Page 55 of What Started In Deception

Lydia grinned. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Corddry.”

“Now, you make sure you call me Bina the next time we talk. My friends call me Bina.”

Lydia nodded. “Okay.”

“All right, Mom. We’ll talk soon.”

“Okay, honey. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

She blew them both kisses, and Ty hung up.

“Fuck,” he muttered as he closed his eyes. He knew that would happen. Knew it.

“Ty, I really like your mom,” Lydia all but gushed. “She’s absolutely beautiful. You have her eyes.”

He looked at her, sending her a small smile. “Thanks.”

“Aw, I hope we can talk to her again,” she said next, clearly as enamored with his mom as his mom had been with her.

If he had any say in the matter, they were going to avoid that at all costs. But now that Lydia was on his mother’s radar, he understood that was highly unlikely. “We’ll have to see.”

His phone dinged with a text. He winced as he read his mom’s message.

She’s PERFECT, honey! What a beauty! Send me a picture of her so I can show your sister.

Reluctantly, he opened his camera roll and selected his favorite picture from their first night on his rooftop deck and sent it off.

Seconds later, the phone alerted him to another message.

Look how GREAT you two look together! Your person. There she is. I’m so HAPPY for you, Tyler! XO

“Fuck,” he muttered again.

“Ty?”

He set his phone screen-side down on the coffee table, ready to be done with that for a while. “Yeah?”

“What’s Bina short for?”

“Sabina.”

She nodded. “What does your mom do for work?”

“She’s an ICU nurse.”

“Can I ask… Where’s your dad?”

He rubbed at his neck now. “He’s not far from DC.”

She stared at him, searching his gaze. “Okay. Is this a bad subject?”

He jerked his shoulders because he didn’t talk about his dad very often. For a long time, it had upset his mom too much. He’d learned a long time ago to keep that part of his life to himself. “Maybe we’ll save that for another time.”

She touched his hand. “Okay.” Her eyes radiated with compassion as she sent him a small smile. “Should we find something to watch?”

“Sure.”