The Boyfriend Deal(5)

Wow. Tyler was giving up alcohol for me? I hoped the grin on my face  didn't look as goofy as it felt. Not even Hunter had offered to give up  beer on the few occasions I'd gone to a party with him, not that I'd  ever told my mom he'd been drinking and driving. She'd have locked me in  my room until graduation.

I could tell Mom was going to cave, and I tightened my grip on Tyler's  hand. If it bothered him, he didn't show it. We both waited patiently  for her to make a decision, and when she finally sighed and gave a nod, I  squealed and jumped up and down. Not my coolest moment, and my cheeks  flushed the moment I realize Tyler had just witnessed me acting like a  kid.

"Thanks, Mom."

"Would you care to stay for dinner, Tyler?" Mom asked.

"If you're sure it's no trouble, I'd love to."

My heart pounded in my chest. I led Tyler into the living room and  claimed a spot on the sofa. He sat next to me and wrapped an arm around  my shoulders. I couldn't stop myself from snuggling closer. Snatching  the remote, I flipped channels until I found the sports channel. I'd  never really watched it before, but I figured Tyler probably liked it.         

     



 

"We can watch something else, Hadley. You can't honestly tell me you care anything about the scores of the teams playing today."

"No, but I thought you might like it."

Something flashed in his eyes, a spark that was gone almost as quick as  it had appeared. He tipped my chin up. "Thank you for thinking of me,  but I want you to find something you enjoy. Okay?"

I nodded and he gently pressed his lips to mine. It was a brief kiss,  but it was enough to make me tingle from head to toe. Flipping the TV  over to Netflix, I put my favorite movie on and snuggled into Tyler. If  he had a problem with us watching a romantic comedy, he never said a  peep. When dinner was ready, Mom made him sit across from me, which was  both a blessing and a curse. I wouldn't be tempted to touch him if he  sat over there, but he could watch me eat. I hoped I wouldn't embarrass  myself.

"We aren't waiting for Mr. Ryan?" Tyler asked, eyeing Dad's empty chair.

"Hadley's father is a police officer, and he's working second shift  today. I'll warm something up for him when he gets home later." Mom  smiled at him. "What do your parents do, Tyler?"

"Mom is a stay-at-home mom and Dad is an architect."

"An architect? I would imagine it was hard for him to find work in a small town like this," Mom said.

"He commutes to the city twice a week, but he has a home office set up  for the rest of the time," Tyler said. "These mashed potatoes are really  great, Mrs. Ryan."

Mom beamed at him.

The small talk wasn't as uncomfortable as I'd thought it would be, and  Mom didn't grill Tyler as much as I'd thought she would. After Mom  excused us from the table, giving me a pass on dishes for the night, I  walked Tyler to the door.

"I bet your mom is wondering where you are," I said.

Tyler shrugged. "She's used to me being gone most of the time. I usually  hang with the guys after school. It won't be the first time I've missed  dinner."

"My mom would go nuts if I didn't at least call or text after being out  so late. You saw how she was after we went for ice cream, and that was  only about an hour after school. Can you imagine if I stayed out all  night without letting her know first?"

"I see your point. My mom is pretty laid back. Or maybe she's just given up on me."

I arched an eyebrow. "Military school doesn't sound like she's giving  up. I think she cares about you a great deal and wants to make sure you  turn into the type of man she can be proud of."

Tyler kissed me softly. "And that's why you're the perfect girlfriend."

If only he really meant that. It served as a reminder that all of this  was for pretend, that the kisses and hand holding were all part of his  grand scheme to avoid military school. My heart felt bruised as I  realized, that perhaps, I'd gotten a little too into character. It had  been so easy for me to believe that all of his words, all of his  touches, had been because he was genuinely interested in me. He'd only  asked me to the after game party because he wanted the school to see us  together.

"Goodnight, Tyler."

He pulled me in for a hug. "Goodnight, Hadley. I'll pick you up at seven o'clock, and we'll grab breakfast on the way."

