I am going to fucking kill him. I’m going to strangle him with a fancy resort towel and toss him out into the ocean in the dead of night.
“Ty,” I warn under my breath.
“Is that right?” Meadow cuts in. A smug smile curves her lips. “Didn’t realize I was such a hot topic between you and your friends, Owen.”
“Oh, you have no idea,” Tyler says with a devilish grin. “You’re like the—”
“Ty,” I repeat louder, through my teeth. “Shut. The fuck. Up.”
“Okay, okay,” he chuckles, holding his hands up in surrender.
Before I know it, he takes two giant steps toward us and wraps one arm around Meadow’s neck and the other around mine, yanking us into a group hug.
What the actual fuck.
“I’m stoked you guys are here,” he says, our cheeks smashed against his. “I know that destination weddings can be a pain in the ass. Seriously, it means a lot that you rearranged your lives to be here. I’ll never forget it.”
He releases us, stepping back with a big, sincere grin.
I didn’t think it was possible, but the air between Meadow and me feels a thousand times thicker than before.
I roll my shoulders back, trying to pull myself together.
“No problem, man,” I grin, doing my best to sound unaffected. “You know I wouldn't miss it.”
“You’re the best, Brooks. And Meadow, it’s nice to finally meet you.” Tyler shoots her a playful salute. “Gotta give you major kudos for agreeing to travel with this guy. Brutal.”
I narrow my eyes at him and shake my head, fighting the smile tugging at my mouth.
“Oh, trust me,” she smirks, “after four years of working with Owen, I think I can handle him,” she chuckles, her tone warming. “It’s great to meet you, Tyler. Congrats on the wedding.”
Handle me?
Fuck, I wish she would.
Hell, I would let her manhandle me if she wanted to.
“Good, someone’s gotta keep him in line,” he quips. “And thank you, I can’t believe it’s finally here.”
He shakes his head as a dazed, lovesick grin curves his lips.
“Alright,” he claps his hands once and backs toward the door, “I’ll leave you two lovebirds to settle in. Let’s meet up later this week for drinks, yeah?”
Lovebirds.
Of course he had to squeeze that in before leaving.
“Yeah,” I nod, avoiding his comment altogether. “Sounds good. Just text me.”
“Yup!” He waves a hand and walks through the door, closing it behind him.
The moment the door clicks shut, Meadow spins around to face me. A cute line forms between her brows as she locks her dark eyes on me.
“You introduced me as yourdate?”
“What else was I supposed to say?” I reply. “Technically, you are my date. My plus one.”
“I don’t know,” she shrugs, throwing her arms up like it’s obvious. “Your friend? I thought you made that pretty clear when you asked me to come.”
