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JEN

I SLEEPILY ROLLEDover expecting to bump into Tyler’s warmth, only to find I was alone in his big bed. We’d both fallen into bed about two hours ago, too tired to do more than cuddle and fall asleep. Aiden’s party had been a huge hit with the boys, but keeping up with a bunch of first graders hyped up on sugar and party adrenaline for three hours had been exhausting. After the boys had gone home, the adults continued to hang around, enjoying dinner and drinks together, as well as sharing pictures and favorite memories of Mia and Brandon. A few tears were shed, but mostly laughter continued into the late hours of the evening.

Drowsily, I curled around a pillow and waited for him to come out of the bathroom. Minutes passed, and he never came back to bed. Fear began to edge its way into my consciousness. After Kayla had outed us earlier, I had caught him several times throughout the day just staring at nothing in particular. I thought maybe it was just his way of dealing with the memory of Aiden’s parents because anytime I approached him he snapped out of it and was his usual playful self. He even made a sport of dunking me in the pool, much to the delight of the boys. However, now the doubts that often lurk in darkness began to assail me; maybe he felt trapped now that our friends knew about us; maybe he was feeling suffocated that I hadn’t moved back to my apartment. My stomach began to churn.

Muted voices floated up the stairs followed by the shutting of the front door. It was then I noticed the faint glow of the hall light through the nearly shut bedroom door. Confused, I sat up and looked at the clock. Almost one thirty in the morning. Who on earth would be at his door at this hour?

Natalie.

The thought hit me like a brick. I didn’t hear anything more until heavy footsteps sounded up the stairs. The door slowly opened, and his silhouette hesitated in the doorway before he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Tyler?” My voice shook.

He reached for my hand, his grip strong and sure. Tyler turned on the light and adjusted his position so he was looking directly at me.

“My phone woke me up a bit ago. It was Kayla.”

“Oh, God! What’s wrong? Is it Alex? Aiden?” I grabbed his knee and searched his serious face.

“No, they’re all fine,” he reassured me, but his voice was still grim.

I sat silently, waiting for him to tell me what was wrong, yet knowing I didn’t want to hear whatever he had to say.

“It’s your father. I’m sorry, sweetheart, but he had a heart attack earlier this evening.”

“My . . . my dad?” My chin already quivered. “Is my dad okay? Why did Kayla call you? It must not be too serious, or my mom would have called me herself. Unless . . .” I choked on the thought.

“He’s alive, Jen, but he’s critical. Apparently your mom tried calling you, but, of course, you weren’t at your apartment, and she said you didn’t answer your cell phone. She called Kayla to see if she could track you down. When Kayla couldn’t reach your cell, she finally called mine.”

“I . . . I left mine downstairs on the charger.” My mind was moving a million miles an hour. It was impossible to form a coherent thought.

I crawled off the bed and stood up. “I need to go home. I mean, to my apartment. I need to pack, and then I need to go home.” I scooped up a shirt on a chair in the corner of the room and started toward the bathroom, but stopped in the middle of the room “No, first I should call the hospital. I need to take some time off. I’m supposed to work in the morning. Then pack. Then home.” I dropped my clothes on his bed and headed for the door. I paused. “No, pack first, then . . .”

“Jen, stop.” Gentle hands turned me around and hauled me against a broad chest. Before I could stop it, great big ugly sobs tore from me.

He held and rocked me until the tears slowed. I stepped back and wiped my eyes on the back of my hands. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I should get going.”

Tyler shook his head. “You’re not going anywhere tonight, sweetheart. I’ve already called the hospital and told them you have a family emergency and won’t be there for at least a couple of days. In the morning, I’ll drive you over to your apartment, and then I’ll drive you to your parent’s house or the hospital.”

“You can’t do that. You have to work.”

“I told them I had a family emergency, also.”

Tears welled up in my eyes again. “But it’s not your family.”

“Doesn’t matter. Look, I’m not Mark. I’m not trying to take over your life. But there’s no way I’m letting you drive there by yourself when you’re this upset. I promise I won’t hover. I’ll be there to do whatever you need me to do, starting with driving so you can rest and call your mom or the hospital or whatever you need to do on the way there.”

No, he definitely wasn’t Mark. He wasn’t doing this out of his selfish need to control me, but to take care of me. “I’m not sure what to say,” I hiccupped. He wiped away a stray tear with his thumb. “I seem to cry around you a lot,” I tried to joke. “I’m not usually so emotional.”

His smile felt like a balm on my aching heart. “I don’t mind. I told you once to give me your tears and fears.”

“Pretty sure you didn’t mean by the bucketful,” I snorted.

He tipped my chin up and brushed a butterfly kiss on the corner of my mouth. “Dealing with salty kisses are more than worth the chance to see your sweet smile.”

My heart fluttered. “Thank you, Tyler. I’m not sure what else to say.”

“Call your mom, get an update on your dad, and then let’s try to get some sleep. We’ll leave early in the morning.”

I retrieved my phone and called my mom, despite the late hour. She answered after the first ring, assuring me that my dad was stable, but would need triple bypass surgery which would be scheduled as soon as possible. She was getting ready to head home and get some sleep since my dad appeared to be resting, and she would meet me at the hospital whenever I got there. I’m not sure why, but I hesitated to tell her Tyler was coming with me. Maybe he’d change his mind about going by morning.

Tyler was already in bed when I came back into the room. His breathing was slow and steady, but he was turned toward the center of the bed as if in anticipation of my joining him. Sure enough, as soon as I crawled in beside him, his arm tucked me into him, and he mumbled his usual good night against my neck, “Sweet dreams, Jen. Dream big.”

“You are my dream, Doc,” I whispered back.