Page 64 of A Love Song for Dreamers

“You’re sexy when you’re plotting,” hedecides.

I laugh, realizing we haven’t talked much about serious stuff in the past week. “Thank you. What about you? Why are you chasing women to New York instead of working on newmusic?”

Tyler leans in. “I told you, I’m on a break. I’m gettingsurgery.”

“But you’ve already hadsurgery.”

“This’ll be the fourthtime.”

My heart squeezes as the pieces click intoplace.

He’s still trying to fix it. He might be past holding a grudge against the world and more relaxed with himself, but he doesn’t believe he’s as good as hewas.

“Listen to what Zeke sent me.” He digs out his phone, and I pop in the wireless headphones heoffers.

The track streams out, and I listen. “How much did you contribute to this?” I ask after the first chorus, pulling out theheadphones.

“Ididn’t.”

“There’s yourproblem.”

Tyler looks past me, idly scanning the first-class cabin as if he’s reaching for patience. “I’m not going to write something if I can’t playit.”

“Why not? Music is in your head and your heart, not your fingers. Especially when you live and breathe it. You could lose every sense you have and still feelit.”

I pop the headphones back in and listen to the chorus once more, making some notes on the cocktail napkin in front ofme.

“I don’t know why you’re trying to take a studio song and make it work for me. I can’t make the music I want.” He rubs a hand over his jaw. The morning scruff is giving me all kinds of ideas of where I’d like to feelit.

“Maybe you can make something better. You know,” I go on when he doesn’t respond, “It’s cute how much you care about putting Shay in thestudio.”

He picks at his armrest. “Idon’t.”

“But you do. You barely know her, but you want her to succeed, because she’stalented.”

The Tyler I knew before wouldn’t have been as invested in someone else. It gives mehope.

Not only for Shay, but also forhim.

“What about you and your dad?” he comes back. “You still look stiff when you’re in the same roomtogether.”

“I told you I found out Dad paid my tuition through an anonymous scholarship. Which means he didn’t think I could do it on myown.”

“Or he didn’t want to watch you struggle. He loves you, Annie. Maybe he doesn’t express it right, or use the words you want, but he does loveyou.”

“What does that mean—like how you’re all action and I’m all talk?” Itease.

“That’s part of it. But I meant more like the way you can imagine your mom loved you, even though you’ve never mether.”

The words land between us, and I blink to make sure I heard himright.

“That’s nottrue.”

Tyler’s eyes soften but he doesn’tpress.

“If it was a big deal,” I go on, “don’t you think I would’ve contacted her? I don’t need to. I didn’t even know about her until I got that letter four yearsago.”

“Yeah, but the difference is now, even if you don’t mean to, even if he doesn’t know it, you’re comparing him toher.”

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