Chapter 3
The movie is a romance comedy I haven’t seen before. Very few people know that, even though I pretend to prefer thrillers, a good rom-com is a weakness of mine. I’ve never had a chance to watch one with Ty, but something tells me it would be amazing to curl up with him and let go. It’d be nice not to pretend and just enjoy a movie with the man I love.
I glance at Dad and Lydia, snuggled together. That’s what I hope I can have with Tyler someday, but it will never happen until we stop hiding the truth.
About half way through the movie, footsteps on the stairs draw my attention. Tyler pads into the living room, walking behind the couch. He pauses for a moment before coming toward me and dropping down onto the loveseat beside me.
His scent hits me, and my heart rate spikes. Tendrils of heat swirl in my groin and tingle in the base of my spine. With slow, steady breaths, I glance toward my dad and stepmom. They both seem oblivious. I try to return to watching the movie, but my growing erection and desire for him eliminate any chance I have of focusing on anything but Ty.
It’s too bad neither of us are shifters. After his not-so-subtle confession at dinner, I know Tyler wishes more than anything that he could mate and have a baby. That he could watch his belly grow and give birth to his own child. And I’d love to give that to him.
But what would our parents think?
I sigh and slump into the cushions. Ty’s words loom over me. He wants to tell them about us, and I’ll never truly have him until we come clean, but what happens if they don’t approve?
Ty shifts beside me, his knee bumping mine. My eyes dart to the brief connection and then up to Ty’s face.
“Sorry,” he mutters, and it does nothing other than make my chest ache.
I scoot forward to sit on the edge of the loveseat and bend forward as if stretching my back, looking down at my feet. Dragging a deep breath into my lungs, I lift my head and scrub my hand over my face and pretend to watch the movie, but it’s no use.
Ty’s only inches from me, purposely not touching me, and I hate it. The distance between us is painfully wrong. He should be curled up against me with my arm around him, or at the very least holding my hand. But he’s not. I swear it seems he’s sitting as far from me as this single piece of furniture allows.
I cast a discreet glance at his face, lit by the glow of the TV. Tyler is staring at the screen, his expression almost unreadable, but I sense a level of frustration. He’s down here when he likely hasn’t finished his assignment, so he could have hit some sort of mental block, or it could be me and the distance I keep putting between us anytime our parents are around.
Fuck it.
“Hey, Pop. Will you pause the movie for a minute?”
“Sure.” He leans forward, grabs the remote, and hits the pause button. “Bathroom break?”
“No. Actually, I have a quick question for you guys, and it can’t wait any longer.”
Tyler knits his brow.
“Shoot.”
I puff out my cheeks, letting out a slow breath. Here goes nothing. “Would it bother either of you if Tyler and I dated with the intention of one day getting married? To each other?” I add for clarification. “I’m sorry to spring this on you now, but I can’t keep hiding how I feel about him. I know he’s my stepbrother and I probably shouldn’t, but I love him as so much more than that, and I’ve been terrified about what you’ll both think of us, but I’m hurting him by not being honest about our relationship, so I just need to know if you’ll accept the fact that I’m in love with him and I don’t want to be with anyone else. Only him. For the rest of my life.”
I know I rambled at bit, but as the last words fall out, I look at Tyler. Like a deer in the headlights, his green eyes are blown wide, shimmering in the glow of the TV screen. Yeah, I can’t believe I said all that either, but once I started, it was as if I couldn’t stop. The words just came out whether I wanted them to or not.
Tyler’s mouth falls open a little as though he’s going to say something, but he doesn’t.
“Of course it doesn’t bother us, Alex,” Lydia says. “Besides, your father and I have had our suspicions for a while. We’ve just been waiting for one of you to tell us.”
“You have?”
“Yep. We just figured you needed time and would do what you felt was right when you were ready.” My dad chuckles a little. “But I have to ask, was that simply a confession, or was that meant to be a proposal?”
I furrow my brow, glancing at Ty who still seems a little shocked.
“I’m only asking so I know whether congratulations are in order.”
“Oh. I. Um.” Shit. A proposal? I did say I wanted only him for the rest of my life. But I don’t have a ring. Or do I? I hop to my feet. “Hold that thought. I’ll be right back.”
I practically run out of the room, taking the stairs two at a time before barging into my room. Grabbing the small wooden box stashed in my sock drawer, I remove the lid and search through my prized possessions.
None of them are really big, but almost all of them remind me of moments in my life with Tyler. The key chain he gave me when I first got my driver’s license. A shiny, smooth black pebble he found on the beach and gave me when I was thirteen. A picture of us camping together for the first time.
