Monday morning I’m getting dressed for school when Tyler walks in through our adjoining bathroom.
“Is that new?” he asks, running a towel over his damp hair, shirtless, only a pair of sweats hanging from his hips. Basically, looking too good to be true.
“The skirt is.” I use a Sharpie to darken the worn spots on my favorite black heels.
He comes the rest of the way into my room and slides his hands around my waist. “Why are you coloring your shoes?”
“They’ve seen better days,” I say, and drop them to the floor. When I step into them, I’m closer to eye-level with him.
“Maybe you should have gotten new shoes yesterday too.”
“I had planned to,” I admit. “But I underestimated how much a new wardrobe would cost.”
“I have something for you.” He dangles my old bracelet in front of my face. “I thought you might want it back now.”
He clasps it around my wrist, and I hold it up to inspect it closer.
“God, I loved this bracelet.” I gave it to him the first time we were separated. I thought as long as he had it, I’d always have a reason to see him. It became tradition or superstition. Every time we were separated, I’d send it with him, insisting that he hang on to it until we were together again.
“We’re leaving for New York this afternoon and probably won’t be back until pretty late.”
“I can wait up.”
“Just be in my bed. I don’t care if you’re awake or not.” He stops and looks up at the ceiling. “That sounded creepy. What I meant to say is that all I want is to fall asleep and wake up next to you.”
There’s a small part of me that’s freaking out, worried this is all happening too fast, but it’s drowned out by the much larger part that is all too eager to jump back in headfirst.
“I’ll be there.” I hold my wrist against my chest.
Tyler gets dressed and then walks me downstairs where Everly is waiting in the kitchen.
“See you tomorrow, sis.” He grabs a banana from the fruit bowl on the counter. “Try to stay out of trouble and call if you need help with your homework. I’ll get one of the guys to help.”
“I think I’ll just ask Piper,” she says.
I secretly love that all the guys are so invested in helping Everly with her schoolwork. She told me that Declan is good at helping her with memorization stuff, Ash loves to discuss history or current events, and Leo is good at anything with numbers. Even Jack, who I wouldn’t have pegged as an especially patient or nurturing guy, apparently pitches in when it’s business-related.
“I’ll call you later to check in,” he tells her.
Before I have time to consider if we’re doing the whole PDA thing in front of his sister, he steps to me and brushes his lips over mine. It starts as a soft, sweet kiss but then his arm comes around me and his mouth slants so he can sweep his tongue inside.
He pulls back too quick and not quick enough. My face heats.
Everly looks between us with brows raised. “Gross, but good job, bro.”
She lifts her backpack, slings it over one shoulder and then leaves us alone.
“That’s one way to tell her,” I say.
“Sorry. I actually just forgot. Now that I can kiss you whenever I want, that’s all I want to do.” As if to prove his point, his mouth drops to mine again.
“You’re going to be late,” I say.
He whines, but his lips curve up into a smile against mine. “I know.”
He gives my bottom lip a final nip before he pulls away. “I better go. Jack is a real pain in the ass when he’s pissed off.”
We walk outside together. Ash is already waiting in the car for him.
“You know, I leave my car every time for a reason.”
“Don’t offend my baby,” I say, and glance over at my car. It looks especially rough sitting next to Ash’s truck.
Tyler just shakes his head.
“Good luck tonight,” I call after him.
When I get into my car, Everly glances over from the passenger seat with a small smile. “You and my brother, huh?”
“Yeah. Is it weird?” I ask her. “If it’s too weird then I can—”
“It’s not weird,” she interrupts me. Which is good because I don’t know what I would do if she had said it was. I like Everly, but I don’t want to stop making out with her brother.
“I’m glad. Maybe he’ll stop being such a grump and loosen the reins on me.”
I laugh. Unlikely, but at least she isn’t weirded out.
After work, I go over to Scarlett’s to watch the game. She had a photoshoot and couldn’t go to New York with the team, but it works out great because I need some serious girl time.
