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Chapter 29

Tyler

I t’s been three days since Lily left for the beach, and I kind of feel lost. How weird is that? I went from being a guy who is independent and living by myself for years, to suddenly feeling lonely and empty with her gone.

Yes, I have work, but the way my schedule falls, Tuesday is my free day, and yesterday I just sat around moping, staring at her things until I finally said enough and went fishing.

When she first moved in, she kept to herself. She never left any of her belongings lying around, but now her things have blended in everywhere. Things like a colorful vase on the dining room table with some type of greenery arrangement, no flowers. Her coffee mugs have found a home next to mine. There are candles, shoes, kitchen towels, and even new throw pillows on the couch. While it’s still my house, it’s slowly transforming to ours, and I’m not mad about it. I want her to feel comfortable. Deep down in my gut, I know I want her to stay. Indefinitely.

Not wanting to be alone tonight, I make my way over to Jonah’s to crash for dinner. There was a time not too long ago when I ate with him and Vivi almost every night. And then once he and Sophie got together, I ate with her too. It’s been a while, and I find I’m looking forward to it.

When Jonah lived by himself, I would just walk in, but since Sophie is here now, I do the respectable thing and knock first before I open the door. Molly barks as she always does, and Vivi’s face lights up from the living room when she sees me.

“Well, well, look at what the cat dragged in,” Jonah calls out, smirking as I close the door, toe off my shoes, and make my way over to Vivi to give her some love.

“I figured I was past due for family dinner, so I invited myself over. What are we having?” I tease. Jonah is a really good cook. He went out of his way to learn how to be when Vivi moved in with him, and I have reaped the benefits.

“Shepherd’s pie, salad, and dinner rolls,” he says, wiping his hands on a towel on the counter.

“You had time to come home and make that after practice?” I look at him curiously and then at Sophie. She’s sitting at the island across from him, drinking a glass of wine, and she grins as she raises the glass in a half toast to me. Sometimes Sophie cooks, but in this house, it is definitely Jonah, and his two girls who reap the rewards of it.

“Of course not. I premade a couple of things yesterday to eat throughout the week. Don’t you prep food too?” He snickers, already knowing the answer.

“Not usually. Lily likes to cook, or I contribute to whatever she has planned by grilling when I get home.” I wander into the living room where Vivi is coloring. Molly is racing around my feet, but I’m on a mission to get to my squirt.

“Last night, we had chicken and dumplings,” Vivi announces as she stands, then jumps into my arms.

“Is that so?” I ask her, giving her a growly bear hug. She giggles.

“Yes. Uncle Jonah let me roll out the dumplings and cut them myself,” she says, smiling at me. She’s missing one of her canines, and she looks darn cute with that hole in her mouth.

“You didn’t invite me over for chicken and dumplings,” I tease, in which she just rolls her eyes.

“When have we ever invited you?” she says, sarcastically.

Jonah and Sophie both laugh.

“Listen here, little smarty-pants, you love it when I come over, so cut the sass.” With that, I set her down and then ruffle her hair. She squeals and scowls at me. “That’s what you get. And just think, I wasn’t going to do that tonight and then you ran your mouth.”

“But it’s true!”

“My invitation is open,” I declare, then make my way to the kitchen. Jonah has pulled a light beer from the refrigerator, and he slides it across the island to me. The kitchen smells delicious, not like ground beef, thank God, but more like spices with meat, vegetables, and potatoes.

“Where is Lily tonight?” Sophie asks as I take a seat next to her.

“Her friend Morgan is in town, and they went to the beach for a few days.”

She nods. “Morgan is who helps her with her social media, right?”

“Yes. She works for her, but they’ve been friends for a long time. Outside of Lance and Casey, I don’t think she really has any other longtime friends, so I’m glad she has her.”

“Morgan has done a great job. Lily’s branding is spot-on,” Sophie says, talking like I should know these things.

“I don’t really know what that means, but if you say so.”

“Think colors, aesthetics, fonts, the filter—it’s all cohesive, and if a new graphic or reel pops up, it’s usually easy to tell it’s hers before even looking at the name.”

She grabs her phone and pulls up Lily’s Instagram account. The colors are bright, and while the content is all different, each has some sort of blue, teal, or orange coloring to it. Fits her perfectly. There’s a new reel, but it’s of the two of them standing at the water’s edge, and the water is rolling in and out over their feet. The caption says, “When there’s work to do, posts to plan, and a release to get ready for . . . but the beach is calling.” Over a thousand people have liked it, and there are eighty comments from people wanting to know where she is, who she’s with, or they’re telling her they are excited for her new book.

