Chapter 19

Tyler

What the fuck just happened? Granted, I didn’t remember much from last night, but I could tell from the marks on our bodies that we both must’ve been turned on by that conversation we had at the bar. Did I expect to wake up next to Amber? No. I didn’t do that bullshit. Staying with women wasn’t what I fucking did. But, we were both wasted last night. It didn’t surprise me that we dropped our guard and ended up crossing some boundaries.

So, why the fuck did she throw me out like that?

Did it really freak her out that much that I’d stayed?

I called a cab before I looked back up at Amber’s apartment. I saw flashes of movement behind the curtain of her balcony, and part of me wanted to go back up there. No one fucking threw Tyler Raymond out. I was the one with the standards. I was the one with the emotional control. I thought back to how she looked, how vulnerable she was wrapped up in nothing but a sheet. I ducked my head into the cab before I headed back to Luke’s parents’ house, and that’s when I realized something.

She had looked a bit scared.

Did I do something last night to frighten her? Shit. Out of all the nights I had to be blackout drunk.

“Fuck!” I exclaimed.

I got to Ron and Darlene’s and paid the cab driver well. I walked into the house, hoping I could scoot upstairs and get a shower before Luke saw me coming back in the same clothes I was in last night. If we were hiding this from him, then that shit would be a dead fucking giveaway.

But, as I was rounding the corner up the stairs, Luke stopped me in my tracks.

“Have a nice night?” he asked.

“Yeah. I was blackout drunk. I’m sure it was wonderful,” I said.

“We need to talk,” he said.

Luke started to walk to his room, expecting me to follow, but I just stayed where I was. I held my head in my hands as my hangover pounded against my skull, and all I could do was sigh.

“Don’t get dead drunk and your head won’t hurt. Get in here,” he said.

“The fuck do you want, Luke?” I asked. “I need a shower.”

“To wash off my sister?” he asked.

“Holy hell, Luke. For the last time drop it.”

“Cut the shit,” he said. “I asked one thing from you. Just one before we came on this damn trip: stay away from my sister. You’re bullshit with women, and she deserves better. And what do you fucking do? You fall in love with her.”

What the hell was he talking about? Falling in love with Amber? Had he lost his fucking sense?

“You don’t remember, do you? You don’t remember getting so drunk you hopped on stage last night, stole the mic, and proclaimed your undying love for my sister?” he asked.

“Maybe your sister’s pussy,” I murmured.

“What the fuck did you say?” he asked.

“Dude. I was hammered. The hell do you want me to say?” I asked.

“I’m only going to tell you one last time before there are consequences. Stay away from Amber. If you don’t, you’ll ruin your life as well as hers. And she’s been through too much for that to happen,” he said.

“The way I see it, the only people ruining her life are her own fucking family,” I said.

He grabbed my shirt and that caught my attention. I stood straight up as Luke pulled me toward him, so I puffed out my chest. I set my face in stone, ready for whatever punch he thought he could deal to me. This little shit thought he could hit me over some hypocrite bullshit? I’d show him what a real man felt like the moment my fist connected with his jaw.

“I will ruin you both if you two don’t stop,” he said.

“Uh huh. And how’s that?” I asked.

“The first thing I’ll do is write you out of the company. Remember who you’re looking at. You might be a partner, but I’m the owner. Founder. Creator. I can hire and fire whoever I wish,” he said.

“Are you fucking serious?” I asked.

“And I’ll tell my parents about you and Amber. Fucking hell, my mom would have a field day, and Dad would probably be so angry he’d cut her off from everything. You think her life is bad now? Keep fucking around with her,” he said.

I shoved him off me and straightened my coat and shirt before I balled my fists up at my sides. Luke had lost his damn mind, and at this point, I didn’t know if I even wanted to consider him my fucking business partner anyway. He’d always had a level head, a bright mind set in a body that looked deceivingly innocent. I had come to trust him over the years, and we’d fallen into the roles we played: he was the handsome negotiator, and I was the rugged shark. Depending on the customer or client determined which one of us they got.

It’s why we were so successful.

“You’re willing to throw away everything we worked for because you don’t want your sister screwing me,” I said.

“Yes,” he said. “I’m serious about this. Stay the hell away.”

“You’d do all that? Ruin the company and your sister’s family life?”

“I would. I wouldn’t destroy the business, I’d hire a new partner. As for Amber, she’s got her limits. Mom and Dad cutting her off would be that limit. She wouldn’t be gone for long,” he said.

