Chapter 19
“Iwant to tell Ty about our past.”
Memphis glanced about the roundtable from one face to the next.
Andie and Richard shot each other a look before turning to their respective partners.
“Well?”
Emmitt, who had his head tipped back and his eyes closed, gave a lazy shrug. Maverick seemed to be surveying the rest of the group, interested, as well, to hear their thoughts on the matter.
“Youhavespent a good amount of time with her,” Richard said.
“And shewillbe living here soon,” Trenton added.
Andie was nodding, her face thoughtful. “I definitely trust her, though it could get a little tricky with Lucas if he knows anything.”
“He doesn’t need to know about our past,” Memphis assured, feeling that much closer to tackling an issue he looked forward to having behind him. “But I think it’s time that Ty knows.”
“Have you used theL wordwith her yet?” Emmitt asked through a yawn as he lifted his head back into place.
Heat rushed into his face. “Yes, we have.”
“Awww,” gushed Andie and Ava in unison.
“Wow,” Maverick said. “Love is in the air for everyone but me.”
“And me,” mumbled Emmitt.
“Let’s take a vote,” Trenton said, lifting a hand in the air already. “Who’s on board with Memphis telling Ty about…how you all ended up here.”
One hand lifted after the next. Memphis’s shoulders went lax. And a celebration picked up in his heart.
“Looks like a yes to me,” Trenton said with a nod.
“Yes!” he said with a fist pump.
“Remember to make sure no one’s within earshot,” Richard said.
“And you’ve got to swear her to secrecy, of course,” Andie added. “Not that that’ll be a problem.”
Memphis nodded. “Will do.”Wow!Elation surged through him, the extent of it nearly taking him by surprise. He could hardly believe he’d made it to this moment. Already, Memphis felt like a whole new man. And in a strange way, it made him feel more like himself too.
There were pieces of his past he’d had to bury when he was with Ty, and while he’d adjusted to the limitations easily enough, there were times he hadn’t felt authentic. Now he’d get to be himself—one hundred percent.
As his family discussed other topics on the agenda, Memphis considered how he’d do it. It’d need to be when the two were alone, either after Lucas went to bed or on a night where they got a sitter.
He couldn’t help but think about what this meant. Memphis could be more open with Ty about his past. He could talk freely about the significant change that took place when they all moved out here instead of just telling her guarded bits and pieces. And now, he mused as another thought came to mind, he could propose to her when the time came. No messy background or family secrets to hide. He guessed he could tell her a little more about Ava’s past. At this point, Ty knew that Ava had escaped an abusive boyfriend. What shedidn’tknow was that her ex was Wren Brandler, a semi high-profile name in the business world. Ty also didn’t know that Maverick and Memphis had inadvertently helped Ava escape the abusive situation.
Speaking of Ava’s dangerous ex, the group was discussing the topic that very moment.
“Detective Lingley says they still have a good pulse on Wren Brandler,” Richard said, “so we’re good there.” Memphis always detected the edge to Richard’s voice as he went over that part of their roundtable discussion. Sure, the mafia was no joke. It was certain that Memphis, along with his entire family, was on a circulation list; it’s why they’d gone into the relocation program in the first place. But with Ava, Richard’s soon-to-be wife, she was theonlyname on Wren’s list. Wren had money, power, and a relentless drive to find the woman who’d lived under his thumb for years.
While they had reason to believe that her death report had been convincing enough to make Wren stop his pursuits, Memphis sensed that Richard occasionally lost sleep over it even still. The fact was enough to send a chill up Memphis’s spine; if anyone had insight to Wren and his wicked ways, it was the man about to marry Ava.
“What’s this about a soapbox derby?” Richard was asking now, pulling Memphis from his musings.
That brought him to a second item of business he wanted to discuss today. He’d nearly forgotten about it. Memphis reached for the figures he’d come up with—printouts to show how successful racetracks were across the US. On the other side of each page, his siblings would see a map showing just how far they were from the nearest establishments that offered anything of the sort.
“That’s from me,” Memphis said as he pried open his folder. His family had already agreed to the most important request he’d had. That made him feel like a whole new man. In a strange way, it made him feel more like himself too. Now, to see if his family agreed on with him on this point as well.
