“I’m going to sue this place for everything it’s worth. I mean it. I will not be treated this way,” Chet vowed.
“And yet you are,” Cam assured him. “Hope you’ve got a good coat. It’s going to be a long trip down this mountain.”
Cam started to haul the man off. Nate turned Michael’s way. “I’m going to need a report. I take it he came looking for revenge.”
“We’re okay.” Lucy moved to Ty’s side. “Michael was here. He saved us.”
“You made it easy, baby. You both did. You stayed calm.” He needed them to know how proud he was.
Ty’s shoulders shrugged. “There are a couple of things you learn to do as a citizen of Bliss. Don’t fuck with the beekeeper who supplies Stella’s creamed honey. Aliens like to probe you so eat your beets. And stay calm when someone pulls a gun because someone always pulls a gun.”
“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?”