Chapter 42 Tyler
Tyler
One month. That’s how long Indiana and I have been seeing one another, and I swear, it’s been the best thirty days I could ask for. I feel like the sun is shining again on my life and I never want it to set.
Her parents are coming into town this weekend, and we have a plan to tell Noah about us after they leave.
Her mother isn’t a fan of Darth, so he’ll be hanging with me this weekend.
That gives me the opportunity to see Noah, even if it’s just in the context of being his mom’s friend.
I can test the waters when they drop their cat off.
The doorbell rings and I run to the door. I’m a little nervous, wiping my hands on my pants. I’m usually pretty good around kids, but now that things are moving along with Indy, I feel this added pressure to make a good impression in front of this little boy.
“Hunter!” Noah shouts when I swing the door open.
“Hey, buddy.”
“My mom said you’re watching Darth this weekend while Grandma and Grandpa come to visit. Grandma doesn’t like Darth.” He scrunches his nose as he looks up at me.
“I heard. Yes, I’ll watch over Darth for you. I promise to take extra good care of him. You think he’ll like my house?”
“Yeah. He likes when you scratch behind his ear, but I’ll show you before we leave,” he says, walking in with confidence. “And he likes watching Star Wars!”
I look up and see Indy standing at the door, a soft smile grazing her lips. “Hey,” she says.
“Hi, beautiful,” I whisper.
As she passes the threshold, I allow my hand to skim the top of hers. I can’t be around her without touching her a little.
She’s holding the carrier with Darth inside, his meows soft, yet present, as they move through my home. I bring my hand out to grab the carrier for her.
“Let’s put it somewhere so he can start to get acclimated.” Indy says.
“Of course,” I say. “Do you have water and food bowls? Because I got some just in case.”
Indy looks over at me with a surprised look.
“What?” I ask.
“You got my cat supplies?”
“Well, yeah. I wasn’t sure if you needed me to.” I shrug.
She simply smiles at me as she opens the carrier. “I brought some, but that’s really sweet. Thank you.”
“Of course. I can return what I got. I just wanted to make sure he was covered. I don’t want to be ill-prepared.” I wink.
Noah comes running over. “Hunter has a pool, Mom!”
“Wow! How exciting.” She looks at him.
“Do you think we can swim here in the summer?” If it were possible, I’d think he’d have stars in his eyes.
“I don’t know, sweetie. That’s something we would have to see. But, right now we have to focus on Darth.” Looking at me, she smiles. Swinging the door to the carrier open, she looks inside. Darth pokes his head out, hesitant to come out, looking at his new surroundings.
Noah goes back to looking at the fenced-off pool, distracted for a moment.
I whisper to her, “If it’s okay with you, I’d like for him to swim here this summer.”
“Yeah?” She looks into my eyes. I nod. “Alright. That’s all you.”
“Hey, Noah. Your mom said you can come by this summer to swim, bud.”
“Really? Yes!” He throws his arms up in the air.
I smile, it feels like a win.
Slowly, Darth starts to come out of the carrier, looking around my place. He’s only staying two days, but I’m excited to have some company. Hopefully this will be a better experience than the foster puppy I had a while back.
“You sure you’re good watching him?” Indy asks.
“For the millionth time, yes. I promise we will be fine,” I tell her.
Noah walks over and pulls out a piece of paper from his back pocket. Once he unfolds it, I realize it’s full of crayon written instructions of what Darth needs throughout the day.
This kid is fucking adorable.
I’m leaning against the counter and staring at the fridge. I can’t stop looking at Noah’s crayon-filled handwriting that I taped up shortly after he and Indy left. That’s what I’m doing when my friends start walking in from the back patio door.
I’m taking a drink of my beer and Malloy pats me on the back in greeting.
“Hey, man. Thanks for having us over; glad to have a day out. Your place is the nicest to have a BBQ.” He puts items down on the kitchen counter as I turn around, greeting the rest of our friends.
I give River and Clay a side hug, patting them on the back.
Ashton joined us today, he’s the twins’ childhood friend.
He’s not a firefighter with us, but he comes along when he can get away from his busy schedule.
He’s more reserved, but it’s nice to have him balance everyone out.
Plus, he has the patience of a saint if he can handle River and Clay together for as long as he has.
“Good to see you, man.” I give him a hug. “How are the kids?” I ask him. He has toddler boy and girl twins.
“Non-stop. That’s all I can say. They’re running around and terrorizing Samara and I constantly, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He smiles from ear to ear. “I don’t think I’ll sleep for the rest of my life though.”
