A Life More Complete(59)
I grab my phone and call Tyler. It’s late, but there is no way I can wait to talk to him. When he answers all I can do is sob into the phone. I can hear myself sucking in a breath and the ragged way I exhale as the tears fall. Any doubts I had about marrying Tyler vanish instantly. I know from this moment on I will never be able to live without him. I need him in a way that is obsessive and needy.
“Shh, baby. Don’t cry.” I hear Tyler say in a voice that’s hoarse and choked. “I kept those for seven years. I moved them everywhere with me. I never thought I’d see the day when I could share them with you.”
“Ty... I need you.” I manage to choke out through sobs. “I love you.”
“I know, baby. I love you, too. So much it hurts. Is your laptop on?” he asks. I grab it from the bag and turn it on. “Skype me, I need to see your beautiful face.”
By the time we connect up I’ve stopped crying. We talk about the pictures and I show him my favorites. He can recall the details of almost every picture, which brings him to admit he looked at them so frequently, even on the night before he married Charlotte.
“I miss you. It’s two in the morning here and I can’t sleep. How about you strip for me? I think it’ll help me sleep.” He smiles suggestively.
“Sorry, but you’ll just have to wait for the live version tomorrow night and not the live for television version you have right now. I’m exhausted, so I’m going to bed...in just my underwear.” I wink at him and he falls back onto the bed covered in marshmallow white, fluffy pillows.
“You’re a tease and you know it. I love you. Good night, kid.”
“Good night, Tyler. I love you, too. Oh wait,” I say and he stares directly at me and I flash him my boobs and close the computer with a huge grin on my face.
There is no turning back now. I feel for Tyler what I always did, I dream of our life together, our wedding, our kids, and our beautiful home. I’ve hurt him before and he has hurt me, we wronged each other, we were broken and humiliated, angry and devastated, but it doesn’t matter anymore. He’s changed; time has a way of rearranging things and I, too have changed. I will simply live and be grateful for what we have together.
---Chapter 17---
The week flies by and Tyler finds and leases an office space to begin the transition of moving his office from Chicago. One of the guys who owns the practice with him arrives with his family, his wife and two adorable kids, and he falls in right along with Tyler, the two of them ordering office furniture and hiring an administrative assistant. They both land several cases in addition to Trini’s within days of opening the new office. Tyler joked with me that it was easy to find rich people who screw their lives up. L.A is full of them and they flocked to Tyler.
I finally decided to let Gia know about the sudden change in my relationship status. I had been avoiding it because sometimes she’s too honest and I wasn’t entirely sure I could handle it. Although, the conversation was generally calm, I could hear the worry in her voice. She doesn’t want me to get hurt again and I understand her concern, but I need to move on with my life. Before she hung up she said, “You do need to move on, but are you moving in the right direction?” Without giving it a second thought, I answered with an immediate, “yes”.
I flew all over the country this week and was finally back in my own bed on Friday night. In all our phone calls and Skype sessions Tyler never once mentioned my demanding job or how annoying it was that I was gone. Of course he said he missed me and that he loved me, but somehow without him saying it I knew he understood my job. He finally met Trini on Tuesday and he admitted he did like her and that she’s funny and sweet. His voice sounded the way anyone’s does when they speak about her. Sorry and remorseful for what she endures. The best news of the week is that Trini stayed out of trouble. She is laying low and the media frenzy surrounding her has slowed.
I crawl into bed with Tyler on Friday night and my body aches from cramped airplane seats, office chairs and high heels. My sister’s wedding is tomorrow and the thought of seeing not only her but Maizey too makes me smile. The room is dark and I roll over and whisper to Tyler, “I love you.” He says nothing, but his heavy lidded eyes soothe me. He runs his hands over my body, but never says a word as he climbs on top of me. He makes love to me and I’m sated and calm, the ache of my travels leave my body as I fall asleep in Tyler’s arms.