The Boyfriend Deal(9)

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?