Chapter 23

Tyler

I slung my bag into the rental car before I hopped behind the wheel of the car. I sure as hell wasn’t flying back to New York City. If I was going to leave LA and start my life completely over, I was going to make it a hell of a road trip along the way. I was over and done with LA anyway. It was Luke’s idea to open some bullshit place here so he could be closer to his family. Doesn’t make any fucking sense for me to stick around.

My family’s not the one in LA anyway.

I was an idiot to come out here. To think a family like his could not be batshit crazy. The way he talked about his family, it was like their shit smelled of lavender and roses. Like they could do no wrong. Except all I saw was them taking their solid gold shits on Amber while they tried to plaster on smiles.

And Luke! That was some fucking shit, him doing what the hell he did. He accused me of throwing all this away on some pussy? He was the one freaking out that his grown ass sister was getting some hot sex! He was the one that blew a fucking gasket, not me. He was the one that was pissed I was screwing his sister, not me. He was the one that blew all this up over some pussy, not me!

If anything, LA had been nothing but heartache since I’d gotten here. From the moment we stepped into that fucking house, and I realized who his sister was, I was done for. The moment she came out of that kitchen in that plain pair of jeans and that stupid shirt that covered all the curves I could remember, I knew it would be a hell of a ride for sure.

I didn’t think it would end the fucking company, though.

I pulled into a gas station to top off the tank and get some drinks. I’d need the fuel to drive through the night just so I could rest easy that Luke wouldn’t try to pull some shit and follow me. That dude was a pussy when it came to driving at night, so I had to use that to my advantage. LA would watch the red taillights of my car recede while I flicked it off and told it to kiss my fucking ass.

I walked into the gas station and got me some energy drinks and paid for the gas at pump one before I came out to top off the tank. The damn rental place didn’t even get the car filled up before they handed it over to me, so I made sure to take a picture and note it so I could cash in on it later. No one could fucking take advantage of me.

I was Tyler fucking Raymond. I did what I want, felt what I want, and didn’t let anyone bully me or boss me around.

Luke was learning that lesson the hard way.

I came back out to the car and put the drinks into the backseat before I popped the gas tank open. A car rolled up beside me at pump two, blaring some dumbass music or some shit. I tried to take deep breaths and keep my anger under control. The last thing I needed was a police officer arresting me for acting out when my nerves were already shot.

I shoved the pump nozzle into my tank. I propped the nozzle up and leaned against the car, my ribcage rumbling with the music coming from that fucking car. The nerve of people to not give a shit about others around them. I was going to give them a piece of my mind through gritted teeth. I could tell the music was bothering other people, so now I had an excuse.

You can’t bother other people with your loud ass shit.

“Excuse me, could you turn the music down.”

I looked around the pumping bay and saw a woman leaning up against a car I recognized. The Mustang GT in gray blared its music as the woman’s eyes grew wide. I scanned her body, not sure I was seeing who I thought I was.

And then that beautiful smile lit up her face.

“Tyler?” Amber asked.

“Amber,” I said.

“Music too loud?” she said, smirking. “What are you doing? I didn’t think you came with a car.”

“I didn’t. It’s a rental,” I said.

“Where’re you headed?” she asked.

“Out of town.

“Wait. Why?” she asked.

“Nothing here for me,” I said.

“What do you mean there’s nothing here for you. You’ve got your business and the office space. The loft above it and—”

I looked into her eyes and begged her to say it. Every single part of me wanted to hear her finish that statement. Her eyes grew distant, and she turned her gaze back to the counter on the pump station she was at. I felt my heart sink to my stomach while she heaved a heavy sigh.

“I tried calling you, you know,” she said. “Before my parents cut my phone off.”

“Your parents cut your phone off?” I asked.

“Yeah. They cut off everything. My credit cards, how I paid my rent, my phone. And all because I registered a business name,” she said.

“You what? Wait. Backup a second. When did all this happen?” I asked.

“This morning,” she said.

“Shit. Amber, I was trying to find you this morning. Call you. Get you to pick up your damn phone.”

“You were the one calling me this morning?” she asked.

“Yeah. I was. I called like, four or five times. What was happening?”

“I was fighting with my parents. Did you know my crazy ass family has a private investigator on retainer? They were having me fucking followed, Tyler. Digging into my shit. I registered the business name over the weekend, and they fucking cornered me about it,” she said.

“They hired a PI? Are you sure?” I asked.

“Of course, I’m sure. They told me. That’s what the fight was about! They tried to strongarm me into some stupid ass promise I made when I was seventeen. Mom wouldn’t even let me get your damn number off of my phone. Said if it was so important she’d look it up for me.”

“So, you didn’t answer because of the fight. Not because of me?” I asked.

“Not because of you,” she said, sighing. “But, they cut me off from everything, Tyler. In three weeks, I’ll be homeless. I’ll be living out of my car because it’s all my savings will afford me until I can find a decent full-time job. For all I know, I won’t even have medical insurance anymore.”

All I could do was stare at her. As if this insane fucking family couldn’t get any worse, they’d thrown their daughter to the wolves over some stupid family business. I watched her cross her arms as tears rose to her eyes. She was shaking, obviously still emotional from the morning’s events.

“And now you’re leaving, so fuck this,” she said.

“I was leaving because I thought you didn’t want me. You weren’t answering your phone, and you weren’t at your apartment, and I just thought it was over.”

“So, if I asked you to come back to my apartment, would you come?” she asked.

“Is that something you want?” I asked.

“Holy hell, more than ever,” she breathed, tears dripping down her face. “Come back to the apartment with me, Tyler. Please.”

Our pumps both clicked at the same time, and it elicited chuckles from both of us. It was like the gas station was clapping our inevitable victory. Amber wiped her nose off on her shirt before she pulled the pump from her tank. I screwed the top back on my rental car gas tank and shut it closed.

“Would you like to lead the way?” I asked.

“Sure, follow me.”