Everly comes with me, but she’s video-chatting with Grace. Jade shows up as Scarlett is filling three glasses with wine.
“Did I miss all the juicy details?” she asks, stripping off her coat and falling into the chair next to me.
“I just got here,” I say.
Scarlett puts the game on the TV and the three of us settle in. I’ve been jumpy and nervous all day. I am so excited, but also terrified. It doesn’t make any sense, but here we are.
The Wildcats are warming up and the camera pans around the ice. Scarlett and I are glued to the screen as we spot our guys.
Jade nudges me with her knee. “So, are you two back together officially?”
“Yes,” I say, then, “I think so.”
My mind goes back to him claiming me again and again. Mine.
“You’re blushing,” Scarlett says with a grin.
“We skipped over a lot of conversation, but yeah, we’re together.”
“Why do you look like you want to throw up?” Jade asks.
“I don’t think I’ve processed it all yet,” I admit. “A month ago, I was still planning on never seeing him again and now…”
“But you’re happy, right? This is what you want?” Scarlett asks, lowering her voice and checking to make sure Everly is still preoccupied.
“Of course. I’ve never stopped wanting him, even when I hated him, but am I being dumb? I mean, the guy shattered my heart into a million pieces. And that was before he was all…” I struggle to find the words again. “He’s this grown man now who is super hot and built, and that isn’t even the sexiest thing about him. The way he cares for his sister and his teammates.” I blow out a breath, and Jade and Scarlett laugh at me.
“If they can’t break you, is it even true love?” Scarlett asks.
Jade snorts. “God, I hope so. I’d like to keep my black heart perfectly intact, thank you.”
“If things ended with Sam, you wouldn’t be devastated?” I ask her.
“I’d be upset, but broken?” She takes a drink of her wine before shaking her head. She looks at me and then Scarlett. “Does that make me an awful fiancée?”
“No,” Scarlett says immediately. “Relationships are different. You’re different.”
“That I am.” Jade smiles proudly. “Sam and I picked out our wedding flowers today. We’re doing tulips. Tulips are going to be big this year.”
The attention turns to Jade and her upcoming wedding. She refuses to pick a date or venue, but basically everything else she’s selected so she could feature it in her articles for the magazine where she and Scarlett work.
Maybe Jade is right. Just because Tyler and I are together again doesn’t mean I have to hand over my heart on a silver platter. Okay, she didn’t say that exactly, but I think she might be on to something.
When Everly and I walk home after the game, I text Tyler to congratulate him. The Wildcats won and he got an assist. He played great and I’m proud of him, but I turn off my phone and go to sleep in my own bed because I’d like to keep my heart in one piece this time around.
The next afternoon Everly stops by my classroom after school.
“Hey,” I say, smiling. “I thought you had stage crew today.”
“I do, but Grace invited me to dinner and then to the basketball game.” She looks at me expectantly. “Is it okay if I go with her?”
“Yeah, I don’t see why not. I can come get you after the game.”
“That’s okay. She said she could bring me home. She has a car.”
“Do you need cash or anything?” I pull out my wallet from my purse.
“Nah, Ty always makes sure I have cash when he leaves for games.”
“All right. Well, have fun. Text me if you need anything.”
Her smile is maybe the biggest I’ve ever seen out of her. “Thanks, Piper.”
She hurries out of the classroom, and I sit back in my chair behind the desk. I shoot Tyler a text to let him know Everly’s plans and then, because I don’t feel like facing him just yet, I grab a stack of art projects to grade.
Tyler and Ash both slept in this morning. God knows what time they got in. I half expected him to climb into bed with me last night, but I guess my message was pretty clear when I chose not to wait for him in his.
My head is a mess.
He finally texts back about thirty minutes later. Free for dinner?
Dinner sounds great, I type back. I can’t hide from him forever. I’m getting ready to leave the school now.
