Page 44 of The Hook Up
Ty did know. He found himself nodding, which was dumb. It wasn’t like Anna could see him. But whether she meant to or not, her words struck chords deep inside him.
“Yeah,” he said. “I think we both learned the only things you could count on grown-ups for was disappointment.”
“Sometimes, that’s true,” she murmured. “Anyway, that’s what I meant. Just that it’s nice having Martin’s parents fussing over me now. It’s like I finally have the parents I always wished for. I’m pretty attached to them.”
Attached.Something about that word made him think of Ellie, reminded him of his resolve not to fall for her. It was asking for disappointment. For her, for him, for her son—for all of them.
Ty’s chest hurt, and his fingers traced his tattoo through his shirt. Fucking Johnny Cash, his father’s idol. A constant reminder of where he’d come from.
He took a few breaths to get his voice under control. “I’m happy for you, Anna. Seriously.”
“Thanks. I can totally reschedule Friday if that’s the only day that’ll work for you.”
“Nah, that’s fine. How about Thursday?”
“Thursday works! Or Monday, or Tuesday, or Wednesday—” She laughed, and Ty found himself smiling again. “Pretty much any day next week is good for me.”
“I’m open, too,” he said. “Pick one of those days and let me know.”
“Will do!” She laughed again. “I’m so excited for you to meet Martin!” She sounded delighted, and Ty flashed back to a memory of his happy, pigtailed kid sister when they were little. It was one of the only times they’d lived in the same household. He remembered someone shouting in the apartment next door, and the smell of Twinkies, and the warmth of his sister’s shoulder pressed against his as they waited at the door for their father to come home from a meeting with his parole officer.
They’d waited all night. Waited until the social worker came and took them away.
He was jarred from the past by the dull beep of another call coming in. Pulling the phone from his ear, he glanced at the screen and his heart sped up.
Ellie Sanders.
“Ty? Do you want to get that?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I kinda do.”
“Oooh,” Anna said, sounding giddy. “You totally got all melty-chocolate-voiced just then.”
“Melty-chocolate-voiced? What the?—”
“Answer it!” she ordered. “Don’t keep your girlfriend waiting. Love you!”
“Love you, too. Lunatic.”
She laughed and clicked off, leaving Ty to answer Ellie’s call with his heart thumping solidly in his chest. “Hey, Ellie.” He did his best to sound casual, playing it cool so she wouldn’t guess how happy he was she’d called.
“Hey there,” she said, equally breezy. Good. They could do this. Just two consenting adults having a casual relationship with no feelings involved.
“So, you can totally say no to this,” she said. “There’s no pressure at all. I swear it’s not a big deal, and I almost hate to ask you at all. In fact, maybe I?—”
“Ellie.”
“Yeah?”
“Just spit it out.” He didn’t realize he was smiling until he caught sight of his own reflection in the mirror beside his front door. He looked away, reluctant to admit how much he loved the sound of her voice.
“Okay,” she said. “But let me start again. How’s your day going?”
He laughed and shoved the Doritos bag off his lap, nudging it onto the coffee table. “It’s going great,” he said. “Watching some football. I was just on the phone with my sister.”
“You have a sister?” She sounded surprised.
“Yeah,” he said, surprised at himself for mentioning it. He rarely talked about his family. Not with co-workers or women he dated—or anyone, really. “We have the same father, but different mothers.”
