Page 74 of Don't Let Go

He pressed his lips together before forcing a grin when Lily returned to drop off our waters. Lily smiled and left again.

I brushed Tyler’s knuckles with my fingertips.

He blinked, staring into my eyes. “Yeah. I didn’t think it would hurt this much, but it does. I hadn’t been here since my mom died.”

“Oh.” I didn’t know what to say. He brought me to his favorite restaurant, one he hasn’t stepped foot in for over a year since his mamma passed. What did that mean?

He opened his menu and blinked a few times before studying the contents. “Looks about the same. I always got the meat lover’s pizza. They use the best cheese and the freshest meat. You have to try it.”

I tilted my head a little and smiled. “Okay. I’m sold. I’ll get what you get. I want the full experience of this place.”

He grinned, but something pulled his attention away from me. I looked at the corner booth next to a poster of The Rolling Stones.

“Is that your booth?” I asked softly.

Ty gave me a brief nod. “Yes. It’s weird sitting here and seeing it empty.”

I stood up. “Let’s switch places. I’m feeling a draft.” I didn’t want him to fall into a pit of sorrow while we were trying to live in the present. A haunting reminder wasn’t something he needed right now.

“Okay.” He got up and sunk back down where I was seated.

Lily returned. “You ready?”

“Yeah. We’ll both have a personal meat lover’s pan pizza. Can you bring us a couple of Cokes?”

“Of course. No problem,” she said, touching Tyler on the arm in a friendly gesture before disappearing into the kitchen.

I took a sip of my water. It tasted like iced pool water. “How long has this place been around?”

Ty straightened his shirt and looked around. “Not sure. I just know my dad used to work here as a teenager.”

Ty went on to tell me about his papà graduating high school with honors and going into law school, where he met his mamma. Their love was one for the ages. I could tell by all the photos the media liked to post everywhere. They were their own version of Ronald and Nancy Reagan. I sat back as Ty told me some stories about his childhood. How he built a treehouse with his papà. How he loved to bake pies with his mamma.

My heartstrings were pulled, knowing he’d never be able to reunite with his parents again. I couldn’t imagine how hard that would be, especially being the only child to bear that grief. I bit my tongue, knowing I held vital information on his parents’ deaths, but I couldn’t breathe a word of it.

“Do you want to get into politics?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

He briefly raised a shoulder and let it fall. “I’m not sure. I want to play basketball professionally, but as a backup, I wouldn’t mind getting my hands dirty with something in business.”

“That’s a fantastic major.” I pushed my water glass away from me to avoid taking another sip. “The only drag is always dressing up in Sunday’s best like every day you’re going into court.”

“True.” He motioned toward me. “What about you? Do you see anything else in your future other than being a nurse?”

Hopefully a world without the mafia controlling my life. I didn’t want anything to do with their drama or clean up any more of their messes.

“Right now, I’m only focused on my family and being a nurse. I’ve seen enough destruction for a lifetime. I’d like to bring goodness back to Phoenix. I can’t think beyond that, honestly.”

Lily returned, put our plates of food down, and gave us our sodas. “Careful. It’s hot. Can I get you anything else?”

“No. Thanks,” Ty replied.

My mouth watered at the smell. Steam curled into the air over the pizza.

I grabbed a slice of pizza, strings of cheese hung around the sides.

“To us,” Ty said, holding up his slice of pizza.

I laughed and hit his slice with mine. “To us.”

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