Page 27 of Let Me Keep You

“Good night, you two,” Everleigh sing-songs when the storefront comes into view. She waves her fingers with a teasing smirk. “I’ll text you tomorrow!”

Her house isn’t too far so she’ll make it home fine. “Goodbye!”

Once I find my keys, I hand them to Tyler. The nervous tension returns when Everleigh’s out of sight, and it’s just the two of us. Guess there’s no amount of whiskey or tequila that can hide it.

“Here, let me help you before you break an ankle.” Tyler unlocks, then opens the door for me. It’s the first time we’ve been this close, and I can smell the faint scent of his cologne and soap. Memories flood in from years ago, but I push them away and climb inside.

He cranks the car and grins when it rumbles to life.

“What?”

“I’ve always wanted to drive one of these.”

When I graduated from college, my dad fully restored a 1967 Ford Mustang for me and painted it jet black.

I lean my head against the seat. “Be careful, she wants to go ninety all the time.”

“Noted. So am I taking you to your fiancé’s house or…”

“No, you’re taking me home.”

“Tell me where that is.”

“It’s where it’s always been.” I chuckle. “The house behind my dad’s.”

The same place he took my virginity and where we spent endless nights having sex.

“The Snow White cottage?” he asks, pulling out onto the road.

“Yep. Remember when we used to hang out there after I graduated?”

I immediately clamp my mouth shut, but it’s too late. The alcohol made me blurt those words. Bringing up our past has been on the tip of my tongue all night. The summer I spent with Tyler often feels like a lifetime away, but also like it was yesterday.

“How could I forget? It was the best summer I’ve ever had here.” He finally glances at me, and I’m thankful it’s dark so he can’t see the heat rising up my neck and cheeks.

We stay silent, listening to the radio until Tyler pulls into the driveway. After getting out of the car, we walk to the cottage. He follows, and when I look at him, I nearly trip and bust my ass.

The only thing that saves me is Tyler’s quick reflexes. For a second, the world shook on its axis, but he caught me before I embarrassed myself. I look up into his brown eyes and suck in a breath. For a moment, it feels like we’re suspended in time as we stare intently at each other. He swallows, and his mouth opens, and I notice his heartbeat pulsing in his neck.

“You okay?”

“Nearly twisted my ankle, but I’ll live. These damn shoes. This is why I hate wearing heels, but Everleigh insisted.” I bend over to take them off, then walk barefoot the rest of the way.

“You gotta come inside and check the place out. It might shock you compared to the last time you saw it. It took Dad and me an entire summer to renovate and add a kitchen. One reason I’m not looking forward to leaving. Too many memories.”

I don’t know why I mentioned that last part.

He hands over my keys, and I unlock the door. Thankfully, I cleaned up a couple of days ago, so there are no bras or leggings thrown around.

Tyler walks in with a smile that nearly touches his eyes. He glances around with his arms crossed over his broad chest.

“Wow, you did an amazing job, Gemma. This is…perfect. Cozy. And so you.”

He studies my mother’s paintings on the walls, walks into my quaint kitchen, and runs his fingertip across the marble island that my dad built.

As I watch him take it all in, my sticky clothes start to irritate me. I remove my dress and let out a sigh of relief. Next, I pull my hair up into a high bun, then grab a bottle of water from the fridge.

The realization that he doesn’t have a car hits me.