Beautiful Burn (The Maddox Brothers, #4)(82)

“Don’t start,” I said.

“You can’t avoid them forever.”

“I’m just not ready. I will when I’m ready.”

“That’s the tenth time I’ve heard that in three weeks,” he grumbled.

“Really? I’ve already told you. I like my apartment, and Wick isn’t going to let you move in.”

He nodded, plugging an earbud into the ear farthest from me. I smiled, knowing he wanted to keep the other free in case I had anything more to say. He tapped on his phone display with his thumb, chose a song, and then leaned back, holding my legs on his lap with his free hand.

The attendant at the desk called for anyone needing extra time to board, and then for first-class. That was strangely amusing to me, remembering the days when I would already be standing in line with my family, waiting to occupy one of the first seats—and that was before our private jet.

When she called our group, Tyler stood, grabbing my backpack and his, and his rolling luggage. I pulled up the handle on my suitcase and pulled it behind me, giggling at how weighed down Tyler looked.

“You got it?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, baby, I got it.”

I stopped mid-step, watching him take a few steps before he realized what he’d said and turned back. “What?”

“You just … haven’t said that since at the diner with Sterling.”

“When I kissed your cheek?” He chuckled, lost in the memory.

“Yeah, when I told the waitress you had the clap?”

He frowned. “She still thinks that.”

“Good,” I said, shouldering past him.

We checked our luggage at the gate and then followed the line down the jetway and onto the plane. We were herded like cattle to 20C and 20D, and Tyler struggled to find empty spaces for our backpacks. He resorted to stuffing mine into the overhead bin across and one row back, and then putting his under the seat in front of him. He collapsed into his seat and sighed.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I’m tired. You kept me up all night.”

I pressed my nose gently against his cheek, giggling. “You weren’t exactly objecting.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Why would I do something stupid like that?”

“It’s not about flying. You’ve been on edge all morning.”

He thought about what he wanted to say and then sighed. “Just something on my mind.”

“About me?” I asked, sitting up.

“Sort of. Well, yeah, but something I want to talk about later.”

“Well now you have to tell me,” I said.

Passengers were still filing in, struggling to find space for their carry-on luggage. A man a few rows back was swearing under his breath and then barking at the flight attendant.

Tyler looked back, assessing the situation. “It just sucks spending a long weekend with you, and then going home alone to my apartment.”

“You have a roommate.”

He frowned. “He’s never home. He’s always at Falyn’s. Besides, he’s not the roommate I want to come home to.”

I blinked, instantly realizing where the conversation was going. “Is she still coming to the party?”

“She’s supposed to,” he muttered, used to my deflection.

“What?” I said, nudging him. “You don’t like her?”

“They fight a lot.”

“Hmm, I know a couple like that.”

“We don’t fight. Not anymore,” he said. “Not for another few days, anyway.”

“What does that mean?”

“I want you to move in,” Tyler blurted out.

“Where is this coming from? We’re one month in. Baby steps, Maddox.”

He glanced around, trying to keep his voice down. “Maybe I just need a little more commitment.”

I was no longer amused. “What the f*ck, Tyler? You’re becoming an overly attached girlfriend. Get a grip.”

“What? It’s not like we just met. Every time I go home, all I see is you. The headboard you made, the decorations … that’s all you.”

“So?”

He spread his knees apart, slumping in his seat. He looked like a pouting child.

“You are being so weird right now I don’t really know how to respond.”

His jaw muscles danced beneath his skin. “I’m not looking forward to this party.”

“Okay…?”

“I’m worried that things will get awkward. And we’re in a fragile place anyway.”

“A fragile place? Who are you? And why would things get awkward?”

The flight attendant began her announcements, going over the safety information and asking passengers to put their electronic devices into airplane mode. Tyler’s mind was spinning, but not about anything to do with the flight.

“The girl I kissed in Colorado Springs?”

“Yeah?” I asked, bracing myself for what he might say.

“It was Falyn,” he said finally. “I kissed Falyn.” He turned to me, desperate. “It’s like what happened with you and Taylor. She thought I was him, I thought she was flirting with me…”