Chapter 29

Rachel POV

Flying from Los Angeles to New York City

Sleep had claimed Nathan almost as soon as the plane finished taxiing down the runway. He had warned me he had a hard time staying awake while traveling. I had thought he'd been joking or exaggerating, but it turned out Nathan really did conk right out once the vehicle started moving.

I was watching the city fading away from view out the window when my phone buzzed in my hand.

"What does your calendar look like for next week?"

I stared at the text from Tyler in stunned silence.

He had been the one to tell me to call him! I hadn't even looked at my calendar yet! How was I supposed to answer him without being offensive? I'd been focused on getting on the plane before it left the runway. I needed to get from one side of the country to the other for my next appearance.

"Have you even looked at your schedule yet?"

Trust Tyler to cut right to the point.

I texted him, "I thought you wanted a phone call? You don't text!"

Tyler didn't give me a chance to go over my schedule before replying. He was clearly invested in our conversation---and it was the first time we'd talked as one person to another. I found myself amused by the novelty of the experience.

"I do a lot of things I don't normally do just for you."

I knew he was baiting me. I just wasn't sure why. Was he trying to flirt with me? Was this what flirting with Tyler Wright was going to be like?

"Oh yeah? Give me some examples. I don't know if I believe you."

While Tyler came up with his response, I opened my calendar app. I was going to appear the next night on another show broadcasting out of New York City. Nathan had business of his own in the city which had worked out great for us as our itineraries synced up perfectly.

Howard had booked me a live performance on the morning show broadcasting out of Times Square, too. I hadn't noticed I would be performing both early in the morning then late at night on the same day.

My body was tiring easier since I was pregnant. I also noticed I didn't have as much energy without my constant influx of adrenaline from my wolf. Rayne had been hibernating since the loss of our mate bond. She was frustrated with my pregnancy too as it prevented her from controlling my form.

I couldn't shift while pregnant and I had known as much before I had conceived. My pregnancy wasn't planned, but I knew plenty about carrying a child as a wolf. I hadn't grown up with a mother to instruct me on how to be a proper wolf.

I had grown up with a father whose connections exposed me to questionable information though---including some ladies whose profession was practiced on a pole or on their backs.

Those women had shared their knowledge with me and I was grateful for their advice even if I didn't want to live the kind of lifestyle they chose to pursue.

"I think of you when I'm traveling."

How was Tyler making any kind of admission of vulnerability? Why wouldn't he think of the woman he'd left at home when he was away?

"You don't normally think about home when you're away?"

"I don't think about home. I think about you. I always try to bring something for you so it's like you're with me."

I remembered he had asked me about chocolates. Was Tyler's love language presents?

Everyone spoke the language of love in a different way which was personal to them. I knew I preferred to express my love through actions. I wanted to do things to show I loved someone. Did Tyler want to tell me he loved me by bringing me chocolates from his business trips?

"Like chocolates?"

"Like chocolates. I still have a box for you. They're from a chocolatier you liked the last time I visited San Francisco."

I had never noticed the little tokens Tyler brought home. They had felt more akin to humoring me than offering me a loving gesture. I'd always thought Tyler was trying to prove he didn't totally forget me---but he didn't care enough to get me anything personal either.

Tyler had never bought me anything personal for me. I wondered if he realized knowing I liked chocolates wasn't the same as choosing something for me with real meaning.

"Why haven't you ever brought me something personal?"

If Tyler wanted to feel as if I were with him on his travels, why hadn't he ever offered to take me with him? Why hadn't he brought me something intimate? Why hadn't he bothered to call me or, Hell, even text me when he was traveling?

"I don't buy personal gifts."

I could believe Tyler Wright had never exchanged a personal gift with anyone in his life. He was the kind of man who probably had his secretary buy all his Christmas presents and everyone was given the same fruit basket with a different card. I bet he even sent out a form letter for the end of the year to thank all his business associates without directly communicating with a single person.

"I would have liked a personal gift."

"Like what?"

What would I have wanted from Tyler? What could he have bought to show me he cared?

"It isn't about the gift itself. It's about the meaning. I want to know you thought of ME."

"What does that mean?"

What did that mean? How could Tyler show me he thought of me, specifically, when he bought a gift on his business trips?

I thought about all the times I had been left home alone. Every night I had slept on my side of the bed, tossing and turning because neither me nor my wolf could get comfortable without our mate sleeping at our side. I tried to imagine him feeling fitful in his hotel bed at the same time.

I had never been able to quite convince myself Tyler felt the way I did. Asking me to believe he cared when his idea of intimacy was a box of chocolates? A woman could only imagine so much before she needed proof.

"I missed you sleeping beside me. You could have offered to trade pillows with me. Taken mine with you and left yours for me."

I tried to imagine how I would have felt if Tyler had done something so romantic. I couldn't bring the fantasy to life in my head. There had never been such intimacy between us. We'd never admitted we actually needed one another.

Tyler took so long to respond I was surprised when my phone buzzed.

"I wish I had thought of that."

"I wish I had too."

Tyler hadn't been alone in our relationship. He shouldn't have been the only one trying to bring intimacy into our life. I could have done more myself. I could have reached out to him more.

"I tried in the beginning. I made your favorite foods. I asked your assistant. I asked your dad's assistant."

I wasn't ready to apologize for having stopped trying, but I was willing to admit I had given up on our relationship as much as Tyler had.

Or maybe neither of us had ever tried?

What did it matter if I knew his favorite lunch? What did I know about his day? Did he get tired of being in his office all the time? Did he get sick of traveling for the company? Was the press as much of a frustration for him as it had been for me?

"You talked to Gladys?"

The older woman who handled his father's affairs was a force to be reckoned with all on her own. I had a feeling she didn't spend a lot of her time talking with anyone. She had been serious in every interaction with me.

"I did! She's the one who told me you hate eating chicken!"

"I don't hate chicken! I hate chicken wings. Or any chicken served on the bone. I'm not an animal. I don't want to gnaw on my food."

I laughed out loud at the idea of Tyler glaring at a plate of fried chicken. I could see it clearly in my mind. He had never liked any foods which were eaten by hand. Tyler was the reason I could set a table immaculately.

"I thought you hated chicken. How did we go 3 years without eating chicken? Or talking about chicken?"

Tyler didn't waste any time responding with a laughing emoji. I felt lighter than I had in an age. Who knew he could be so easy to talk to?

I finished looking over my schedule and texted carefully, "Wednesday. I can meet you any time after 2 pm. Would that work for you?"

"I'll see you Wednesday at 2 PM. Meet me at the house?"

"See you there," I agreed and I found myself settling in for the rest of the flight with the most positive attitude I'd had in years.

Nathan continued to sleep peacefully at my side---and I told myself I wasn't doing anything wrong by texting Tyler while he slept. He knew I had agreed to step out with my former mate. He had to know I would keep my word, right?