dawn.”
“You noticed?”
Tyler couldn’t stop the snort from escaping. He was slightly offended that Ava thought he was that naïve, but he was in public. He couldn’t afford to lose his shit right now. The absolute last thing he needed was to end up on the front page of a paper throwing a hissy fit. “Of course I noticed, Short Stack,” he kept his voice low.
“I didn’t mean…”
“Then why? Please, Ava. I’m begging you. You’ve gotta tell me why you run.”
When he’d decided to take her for breakfast he hadn’t planned on confronting the issue, but somehow they kept circling back to it. Tyler was tired. Tired of the bullshit, of the secrecy, and the unknown, and if right now was his chance to clear the air, then he wasn’t about to walk away from that, in public or not.
“Have you guys decided what you’d like?” the redhead asked as she appeared from nowhere placing their drinks on the table between them.
Quietly Ava ordered and Tyler followed and the waitress vanished just as quickly as she’d materialized.
“Ava? Why?”
“I…I didn’t want to embarrass you.”
“Embarrass me?”
“I didn’t want someone to see me leaving your place in the morning and then it getting out. I never did it to hurt you, Tyler. You have to believe me. Please. Every night I left I wanted to stay more than you could possibly know. But I couldn’t let you be humiliated. Not because of me.”
Ava’s confession knocked the wind from him. Out of all the excuses he’d been expecting, all the scenarios he’d been dreaming up over the past couple of weeks, Ava embarrassing him had never been one. Not even something he’d considered.
Dragging his chair as close to Ava as he could, Tyler didn’t even notice the curious gazes that tracked his every move as it scraped across the uneven surface. Carefully, he pushed her glasses from her eyes and settled them on her head before throwing his own on the table. He watched as Ava blinked uncertainly, her eyes adjusting to the light.
“Ava Jacobs, I’m only going to say this once, so listen carefully. I love you. I’m in love with you. Nothing you could do would ever embarrass me. I don’t give a fuck if people see you leaving my place. You’re my girlfriend and I don’t care if the whole world knows,” Tyler said confidently and the words flowed so smoothly it surprised even him. He felt like he’d been holding them in for so long that now they were out, there was no stopping them—and no taking them back.
For a long moment Ava sat there and stared at him, her mouth hanging open. Tyler wanted to say something but he knew he needed to let Ava digest his words. When Ava lifted her hand, the fear paralysed Tyler. He didn’t know if she was going to get up and walk away, slap him, or simply take a sip of her coffee. But she didn’t do any of these things.
Instead she reached up and kissed him.
In front of the whole café and anyone who was looking, Ava kissed him. And not just some innocent peck that could easily be interpreted as friendly. She gave him an honest, passionate kiss that set Tyler’s whole body on fire and sent all the blood in his body south.
“I love you too,” she murmured against his lips.
Tyler couldn’t hold back the smile. His eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas and his cheeks nearly split from his grin but he didn’t care. Grabbing his phone from his pocket, Tyler reached around Ava and pulled her as close as they could get in public.
“What are you doing?”
“Just shut up and smile,” he bossed as he clicked a selfie. “Thank you, Short Stack. You just made my day.”
Ava giggled, a sound so sweetly seductive Tyler almost forgot his need for food as it was replaced by the uncontrollable need for the woman in his arms. Knowing he was about to get himself in way too much trouble to deal with today, Tyler placed a quick, innocent kiss on Ava’s swollen lips before dragging his chair back to his side of the
“You noticed?”
Tyler couldn’t stop the snort from escaping. He was slightly offended that Ava thought he was that naïve, but he was in public. He couldn’t afford to lose his shit right now. The absolute last thing he needed was to end up on the front page of a paper throwing a hissy fit. “Of course I noticed, Short Stack,” he kept his voice low.
“I didn’t mean…”
“Then why? Please, Ava. I’m begging you. You’ve gotta tell me why you run.”
When he’d decided to take her for breakfast he hadn’t planned on confronting the issue, but somehow they kept circling back to it. Tyler was tired. Tired of the bullshit, of the secrecy, and the unknown, and if right now was his chance to clear the air, then he wasn’t about to walk away from that, in public or not.
“Have you guys decided what you’d like?” the redhead asked as she appeared from nowhere placing their drinks on the table between them.
Quietly Ava ordered and Tyler followed and the waitress vanished just as quickly as she’d materialized.
“Ava? Why?”
“I…I didn’t want to embarrass you.”
“Embarrass me?”
“I didn’t want someone to see me leaving your place in the morning and then it getting out. I never did it to hurt you, Tyler. You have to believe me. Please. Every night I left I wanted to stay more than you could possibly know. But I couldn’t let you be humiliated. Not because of me.”
Ava’s confession knocked the wind from him. Out of all the excuses he’d been expecting, all the scenarios he’d been dreaming up over the past couple of weeks, Ava embarrassing him had never been one. Not even something he’d considered.
Dragging his chair as close to Ava as he could, Tyler didn’t even notice the curious gazes that tracked his every move as it scraped across the uneven surface. Carefully, he pushed her glasses from her eyes and settled them on her head before throwing his own on the table. He watched as Ava blinked uncertainly, her eyes adjusting to the light.
“Ava Jacobs, I’m only going to say this once, so listen carefully. I love you. I’m in love with you. Nothing you could do would ever embarrass me. I don’t give a fuck if people see you leaving my place. You’re my girlfriend and I don’t care if the whole world knows,” Tyler said confidently and the words flowed so smoothly it surprised even him. He felt like he’d been holding them in for so long that now they were out, there was no stopping them—and no taking them back.
For a long moment Ava sat there and stared at him, her mouth hanging open. Tyler wanted to say something but he knew he needed to let Ava digest his words. When Ava lifted her hand, the fear paralysed Tyler. He didn’t know if she was going to get up and walk away, slap him, or simply take a sip of her coffee. But she didn’t do any of these things.
Instead she reached up and kissed him.
In front of the whole café and anyone who was looking, Ava kissed him. And not just some innocent peck that could easily be interpreted as friendly. She gave him an honest, passionate kiss that set Tyler’s whole body on fire and sent all the blood in his body south.
“I love you too,” she murmured against his lips.
Tyler couldn’t hold back the smile. His eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas and his cheeks nearly split from his grin but he didn’t care. Grabbing his phone from his pocket, Tyler reached around Ava and pulled her as close as they could get in public.
“What are you doing?”
“Just shut up and smile,” he bossed as he clicked a selfie. “Thank you, Short Stack. You just made my day.”
Ava giggled, a sound so sweetly seductive Tyler almost forgot his need for food as it was replaced by the uncontrollable need for the woman in his arms. Knowing he was about to get himself in way too much trouble to deal with today, Tyler placed a quick, innocent kiss on Ava’s swollen lips before dragging his chair back to his side of the
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