Tyler
My body was still aching when I stepped out of the shower back at the hotel suite.
The win had been electric and I was on a high.
It was everything I’d worked for, and my leg had held up without so much as a twinge, but that wasn’t the best part.
The best part was having her there in my corner for the first time not just as my physio but as my girlfriend.
The way she’d sat in the medics’ stand, watching every point like her eyes alone could hold me on the court. Firing me up without even knowing it.
I wrapped a towel around my waist, ruffled the water out of my hair and walked into the bedroom. The sight that greeted me from the bed made my throat tighten.
Orla was curled up on the bed in nothing but my hoodie, her knees tucked under her and that raven hair spilling over her shoulders like silk.
Fuck. I could die happy if this was the sight I came home to every night.
Her gaze flicked up just as I stepped into the room. I felt her eyes land somewhere near the knot of the towel against my hips, a slow, appreciative scan that made my blood hum.
“Kate says good job on the win today. But Jordan says you’re dead in New York,” she said, her mouth curving into a smirk.
“You tell that smug Aussie bastard that I’m coming for him,” I laughed, dropping onto the edge of the mattress beside her.
She tossed her phone aside, and I hooked a finger in the collar of the hoodie she was drowning in, dragging her toward me. I didn't give her a choice. I just wanted her mouth on mine.
“You’re wet,” she wryly protested as I pushed my tongue into her mouth.
“That makes two of us,” I rasped, my hand sliding under the hem of the hoodie and finding the heat between her thighs.
She gasped, her body arching instinctively toward me, her fingers digging into my damp shoulders.
I was seconds away from losing the towel and the last of my restraint but then her phone buzzed again.
It wasn't the short, sharp ping of a text.
This was a sustained, aggressive vibration that rattled against the nightstand.
I would’ve ignored it if she had, but she froze.
“Oh, shit. It’s Danny. I should answer.”
Danny. Her brother. The one she lived with back home—the guy who never called unless it was something that couldn't wait.
I leaned back against the headboard, watching her pace as she answered.
“Hey bro, you okay?”
The shift was instant. Her whole body went still, her hand dropping from her hair to her side.
“What do you mean he’s in the hospital?”
My gut dropped. I sat up straight, my heart rate notching up slightly.
“Is he okay? Which hospital?” Her voice shook, one hand pressed to her forehead like she could push the words away.
“Right… I…oh my God… I don’t know what to do… you get over there as soon as you can, I’ll figure something out.” She was looking around the room like the answer might be hiding in a corner.
The second she hung up, I was on my feet, catching her by the shoulders.
“Baby, what happened?”
Her lip trembled. “It’s…it’s my dad. He’s had a heart attack.” Her voice cracked, and then the sob came.
“Fuck.” I tightened my grip, forcing myself to stay steady for her. “Okay. Sit down. Tell me what Danny said.”
She was crying harder now, her fingers digging into my arms. “Danny’s in London trying to get a flight to Ireland. Mal’s already there with him. But he’s in surgery. Tyler, what if he doesn’t make it? I’m all the way out here…”
I’d never seen her so frantic. Orla, who was always composed and measured, was unraveling. Her voice crackled like it hurt her to breathe, her hands trembling against my chest.
“Hey, hey,” I whispered, pulling her in. “Look at me.”
She shook her head, tears spilling over. “I can’t…if he doesn’t make it— Tyler, I didn’t even get to say goodbye. I’m here, and he’s…” Her words broke off into a sob that tore me in two.
I gathered her up against me, her face buried in my chest, my hand running through her hair.
“You’re going to get there, and you’re going to be with him, okay?
He’s got your other brother there already, right?
He’s not alone. And you’re going to see him again.
I promise you.” Shit, I didn’t know if that was true, had no idea how bad it was but I didn’t know what else to say to her.
The need to reassure and protect her consumed me.
Her fists clenched in my towel, clutching like I was the only thing holding her together. “You promise?”
“With everything I’ve got,” I said. “I promise.”
She cried until the shaking slowed, finally drawing a breath deep enough to steady herself. She wiped her face with the heel of her hand, her skin blotchy and raw.
“Thank you, Tyler,” she said hoarsely, wiping her face with the heel of her hand. “I don’t know what I’d do without you right now.”
I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You don’t have to find out. I’ll pack us a bag,” I said softly. “We’ll get on the first flight out.”
Her brows pinched, head shaking hard. “No. Tyler, you can’t come. No way. You’ve worked too hard for this. New York’s coming up in two days”
“Baby, you’re all that matters right now.” My voice was shaking a little. “I can’t stand the thought of you going through this alone.”
She clutched my wrists, her eyes pleading. “Please. I can’t have that on my head too. Danny and Mal will be there. I’ll be fine.”
My mind tore in two. I knew she was right—leaving now meant forfeiting everything we'd just gained—but the thought of her on a plane alone made my chest ache. I looked at her beautiful, tear-soaked face and gave in.
“Then let me book the flight and take you to the airport. You call me the minute you land. Promise me.”
She nodded, a fresh tear escaping. “I promise.”
I blew out a breath, still holding her face like I could hold us together. “If you’re not back by the time I finish New York, I’m coming straight to you. Nothing’s stopping me.” She nodded tearfully in response.
The next twenty minutes blurred. Clothes shoved into a bag, my phone lighting up with flight confirmations, the noise of the cab engine as I kept her pressed to my side. I kissed the top of her head every few seconds, not caring if it annoyed her.
At the airport she hesitated at the security line, turning back with red-rimmed eyes.
“I feel awful leaving you,” she whispered. “You’ve worked so hard. You need me this week.”
“Don’t even start,” I said gently. “I’ve got it covered. You think I’d want you here worrying about him? You go. Be where you’re supposed to be.”
Her lip trembled again. “I’m going to miss you.”
I swallowed hard, the words I wanted to say jammed in my throat. I love you. I don’t want to let you go.
Instead, I managed a crooked smile. “You won’t get a chance to miss me, I’ll be texting you every five minutes.”
It worked, barely. She leaned in and pressed her forehead against mine. “Thank you, Tyler. For everything.”
I brushed a finger under her chin, forcing her eyes back to mine. “You don’t thank me for showing up for you, okay? That’s what I do.”
Her breath hitched, but before she could say anything, the line moved, and she had to go. I watched her walk away until she disappeared through security. Watching her go was like getting punched in the ribs. Like watching a piece of my heart get swallowed into the crowd.
My whole body screamed at me to run after her, not to let her out of my sight but I knew this was what needed to happen.
I’d never hated a departure gate more in my life.