Page 84 of One More Time

He softly guided me without his words, angling me so my head tilted over the basin. It was awkward at first, his body towering over me as he turned on the tap to warm water. The moment it hit my scalp, I let out a weighted sigh.

With the warm water running through the strands of my hair, I felt the night wash away.

With Tyler’s fingers stroking through the strands, I felt him wash the past away.

With his fingers massaging the shampoo, I felt him building me back up, giving me strength with his fingertips.

As he began to wash out the soap, he swung his leg over my lap, sitting on my splayed-out legs. Soft kisses found my jaw, my Adam’s apple and finally, my lips.

As he completed my hair, peppering kisses in between conditioning and its final rinse, I felt him love me. Tears fell without permission as my body absorbed everything that he was. Though I had cared for people and even loved before, I had never had a love like that. Never felt someone give over themselves like Tyler Riley gave himself to me.

As I sat on the chair with nothing but my briefs, Tyler’s body seemed to tower over me in his Perth Hockey hoodie. Tears began to fall. It felt like Tyler was the one being vulnerable, showing me exactly how he felt, with every little touch. He might as well have been standing there stark-naked spilling his every emotion to me—telling me that he loved me.

That was the love that people wrote about, the love that lasted forever, through every fucked-up life hurdle. Tyler Riley would forever be the man I loved. Him and only him.

And he made me believe that I was that for him too.

Chapter forty-six

Tyler

Iwoke up more times than I could count, just to watch the rise and fall of his chest. Jamie even crept in a couple times to do the same, giving me a knowing look before retreating back to his bed. If Hunter seemed the slightest bit uncomfortable I adjusted him, hoping to make it even a little better.

Hunter’s face when he opened that office door was etched into my memory. I’d seen Hunter smash men twice his size like a bug. But that look of pure fear as he tried to escape the grasp of his father… Fuck. I wish I’d one more than punch the fuckhead in the face. It took every last bit of restraint to not strangle him for what he’d done.

I found myself playing with the soft strands of Hunter’s hair like it could keep him safe with me. “Mm, never stop doing that.” His breath tickled my collarbone. Never. Despite everything, my lip quirked. I stayed quiet, but did as he requested.

Hunter lifted his head, letting my hand fall to his back. Hunter winced as he attempted to roll so he could see me. I pushed him to lie down and lifted myself on one elbow to look down into his honey-toned eyes.

Hunter’s finger traced the outlines of my tattoo. “I’ve been curious about this…” ‘What fire does not destroy; it hardens' 2.2. 2021’ Oscar Wilde, right?” I nodded, watching him trace every curve of the script.

“Dad was a volunteer firefighter; he lived by those words, though they can be interpreted very literally. He always thought about how a fire affected the community. In times of trouble, people band together and become stronger in the face of destruction. I suppose when he died, the fire didn’t destroy our family—not completely. It hardened us. We only got stronger and did what we needed to survive together.”

Hunter looked up to me, bringing his hand up to cup my face. “You were stronger for your family, baby. You were hardened by what happened and made sure those you love were safe and cared for.”

Part of me wanted to say, “Fat lot of good that did.”

Logically, I knew I couldn’t have saved Mum, but that ridiculous part of my brain spun with all the what-ifs.

What if I’d seen the signs sooner or pushed to see more specialists. “What if, what if, what if.”

Then there was Hunter. I knew his dad was bad news—I’d seen the evidence. And yet, I didn’t do everything I could to stop him from spending Christmas there. The bruises that spanned the majority of his body were proof of that.

Most frustratingly, he read every thought that ran through my mind like they were tattooed on my forehead for him to see. “Baby, unless you magically could become a cancer-curing doctor before the age of seventeen, there was nothing you could have done for your mom. And there’s no way to make my father a better man—except maybe a lobotomy. I’m the idiot for giving him so much control.”

I growled. Yes, fucking growled, like some deranged Tasmanian devil, “He’s your father, and your only family, you’re not an idiot for giving him the time of day.”

Hunter laughed, then winced. “Even if he hit me every time I was with him? You don’t have to baby me, Ty. I’m an adult. I’m weak. Until I met you, I never considered following my own dreams. It was you who made me strong—strong enough to sign that contract and actually get away from him.”

I blinked. Hunter’s eyes widened.

“Contract?”

I pulled back in an attempt to read his features better. He scrambled in a mass of awkward limbs as he fought to get up, only to give in to the pain. Though it did nothing to quash the anger boiling my blood.

“I was going to tell you…”

I felt myself blinking at him, a kangaroo in the headlights, wondering if I stand my ground or get the hell out of the way or if I jump to the other side.

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