hasn’t been anything new with me in over eight years.” Noah leans back, crossing his arms. “Well, unless you consider us getting two new flavors of Jell-O this month.”
“Ooh, which ones?” Tyler acts interested.
“Watermelon and strawberry banana,” Noah confirms.
I burst out laughing at his excitement. “If that makes you happy, just wait till Tyler makes you one of his amazing dinners. He’s practically a chef.”
“No,” Tyler argues. At the same time, Noah says, “Can’t wait!”
“Stop being so modest. Considering you could’ve lived on ramen and PB&J sandwiches but decided to teach yourself how to cook so you and Everleigh could eat a home-cooked meal is something to be proud of,” I tell him genuinely. He probably doesn’t think he did anything special, but he did. Tyler was all Everleigh talked about in middle and high school, and those stories are what had me falling for him in the first place.
Tyler and Noah mostly chat about Noah’s plans when he’s free. Though I know better than to mention Katie’s name, Tyler has no shame in doing so.
“Since our time is almost up, I gotta ask. Why didn’t you ever write Katie back or let her visit?”
The moment his question comes out, Noah’s face pales.
Shit.
Bowing his head before shaking it, Noah blinks at us with glossy eyes. “It’s complicated.”
When I spoke about it with Tyler, and explained Noah’s version of “it’s complicated,” he said he understood Noah’s reaction. However, Tyler looks like he’s ready to bust Noah’s balls for pushing Katie away.
“You gotta man up,” Tyler insists. “Life’s too short.”
“Trust me, I’m aware of that. I live with the guilt of what happened every single day. I wanna be able to see Katie in person, not with a table between us and no privacy.”
Everyone was shocked when Gabe died and more so when Noah was convicted of his murder. The whole situation is a tragedy, and though Noah didn’t mean to harm our cousin, he acted on emotions instead of logic. Katie stayed with Gabe for the baby and because she always wanted a family. Eventually, I think she would’ve left him after his cheating scandals, but in the heat of the moment, Noah didn’t think about that.
And it will cost him a decade of his life.
“You know I love you, but I’m not sure your relationship with Katie is repairable after all the times you denied her visitation and ignored her letters,” I blurt out even though I hope it’s not true. Katie deserves closure after all this time, but Noah better be ready to grovel.
Noah stays quiet and just nods.
“But hey, look at me. If I can win my girl back in two months after twelve years, there’s definitely hope for you.” Tyler flashes me a wink.
His girl.
I could definitely get used to hearing that.
“So you two are dating. I knew it,” Noah says, chuckling.
I shake my head, denying it. This isn’t the time or place to decide that.
“We’re seeing where things go.” Tyler gives me a smirk, and my insides melt. Though we haven’t discussed it, we have an unspoken mutual understanding between us.
“And if I managed to get a job—two jobs—after moving away, you won’t have any problems. People might be wary at first, but a lot of them have big hearts.” Tyler squeezes my hand. “At least that’s what I’m seeing. They just need some time to warm up to ya.”
I nod, agreeing. Lawton Ridge is a close-knit community, and everyone deserves a second chance, even Noah.
For the remaining ten minutes, we chat about Dad and the garage, then the guard announces visiting time is over. I always get a little sad when I watch the cuffs go on his wrists before he’s ushered out of the room.
“I love you!” I call out before he’s out of sight.
“Love you too, Gem. See you soon.” He smiles, a genuine one this time, and it warms my whole body.
Tyler and I walk out to my car, hand in hand, and I can’t stop the giddiness in my voice. “You guys really hit it off.”
“Noah’s easy to get along with. Now, we just have a little more in common than before.” He grins, then opens my door.
“It means a lot to me. He’s gonna need someone besides family on his side when he comes home.”
Tyler brings his fingers to my cheek, then tucks loose strands of my hair behind my ear. I stare at his lips, hoping he’ll finally kiss me.