I point at the first one and tell her, “They are working on some new stuff while she’s here.”

“I’m so excited for her book to go live on October sixth. I just know it’s going to be amazing.”

Pride surges through me. She’s worked hard, and it’s exciting to hear that people love her stories and anticipate the new release.

“It sounds like it will be from all the buzz she’s hearing around it. I’m happy for her. She worked really hard on it.”

I’ve never given much thought to writing a book. While I do enjoy reading every now and then, I was more a math and science person growing up. Literature and grammar were not my thing. So coming up with a concept, plot, outline, and then executing on it to create a whole book still amazes me. She amazes me.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and my heart leaps. Her ears must have been ringing because we’re talking about her.

Lily: Hey, how was your day?

Long, I’m at Jonah’s now. Decided to crash in for dinner.

Lily: I’m sure Vivi is happy.

She was until she got sassy and I messed up her hair.

Lily: You know she’s almost too old for that.

Never.

Jonah is happy I’m here too. He hasn’t said it, but I know it.

Lily: You two and your bromance.

I look up and find both Jonah and Sophie curiously looking at me. I know I have a shit-eating grin on my face, but what can I say? This girl makes me happy.

“That Lily?” Jonah asks as he moves to the oven to peek in and see how the pie is going.

“Yeah, she comes home tomorrow, and Morgan is heading back to Nashville.”

“Home, huh?” he asks. He’s fishing for information, I know he is.

I run my hand through my hair and over my face. I hate that he knows me well enough to be able to read me, but I have nothing to hide from him.

“Feels a lot like it,” I tell them.

“I’m happy for you. I haven’t wanted to pry too much, but you’ve been good lately, and I started to become a little worried.”

Huh?

“Why are you worried?”

“I know you like her, but I also know how you are about trust and your privacy. A lot of pictures are swirling around out there right now.”

“Yeah, but it’ll die down,” I tell them. After all, it’s what I’ve been telling myself.

“Maybe. Or maybe you’ll become the league’s new darling couple. Especially once everyone finds out that Lily Keegan is the same person as Lily Kent.”

I have thought about it. Having a few weekend sightings of us here and there is not a big deal. But if she does go to the signing and her face blows up in the book world like she thinks it will, I don’t know what our life will look like then. Does it make me uncomfortable? Yes. But that’s a me problem and not one I want to deflect onto her.

“I don’t know what will happen. I don’t have any type of grasp on exactly how popular she is in her book world. That’s not an industry I follow.”

“She’s pretty popular,” Sophie confirms, and my stomach sours as nerves settle in.

“Yeah, but is that just online popular? Is that popular in a way where she’s going to be approached in public like we are? Is that ‘Hollywood celebrity’ popular? Is that ‘should I be worried about her safety’ popular? I just don’t know. These are readers. From what she tells me, they aren’t psycho fans, but it’s a supportive community.”

“Oh, the book community is the best. Camille tells me stories all the time about how they rally together, love their influencers, and when they feel someone has been wronged, they build a wall around them. But I do think that once her face is out there, for people who know who she’s dated and who she’s dating now, and you both live in Tampa, she is recognizable. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s approached on the street.”

An uneasiness settles over me, and those nerves sink in a little further.

“Should I be worried?”

“Over what hasn’t happened yet? No. But don’t be oblivious to how her life is going to change, and if the two of you become something more, subsequently yours too.”

The timer on the oven dings, and Sophie rises to go help Jonah. He’s never been a set-the-table type of person but more load your plate up from the kitchen and then go sit down.

Will our life change?

Will my life change?

I like my life just the way it is. I’ve worked hard to set boundaries and live non-descriptive to the outside world. Do my neighbors know who I am? A few of them. But mostly no one knows anything. I trust Lily, but now I feel a level of anxiety that I didn’t before. Not with her, but with this unknown they’re telling me I should be prepared for. Red flags are rising, but I need them to dull down to yellow. Feeling on edge after this conversation, I send Lily another text to keep her talking to me.

How’s the beach today?

Lily: Good, but I’m ready to be back. We’re almost through Morgan’s list, and I swear she’ll have enough to post for at least the next two months, and that’s not including graphics with images of the book, the release, and things like that.

She’s ready to be back. This calms the sudden tightness in my chest. She can do that, she somehow magically makes everything better. And I’m ready for her to be back.

Sophie asked about that, and I told her that’s what y’all were doing. She pulled up your account, and I saw the reel of your feet.

Lily: She wasn’t wrong about the reel getting traction, but really, who wants to look at my feet?

I do. I want to look at your feet and everything attached to them.

I’d like to look at everything, preferably while she’s naked.

Lily: You’re biased.

Indeed.