Page 96 of Return to Me Always

Tyler loved me.

Laughing, he grabbed my hand, and we ran together toward the car, reminding me of when I'd first met him. Out of breath, I slid into the passenger seat and watched as Tyler slipped behind the wheel.

"Don't you have paparazzi at your place too?" I wondered.

"Yeah, but they'll forget about us."

"What do you mean?"

He started the car and revved the gas. "Because we're not leaving my flat for at least a week."

It took a moment for his meaning to sink in, but once it did, I couldn't help giggling. "Agreed."

With the biggest smiles on our faces, we sped off into the night, and I knew that whatever was in front of us, we'd face it together with another chance at life, another chance at love.

Chapter Thirty

The rain poured down on us as we jumped out of the car and raced past the photographers camped outside his place.

"Katler, what are you going to do next?"

"Kat! Tyler! Talk to us!"

My hand in his, Tyler rushed up the slick steps and keyed into the door, flinging it open, and practically pushing me through into the darkness.

Catching my breath, I watched as Tyler flicked on some dim lights and hurried around the room to close every curtain and blind, shutting out the world, enclosing just the two of us in this cozy space.

I glanced around, taking in my surroundings, a very minimally decorated and neat apartment with barely any furniture. "Wow, your place is really clean. I had no idea you were so neat."

Again, he had that pale sheen to him. "Well..."

"Well, what?"

"I sort of spent most of the day cleaning, I mean, well, that is after I got my car back and went to the shop. But then, I tidied up because I was kind of—"

"Kind of what?" I asked, wondering why Tyler was acting so strange again.

He ran his hand through his wet hair, making it even more sexy somehow. "Kind of hoping you'd come over."

I smiled at this incredible man in front of me, my heart filled with love for him, filled with wonder at everything we'd just been through.

"Come here, you," I demanded, still standing right near the door.

And he didn't hesitate. In an instant, he was before me, staring down at my face. My breathing sped up as I looked up into those blue eyes, at the thought of this moment in front of us, the anticipation of actually being with Tyler.

When I noticed his chest moving in time with my own, I wondered if he felt the same way. "Are you a little nervous?" I asked.

"Aye." He grinned. "Just a wee bit of pressure, right?"

I giggled at his tone. "Right. Nothing like several hundred years of build-up to this moment."

He tilted his head back as his laugh rang out. That laugh, God, it was so good to hear it, so amazing to have this freedom, this feeling of love out in the open between us. No more secrets. No more holding back.

Looking at me once again, his hand reached out to gently cup my cheek. "You are so beautiful."

Those words... they just completely melted my heart. And my nervousness floated away just like that.

"No one's ever told me that before," I admitted, leaning my face into his hand.

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