. “What I do know is Michael broke trust with us yesterday.”
When Lucy started to counter his words, Michael stopped her. “Ty’s right. I did exactly what he’s saying. I broke trust when I walked away and didn’t try to talk this through with you. Lucy, you have to know that I don’t think you’re a killer. I never believed it deep down.”
“That’s not what you said last night.” He knew he was annoying Lucy, who simply wanted to forgive Michael for everything, but they needed to sort through the rubble before they started to rebuild.
“No, it’s not. I said a lot of things that I thought were said in anger, but they were truly all about my fear.” Michael looked a bit weary. “I didn’t want to admit how afraid and sad I’ve been. Anger feels more familiar to me. But I have come to realize that I have a lot of work to do.”
And there it was. Ty’s gut twisted. This was when Michael told them he was leaving. He would be kind about it, but he would go back to his real life. “Back with the US marshals?”
Michael nodded. “That’s certainly part of it, but it’s not the most important part. I have work to do on me. Not physical work, but work. I want you to know that I’ve talked to Alexei and I’m going to be seeing a therapist who can help me figure out why I struggle to share myself with the people I love. I don’t want to carry around this anger anymore. I want to be open. I need to move past this time so I can get on with a life I think I’m going to love.”
There weren’t any therapists in Bliss, which given the damn fact that half the town was nuts and the other half was even crazier seemed like an oversight. Alexei was in school studying psychology, but he wouldn’t be setting up a practice in the next few weeks.
So Michael was leaving.
How had it only been a few days before that this would have been the best news he’d ever heard?
“I think that is a wonderful idea, Michael.” Lucy leaned over and put a hand on Michael’s. “It doesn’t hurt to ask for help. I saw a therapist in Alamosa for a year after what happened with Hope’s ex-husband. It did me a world of good. And I’m glad you talked to Alexei instead of someone else. I asked Cassidy because I thought of all the people who might know a therapist, Cassidy would be the one. She sent me to Irene, who turns out to believe she can purge bad spirits with the proper Blizzard blending. She worked at the Dairy Queen. That should have been my tip-off that all was not right. I got such a brain freeze.”
How was Lucy so calm?
Michael’s eyes had lit up. “I think I should try that, too. I think the right amount of cookie dough in my ice cream would definitely make me less angry.”
“It would, but alas, Irene had to close her practice when she went to jail,” Lucy replied. “Money laundering. She was a crappy therapist but turned out to be a half-good money launderer. Except for getting caught, of course.”
“See, this is one of the many reasons I love this place.” Michael brought her hand to his lips.
“Then why would you leave it?” The question was out of Ty’s mouth before he could think to keep it bottled up so Michael wouldn’t see how vulnerable he was.
Michael’s brows rose. “Leave? I never said I was leaving. I mean, I have to in order to get the paperwork on the house back in Florida done. There are a lot of things I need to take care of before I can truly settle in here. I was kind of hoping you guys could come with me. It should only take a couple of days, and I’m willing to work around your schedules. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I don’t have the right to make plans for you. I broke trust, and I have to earn it back by showing you I’m willing to work hard to be a better man, to be the best partner I can be.”
Lucy had turned Ty’s way, a quizzical look on her face. “What are you worried about, babe?”
It was apparently not the same thing Lucy was worried about. “I thought he was going to tell us he was going to Florida. I thought the talk with Trina had convinced him he could go home and get back to his job.”
“My home is here in Bliss,” Michael said resolutely. “No matter what happens between the three of us, you should understand that I’m not planning on leaving. If you can’t bring yourself to forgive me, then we’ll find a way to be polite and get along, but I’m not leaving.”