Page 12 of This Is Why

LEXI

The momentI saw him standing at the front desk, those damn butterflies took flight in my stomach again. Apparently, they didn’t get the message that we are not supposed to care one bit about Tyler Reed, no matter how good he looks in his shorts and t-shirt. His entire come on was ridiculous, okay ridiculously adorable, but it worked. Here we are at the hospital cafeteria, officially having a lunch date when I spent all of last night swearing to Michelle that I would never give him the time of day again.

“What’s good here?” he asks as he pulls two trays off the stack.

I take the one he hands me. “Nothing.” I smirk up athim.

“Great.” He eyes the options in front of us warily. “I wonder what’s worse? Hospital food or the stuff they fed us during basic training?”

“Not everything here is bad. I mean, the sandwiches are decent and the salads won’t killyou.”

“With that glowing endorsement, how can I resist?”

We get our food—sandwiches and salads all around—and find a table near a window. The cafeteria is small but not crowded and despite my best efforts to keep this lunch date sterile, it feels intimate instead. I expect Ty to jump right into talking about Gabe, but he doesn’t.

“So, I have to know because this has bothered me for years. Why was a woman like you in Key West alone?” He unwraps his sandwich and takes abite.

“You know? I never really have figured out why I took that vacation. I felt this need to sit by the beach, alone with my thoughts, and take some time to figure out … I don’t know. Everything, I guess.” I tear a bite off my sandwich. “I had all this stuff I needed to do but I was stuck in my routine. I had a sense that day after day I kept making the same mistakes, but I didn’t even know what they were. I thought if I could break the pattern and take some time to be alone and stare out at something bigger than me, I would figure out what I was doing wrong.”

“Did itwork?”

“I definitely came home with a very different life than the one I left. My patterns have never been the same since.” I hit Ty with a look and instantly regret what I said. I meant to make a joke but it quite obviously fell flat. “Why were you in Key West?” I ask, desperate to change the subject.

“Similar reasons, really.” Ty puts down his sandwich. “I needed a breather. A chance to unwind. A chance to stare out at the sea and feel small because the world was in the middle of being exceptionally big and heavy. And then I saw you and nothing else had meaning. Not the sea. Not the weight of the world. It was just you and me and we were all that mattered in the history of things that matter.”

“Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?” I pop a bite of sandwich into my mouth. His words overwhelm me and I might as well be right back in Key West, falling head over heels for a guy I barelyknow.

“I am,” Ty says. “I did. I thought I had my shit together, but you rocked my world in your little red bikini.” He cocks his head to the side. “It matched yourlips.”

“You’re really hung up on that lipstick.”

“Of course I’m hung up on that lipstick. Very few women can pull off that shade of red. Either their lips are shaped wrong or their skin is the wrong color or they have the right mouth and coloring, but their personalities are off.” He shakes his head and leans on the table. “Think about it. When someone describes a classic Mustang, all restored and shining and magnificent, looking as sexy as a car can look, what color is it? Close your eyes and imagine it. What color isit?”

I let out a little laugh. “Red.”

He shakes his head. “Not just redbut…”

“Cherry red,” I finish.

“Exactly. And what about when you think of something dangerous, what color do you thinkof?”

“Red.” I fold my arms on the table, leaning closer to him. “So, hold on a second. Are you trying to tell me I’m a boring old car or I’m something that needs a warning label?”

“First of all, there’s nothing boring about a fully restored classic Mustang. Second of all, you’re totally missing the point. That car? It’s beautiful, right? When it comes rolling down the street, people stare as it approaches and then turn around to watch it go. I bet when you imagined it, you envisioned a convertible didn’t you.” He waits for me to nod. “Exactly,” he says, pointing a finger my way. “And convertibles are fun. And the red is sexy as hell, with just enough danger to get your adrenaline pumping. That’s you. Beautiful. Eye-catching. Fun, and sexy as hell.” He smiles. “And you definitely need to come with a warning label.”

I need a moment after that so I grab my bottle of water, unscrew the cap, and take a long drink. “You’re just as charming as I remember you,” I say when I’mdone.

His eyes light up and it makes it hard to breathe. He’s so handsome, it’s not fair to men and women alike. “I like that you rememberme.”

“I had a really good time with you and I thought I had found someone special. Someone who understood me. And when I found out you were from Brookside, too? Well, I started wondering if maybe the whole reason I felt so pulled to go down to Key West was to meet you. Like…” I shake my head. “Never mind. It’s all just a lot of silly, existential nonsense anyway.”

“It’s not nonsense. Not even a little bit.” Tyler balls up his napkin and squeezes it in his fist. “What’s he like? Gabe? Is he a goodboy?”

I take a breath, suddenly uncomfortable. “He is. He’s energetic and gets himself into trouble because he can’t sit still, but he’s sweet and does his best to take care of me.” I let out a little laugh. “Which is ridiculous because I’m the one who is supposed to take care ofhim.”

“If he’s anything like me, he’s got a protective streak a milewide.”

“Oh, I’d say it’s at least five miles wide and expanding by the minute.” I sit back and look at my hands. “He’s smart. Probably too smart for his own good.” I trail off, unsure how to sum up the last six years of my son’slife.

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