Page 28 of Love is a Roller Coaster

He nods.

I laugh. I’m not surprised. “That’s pathetic.” I study him carefully. “But why did you agree? What did they offer you?”

I wait for his response, but his face is expressionless.

“It couldn’t be money,” I say, thinking out loud. “Or a house or a boat…” I snap my fingers when it comes to me. “Green Pines. My dad said he’d get you into the country club.”

He doesn’t say anything, but the muscle in his jaw flexes to confirm myconclusion.

“You know what? It doesn’t matter,” I say. “Whatever it is, you won’t get it, because I’m not going anywhere with you.” I watch him for another moment, then give him a quick nod. “Goodbye, Landon.”

His face turns red, but I’m done with him. I turn on my heel and head back to the hotel—and back to Tyler.

I findhim at the pool, his back to me, restocking towels for the guests. My heart warms at the sight. When would Landon ever do something like this? Tyler owns this flipping place, but he isn’t above the labor that others might consider menial.

I’m so giddy from telling Landon off, I skip to Tyler and wrap my arms around his waist. He jumps in surprise, turning around to face me. “Hey, Brooke.”

“Hey.” I beam up at him. “How are you?”

He nods. “Good.” He presses his lips together, then gently pulls my arms off his body. “I probably shouldn’t be…”

“Oh, sure.” I take a step back. “Probably not a good look for the guests.”

He nods again, looking around the pool. Why isn’t he meeting my eyes?

“How was breakfast?” he asks.

I roll my eyes. “Landon is so dumb. He tried to convince me to come back home with him.”

Tyler furrows his brow. “And?”

“And I told him to shove it. I’m not going anywhere with him. Only an idiot would get back together with a cheating liar like him.”

Tyler observes me. “But what if hewasn’ta cheating liar?”

I shake my head, confused. “What do you mean?”

“What if he had everything else—the looks, the clothes,the status—but he wasn’t a cheating liar? Would you want him then?”

“What…what are you getting at?”

He heaves a sigh. “When he was here with you, I couldn’t help thinking how perfect you two look together. Youfit. You’re…” He waves a hand up and down, gesturing at my body. “You’reperfect, Brooke. Stunning, sophisticated, classy. And he’s the same.”

“Only on the outside!” I protest.

Tyler glances around. “We shouldn’t have this conversation here.” He grabs my hand and leads me to his office, closing the door behind us.

“Tyler, what is going on?” I ask. “We had the best day yesterday. And seeing Landon, being reminded how close I was to a life of misery, made everything clear.” I step closer to him, placing my hands on his chest. “I wantyou.”

His heart pounds under my hands, and he slides his hands around my waist, pulling me close to him. Leaning his forehead on mine, our fast breaths mingle together. I tilt my head up, ready to press a kiss to his lips, one centimeter away, when he takes a step back.

“For how long?” he asks.

I’m still dazed from being so close to him. It takes a moment for his words to register. “What do you mean?”

His brown eyes sear into mine. “How long will you want me for?”

I don’t know how to respond. That’s one of those life-altering questions. What I want to say is that I’ll want him forever. That I know what life is like without him, and being back here reminds me of what’s important.

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