I nodded and watched him walk out to his car, shutting the door firmly behind him.

Mom came up behind me, drying her hands on a dishtowel. "I like him."

Really? She'd hated Hunter, but she liked the sluttiest boy in school?  Although, in all fairness, Hunter had turned out to be a creep, so I had  to give her points there.

"He's taking me to school tomorrow."

Her brow furrowed. "You don't think the two of you are moving a little fast? Didn't you just meet today?"

"Mom, Tyler is the boy I've had a crush on since my first day of pre-K.  It's just, that for some reason, he never noticed me before now."

"Maybe he's not as smart as I thought he was," she muttered. "Anyone who  doesn't notice you has to be blind. And judging by the way he couldn't  keep his eyes off you at dinner, I'm going to assume he can see rather  well."

I snickered.

"Just be careful, okay? I don't want a Hunter repeat." She grimaced. "Or worse."

"What could be worse than Hunter?"

"You, pregnant at seventeen."

My cheeks flamed. Well, there was no way that was going to happen. Sure,  I'd kissed Tyler several times today, and held his hand, but that's as  far as things were going to go with us. If I hadn't let my real  boyfriend get past first base, no way was a fake one going to. With a  smile at Mom, I hurried upstairs. My fingers flew over the keys of my  phone as I told Amber about having ice cream with Tyler and about the  kiss he'd given me at the door tonight. But as I sent the message, I  wondered what she would think about it. She knew about the kiss in the  hall, and about Tyler walking me to classes and sitting with us at  lunch, but would she agree with Mom and think it was too much too soon?  If my best friend wouldn't believe me, would anyone else?         

     



 





Chapter Four



Tyler



It didn't surprise me to find Mom waiting in the living room when I got  home. She gave me her usual disapproving look, and I knew I'd have to  bring Hadley by soon. Setting my stuff down by the door, I sat in the  chair beside her.

"You don't have to lurk in the living room waiting for me to come home."  I'd told her that a million times, but she never seemed to listen.

"Out partying with your friends, I suppose."

What she really wanted to ask was if I'd been getting hot and heavy with  some girl in the back of my truck. If only she knew that the girl I was  with now wasn't about to let me get that far. Honestly, I was surprised  Hadley didn't smack the hell out of me for kissing her as much as I did  today.

"Actually, I took my new girlfriend out for ice cream and then I had dinner at her house."

Mom mumbled something under her breath that sounded like another tart.

"I think you'll like Hadley, Mom. She's really sweet and completely  different from any girl I've dated before. She was dating this total  loser though, until just a few weeks ago. I figured she'd had enough  time to get over him so I made my move today."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that? If you're really going out  with some nice girl, I'm sure it's only because of what I said. If I  hadn't threatened military school, you'd still be with Alicia, and we  both know what that relationship is about."

I felt my cheeks burn. Having your mother flat out tell you she knows  you're having sex with someone is uncomfortable to say the least. But  she wasn't wrong. The only reason I was ever with Alicia was because she  put out. That chick would do anything I wanted, whenever I wanted. And  while there was a certain attraction that couldn't be denied, she wasn't  good for much else. While being with Hadley was going to put a kink in  my usual activities, something told me she might be good for me. Yeah,  I'd flirted with her today, doing my damnedest to make her blush, but it  had been fun. I couldn't remember the last time hanging with a girl had  been fun.

"You can believe what you want, Mom, but Hadley is the real deal. I've  never been with someone like her before, and I'm not going to screw it  up. I'll take things as slow as she wants because she's worth it."

Mom straightened in her seat. "This isn't that girl you wrote about in your diary when you were younger, is it?"

My embarrassment was now complete. It was one thing to crush on the geek  girl in elementary and middle school, and another for your mother to  know about it. Or anyone for that matter.

"Guys don't keep diaries, Mom. And yes, Hadley is the girl I talked about. As to how you know about that … "

She smiled.

"You know, some things are meant to be private."