Chapter Sixteen
TYLER
I hardly sleep, tossing and turning all night as images of Gemma’s tears burn in my mind.
Hanging out and watching a movie with her after Everleigh went to bed was probably a bad idea, but I don’t regret it.
I hated seeing her so upset, and it makes me want to track Robert down and speak to him with my fists.
If spending two hours with her was enough to put her in a better mood, then I’d do it all over again.
Hearing her laughter and seeing her smile was worth the awkward tension.
At five a.m., I give up trying to sleep and can’t stop thinking about one of the letters she sent me. She was sixteen and obsessing over romantic comedies.
Dear Tyler,
Do y’all get to watch movies over there? If so, you NEED to see 13 Going on 30 with Jennifer Garner. It’s my absolute new favorite movie, and if I don’t fall in love the way she does, then I don’t ever want to. Just kidding (kinda!).
But seriously! Jenna’s best friend, Matty, is basically in love with her, and while she’s having this horrible middle school party, she starts wishing she was thirty instead of thirteen.
Matty builds her a dollhouse and sprinkles it with “magic dust.” As she’s wishing to be 30, the dust goes everywhere, and her wish comes true.
When she wakes up the next day, she realizes her wish was granted.
The kicker is she doesn’t remember any part of her life since the party and has to go through the next several weeks trying to figure it out.
She grew up as one of the catty popular girls and ditches Matty basically.
And since she doesn’t know anything about her adult life, she has to catch up and ends up finding him.
She doesn’t realize they stopped being friends and guess what? HE’S ENGAGED! (I legit screamed!!!)
They rekindle their friendship while she’s discovering who she is and doesn’t like the person she’s become.
At the end, he’s about to walk down the aisle and returns the dollhouse he made for her.
She leaves in tears (and at this point, I’m SOBBING) and closes her eyes to make another wish, and the magic dust on the dollhouse blows in the wind.
Then, she’s 13 again and kisses Matty! She gets a redo, and it ends in a big fat happily ever after!
I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s seriously the best, and I’ve put it on repeat. Then Everleigh and I decided to have a girls’ night, and we chose A Walk to Remember. Though we bet each other we wouldn’t, we cried through the second half.
So, in case you’ve ever wondered what happens at sleepovers, we watch sappy romance movies and stuff our faces with junk food while trying not to cry but failing miserably.
Maybe look up the soundtrack for A Walk to Remember if you have time to check it out. It’s such a good album.
The Notebook is on our list for next weekend, and I’m going to be an emotional mess, guaranteed. I’ll update you in my next letter
Until then, please be safe!
Love, Gemma
I had no plans to watch either of those movies, but hearing her gush over them had me curious. I listened to the soundtrack she recommended, then watched the movies.
In my next letter, I explained I saw them, and that I thought she deserved to have someone like Matty or Landon in her life. I hoped she’d get to experience love in the same way and feel all the raw emotions they did.
As promised, she sent me a follow-up letter gushing over The Notebook. How she and my sister used an entire box of tissues and put it on repeat three times in a row. Hearing from her always brought a smile to my face along with laughter during the hard times.
Everleigh and I kept in touch too, but not as much as Gemma and I did.
Sometimes, there wasn’t anything new going on, but it didn’t stop us from talking.
Not being face-to-face helped us open up as the years passed, and we became more comfortable.
It’s crazy to think about how much we shared and how quickly our relationship vanished after I left Alabama.
Sometimes I wonder what would’ve happened if I had stayed, but I undoubtedly would’ve felt suffocated.
Between my absent father and my alcoholic mother, I wanted to be where no one knew of my past or upbringing.
I needed and wanted a new start away from it all.
But if I could change anything, I wouldn’t have cut Gemma out of my life and would’ve made an effort to come home and visit more.
I hurt a lot of people by avoiding Lawton Ridge, but I’m back now and hope to make up for it.
Finally, at six a.m., I roll out of the bed and decide to make breakfast for the girls since I’m wide-awake.
Though a small part of me hopes Gemma will tell Robert off, the other part doesn’t want me to be the reason she’s second-guessing her relationship.
I know Robert’s been pushing her to move up the wedding date, but she’s clearly not ready.
I bet their problems started before I even arrived.
If she’s not in a rush, she’s ignoring some underlying issues.
“Good mornin’,” I greet when Gemma and Everleigh walk into the kitchen thirty minutes later. “Coffee and breakfast are ready.”