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that, brother dear,” I said sarcastically. “I’m pretty sure your sister’s itching for a way to write you all off.”

“Well, keep screwing around with her, and she won’t have to find another reason. It’ll be done for her,” he said.

I couldn’t stay here anymore. This family was absolutely nuts, and I didn’t feel wanted or safe. Running my hands through my hair, I backtracked to my room and began throwing things into my suitcase.

“What’re you doing?” Luke asked.

“Packing,” I said.

“Where the fuck are you going?” he asked.

“Anywhere but here. A hotel. Home. I don’t know. I just know I’m not staying in this house a second longer,” I said.

“Dude, come on. I’m serious. You’re blowing this out of proportion over my sister,” he said.

“I’m blowing it out of proportion?” I said as I whipped around. “You just threatened the success of the company as well as your sister’s existence in your family so you can have control over who she fucks, dude!”

“I need you to understand how serious I am about this,” he said, leaning against the doorway.

“Then listen to how serious I am about this.”

I zipped up my suitcase and pushed past him as I made my way to the stairs. I clutched Ron and Darlene’s Christmas gifts in my hand as I descended. They met me at the bottom of the stairs where they were standing, trying to figure out what all the commotion was about. I handed them their respective bags as Luke followed behind me.

“Mrs. D, thank you so much for your hospitality,” I said. “Mr. Duffield, thank you for opening your home to me. But, I won’t be joining you for Christmas.”

“Oh, come on, Tyler! It’s not worth it!” Luke exclaimed.

“You know what? Maybe that’s the issue,” I said as I turned to look at him. “Maybe it’s about time she was worth it.”

“Who was worth it, honey?” Darlene asked. “Is everything alright? Did we do something wrong?”

Oh, how I wanted to answer her question honestly. How I wanted to stick it to every single one of them before I flipped them all off and screamed ‘go to hell’ while backing out of the driveway in the cab. How I wanted to break every single one of them down and let them know that Amber and her attitudes were a product of their environment.

How I wanted to make them cry with shame.

But, I drew in a deep breath before I pulled my phone out and called a cab, and the entire time they were all looking at me for an answer.

“I no longer feel welcome,” I said, glaring at Luke. “Happy holidays, everyone.”

I walked past Luke’s parents and made my way outside as I stood on the corner of the street. I had to call Amber. I had to call and ask her what the hell happened this morning, because if it was anything like what had just happened to me, then I needed her to know I got it.

And I needed to thank her for keeping me at the forefront of her mind.

“What?” she asked.

“Don’t hang up,” I said. “Answer one question: did you get a phone call from Luke this morning?”

Her silence told me everything.

“He cornered me in the house,” I said as the cab pulled up to the corner. “Threatening my job and telling me he’d isolate you from the family if we kept up what we were doing.”

“I can’t let you lose your job over me just because we’re screwing around, Tyler,” she said.

“‘Just screwing around.’ Is that all we’re doing?” I asked.

And again, her silence told me volumes.

“I’m climbing into a cab. I no longer feel welcome at your parents’ house, and I won’t be spending Christmas with them. I’m booking myself a hotel for the rest of the stay. If I send you the address, will you show up?” I asked.

The cab driver pulled away from the curb, and I asked him to drive around. Honestly, at this point, she was the only thing anchoring me to LA The business left to be done setting up the new location could easily be completed over the phone, and if I wasn’t going to be able to see Amber anymore, then I needed to head to the airport and go the fuck home.

“Sure. I,” her voice hesitated. “I’ll come to the hotel.”

“Give me five minutes to book one, and I’ll send you the address, okay?” I asked. “And Amber?”

“Yeah?”

“I know you’re scared. Kicking me out because of what he said shows me you give a shit about me. And with what Luke threatened, it shows me I haven’t been cared about in a long time. Thank you.”

I knew it sounded like some soppy, cheesy bullshit, but I was serious. Her kicking me out after her brother threatened my job and her home life meant, at least, on some level, that she cared. She gave a shit about what happened to me as well as herself, and that spoke deeper than I think she even realized.

“Five minutes,” I said.

I hung up the phone and pulled up a travel app on my phone. I booked the nearest hotel before I showed the cab driver where to go, and I shot the message off to Amber. I needed to see her. I needed to hold her and comfort her and tell her everything was going to be alright.

The cab driver was pulling into the parking lot of the hotel just as Amber messaged me she was on her way, and I smiled as I got out of the car.

At least for now, everything was going to be alright. As long as I had her, at least.