The Boyfriend Deal(36)

“Just knowing you thought about it is enough, Tyler.” I rested my head on his shoulder. “You really see us living in Jacksonville next fall?”

“Well, I certainly hope so. I’ve already been browsing apartments online. Your dad contacted the police department down there to find out which parts of town aren’t as safe as others, so it’s been taking some time to look all of them up on a map. Finding something in our price range in a good neighborhood hasn’t been easy, but it’s doable. There were a few options.”

“I haven’t been accepted yet, Tyler. What if they deny my application?”

“Then I’ll look at apartments elsewhere. You were already accepted to UT Knoxville so that will be our back-up.”

“But if we go to UT, we won’t be able to get an apartment.”

“I know.” He laced our fingers together. “We’d have to stay in dorms and wouldn’t get to see each other quite as much, but it’s only four years, Red. We have our entire lives to be together. We can still date in college without living together.”

I smiled. “My dad is pushing UT, isn’t he? I bet he isn’t too thrilled with the idea of us living together.”

“Actually,” he said quietly, “your Dad would prefer that we live together. I think he’s nervous about you moving away from home and not having someone to watch over you. If you’re in a dorm, I won’t be able to help you when you need it. There’s no guarantee you’d get a sympathetic roommate.”

Now I was getting nervous. I’d have to start praying extra hard and cross every finger and toe that I would be accepted to University of Florida. I knew we still had five months left of school, and graduation to get through, but the thought of starting a new chapter in life, of getting a fresh start, was rather exciting. I would always be the nearly blind girl, the girl who couldn’t dress herself without help, the girl who couldn’t shop without assistance. My glasses improved my vision a lot, but it was still a huge struggle.

“Hadley, wherever we end up, the important thing is that we’re together. I don’t care which school we attend. Yes, it would be nice to play football on a scholarship, but it isn’t the end of the world if I don’t. What would be the end of the world would be attending a college hundreds of miles away from you, not getting to see your smiling face every morning, or getting to kiss you goodnight every night.”

“So … one day at a time?” I asked.

“One day at a time. Come on, I think the party is winding down. I should probably get you home.”

I let him pull me up and I grabbed the gift box with my sweater and gloves. I said goodbye to his parents, and Tyler helped me put on my coat then led me out to his truck. It was cold; fresh snow was on the ground, and the vents blew cold air when he cranked the engine. He shut off the heat until the engine had time to warm up, which would pretty much be sometime on his way home, since I didn’t live that far away.

I sat in the middle, snuggled against his side. He kept both hands on the wheel, but I laid my hand on his thigh, feeling the muscle tense beneath my fingers. Christmas music played softly on the radio, filling the silence around us. When he came to a stop in front of my house, he put the truck in park and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

“I’m glad you came tonight.”

“Thank you for inviting me,” I said. As his head lowered to mine, butterflies erupted in my stomach. Kissing Tyler was always amazing, and always as wonderful as it had been the first time. When he pulled away, he helped me out of the truck and walked me to the door.

Dad was already there waiting for us.

“Thanks for bringing her home safely, Tyler. Did you want to come in for some hot chocolate?” Dad asked.

“Thank you, Mr. Ryan, but I’d better get back. Mom will need help cleaning up after the party.”

Dad nodded and stepped back inside.

Tyler kissed me twice more then went back to his truck. I stood on the front steps until his taillights disappeared. Snow started falling again and I shivered as a breeze blew. Something told me this would be the most magical Christmas of them all, despite everything I’d been through. Even if I didn’t get to see Tyler tomorrow, I would still feel warm and content knowing he loved me.





Epilogue



Hadley



Tyler had accepted the scholarship to Florida State University, and we’d been living in a small apartment in Jacksonville for the past year. I’d found things to fill my days and had even discovered a way to continue playing my flute. Tyler had bought me a ton of flute audio files and all I had to do was listen to one in order to play the piece of music. Since music was a balm to my soul, I really loved him for it. There were a million reasons to love Tyler, and I discovered more every day.