Page 40 of Fall Over You

Tyler’s lips pop open and his eyes narrow. He sucks air through his teeth and I wonder whether he’s about to smack me or kiss me or tell me to stick it where the sun don’t shine. His jaw muscles jump as he draws heavy breaths through his nose.

“Don’t bring that up,” he says darkly. “You’re not going to mention that shit around my daughter. You know what? While you’re at it, don’t mention it to me either.”

I make sure Ellie’s out of earshot before I launch into my rebuttal. “You know what’s fucked up about you? You act all high and mighty when you were at those same parties too. You made the same questionable decisions I made, but you rode in here on your high horse.”

I can feel myself losing control, the impulses getting the better of me, but I don’t care. I’ve been playing nice, but the truth is that Tyler has hurt me several times over the years and he acts like I’m the villain.

“Yeah, maybe I did, because I grew up. I had to.” He points at where Ellie plays with T-Bone.

“Look around, Tyler!” I gesture to our surroundings. “I’ve been running this place all by myself. How is this not grown up?”

Tyler’s jaw sets and his eyes close. “It’s not about this place. It’s about the life you lead. I don’t go to the damn Legion because the people there are washups living out their glory days and wishing they had one more crack at making quarterback so they could fuck the cheerleader.”

“Easy for you to get over it because you did fuck the cheerleader, Tyler.” I stomp down the steps and whirl around to deliver the last part. “But who were you looking at while you did it?”

Tyler’s jaw clicks as I stand there, seething. He knows I’m right. I win, but is it worth the cost?

“The only reason I haven’t ushered you off this property with a shotgun is because our plan will let that sweet little girl,” I point to Ellie romping with T-Bone, “thrive. I’ll thrive. And for whatever reason, even if it’s against my will for how much of a crybaby piece of shit you’re being, I bet you’ll thrive too. No more talking to me like I’m beneath you. I’m not. I know that. And you’d better fuckin’ act like you know that or this is off.”

I pant after finishing my speech and Tyler sits there grinding his teeth like he’s got some to spare.

“If you want to get your shit together and do something to help all of us, propose to me. We’ll show it off for this whole town to see. Then we’ll meet with a banker and make sure all systems are go before we actually get hitched.”

Tyler’s expression softens, lips twisting and brows knitting. The tidal wave of fury swells in me again, because what right does he have to be all lip-wobbly pathetic when he’s continually putting me down?

“What are we going to tell Ellie? I’ve never dated anybody since she’s been alive. She’ll know something’s up. I don’t want to get her hopes up and then send someone else out of her life.”

I deflate, slumping back against the step where I sit. Fine. That’s a valid concern. “She’s not my daughter, so you know her best and what might work for her. You could tell her there’s a leak in your apartment and I offered you a place to stay. It doesn’t have to be about love or anything. Not yet, anyway.”

Tyler removes his ballcap and rubs his forehead. How the heck does his hair get that shiny? Golden-brown rays gleam in the non-existent sun. He takes a blade of grass and picks it to shreds. “I feel like we need to move fast on this. The sooner the better. It’ll give her more time to get adjusted before I start leaving her to show this thing off. And maybe you can start picking her up from school or the garage some. It’ll make it look like we’re together and she’ll just think you’re her new friend or nanny or something.”

I search the cloudy fall sky and lean my head against the stair railing. “I hope to hell this works.”

“Me too.”

That blade of grass has never seen a hurting this bad. He’s got it mushed down to the point that it’s stringy green slime. He gazes out into the meadow. “No one’s going to believe this if you’re not true to me.”

I cough a laugh. “Well, buddy, guess you’d better keep up on your husbandly duties.”

Tyler’s face looks, once again, like I have given him a case of acid reflux. “I, uh, I don’t know if that should be part of the deal.”

“Relax. I like my partners consenting.” I hold up my fingers and wiggle them. “I got all these at my disposal. And I’ve got toys.”

He raises a brow. “That’s going to be enough for you? You were dressed to kill the other night.”

“Yeah, and you loved it. And that gives you another reason to stake your claim over me when you take me out to line dancing night on Wednesday at the Legion.”

Tyler stares at me.

“Who’s going to watch Ellie?” he blusters.

“My friends.”

“No. Hell no.”

“I could give a little bag of powder to one of these degenerates you say I hang out with⁠—”

His voice drops low, aghast. “Reba!”