Page 17 of Spooking the Mountain Man
Tyler shrugs. "Maybe. Maybe I just wanted to see what would happen if I stopped getting in the way."
"Tyler."
"She's happy," Tyler says, still looking out the window. "I haven't seen Kelly really happy in... I don't know how long. But she was glowing when she came out of that bathroom, even though she was embarrassed."
I don't know what to say to that. Part of me expected Tyler to punch me in the face, not analyze Kelly's emotional state.
"She's been through hell with that jerk Derek," Tyler continues. "I was ready to drive up there and kick his teeth in when she called crying. If you can make her happy, if you can give her what she needs..." He turns to face me. "Then I guess I can live with it."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that." Tyler's expression hardens slightly. "But if you hurt her, if you break her heart or make her feel like garbage about herself, I will end you. Are we clear?"
"Crystal."
"Good." Tyler heads for the door, then pauses with his hand on the knob. "For what it's worth, you're probably the only guy I'd trust with her. Just... try to keep the PDA to a minimum around me, okay? I'm not ready to see my baby sister getting mauled by my best friend."
"Deal."
Tyler nods and leaves, closing the door behind him. I sink down on the edge of the bed, running my hands through my hair. That went better than I expected, but it also makes this whole situation more real. More permanent.
Kelly's mine now. Officially, with Tyler's blessing.
There's a soft knock on the door, and Kelly peeks her head in. She's changed, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, and she looks young and nervous and absolutely beautiful.
"Is it safe to come in?" she asks.
"It's safe."
Kelly slips into the room and closes the door behind her. "I heard voices. Angry voices."
"Not angry. Just... clarifying some things."
"What kind of things?" Kelly comes to sit beside me on the bed, her hands twisted together in her lap.
"The kind where your brother tells me he'll kill me if I hurt you, and I promise him I won't."
Kelly's eyes widen. "He's okay with this? With us?"
"He's okay with it."
"Really?"
I reach over and take her hands, untangling her fingers and holding them in mine. "Really. He wants you to be happy, sweetheart. And apparently, I make you happy."
"You do," Kelly says softly. "Happier than I've been in a long time."
"Good. Because you make me happy too." I bring her hands to my lips, pressing kisses to her knuckles.
Kelly's smile is soft and hopeful and everything I never knew I wanted. "Will you make me breakfast like you promised? And then we figure out what forever looks like."
Forever. The word should scare me, but it doesn't. With Kelly looking at me like I'm her whole world, forever doesn't seem nearly long enough.
"I can do that," I say, pulling her in for a kiss. "I can definitely do that."
five
Kelly
