Beautiful Burn (The Maddox Brothers, #4)(102)

Tyler turned off the water and I handed him a towel. He dried off his face and then wrapped the towel around his waist, hugging me against the wall. I placed my hand on the back of his neck, kissing his cheek.

“He’s coming back,” I whispered. “We should get back down there. You’ll want to be there when he walks in the door.”

Tyler nodded, then wiped his nose, turning to rinse his mouth and dress again. He held my hand as we walked downstairs, stopping when he stepped into the lobby. His brother was chatting with a small group, just as filthy as Dalton and Zeke standing next to him. They were shaking hands and hugging the remaining Alpine crew.

“You stupid dick,” Tyler said, stomping over to his brother. They hugged each other so hard I heard their fists pound their backs. Tyler lost it.

My eyes filled with tears, and Trex hooked his arm around my shoulders as we watched Taylor and Tyler reunite. I gave them a moment, and then I walked over to them, inserting myself into their embrace.

“Hey,” Taylor said, a tear dripping off the end of his nose.

“Falyn was here,” I said.

Taylor pulled away. “What? She was here?” he asked, pointing to the floor.

I nodded. “She waited here all night. Worried sick. You should call her.”

Taylor patted his pockets, looking for keys. He pointed to Tyler. “Love you, brother. I gotta see about a girl.”

“Get outta here, shit stain. Don’t come back ‘til she’s yours.”

Taylor ran to his truck, squealing his tires.

Tyler turned and threw his arms around me. “Fuck,” he said, letting out a sigh of relief.

The crew patted him on the back, just as relieved and emotional as Tyler. I hugged Zeke and Jew, and then the rest of the guys while Tyler spoke with a few of the officials.

He came back to me, lifting me into his arms and carrying me to the elevators while the hotshots made ridiculous hooting noises and catcalls.

My eyes were suddenly heavy, and I leaned against his shoulder. The elevator chimed and Tyler stepped inside, maneuvering a bit so I could press the button to the second floor. He carried me to the room, and again waited while I touched the key card to the lock. The door clicked, and Tyler pressed down on the handle, pushed the door with his foot, and then lowered me to the bed.

I snuggled up to his neck, melting against him as he enveloped me in his arms.

“I didn’t know Falyn and Taylor were having problems.”

“Yeah, they’re broken up.”

“Even though she’s pregnant? I don’t see him letting that fly.”

“Falyn isn’t pregnant.”

I sat up, slapping his chest. “Shut the front door! Are you serious?”

Taylor propped his head with his arm. “She broke up with him, and he went to California to see Tommy. He hooked up with one of Tommy’s colleagues. I guess she’s going to have it but doesn’t want to keep it. How weird is that? Taylor is getting full custody.”

“Whoa. You think they’ll work it out?”

He shrugged. “She was here all night. She has to still care about him. Come here,” he said.

I bent down, getting comfortable next to him.

He touched the back of his wrist to his forehead. “Wow. That was intense. I don’t know what I would have done if something happened to Taylor. That makes us three-and-oh the last couple of years.”

“What do you mean?”

“Taylor, Trent, and Travis have all had close calls.”

I buried my face into Tyler’s neck. “It’s not your turn.”

“Well, it damn sure ain’t Tommy’s turn. He’s an ad exec.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

Tyler paused. “What makes you say that?”

“Well … your family thinks you and Taylor are insurance salesmen. What if Thomas isn’t what you think he is?”

“What do you think he is?”

“A cop.”

Tyler snorted.

“I’m serious. Or something. He lives in San Diego, right? Isn’t there a federal building there? He’s something. So is his girlfriend. I saw Travis walking to their room the morning after the wedding, early.”

“You have quite an imagination.”

“Abby knows,” I said.

“Abby knows what?”

“About you.”

He laughed once. “No, she doesn’t.”

“Yes, she does. And she knows about Travis, too.”

“What about Travis?”

“Whatever he’s not telling her. She’s smart. I’m smart, too. I’m a photographer, Tyler. I notice things. I’m always looking at people. I knew you were inherently good, didn’t I?”

He frowned, unwilling to concede just yet.

“I think your dad knows,” I said.

“What?” he said, lifting his head. “Where is all this coming from?”

“I’ve known. I watched them at Thanksgiving. Abby was asking you all of those weird questions, and she and Jim had a look.”

“A look,” he deadpanned.

Tyler’s phone went off, and he dug it out of his T-shirt pocket. “Huh.”

“Who is it?”

“Dad. He texted me.”