Chapter 46
I’m roused from sleep when the bed shifts and Tyler positions himself, head between my thighs.
Half-asleep, I prop myself up on my elbows, watching him through heavy lids as he lowers his mouth to me.
His tongue strokes slow and unhurried, pausing every few seconds to press sweet, reverent kisses to my clit.
I smile down at him, but when he takes my clit between his lips, I throw my head back onto the pillow.
My body responds to him on instinct, like it was made to be worshiped by him, and it doesn’t take long before my thighs are quaking from the surge of pleasure building inside me. His tongue stays steady, insistent, until stars burst across the backs of my eyelids.
Even as I pant through the aftermath, Tyler doesn’t rush.
He draws soft strokes with his tongue, soothing me, coaxing me back down.
Only once I’ve found my breath does he crawl up the bed and fold me into his arms, tucking me against the steady beat of his heart.
I’m certain when I drift back to sleep there’s a smile on my face, knowing this is what forever feels like.
“We need to tell the kids.”
We’re still in bed, limbs tangled, all morning breath and bed hair.
Early morning light spills in around the curtains, and I swear I’ll never get tired of this view: Tyler half-smiling, eyes soft, the weight of his love so easy to feel now that I’ve finally stopped resisting it.
I reach to trace his smile with my fingertip before pressing my lips to his.
“I don’t want to wait,” I add. “We’ll tell the kids, our friends and family, and as soon as Penny and Austin are back, I want to marry you. Here at our house.”
As soon as the awards ceremony was over—where Austin and Penny’s song won Song of the Year, might I add—Austin whisked her away to Scotland for a whirlwind honeymoon. They’ll be there for two weeks, and I can’t get married without her here.
Tyler smiles and presses a kiss to my forehead. “Have I told you today I love you?
I nod, and he kisses the apples of my cheeks. “Well, I also like how your mind works. We’ll get married as soon as we can. I need to talk to my lawyer about Jay, too.” He pauses, eyes flicking to mine. “About that.”
I lift a brow, and he goes on.
“What about last names?”
I wave a dismissive hand, making the pshh sound.
Tyler waits patiently for more of an explanation.
“Abby and Jay have different last names, as you know. I couldn’t bear to give Abby another man’s name, so when I married Chad and had Jay…it always made her feel like the odd one out. Fast forward to our divorce, I couldn’t stand to keep his name. So I went back to my maiden name.”
Tyler nods slowly. “But that left Jay the odd man out.”
“Exactly. But I think both kids would want your last name. It might be weird at school for them, but friends and teachers will adjust. They might surprise me, but I’ve got a feeling they’d want us to all match.”
Tyler smiles at this, and we lie together for at least another hour, planning out how we’ll tell the kids, and possible dates for our wedding. If it was up to me I’d do it next weekend, but we do have a few arrangements to make, like getting his parents back here. Which prompts another question.
“Why don’t we keep my house? The payment is low and that way your mom and dad will have somewhere to stay when they visit.”
Tyler’s eyes flick away from mine and something in his expression shifts.
“What’s that look for?” I ask.
His eyes are back on mine, and he sighs, rubbing a hand down my arm.
“I paid off your house.”
My mouth opens to protest, but he reaches and puts a finger to my lips.
“I told you I made wise investments. I thought maybe we could turn it into an AirBnb. Lord knows this town could use one.”
This makes me laugh and my mind goes back to Austin sleeping in his van last summer when the motel overbooked.
“When you say wise investments, what exactly do you mean? Am I entering my billionaire romance era?”
Tyler huffs a laugh. “Not quite. Would you settle for a bit less?” Then he hesitates, eyes sweeping over my face and he looks away.
“Jo, I don’t plan on being one of those couples who have separate bank accounts.
What’s mine is yours, so you’ll see it anyway.
I’m worth a lot. I don’t need much to be happy.
If I didn’t work another day, we’d still be set. Paying off your house was no big deal.”
My eyes widen, brows lifted.
Tyler kisses my shoulder, stretches, and rolls to climb from bed. “Shake a leg, Jo. We’ve got a lot to do.”
Tyler doesn’t have many groceries yet, so the plan is to collect Abby and Jay and have breakfast with them at Jackson’s diner. I’ll have to swear Jackson to secrecy, because he’s so damn nosy and I want Penny to hear it from me first.
We dress quickly, and make the drive to Lisa and Greg’s house. I shoot a quick text to Lisa to tell her we’re coming early for Jay, then I call Amelia’s mom to tell her we’re picking Abby up for breakfast, then she can return.
Lisa eyes me suspiciously from her front porch when Jay runs out to hop in the car.
“I’ll text you later!” I shout. “Promise.”
She’s most likely guessed what’s going on, but she’ll want all the details.
Abby is grumpy when she slides in the back seat. I’m sure she and Amelia stayed up half the night. She answers in clipped one-word responses when I try chatting about her night with Amelia, but she perks up when Tyler turns into the diner parking lot.
Tyler holds the door open for us and we file in, taking a seat in a booth by the window.
Abby and Jay sit on one side, and Tyler and I take the other side.
Seconds later, Jackson strolls over wearing a shit-eating grin and hands each of us a menu.
