Page 35 of Restored By You

I sit in the blue light of the TV for a long while, thinking about the man who came when I called, and I let myself want—just for tonight—a version of my life where I don’t have to leave any of this behind.

The day ends up being exactly what we both needed. We hit Billings by eleven, found the Starbucks Tyler had been mourning since California, and agreed that it somehow tasted worse than we remembered. We tried two other coffee spots on the main strip purely out of spite—and scientific curiosity—and pulled back into Whitetail at half past four with four shopping bags, full stomachs from a late lunch, and a new budding, sibling relationship—something I never thought I’d experience.

I’d call today a win for sure.

And to top it off, throughout the day, Rhett was checking in.

Rhett: Good morning. You two doing good this AM?

Me: Very. We had a long talk and we have an understanding now. He’s a good egg.

Rhett: I’m glad y’all worked it out. What’re your plans for the day?

Me: Shopping, food, exploring the closest city you call Billings. LOL

Rhett: HAHA Enjoy!

Me: Tyler found a hoodie-only store, so we’ll probably be stuck here until next Thursday.

Rhett: Could be worse.

Shea: He’s been in there 20 minutes and is currently having a debate over what makes a sweater a sweater versus a sweatshirt. I don’t know this child.

Rhett: How are you doing?

I smiled at my phone for a full ten seconds before answering that one.

Shea: Better. Thank you again for last night.

Rhett: Anytime.

Now we’re back at the suite, bags dropped, shoes off, Tyler already horizontal on the couch when a knock sounds at the door.

I open it to find a girl about Tyler’s age—dark hair, bright eyes, and a shy look on a pretty face. She’s wearing a baggy sweater over jeans and I vaguely recognize her from somewhere…

“Hi.” She twists the cuffs of her sleeves in her hands. “I’m Willa. My mom works here? We kind of met last night.” She winces. “I’m really sorry about that. The other guys kept saying five more minutes and Ty kept trying to leave but…” She stops herself, and I appreciate the fact that she’s not throwing the other kids directly under the bus. “I really, really am sorry. It won’t happen again.”

I study her for a moment. Torn with believing her or suspecting Tyler put her up to this. Is she the reason for the cologne, I wonder.

“Willa,” Tyler says, appearing at my side rather quickly.

“Hey.” She lifts a hand in a small wave past my shoulder.

I look between them and something clicks quietly into place. I bite back a smile of any sort and attempt to play it cool for both their sakes. “Thank you for the apology, Willa. I appreciate it.”

She nods faintly, still twisting her sleeves. “I, um, was wondering if Ty could hang out? Just us? Those other guys were kind of jerks.” She laughs nervously as she eyes my stepbrother with a blush. “If you want, I mean, and if it’s okay with your sister?” she asks softly.

Be still my heart.

Tyler shifts beside me and I spare a glance at him. Oh, he’s blushing. Hard.

“Uh, yeah, totally,” he stumbles out, then locks eyes with me. “Shea?”

I cross my arms and hum loudly, putting on a bit of a show to keep them in suspense. But who am I to stand in the way of young love? “You have three hours. Grab food at the restaurant downstairs and charge it to the room. The arcade is fine, but no backrooms, please. Your phone stays on and I want a text every thirty minutes. Got it?”

Tyler’s smile is slow and wide. “Cool.”

“Go.” I wave a hand out the door. “Don’t make me change my mind.”