Brooke pulled the blanket tighter around herself and closed her eyes. She tried to tell herself it was the right choice. She tried to convince herself. But her heart refused to listen.
Chapter 28
Tyler
Tyler stared at his phone.
The message sat on the screen.I understand. I don’t want to hurt you anymore. Take care of yourself.
His thumb hovered over the keyboard. He wanted to type more, wanted to tell her he loved her, that they could make this work, that he didn’t want to lose her. He wanted her to write back and say it was all a terrible mistake, that she’d had a moment of weakness but was over it now. That she wanted to be with him. But a new message didn’t arrive.
He set the phone face down on the kitchen table.
Deep down, he’d known this was coming. He didn’t blame her for ending things. Being with someone like him couldn’t be easy for her, not with people talking and whispering, or Adam showing up out of the blue and arresting him or taking him in for questioning, or Rusty attacking him and Brooke stepping in, putting herself in danger.
She did the right thing. The best thing, really. If he were any kind of man, he would’ve done it himself. Instead, he’d been wrapped up in Brooke, in how she made him feel, in who she was. All he wanted was to be with her.
Tyler touched his jaw. The swelling had gone down some overnight, but it still hurt. His ribs ached when he breathed too deeply. There was bruising around his neck. Nothing major but noticeable in the right light. It was asmall price to pay for being stupid enough to think they could have a normal date and be a normal couple.
The house was quiet. The day stretched ahead of him with nothing to fill it.
He went to the kitchen window. The lawn still needed mowing. That was something he could do. The paint on the trim was peeling too. He’d told the landlord he’d handle it in exchange for a break on the rent. Maybe today was the day. Outside, the air had that early-October chill that Wyoming always brought, cold enough to bite but not yet settled in. Winter might hold off long enough for him to do the job.
He should’ve taken care of the trim weeks ago, but since he’d met Brooke, spending time with her took priority over almost everything else.
Now he had all the time in the world.
Tyler filled a glass with water and drank it at the sink. The cold soothed his sore throat.
He was convinced Brooke had saved his life last night. If she hadn’t hit Rusty when she did, things could’ve gone differently. Rusty was drunk and angry and not thinking straight. He might have actually killed Tyler right there in that restaurant.
And Brooke had stopped him.
Then she’d driven Tyler home, made sure he was okay, and called herself an Uber rather than stay.
Because staying would’ve been too much. Too close. Too dangerous.
Tyler understood. Ordering the Uber had been a conscious decision. She could’ve stayed, they could’ve...
No. This was for the best. Now she could live her life without his mess holding her back. She could run her coffee shop without customers whispering about themurderer she was dating. Train for her ultramarathon without worrying about him. Live the life she deserved.
Tyler set the glass down and walked into the living room. He sank onto the couch and stared at the blank television screen.
He was alone again, back where he started when he returned to Irma nine months ago.
At least Brooke was safe.
Tyler’s phone buzzed. He grabbed it too fast, hoping it was Brooke changing her mind.
It was Robert.Everything okay? Heard about the restaurant.
Tyler typed back.Fine. Just a misunderstanding.
It wasn’t exactly the truth, but he didn’t want to tell his boss that some guy tried to kill him. Besides, it was obvious he’d already heard. And if Robert heard, so had the cops. Boverman would have a new excuse to harass him.
Sue wants to know if you need anything.
I’m good. Thanks.
