Page 106 of Reckless

It was the beginning of March when Lucas called in the middle of the night, and I rushed to the hospital. Clem’s water had broken.

I found him alone in a waiting room. He looked like he was about to explode.

“Is everything okay? Where are your parents?”

“Clem didn’t want to make a big fuss about the labor.”

“Oh, God,” I groaned. “Am I the only one to tend to your anxiety now?”

“You’re the backup,” a familiar deep voice rumbled somewhere behind my back. I whirled around and saw Tyler, standing a few steps away from us, holding three cups of coffee. At least I hoped it was coffee. It was two in the morning.

“Hey, little Spencer.”

“Hi,” I said hesitantly, a hundred thoughts fighting for my attention in my mind. “You’re here.” It sounded like an accusation, which was stupid. He had every right to be here. It’s not like I called dibs on California. Tyler looked at Lucas as if he was waiting for reassurance. Lucas paid him exactly zero attention.

“I’ve been here for a while.”

“A while?” I asked, my heart beating way too fast.

“About a month.”

“A month?”

“Yeah, I came to help with the baby.”

“Help with the baby?” His signature half smirk appeared on his face.

“Are you just going to repeat whatever I say? You know I can get creative and make that game really fun.”

We were in a hospital, waiting for his sister to give birth to his first niece, with the husband, who looked like he was the one that had to push a watermelon out of his body, and Tyler Hartley resorted to jokes. After months of silence. That was all he could offer. Teasing.

I shot him a death glare and sat down. I left two empty chairs between me and Lucas. Maybe he needed some personal space. He didn’t look interested in socializing with anyone at that particular moment.

Why didn’t Clem tell me Tyler was here?

Probably because you told her never to mention his name again in your presence, moron.

Tyler offered me a cup of coffee and I took it mumbling a thank you.

“I came for the baby shower,” he said, and I oh-so-very-slowly turned my head in his direction. I found him looking at me with amusement in his eyes. “It was fun, so I decided to stay for a while.”

“Yeah, that’s what newborns are famous for. They are so much fun.”

He grinned at my sarcasm, and I tried to remember how Clem acted the day we had the baby shower. She was mostly annoyed that all those people rubbed her belly without even bothering to ask, then complained about painful gas. I didn’t hear a single word about Tyler.

“Is everything okay back in Boston?”

Translation: Are you hiding here from the mafia?

“Yes,” he held my gaze. “Everything is perfectly fine. I told you that the last time we saw each other.”

It was true. He told me he got out. But I worried about that from time to time. Wondered if he got himself in trouble again.

“Are Chloe and Liam okay?”

“Yes. They are doing great. You might even see them soon.”

“Are they planning a vacation in California?”

---