Beta

Tyler needed to get away. He hadn’t spoken to Savannah or anyone connected to Savannah since he had broken up with her at the photo shoot. Part of him felt bad, but part of him felt liberated. To not be worried about her. Worried if she was going to kill herself.

Who was he kidding? He was still worried about her. He had lost count of the number of times he had started to text Alex or Shea for an update on Savannah. Hell, one time he had considered texting Jamie. But, he hadn’t. And he hadn’t texted or called Savannah either. He thought she might come to him, but she didn’t. So after two days of waiting and seeing what she would do, he decided to get out of Dallas. And there was only one place he wanted to go. Toronto. Home.

His mother had questioned him when he came home without notice and without Savannah. He hadn’t wanted to talk about it, and she eventually stopped asking when she realized he wasn’t going to give her any information. His sisters were a different story, though.

“C’mon, Tyler,” Cassidy whined. “Just tell us what happened,” she insisted as they sat in the living room, his dogs sprawled out all over the room.

“Yeah, when we were down there you two were in love,” Candace continued. Tyler shook his head. Maybe coming home wasn’t such a good idea. “And now you say you broke up but won’t say why. What is it? Did she cheat on you? Use you? Hate us?” she questioned.

“Let it go,” Tyler told them through gritted teeth.

“We liked her!” Cassidy jumped in.

“Yeah, so did I,” Tyler mumbled.

“Girls, leave your brother alone,” his mom defended him. He wasn’t in a mood to argue with his sisters so he was grateful for his mother right now.

“Come on, Tyler,” his dad appeared from nowhere. Tyler leaned his head back to see his dad standing behind the couch. “Let’s golf. I’ve got a tee time in thirty minutes,” he told him. Tyler didn’t need any convincing before jumping off the couch, getting away from his prying sisters.

He thought golf would be the perfect answer. He could clear his mind and not think about Savannah for a bit. But, by the sixth hole, he was proven wrong. Somehow his dad had gotten Tyler to open up and tell him exactly what had happened between him and Savannah. “I get it,” his dad told him. “You have to be able to trust your partner.”

“I trust her,” Tyler argued.

His father glanced over at him before getting in place to tee off. As soon as he hit the ball and the two were off to find it in the golf cart, Paul continued the conversation. “If you trust her, then what’s the problem?” he asked bluntly.

“I...I just don’t like worrying about her day in and day out.”

Paul chuckled. “Tyler, that’s part of loving someone. Worrying about them. I worry about your mom and sisters and you. Because I care about you all,” he explained.

“It’s not just that,” Tyler sighed. “She’s just so...stubborn. It’s always work over anything else.” He could feel his dad’s eyes on him, but Paul kept his mouth shut.

“Maybe you two aren’t right for each other, but I don’t think you should make that decision yourself without trying to figure things out with her first,” Paul said wisely. “You need to talk to her, Tyler.”

Tyler didn’t respond right away. They’d reached his golf ball and he wanted to focus on finishing this hole. This was supposed to be relaxing and mind-clearing but it was turning out to be the exact opposite.

“I’ll think about it,” Tyler muttered, hoping that would put an end to the conversation for now so he could focus on his golf game.

His dad did let it go temporarily, but over the next several days, the topic of Savannah came up amongst all his family members. It made Tyler feel that they were all on her side, even if they claimed they just wanted to see him happy.

He hadn’t talked to anyone from Dallas in over two weeks. He had gotten a couple texts from Jamie, but nothing related to Savannah. Tyler had considered asking how she was doing, but he wanted a clean break from her. The breakup had been devastating for Tyler. He thought going back to Toronto would at least help keep her and the breakup off of his mind, but he was wrong. He was constantly reminded of Savannah and how much he loved her. But he wasn’t going to go groveling back to her. She didn’t think about him when she went off on her missions. And he couldn’t live his life that way. A year ago he thought he was going to live the bachelor life until he was old and gray. And then Savannah had come along and changed his mind. Maybe he had been right all along, and he was meant to be a bachelor.

