Page 95 of Rookie Moves

He chuckles quietly, giving his head a small shake before stealing my breath with a slow, lazy kiss.

“Challenge accepted.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

TYLER

Smooth jazz filters through the speakers, and the low, warm lighting creates a relaxed atmosphere along with the quiet rumble of conversations, but it doesn’t do anything to soothe the feeling that I’m slowly suffocating.

Tugging on the collar of my shirt, I jerk my head from side to side, trying to stop my shirt from strangling me.

My dad has already scolded me for not wearing a tie, so if I undo any more buttons, there will be outrage.

The cheerful, satisfied mood I was in from waking up in Colby’s bed this morning disappeared the second I received a text from Joey, letting me know he and my parents had landed into Boston this afternoon and were on their way to their hotel.

That’s right. They couldn’t make the effort to stay in a hotel close to campus, opting for a five star in Back Bay, and requested that I make the hour-long drive to have dinner with them tonight.

A dinner I didn’t even want to have because it’s a night away from Colby, but my father refused to take no for answer.

And when I walked into the restaurant, they had barely said hello before letting me know that the private jet would be taking them back to Arizona as soon as my graduation ceremony was over. Like they couldn’t stand the thought of supporting me for more than twenty-four hours.

Then, to top off the shit-tastic reunion with my family, I hadn’t even taken a seat at the table before my dad said with a pretentious smile, “Business waits for no one, Tyler. You’ll find that out soon enough.”

A reminder that nothing has changed when it comes to Richard Beckmann: work has, and always will be, more important than his son’s existence.

I just need to get through tonight and graduation tomorrow, then I can talk to my dad and tell him that I won’t be working for his company or coming back to Arizona.

Maybe I’ll tell him just before they leave so he won’t be able to argue or cause a scene because he has a private jet waiting for him.

“What time do we need to arrive tomorrow?” Mom asks, taking a delicate sip of her wine.

“It starts at one,” I say, trying to bite back my annoyance. I’ve shared the information with them multiple times on text and via email.

“Great. I’ll arrange for our driver to drop us off just before,” Dad replies, closing the leather-bound menu. “I have a business meeting to attend in the morning, so we can come over after.”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Because of course he does.

Thankfully, the waiter comes over to take our orders, and I make sure to order the most expensive steak on the menu, along with various side dishes and a light beer. I don’t usually drink at all when I’m driving, but I need something.

Even if it means I have to call Colby and pay a hundred dollars for a ride share for him to drive my car back to campus.

“Is there any need to order such an excessive amount of food, Tyler?” Mom chides with a sniff.

I glance over the table at her, furrowing my brows in confusion.

“I eat a lot,” I say slowly. “I need to because of the amount of calories I burn.”

Joey punches my bicep playfully. “You’ll have to get used to eating on the go soon, little brother. Sometimes the only time I get to eat during the day is over business luncheons.”

“That sounds like hell,” I grumble, the words leaving my tongue before I can stop them.

Joey laughs, all rich and unfazed, while Dad snaps his fingers in the air to get the waiter’s attention to order another whiskey neat.

My lips curl in disgust at his arrogance. Who the fuck does he think he is?

A muscle pops as I clench my jaw, and I unfold my napkin, placing it in my lap for something to do that isn’t calling out my dad for being a gigantic asshole.

The conversation shifts back to work, like it always does. Dad and Joey dominate the conversation, while Mom and I sit in silence. She’s watching them both with a soft smile and a fondness in her eyes that I’ve seen in Colby’s mom.