I grab all my stuff and head out, giving myself a pep talk as I push out into the parking lot. I tell myself all kinds of things like we’re going to take this slow and that I’m going to do a better job of guarding my heart, and that I’m going to keep him at arm’s length until I’m certain I can survive him again.
But in the middle of my mental pep talk, I glance up and there he is. Leaning against the hood of his car, arms crossed over his chest. He pushes off when he sees me, but he lets me come to him.
“Hey,” I say tentatively when I’m within arm’s distance. “You’re here.”
“I wanted to make sure you didn’t run off.”
My face heats, but I don’t try to deny it wasn’t on my mind.
“Is your car okay here overnight?” he asks.
“Yeah, but I can just follow you to the restaurant.”
He shakes his head, then rounds the front and opens the passenger side of his car for me.
My nerves bounce along with my leg as he drives away from the school.
“Did you have a good day?” he asks, one hand on top of the steering wheel and the other rests on my thigh.
“Yeah. You?”
He glances over and his smile says more than his words. “Getting better by the minute.”
He pulls into the parking lot of an upscale mall.
“What are we doing here?” I ask.
“I made reservations for seven at the place across the street, but I thought we could wander around here first.”
“Okay.” I’ve been wanting to come to this mall, but I knew I couldn’t afford anything except for maybe a pretzel in the food court.
The architecture is beautiful with lots of glass and open space. A Tiffany’s is at the front of the mall, and I stare at the blue accent boxes inside with longing.
“Do you want to go inside?” Tyler asks when he notices me staring at the jewelry store.
“Oh, no. The sales associates will want to help us or think we’re engaged or something.” I bark a laugh, then anxious giggles follow.
Tyler takes my hand. His thumb strokes mine in a reassuring way that makes me blow out a nervous breath.
He stops a few steps later and steps into my space. “Are we okay? Because yesterday before I left I thought we were on the same page, but now I’m thinking we should have spent a little more time talking and less time kissing.” He bobs his head side to side. “More talking, but same amount of kissing.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just freaking out a little. I like you. I like you a lot, and I am terrified that I will end up heartbroken again.”
“You think this isn’t scary for me too?” He brushes my hair away from my face with a hand. “I spent the last four years wishing to have you back in my life and now that it’s happening, I feel like I’m gonna screw it all up. Or blink and realize I was hallucinating.”
A true smile finally tugs at the corner of my lips and my body relaxes. “So, it isn’t just me?”
“No, of course not.” He glides his thumb along my lower lip and then drops his mouth to mine. When he pulls back my heart is racing, but not because I’m nervous—because I know it’s already too late to be trying to guard my heart. He’s had it since I was eighteen.
“Be terrified with me, Pipes? Give me a real shot to get it right this time. That’s all I’m asking.”
I nod. “Yes. A thousand terrified yeses.”
He grins down at me, steps back to my side, and laces his fingers through mine again. “Now that we have that out of the way, I need to get a few things. Do you mind?”
“No. I’d love to watch you shop. I thought you hated it?”
We walk into a department store. The racks of clothing and shelves of shoes look so pretty.
“Well, it turns out it’s a lot more fun when you can afford to buy whatever you want.”
“Ah, yes. I remember those days.” I sigh.
“But we’re not here for me.”
My brows scrunch together.
“I remember what it was like. A year ago, I was sharing an apartment with three guys and every last dime I had went toward rent or feeding myself.”
“No, Ty—” I start when I realize where this is going. “You have already done so much for me with my car and don’t think I didn’t notice all my favorite foods stocked in the fridge.”
“Then do it for me. All the shit I wanted to buy for you when we were together the first time and couldn’t. I hated that I couldn’t buy you jewelry and flowers.”
“I didn’t need any of that then and I don’t need it now. I have a few tutoring gigs next week. I’ll be fine.”
He sticks out his bottom lip in a pout. “Then let me pay you for watching Ev.”
I relent with a sigh. “Okay. I could use a new pair of shoes, but nothing too over the top.”
“And a dress.”
I cock my head to the side.
Tyler grins. “The dress is for me.”
