Page 10 of Approved

TYLER

I might be asleep. If I don’t answer, sorry, I’ll respond in the morning, but please feel free to text.

I took a moment, then sent another message before I thought too much about it.

TYLER

Anytime.

I hoped he took my comment as an open invitation. Maybe Jamie was right. He showed interest in me and gently nudged me, but not annoyingly so. I tried to remember how he was in high school. He was into sports but spent a lot of time sitting alone, reading a book, or writing. Then I remembered that he sat directly behind me in any class I had with him. Unable to help myself, I picked my phone up again.

TYLER

Good Night, West. I’ll talk to you later or in the morning.

I ate everything I could, and then put away the leftovers. Earl, Larry, and I watched TV and read about The Dapper Duck. An few hours later, I was sleepy. I did my best to stay awake, but the heavy food and the long week pulled me under.

Chapter five

WEST

It was 2:00 a.m., and I never got back to my phone. We were in the weeds, so I jumped in to help with anything my staff needed. We just had last call and will close in thirty minutes. Tired from a hectic night, I headed to my office to start closing. I had really wanted to talk to Tyler more, but there wasn’t the opportunity. Before handling the evening’s banking needs, I sent a quick message to Tyler.

WEST

Hope you slept well.

I sent the message because I said I would and hoped he hadn’t waited. After we spent the afternoon together, I was obsessed with getting to know him better. He was charming, funny, and I was drawn to him. There was a reason he was nervous about going out with me. It was impossible to know why he felt that way, and it could be anything, but it didn’t matter because I was interested enough in him to be patient. The days of different men every weekend were behind me, and I hadn’t been withsomeone for a few years. I’d outgrown my hookup days and knew I wanted to find my person.

It took a while for me to admit that marriage, a pet, and the whole happily ever after was a goal. Tyler very much interested me as a person, and my libido also took notice of him since he was sexy—perfect lean, strong body, square jaw, and those gorgeous honey-colored eyes. I didn’t know if I wanted to lick every inch of him and make him fall apart or cuddle him tight and melt into his warmth.

Once I finally got in bed, my thoughts drifted back to Tyler. It was hard for me to pull back and not overwhelm him. More than anything, I wanted to send him gifts and text all the time, but I was afraid it would be too much. Investing in the long game was absolutely fine with me, as long as he didn’t tell me no, the door was open, and I would work my way through it.

I fell asleep smiling as I thought about him and Earl enjoying dinner that I got to buy them. It looked like he had a cat too, a man who liked animals was perfect for me. It would have been nice to share the meal, but this was a good alternative because it seemed to make him happy, which made me feel good.

At noon, I got up to start another work day. One of the first thoughts I had was of Tyler. I grabbed my phone and hoped he had texted. When I saw the notifications, I grinned.

TYLER

I hope you slept well, too.

I had way too much food. Eating leftovers for lunch.

Do you take days off?

For the first time, he asked me a question. I pulled on my Cookie Monster pajama pants, went to my kitchen, started coffee, and grabbed a frozen breakfast sandwich. There were a few hours before I would head to The Dapper Duck, which meant I could nudge the cute florist a little bit.

WEST

I slept pretty well and ended up working quite late.

I take Sundays and Mondays off work.

I considered saying something about how I often went to work on those days because there was nothing better to do, but I didn’t want him to think I wouldn’t have time for the right person. Recently, I started to crave that tight couple thing. The hard work got me to where I am, but now that I was thirty-one, it was time to share my success.

My desire to spoil a man, shower him with gifts, and love the hell out of him was palpable. It was my love language, and I had learned that men found that to be a bit much, especially at the beginning of a relationship. In the last few years, nobody has even dinged the bell of interest, now, Tyler made all my bells ring.

WEST

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