He knew he needed to go back to Dallas. Cassidy had been the one to make him see that. His sister was younger than him and much wiser than him. She wasn’t trying to push him back to Savannah, even though she made it obvious she loved Savannah. But she did remind him his entire life was in Dallas and he couldn’t let a breakup uproot that.

So he had packed his bags while Cassidy had booked him a flight for that evening. “I’m going to miss you, but I think this is best,” his mother told him as he leaned down and gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek. “Don’t let your stubbornness prevent you from getting Savannah back,” she added. Tyler wanted to groan and roll his eyes but he refrained.

The flight back to Dallas felt longer than it actually was. He couldn’t get his mind off of Savannah. He needed to move on. In the past, he’d easily moved from one girl to the next with no issues. Savannah was different though.

As soon as the plane touched down, he pulled out his phone and texted Jamie. I’m back, motherfuckers.

Tyler expected not to get a response back and was surprised when his phone buzzed a few moments later. About time you show that pretty boy face of yours again.

Tyler only went back to his place to drop his dogs back off at home. They were antsy after the plane ride, but he figured they would sleep it off while he was out. So, he made his way to Jamie’s, figuring that was the best choice for his first stop.

He held down the call button to Jamie’s place until he heard Jamie’s voice. “I thought you’d be here a half hour ago,” he said before buzzing Tyler in.

He impatiently waited for the elevator. He didn’t know what he was hoping for. He didn’t necessarily want to see Savannah but at the same time, he knew he needed to talk with her. As soon as the elevator arrived in the lobby, he stepped inside and hit the button for the 17th floor. When the doors opened again, he saw Jamie’s neighbor locking up her place.

“Hey,” Tyler greeted her quickly. Most guys would have tried flirting with her. She was good looking and the short dress she was wearing showed off her long, tan legs. And yet, Tyler felt nothing when he looked at her. Damn Savannah for turning him into a one woman man. And that woman wasn’t Jamie’s neighbor.

“Hi,” she flashed a smile in Tyler’s direction, but he already had his hand on the door and turned the handle, allowing himself inside.

He looked around and only saw Jamie there. “Sorry she’s not here,” Jamie told him, knowing exactly what Tyler was thinking.

“Have you seen her?” Tyler asked, shoving his hands in the pockets of his shorts.

“She left town a couple days ago.”

Tyler frowned, his blood starting to boil as he clenched his fists at his sides. “Of course she’d go back to Miami,” he muttered. “She never did think about anyone but her job. Why not go back after trying to get killed again?” he said sarcastically.

“She’s not in Miami,” Jamie interrupted.

Tyler looked up at him. “Where is she? What lead did she get now?” he asked, annoyance flooding the words.

“Minneapolis. No lead. No work. She went with Shea and Alex,” Jamie informed him.

“No work? I don’t believe that.”

“She’s on medical leave,” Jamie stated.

That got Tyler’s attention as his head snapped in Jamie’s direction. “Medical leave? For what? Is she okay?” Worry etched his face.

“Tyler. You can’t do this. You can’t break up with her and then act concerned for her health,” Jamie argued.

“I’m not acting,” Tyler said through gritted teeth. “I love her,” he admitted out loud. Those feelings hadn’t changed.

“Then show her that,” Jamie said plainly. “Get over yourself and go talk to her and tell her that. I get it. Your relationship isn’t perfect and easy. It shouldn’t be. You have to work. And sometimes that fucking sucks. But if you give up when it’s hard, then you don’t care enough. It’s like when you’re on a cold streak and can’t score a goal. You don’t just say ‘fuck it’ and bench yourself or quit the team. You keep going, giving it your all, and you come out better on the other side. You gotta do the same thing with Savannah.”

Tyler looked at Jamie, quiet for a moment. “Damn, Captain,” he finally said. “That’s quite a speech.”

“Motivating enough?” Jamie asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“Man, my dogs are gonna hate me for making them fly so much.”

Jamie laughed. “I think they can handle it. Or I can watch them," he offered. "Should I let Alex know you’re coming to Minnesota?” he asked.

Tyler shook his head. “Nah, why ruin the surprise for Savannah?”

Notes

Sorry for the short chapter, but an update was needed!