Page 155 of Between Secrets and Obsession

“Why are you asking?”

“Why are you single?”

Ty laughs. “This sounds like a dating interview.”

“I’m shocked you aren’t taken. It makes me believe there’s something wrong with you because it’s certainly not your good looks or heart of gold. Do you have a weird third nipple or something? Chicks can be so vain sometimes. And you have that Southern thing going for you, which most girls like, so that’s a point in your favor. From what I noticed, you’re fit and you’re tall, which women also love. So honestly, what is it? What’s wrong with you?”

Ty’s silent before he cracks a smile. “I’ve learned you’re a rambler, especially when you’re nervous or bored, so I’m gonna take what you just said with a grain of salt.”

I laugh and throw back my head because dammit he’s right. “Sorry. You’re correct. I talk a lot when I feel out of control, and right now I’m driving myself crazy with overthinking.”

“I told you to trust me, Maddie,” he states confidently. “I didn’t let Eric near you, nor did you go hungry, and I even bought you tampons you probably didn’t need.”

I cackle at his words. “You’re only proving my point further. The perfect guy. So what’s wrong with you? You wanna keep my mind occupied, tell me about you.”

He shrugs, but I catch the corner of his lips tilting up. “Alright, I guess I can handle that. We’ll be driving all night anyway.”

“Good.”

“For starters, you can call me Tyler. Ty was what I told everyone, so it’d help me stay in character when I heard it. I’m single because, like Liam, I didn’t have the best upbringing. I don’t trust myself in a relationship due to past experiences, and now I don’t date women long enough to know if I can trust them.”

“Well, that certainly sounds like Liam.”

Tyler continues to entertain me by telling me a little about growing up in Lawton Ridge and how he got into boxing and became a trainer. It’s fascinating.

I end up drifting off, and when Tyler wakes me, I realize we’re stopped.

“What’s going on?” I ask, looking around and noticing we’re at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere.

“I texted Liam to let me know when he was alone and could talk. He just responded. It’s time.”

CHAPTER THIRTY

LIAM

Victoria’s beensicker than usual, and while I’m concerned and try to help, she blows me off. I’m not a complete dickhead when someone isn’t feeling well, but she’s shown her true colors this past week when the truth came out. Sympathy is the last thing she deserves from me. However, I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t. Between the morning sickness and her body recovering from the fender bender, she’s extra whiny.

Standing in the kitchen, I make myself a sandwich because it’s a safe bet. The other day when I warmed food in the microwave, Victoria nearly castrated me when the smell made her nauseous, so I’ve resorted to ham and cheese.

As I spread mayo on a piece of bread, my nerves get the best of me. How much longer is this going to go on? I’ve been so unhinged since I received that text from Tyler. I’ve been anxiously awaiting an update and have grown more concerned by the silence. No news isn’t always good news when dealing with the O’Learys, especially because two people I care about are in a remote location. If anything goes wrong, it could take days for me to find out from Victoria, if she’d even tell me.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I check it in case I missed any calls or text, but there’s nothing. After I eat, I change into some workout clothes and go for a run in the gym Victoria has set up in her penthouse, though she never uses it.

I run until my heart feels as if it will beat straight out of my chest. My shirt is soaked, and I stand with my hands over my head, trying to breathe. Unfortunately, my mind is still on Maddie and Tyler, and I stupidly hoped wearing myself out would force me to think about something else. The stress of all of this is almost too much.

Victoria’s game is to make Maddie fall for someone else—like Tyler—and hope I’ll stay being her husband and father to her babies. She knows losing Maddie would hurt worse than any physical thing her father could do to me, which is why she did it.

The rest of the day, I try to stay busy and am overly nice to Victoria. It pleases her, but it’s short-lived. We eat dinner, a pasta dish she ordered from one of her favorite restaurants, and when we’re done, we go our separate ways. It’s impossible for me to be around her for long periods without wanting to strangle her, so I go to my room and watch TV, wishing I could fall asleep. Not sure why, though, because tomorrow will be the same, and every day will be until Maddie is safe and out of Victoria’s reach.

Just as my eyes begin to feel heavy, my phone vibrates with a text from the number Tyler contacted me from before. Adrenaline bursts through my veins as I open it, but all it says is to call when I’m alone. Victoria’s in bed, but I quickly check on her to make sure she’s asleep.

Most of the lights are off in the house except for a single lamp in the living room. I cross the space and go to her bedroom where the door is cracked. Carefully, I open it and see she’s in bed, snoring with an eye mask over her face.

I let out a steady breath and go back to my room, then nervously call him. Tyler answers with a chuckle, and relief washes over me.

“You’re alone?” he finally asks.

“Yes, tell me what’s going on,” I say eagerly. After Tyler explains how he infiltrated the O’Learys, I’m so fucking honored and humbled he’s on my side. The fact that Victoria asked him to protect Maddie is a miracle, and I’m shocked by how perfectly everything worked out. It’s almost as if the universe is on Maddie’s and my side.