Everleigh puts her palm to my forehead.
“What’re you doing?”
“Checkin’ to see if you have a fever.”
I snort before swatting her away. “Can’t a big brother make breakfast for y’all? I used to cook all the time, remember?”
“Depends.” Gemma opens the cabinet, grabs a mug, then fills it before adding creamer and stirring it. “Does it come with a side of tequila?”
“Thought you’d still be stuffed from all the margaritas you had?” Everleigh teases as she empties the rest of the coffee.
“Har har.” Gemma groans. “I’m gonna need something to get through this day.”
“Me too. Maybe we can call in sick,” I taunt.
“That wouldn’t be suspicious at all. My dad wouldn’t know how to handle the phone.”
“Well, you might have to train someone if you plan to leave,” Everleigh says, grabbing a plate, then scooping scrambled eggs and potatoes onto it.
I study Gemma’s expression.
She frowns, shrugging. “Not happenin’.”
The three of us sit at the kitchen table and chat. Everleigh finishes, then pops up with a giddy smile. “I’m gonna shower so I can get to work a little early.” She punches my shoulder and laughs.
I playfully rub the spot. “That’s all ya got? Wuss. Gotta put your weight into it.”
“Next time you hog all the hot water like you did yesterday morning, it’ll be much worse. I swear, you take the longest showers. I have long hair to wash and legs to shave. What the hell do you do in there?”
“What do you think?” I waggle my brows, and Gemma nearly chokes on her food, quickly recovering as she takes a sip of her coffee.
“Ew, gross! You’re my brother.” She gags.
“That’s how I felt when I found your little clit massager in there the other day. Perhaps put it away after you’re done?”
Everleigh gasps, her cheeks burning red. “That’s it. I hate you. Move out.”
Gemma and I laugh hysterically. “Never. You’re stuck with me, sis.”
I smirk as she storms down the hallway.
“That was mean.” Gemma chuckles.
“Siblings, remember? I have years of catching up to do. Next will be hiding her bra and panties in the freezer.”
“Oh my God…” She laughs again, and the sound makes up for the restless night’s sleep.
I could get used to hearing it every morning, but too bad she pretends I don’t exist when we’re at the garage.
She stands, taking her empty plate to the sink.
“Thanks for last night. I feel so much better this morning.”
“No need to thank me. It was fun even though I’ll miss your commentary about it later.” I grin, and it takes her a minute to catch on to what I’m referring to.
“I was obsessed with movies in high school and recapped them for you, didn’t I?”
I stand as well, setting my dish on the counter. “If I remember correctly, twenty-six. Some multiple times, though.”
“What can I say? I’m a hopeless romantic.”
“I didn’t mind. Though some things you suggested I see were questionable.”
“That’s early 2000s rom-coms for ya.” She spins around, and we’re face-to-face. Her chest rises and falls at the realization of how close we are.
“I will say, though, that I got a lot of heat for watching Bring It On.”
“Another classic.” Gemma snickers. “Two decades later and I can still recite every line.”
“It’s a shame I was never able to get you to try a Jack Nicholson movie. Now, he’s a badass actor.”
“Most of the stuff he’s in is ancient,” she counters. “And I’m ninety-nine percent positive they don’t involve romance of any kind.” She folds her arms over her chest and blinks at me.
“No, but you need to expand your portfolio. Perhaps we should plan a movie marathon with all my favorites.” I place a hand to my chest and lock eyes with her. “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Shining. Those two definitely need to happen. Then we’ll make our way up to his more recent films.”
“How many has he been in?”
“Like fifty or sixty. So a lot.”
“Damn. It could take months to get through everything.”
“Well, good thing I’m not going anywhere this time.”
“Really? You’re staying in town?” she asks as if she hadn’t expected me to, but I don’t blame her.
“Yep. Ready to put down roots and eventually get my own place. Starting over from almost nothing will take me a while, though. A large portion of the money I had saved before prison went to my lawyer, Serena, and paying off my lease.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Tyler.” She reaches out and touches my arm. The simple act sends heat throughout my entire body. “But if anyone can do this and be successful, it’s you. I have no doubt about it.”
“Just another bump in the road. Nothing I can’t handle…hopefully.” I shoot her a wink and pat her hand that’s still pressed to my skin.
She blinks hard as if just realizing she was touching me and quickly removes it. I step back to place space between us and watch as her eyes lower as if she’s stopping herself from speaking.