“But you said you were going back to the marshals.” Ty’s head was reeling.
“Yes. I’ve been talking to my old boss, and they need someone who can specialize in locating fugitives in rugged terrain. She offered me my old job back, but I told her I want to be here. I’ll work with local law enforcement when someone goes on the run. I would pretty much be the one to do anything that needed to be done in this part of the country. They’ve agreed to let me work solo, though I’m technically under the Durango office, but I’d likely work for the Santa Fe District Office as well. I’d be a specialist, and I might have to work all over the western states if this goes the way they want. I was actually hoping to get you to help me hone my skills, Ty. I’ve spent the last two years learning how to survive in the mountains, but you’re the real expert. I thought between you and River, there’s not a lot you don’t know about these mountains. Maybe we could even bring you on as a consultant from time to time.”
Michael wanted to work with him? He’d started out just happy Michael tolerated him, and now he was talking about trusting him to watch his back in the wilderness. While they hunted dangerous fugitives. “That sounds awesome.”
“It sounds like a couple of guys leaving their girl behind so they can have fun running around the woods,” Lucy said with a pout that made Ty’s dick swell. “And also dangerous. Ty needs more training if you two are going to be taking out bad guys. Though you both did great today.”
“I promise I’ll make sure he’s safe.” Michael’s eyes had warmed.
“I’m confused. I thought you were leaving.” He was still wrapping his head around the idea that he might get everything he wanted, everything he needed.
Lucy grinned his way. “I don’t think that’s what’s happening, babe. I told you we had to be patient with him and he would find his way back. He’s a quick learner. We didn’t have to wait years like Callie and Nell. Just a night. We picked a smart one.”
Michael sat back. “Wait a minute, Lucy. I want to talk to you about how we move forward. Like I said, I broke trust, and I have to earn it back. I’m going to work on myself, and normally I would say I need some space to figure things out.”
“Normally?” Ty wasn’t sure any of this felt normal, but then maybe that was a word he’d put too much value in.
Michael nodded. “Yeah. I talked through this whole process with Alexei. He said he would tell a person in my position that it might be good to take a step back from outside relationships so I can truly figure out what I want for myself. But I don’t need that. I know I want a life with the two of you. But I’m also willing to wait. If you want to take some time to make sure I’m willing to do the work I need to do, then I’ll deal with it. I’ll look for a cabin in the valley, and I can stay there while we work through what we need to. I only ask that before you move on without me, give me a chance to plead my case.”
That wasn’t going to happen. He didn’t need a couple of months to figure out if Michael was going to be solid. He was willing to take the risk. He believed Michael when he said he would do the work, had faith that he’d made his breakthrough and wouldn’t leave. Sometimes a relationship required a leap of faith.
He was ready to take it.
He looked to Lucy, who simply squeezed his hand, and he knew they were on the same page. It had been years since they’d been so in synch, years since he’d felt like there was a person in the world who truly understood him. Not since they’d had their break.
Michael had brought them back together, and there was no way they lost him now.
It was time to show Michael how welcome he was.
There was zero reason for them to wait. “Should we show him how uninterested we are in being apart?”
Lucy leaned forward and brushed her lips against his, sending sparks through his system. “I definitely think that’s the way we should go. I’ve had a rough couple of days, and I could use some time with my men.”
Michael stood, his whole body going tight with obvious anticipation. “Be sure, you two. Be absolutely certain because this is what I want for the rest of my life. This isn’t some rebound relationship. It’s the most important one of my life. I want you two to be my family, and I promise I won’t ever let fear control me again. I promise I’ll never leave you again.”
Ty stood and helped Lucy to her feet. Given the situation they’d been in earlier today, the manager of the lodge had found people to work their shifts. They had the whole rest of the day, and Ty knew how he wanted to spend it.
With Lucy in between them.
“Then let’s make things plain, Mike. I want this life, too. I want to live with Lucy and you. I want to share her and the life we can have together with you.” He was speaking to his partner, but his eyes were on Lucy. He let his hands find the buttons of her blouse. She wore her uniform, a white professional-looking blouse with dark slacks, her hair up in a bun that had been tidy before she’d nearly been shot.
He wasn’t going to think about that right now. He would have nightmares about it for years, but not today.
He undid the buttons of her shirt, exposing inch after inch of beautiful, warm skin.
“I promise. Never again, Ty. I want to be the best partner to the two of you,” Michael vowed. “We’ll always work things out. Always.”
He knew there were people who would think he was naïve, but Ty believed him. Michael wasn’t a man who made vows without thought. He’d been open and honest about his feelings even when it could have hurt his chances at getting in bed with Lucy. He was being the same now. Michael was allowing himself to be vulnerable, and Ty wasn’t going to punish him for it. He was going to do the same thing Michael had promised—be the best partner he could be. Today that included showing off and sharing the most gorgeous woman in the world.
He shifted so he was behind Lucy, easing the shirt off her shoulders. “Good, because I’m tired of waiting for my life to start. Lucy and I have wasted years, and I don’t want to wait another single day.”
Lucy’s hair fell around her shoulders as he undid the tie that held it in its bun. “No. We didn’t spend those years wasting time. We spent them waiting. I love you, Ty, but I don’t think we work without Michael. This is what we waited for. For you and me and Michael.”
He kissed the nape of her neck and went to work on her bra. Lucy was right. Things had worked out the way they should have, and he wasn’t going to be bitter about it. He was going to honor their past and find joy in their future. “You’re so right. This is what we waited for. I know it’s early, but it’s also not. It really has been years we’ve waited to be complete, and we finally are. I want a life with the two of you.”
“That’s everything I want,” Michael replied.
Ty got her bra off and let his hands cup the warm flesh of her breasts. She was perfect in every way, the mere touch of her calming his fears, easing his anxieties.
Everything was going to be okay. He felt it. Lucy was going to be all right. They would figure out who had killed Brock Foster. Between Nate and Michael, he could relax because they were smart and knew what they were doing.
His whole body suddenly felt electric. This was happening here and now, and it would cement the love between the three of them. All three of them. He and Michael might never touch in a sexual way, but there would be love between them. And then again, who knew? He wasn’t saying no to anything. The three of them had all the time in the world to experiment. All the trust in the world to be open to possibilities.