Page 118 of Can't Help Falling

She raised an eyebrow at him. “I wish you could see your energy right now. Seriously, you look like an insane person.”

Tyler laughed, a little hysterically, reached for her palm and placed it over his racing heart. The laughter fell away and left behind was unfiltered earnestness. She’d never seen truth look quite this handsome before.

“Fin—”

“Uncle Tyler! Auntie Fin!”

Their heads pivoted in unison to where—“Oh, good grief,” Tyler muttered—Via, Sebastian, Matty and Crabby all made their way up the path.

“Well, this is one way to tell them,” Fin said calmly, even though Tyler’s heart under her hand had started beating triple-time.

“Tell them,” he choked out awkwardly, either repeating what she was saying or asking that she be the one to do the deed.

They’d decided, a few weeks ago, to go easy on themselves. They wanted to have a relationship free of the fishbowl. Telling Kylie had been an easy decision, necessary, the right thing to do and neither of them regretted it. She’d been fine with keeping it under wraps for them, considering she was still figuring out how she felt about the whole thing.

Telling their best friends, however, had been one that they both had wanted to wait on. This wasn’t like high school where every development with a love interest was supposed to be shared posthaste, or else go down in history as an ultimate betrayal of friendship. No. They were all adults here. Seb and Via had their own lives and—

“What the hell is this?” Via asked as they approached, delicate hands on her slim hips, her eyes immediately clocking the way Fin’s hand rested on Tyler’s chest, the way Tyler’s fingers gripped Fin’s hand. “Is this a date?”

Fin knew Via well enough to catch the giddy joy that was rising through her and to know that she’d just signed herself up for a very long spill sesh with her bestie sometime in the very near future.

“Who’s on a date?” Matty asked, swinging his head around. And then standing almost on top of Tyler, pointing an accusatory finger about an inch from Ty’s eyeball. “Them?”

“Watch where you’re pointing that thing.” Tyler batted Matty’s hand away. “This isn’t a date. We’re here with Kylie.”

Seeming to regain his faculties, he stood, brushed off his pants and held out his hands to help Fin stand.

“Well, where is she then?” Sebastian asked, looking for all the world like he was attempting to restrain himself from some combination of outright laughter and judgy eyebrows. The effect was rather constipating.

“She’s with friends up the park,” Tyler grumbled. “And we were just...”

The lingering pause at the end of the statement implicated them far more than the truth would have.

Fin sighed and leaned into Tyler’s side. “I was just telling Tyler that I’m in love with him. For the first time.”

“What’d he say?” Matty practically shouted.

“He didn’t respond. You all walked up.”

“Oh my god. Oh my GOD. Oh. MY. GOD.” Via tugged at her own cheeks, delighted laughter tearing out of her. Fin had never known that phrase could have so many separate meanings. “We have to go. We have to go.”

Via tugged fruitlessly at her humongous boyfriend’s hand. Sebastian just kind of stood stock-still for a moment, staring between Fin and Tyler.

“Seb!”

“Right.” He shook his head, grabbed Matty by the collar of his shirt and started hauling his family away. “Right.”

“Come over for dinner tonight!” Via shouted back over her shoulder once they were back on the path and practically tripping over her feet to get away.

“Fat chance,” Tyler muttered, collapsing back down to the blanket and dragging Fin with him. “I’m ending my associations with those people,” he mumbled. “They come over here and ruin the single greatest moment of my life. They’ll be lucky if I ever darken their doorstep—”

“Ty?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re mumbling to yourself.”

He didn’t respond, just lunged forward and flattened Fin against the blanket. “Super in love with you,” he said, his lips against her lips. “Like a dumb amount. Ass over tits.”

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