Tyler’s brow furrows. “Your mom, she didn’t…”
I chuckle ruefully. “Try to get me back?” I shake my head. “No, I don’t think so. The Sallees diverted my questions as I got older by saying how blessed they were to raise me, but I always knew my mom didn’t want me.”
“Mira…”
“That sounds harsh. I don’t mean it like that. Deep down I think she has affection for me, but the drugs and the drinking, they kind of block it, you know? By the time the Sallees found me, my mom had been bailing for days at a time. I was dehydrated, underfed, dirty. It’s a lot of responsibility to raise a small kid. I think my mom was relieved to have the help.”
Tyler scratches the side of his jaw. He stares out the window, frowning.
“It’s okay, Tyler. It was a long time ago. But you get it now, right? My connection to Lewis, and why his parents are so important to me? They’re all I have. And my mom too. She’s the only blood family I’ve ever known. There are no aunts or uncles—no cousins.”
He looks over with his cool blue gaze that manages to warm me. “You have us. Me, Cali, Gen, not just Lewis and his parents.”
I want to believe his words.
“People leave, Tyler. Sometimes it’s for good reasons, like when you went off to college, and sometimes it isn’t.”
“I won’t leave you, Mira.”
“You have no idea how many triggers you hit when you walked out after we…”
He sighs and closes his eyes. “I wish I could take that night back.”
“I know, and I even understand why you freaked out, but I still need time to feel safe again. And your sister and Gen…They seem like friends. I’d like them to be, but the only friend who’s always been there for me is Lewis. Except now Lewis…” I swallow and sink back on the bed, covering my eyes with my hand.
I’ve been running around trying to not think about it, but it’s there. The worry that I’ve permanently damaged one of the most important relationships in my life.
“Mira?” Tyler stretches out on his side and rests his hand above my heart. “Are you okay?”
“It’s nothing.” I roll to face him, wiping the tear that snuck down my cheek. What is up with all the tears? “Sorry. Bad topic.”
“What happened with Lewis?”
“He’s angry with me for lying about why I owe the money.”
“You told him the truth?” I nod. “And you think he’s all you have,” he says, looking away. He knuckles his forehead. “Mira, you’ve got to stop believing everyone leaves you.”
“I’m working on it, but these things don’t change overnight. They’re imprinted. If you recall, the people in my life haven’t been the most reliable.” I glare at him, because like it or not, he’s one of them.
“Push people away, and yes, sometimes they go. And sometimes…” He inches closer, the space between us disappearing. His arms come down on either side of me, dipping the mattress and forcing me on my back again. “Sometimes they return because they can’t stay away.”
It would be so easy to raise my head that last inch to his lips, from which I suddenly can’t look away.
I clear my throat and roll out of his reach. The tension between us is the one constant we have. But I want more than attraction.
After an awkward silence, I say, “Are you hungry?”
I look back and he quirks an eyebrow, and I realize with all this electricity zinging between us how that must sound.
My face heats. “I meant food. Are you hungry for food?”
Tyler’s gaze drops to my mouth. “Sure.” He stands, and I do too.
I sense him walking behind me as I make my way to the kitchen. “Frozen burrito okay?”
“Sounds good.” He leans against the counter, watching me.
God, he’s unnerving. Does he have to do that? “You can sit at the table. I’ll bring it to you.”
