Page 70 of Falling Again

“What did he offer you?” Chloe asks, but doesn’t answer my question.

“If you can convince him to come on the road with me and be my personal trainer and PT, I’ll give you a raise right now.”

Chloe looks at me with wide eyes.

“Wait, wait. Chloe? You said yes to Griff’s job offer?”

“Yeah, why not? I can be his manager from anywhere, and with my experience helping the bookstore and the animal shelter, I think I can help Griffin with some marketing magic. Plus it wouldn’t take up all my time. I think it sounds like a great opportunity.”

“And we could really make a great team with you on board, too, Ty,” Griff says, clasping his hands, begging.

“So you two were plotting before I got here?”

“We’ll let you know, Griffin,” Chloe says to him and gives me a reassuring nod. She gets up to pour the soup into bowls as Griff and I discuss mountains he wants to climb and stretches I’ve been reading about. He hurt his shoulder a little while ago and has come to me to get it rehabbed. It would be great to be with him on his climbs, even partner with him on a few of them. But to be his trainer and PT? I’d have to give it some serious thought.

“I can imagine it might be hard to leave this place, but I’m never traveling constantly. There are plenty of breaks throughout the year so that you can come back home,” Griff says as I show him to the guest room, which was my old bedroom. Chloe has helped me a lot with redecorating the house so it doesn't feel like it’s stuck in a time capsule. For so long, I kept everything as it was when I returned a few years ago because I thought it was what kept my parents alive. But, as time goes on and as I’ve grown with my grief, I’ve realized that they are with me everywhere. No object or room will bring them back. It’s the hardest thing I’ve discovered, but it’s given me some peace knowing I can change how the house looks without erasing their presence.

Griffin is right, it would be hard to leave Auburn Hills, but it also feels like it could be the right move. And I have this woman, filled with life and warmth, who is encouraging me to go after it and will even join me on the journey. It’s hard to turn down an offer like that.

“Just so you’ll sleep soundly tonight, I’m leaning towards yes, but I will need to tie up some loose ends here at the ranch and at work before I can take off.”

“Take your time, man. I don’t start the next season for a couple of months. Regardless, it would be an honor to have you on my team.” Griff pulls me into a big hug and retires for the night.

As I exit the back door, walking toward the cottage, for the first time in a while, it seems like things are working out for me. The start of a life with Chloe, surrounded by more of my best friends. It feels like pieces of my broken heart are finally falling together. And as I approach the front door, I glimpse at my reflection I see the smile on my face looking back.

TWENTY-NINE

CHLOE

Now

“Honey, I’m home!” I exclaim, swinging the door open to the cottage to find Tyler lying on the couch with Dandy stretched along his torso. They are both asleep. What a traitor. I rescued her! I feed and take her to the vet and what do I get in return? Her choosing my boyfriend over me.

My boyfriend.

What a delightful noun to place upon Tyler. It’s barely been a week since we did unspeakable things on the very couch he is lying on, and yet, it feels like I’ve been with Tyler for longer. The love I feel for him is different. It’s not like how I saw my parents interact or how it was with Dane. Even though I feel this surge of love and I never want to be away from him, there’s no underlying panic. I didn’t realize that until this past week as I’d leave for work. Not worrying about if Tyler still liked me or if I did something to push him away. I feel none of that. Was it time that helped me gain this new perspective or just finding the right person for me? Someone who trusts me and whom I trust.

Scooter realizes I’ve walked in, and he jumps off from the bed where he was sleeping and runs over to me. I guess it’s only fair that Scooter likes me a little more than Tyler.

“Hey, sunshine,” Tyler says, stretching his arms over his head as he yawns. Dandy mimics his stretch, then pounces off the couch to greet me, circling my legs in a figure eight. We’ve made this little cottage our home over these past few days. No matter who gets home from work first, we come to the cottage. I don’t know if we even intentionally decided to move in together; it just felt natural.

He comes up to me, cradles my face in his hands, and claims my mouth with his. A familiar shiver quakes through me as he snakes his hands around my waist and under my shirt.

“I’ve missed you,” he purrs against my neck as he pulls me close so our bodies are flush.

I giggle as my toes curl in my sandals.

“I saw you a few hours ago.”

“Mmm, so long ago…” he lazily peppers kisses along my jaw, gently biting my earlobe, then switching to the other side of my neck and repeating. I can feel my belly lighting with fire.

“How was your day?” I ask as his mouth trails down my neck. A whimper escapes my throat, and I let my hands travel down to feel his arousal through his pants.

“I’ll tell you after,” Tyler backs us toward the bedroom and closes the door, locking out the animals from wandering in.

“After what?” I ask as he eases me onto the bed.

Tyler peels off his shirt with tortured slowness as his rigid torso is revealed to me. My core heats as I view the copper hair sprinkled across his chest, dipping into his boxers. I want to kiss every freckle on his body and memorize them. I realize I’m panting as Tyler reaches down for his pants and removes them in one motion, his hardness throbbing as it’s released.