We place our drink order, and Jackson steps away, giving me a thumbs-up on his way.
“Abby, Jay.” I look at Abby first, then Jay when I speak. “Tyler and I need to tell you both something.”
Abby’s face goes from apprehension, to confusion, until I wiggle my finger and her face splits into a smile.
“You two are getting married?”
She squeals with glee. I nod, and Tyler looks to Jay.
“That okay with you, bud?”
Jay’s face scrunches up, and I can see the wheels turning. “Will we live with you?”
Tyler nods. “Of course.”
“Can I bring everything from my bedroom?”
“Jaybird, we’ll take everything. You’ll have a brand new bedroom, but with your stuff in it,” I explain.
Jay seems satisfied because he nods and lifts his hand to fist bump Tyler.
“Wait, one more thing. Will this make you my and Abby’s dad? I mean, I know what a stepdad is, but you’ll be, like, our real dad since we don’t have one, right?”
The way he asks it, so direct and to the point, slices through me.
Tyler looks to me and clears his throat. “Jay, how would you feel if I adopted you? Then I’d be your actual real dad.”
Jay’s brows come together and he turns to look at Abby.
“What about Abby?”
Now all three sets of eyes look to me for an explanation.
“Jay, Tyler already is Abby’s father.”
I can tell Jay doesn’t understand so I pause to think through the best way to explain. But then Abby speaks up.
“Mom and Dad lost touch before she had me. They didn’t have a way to find each other again until recently.
” My first thought is she explained it far better than I could have, judging by how Jay accepts it with a shrug and takes a drink of his Dr. Pepper.
My second thought is she called him Dad.
Beside me, Tyler has gone preternaturally still, looking at Abby.
Abby smiles shyly across the table at Tyler. “Hope it’s fine that I just said that.”
Tyler exhales a stunned laugh. “Abs, of course it’s fine.”
Jay, not to be left out, says, “Well, if Abby gets to call you Dad, I want to, too,” just as our food arrives. Jackson’s eyes cut to mine because of course he heard.
I mime zipping my lips, and his eyes are lit up with mischief but he nods.
“You can both call me Dad, Jay.”
We dig into our breakfast, telling them all the plans for our wedding, and how we’ll celebrate all these changes. I look around the table, first at my kids, then at Tyler, and my heart feels like it’s finally, finally in one piece.
It’s official.
I send a selfie, holding up my left finger.
Lisa
I had a feeling I’d be seeing this text after you came and got Jay this morning. Congrats, to you and Tyler. You deserve all the happiness in the world.
Cassie
YESSS! That ring is gorgeous, girl.
Penny sends a selfie of herself sobbing. My sweet Penny girl and all those pregnancy hormones. I heart her selfie.
Penny
Also, did you spend the night with him last night?
Sure did.
And to mess with Cassie, I add:
He tied me up and blindfolded me.
Cassie
And I’m out.
I answer all their questions about how he proposed, but I have to cut the chat short because Tyler and I are turning into Morningside.
We’ve dropped both kids back off, but this is one conversation we still need to have.
I’ve already called the nurse to check on Mawmaw’s condition and they said it’s a good day.
I’ve signed Tyler and myself in, introduced him to the staff, and now we’re walking hand in hand to Mawmaw’s room.
She’s sitting at her table when we enter, reading the newspaper.
She’s kept her subscription, even though I’d hazard a guess that she struggles to remember anything she’s read.
She looks up in surprise when she spots Tyler. But her face quickly morphs to a smile.
“Mawmaw, I want you to meet someone.”
Tyler and I cross her room and take a seat across from her.
“This is Tyler.”
She extends her hand, and he takes it with both of his, his voice warm as he greets her.
Her gaze bounces between us. “So, tell me about the two of you. How did you meet?”
My heart lurches. Just a few days ago we had this conversation. She remembered then. But now it’s slipped away like so many memories.
Tyler squeezes my thigh under the table, and it’s such a simple thing but it keeps me from crumbling.
“Mawmaw, this is Abby’s father.”
Her head tilts, like she’s digging deep to slot memories into place, and then her face lights up.
“Of course it is. She looks just like you.” Turning to me, she says, “Josephine, you sure do have good taste. Well, except for that ex of yours. He was like a moldy muffin.”
“Mawmaw!” I gasp, and Tyler barks a laugh.
We take turns telling her about our plans, from the house to the wedding and to Jay. Her eyes shine with tears when Tyler tells her he plans to adopt Jay and she clasps her wrinkled hand in his. I show her my ring and she is appropriately awed by how lovely it is.
Tyler and I sit with her for over an hour, listening, answering questions, basking in her approval, but I can tell she’s getting tired. She takes a nap around this time each day, and by the huge yawn she tries to stifle, I can tell nap time is upon us.
I hug her first, then she pulls Tyler into her arms. I watch the two of them, full to the brim with happiness.
As I reach for the doorknob, her voice calls softly from behind us. “Fight hard. You two can do hard things together. Marriage takes work, but with the right person, it’s worth it. Josephine knows how I feel about gambling, but if I was a bettin’ woman, my bet would be on you two.”