His Broken Mate

Chapter Nineteen

"Is everything okay, princess?"He sits forward. I shake my head and lean back on the door frame, debating whether or not to walk back to my room and never speak of this again. "What's the matter?"

"I, uh..."I tuck some loose hairs from my bun behind my ears and wrap my arms around my waist.

"Maybe I should just leave the situation."I think to myself. "Or... just not talk at all."

"Carter?"Tyler gains my attention. "You haven't been this quiet around me in a while. Are you sure you're alright?"

I nod again and look down at my feet. I begin to slowly walk towards him. He keeps saying my name, trying to get me to look up at him.

"Carter?"

I shake my head and walk to the other side of the bed, pulling the covers up slowly and crawling in. I turn on my side to face away from him.

"Baby?"Tyler asks for me again, this time he's not concerned, no. He's smiling, I can hear it in his voice. "Carter, look at me."

I slowly turn on my side, hugging the pillow and placing a hand next to my face.

"Are you sure?"Is all he asks.

"I'm ready."I tell him quietly. "And sleepy."

"Come here, then."Tyler smiles downs at me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulls me into his chest. My back is pressed against his chest and his face is buried into my neck. "I love you so much, you make me so happy."

I let myself smile a little, I'm so nervous it almost hurts. I want to relax, to calm down. I'm in bed. With Tyler. To go to sleep. I'm sleeping with Tyler. Not naughty sleeping but the sleeping kind of sleeping.

"Are you sure you're okay with this, darling? You're heart is beating too fast."He tells me, placing a few gentle kisses on my shoulder.

"I am."I look over at him. "It's just something I'm not used to."

"You're not used to?"He furrows his eyebrows together. "What do we do after dinner every night?"

"Couch time."I answer him.

"And what do I whenever your anxiety is? Or when we're in public? Or when I just feel like I need to show you how much I care about you?"He asks me. "I hold you and hold your hand and I kiss you and I put my arms around your shoulders or your waist... Carter, we do this all the time. Every day."

"But it's different this time, isn't it?"I turn to lay on my back so it's not as awkward to talk to him. Plus, I had to turn my neck in a painful way to keep looking at him. "I'm in bed. I'm sleeping here tonight. And you are, too. We're sleeping here tonight. Together. In the same bed. All night."

"I don't think you're ready for this yet."Tyler says. "I don't want to force you to do anything, lovely. And this isn't different, it's more special."

Special.

This wasn't any different than couch time or all those times I've sat next him with his arm around my shoulders. No, this isn't different. This is special.

I look up at him and shyly tilt my head up, pressing my lips to his softly. It's a gentle kiss, nothing deep and heavy. Short and sweet. When I pull away, I give him a small smile.

"I'm ready."I tell him.

"Are you sure?"He asks me one last time.

"I am, Tyler."I wrap an arm around his torso and the other under his arm. My head rests where his heart is. He takes a few moments before wrapping his arm around my shoulder and hugging me close to his side.