“You’re amazing,” I breathe into the phone. I glance back at the heart in the tree and my chest aches. “I know it’s late and it’s Thanksgiving and all, but do you think you could come over?”
“You don’t even need to ask, Sunshine.”
My heartbeat quickens. “What do you mean by that?”
I hear a whistle both through the phone and in real life. I look up and see him standing there, on my back porch. He waves his phone, the glow of it lighting up his face in the dark and I wave mine back before putting it back to my ear. “Why are you here?”
“I figured you’d need me.”
I lean against the tree and close my eyes, pressing the phone tightly to my ear. “Well, I do need you. So hurry up.”
Tyler jogs across the back yard. I don’t open my eyes until I hear him just a few steps away. Our eyes meet as the moon glows overhead. My bottom lip curls under my teeth and I try to smile but it comes out sheepish and stupid. Tyler doesn’t seem to mind. His arms slide around my back and he pulls me toward him. My face buries into his chest and he smells so amazing I can barely stand it. I run my hands under his jacket and up the smooth fabric of his shirt and grab his shoulders, squeezing him tightly to me. “I missed you.” The words tumble out, unfiltered and I’m not even sure if we’ve been dating long enough for me to say things like that.
“I missed you, too,” he whispers into my ear. He pulls back and takes off his jacket, draping it over my shoulders. “We should get inside. You can tell me all about your day.”
“Wait.” I grab my flashlight from where I had dropped it when Tyler arrived and turn it on, pointing it to the tree. “Can you read that?”
He squints at the carving. “Carol and Joe? Wait…that’s not…?” I nod. “I think it is. It makes sense that my grandparents would have lived in a rental house, right? They were a newly married couple and didn’t have much money. I think this was them.”
“Wow,” Tyler exhales. “That’s amazing.”
“It’s more than amazing,” I say, tugging his jacket tighter around me as chills shoot down my arms. “It’s fate.”
Tyler’s head tilts until he’s pressing his forehead to mine. His hands slide down my back and his fingers slip into my back pockets. He pulls my hips closer to his and kisses me. “I’m glad fate brought you here.”
“Me too,” I whisper just before he kisses me again.
“I don’t think you should ever leave.”
I smile and press my finger to the carved heart in the tree next to us. “I don’t think fate wants me to leave.”
Tyler smiles. “Good.”
As we hold hands and walk through the crisp air back toward my house, Grandpa’s watch feels heavy on my wrist. It’s as if everything that happened; the lost condo sale, the broken nose and shattered windshield—every bad thing that has happened on my journey to find myself, had happened for a reason. Like fate had a hand in it, guiding the events around me to force me into staying in Salt Gap, Texas. It’s almost like it was destiny all along.
And I guess, maybe it was.
###
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About the Author
Cheyanne is a native Texan with a fear of cold weather and a coffee addiction that probably needs an intervention. She loves books, sarcasm, nail polish and paid holidays. She lives near the beach with her family, one spoiled rotten puppy and a cat that is most likely plotting to take over the world.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
About the Author
Table of Contents
The Fate Series Box Set (Robin and Tyler Book 4) Page 22