“I bet.” I laugh with him. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Honestly, I think I’ll have a beer, please.”
“You got it. Clay, River?”
“Same, please,” they both answer.
“I’ll take a water, please,” Malloy answers. “I’m driving these guys.”
We all settle in and begin prepping for lunch. Soon, I see Darth come out of his little hiding spot, probably getting used to the noise.
“What the fuck is that?” River yells, nearly spitting his beer out.
I look over, my brows knitting. “Um, a cat. You’ve seen one before, right?”
“When the hell did you get a cat? And why?” He looks disgusted. “I told you to get a dog, Hunter. A DOG!” He mouths it like I’m not comprehending words anymore.
“Yes, River. I understand the difference. I didn’t go out and get a cat. This is Indiana and Noah’s cat. I’m watching him for them. Her parents are in town and her mom isn’t a cat person. His name is Darth.”
Now everyone looks confused. “Like Darth Vader?” Ashton questions.
“Yes.” I roll my eyes. Seriously, why they named the cat Darth is really beyond me. I think people think the feline will be a terror due to the name. Plus, the cat is as white as snow.
“Noah is a huge Star Wars fan, and he wanted to name the cat something unique. So here we are.”
“Huh, I sort of admire that,” Malloy says.
“Yeah, he’s super cool,” I say.
“Did you two tell him you’re dating yet?” Clay asks me.
“No. We’re telling him after her parents leave. We thought we’d let her parents head out first, because if her parents are anything like they were when we were growing up, they’d want to see me and honestly—baby steps. They weren’t my biggest fans years ago.” I take a sip of my beer.
“Why? You’re not giving yourself enough credit, Hunter,” River says, pointing his beer in my direction.
“Listen, I know you see this version of me today, but I wasn’t this stellar person”—I puff out my chest— “who seemed put together back then.” I wink for added effect.
I get a few chuckles from the guys, but River gives me a stern look. “Seriously, though. Why wouldn’t they accept you now? You’re an adult and you’ve got your shit together.”
“The version Indiana’s parents knew of me back then was the kid from the trailer park with loser parents. I was the kid that barely made the grades, skipped class, and rode his motorcycle to school.” I still feel that pang of insecurity creep up when I think about my past and Indy’s parents.
“The motorcycle part hasn’t changed,” River chimes in with a smile on his face. “I’m still not wrapping my head around the fact that they won’t accept you today. You are a good fit for her and she for you. And it’s not up to them.”
“I guess I just feel insecure still for things in my past. Yes, I should let it go, but I feel it when I think of them. So, when she told me they were coming this weekend, I thought it best to postpone telling them. My parents did a number on me, but Indy’s parents’ opinion of me had a significant effect on how I felt for years.
I truly saw myself as worthless. Like I wasn’t good enough for her. ”
“She’s done quite well for herself,” Malloy states. “But part of that is because of you. She wouldn’t be where she is if it weren’t for the way you pushed her to be independent. There’s a lot to be said about that.”
“She has. But people like them just like to point fingers at all the mistakes I’ve made, and they only remember where I came from.
I’m an easy person to blame for the problems that exist between them and their daughter.
That being said, we want to keep the blowback from affecting Noah.
We’re going to tell him once they leave.
My goal is to move forward with Indy, without much drama if possible.
” I feel a tightness in my chest because everything I ever wanted feels like it’s right at my fingertips.
Like I’m finally at that point where I’ve always dreamed of reaching with her.
“I’m happy for you man,” Malloy says, grabbing my shoulder and squeezing. “Just remember you deserve to be happy.”
“Thanks,” I tell him. “I’m excited to tell Noah. He’s a good kid and I want to get to know him better. The little bit she’s told me and that I’ve gotten to see, I already like him so damn much. I’ll be pumped to see a different side to him as we get to spend more time together.”
“Then you should definitely get the kid a dog,” River says.
“Give it up, Riv.” Clay rolls his eyes.
I laugh. “No way, not after that disaster with that hump-fest from the foster place.”
“That was a fluke, Hunter! Look at my sweet Lola! She’s an angel,” River continues.
“Seriously, Riv. Enough,” Clay says, as if he’s talking to his own child, and not his brother.
“You sound like Mom,” River retorts.
“You sound like a child and not a thirty-year-old,” Clay reminds him.
This goes on, so we grab the food and start heading outside. This is exactly what these guys do. They make me feel like I’m a part of a family.