Chapter 147 TYLER

Chapter 147 TYLER
I didn’t think I’d ever be this relieved to see Megan standing in a hospital hallway.

The hallway faded into the background as I watched them reconcile with each other. Harper was still crying into her shoulder, holding onto her like she’d been waiting for this exact moment, and Megan just held her back without hesitation, like nothing had ever come between them.

“I’m so sorry,” Megan was saying, her voice softer than I’d ever heard it. “I should’ve come sooner. I didn’t even know everything that was going on until Mark told me. And when your dad said no one could reach you, I thought…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “I thought something had happened to you.”

Harper pulled back slightly, wiping at her face but still holding onto her. “It’s okay,” she said, her voice a little unsteady. “I’m just glad you’re here.”

They smiled at each other, and something about it settled a tension I didn’t even realize I’d been carrying.

Peter appeared beside me, nudging my shoulder lightly. “You heard anything from Racque?”

My body reacted before my brain did.

I straightened slightly, glancing toward Harper to make sure she wasn’t paying attention before turning toward him.

“Not here,” I muttered, pulling him aside.

He caught on immediately, and within seconds, Jax, Kane, and Mark drifted closer like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I lowered my voice. “No. She hasn’t replied to any of my messages.”

Peter exhaled sharply. “Told you.”

“We all told you,” Jax added under his breath.

Kane shook his head. “You had her, Tyler.”

“I know,” I sighed, the words laced with frustration. “I know, alright?”

They went quiet after that, but the weight of it didn’t go anywhere.

“It’s my fault,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “I should’ve handled it differently.”

Peter studied me for a second before speaking again. “So what now?”

“Now?” I glanced back at Harper, who was still talking to Megan, though her shoulders looked a little lighter now. “Now I don’t leave her alone. Not for a second if I can help it. Racquel could be anywhere.”

Jax nodded slowly. “Yeah. We’ll stay alert too.”

Peter scoffed lightly. “Can’t believe she’s the one keeping all of us up at night.”

“At least none of us got hurt,” I said. “That’s what matters.”

Mark finally spoke then, his tone quieter than the rest. “So where did you guys go yesterday?”

I blinked. “What?”

“You and Harper,” he clarified. “We thought you went home early during the picnic, but both your parents were calling us asking where you were. So that means you weren’t home.”

The others immediately turned toward me.

“Yeah,” Kane said, eyes narrowing slightly. “That’s actually a good question.”

I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Because the memory hit me all at once.

Harper’s laugh. The way she looked at me. The way she agreed without hesitation.

A smile pulled at the corner of my lips before I could stop it.

Kane’s eyes widened first. “Oh—”

I cut him off before he could finish. “Don’t.”

Peter grinned. “Don’t what?”

“Don’t start,” I said, shaking my head. “Whatever you think happened is none of your business.”

“Tyler—”

“No.” I looked at all of them properly this time. “I mean it. I’m not turning my relationship into some discussion topic. Harper deserves better than that.”

That shut them up.

For a second, no one said anything. Then Peter reached out and clapped a hand against my shoulder.

“I’m proud of you,” he said simply.

Jax nodded. “Yeah. We’ll back off.”

Kane smirked faintly. “Still happy for you though.”

I let out a small breath, some of the tension easing. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Mark hadn’t said anything. He just gave a tight smile, his expression unreadable.

“Since everything’s fine here,” he said after a second, “I should probably head out. I need to grab something from my mom.”

He turned slightly. “Megan.”

“Give me a minute,” she called back without looking at him.

His jaw tightened just a little.

I caught it.

Before it could turn into something awkward, I stepped closer to him. “Hey,” I said quietly. “Thanks. For… you know. Helping them fix things.”

He shrugged like it didn’t matter. “I didn’t do much.”

“Still,” I said. “I appreciate it.”

He gave me a small nod.

Megan joined him a second later, slipping her hand into his arm. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Mark glanced at Harper and me. “We’ll see you on Monday.”

“Yeah,” I said.

They left together, the hallway growing quieter after them.

Jax let out a breath. “We should probably go too.”

“Yeah,” Peter added. “Check on him.”

Kane nodded. “He won’t say it, but…”

“I know,” I said.

They gave Harper quick waves before heading off, leaving just me and her in the hallway again.

I turned back to her. “How are you feeling?”

She shrugged lightly, wiping the last of her tears. “Better. Seeing Megan helped.”

I nodded. “Good.”

There was a small pause before I added, “I can ask your dad if you can stay over tonight. Since… everything.”

Her gaze lifted to mine. “You’d do that?”

“Of course.”

A small smile touched her lips. “I’d like that.”

“Give me a second,” I said. “I’ll go talk to him.”


The drive back to my house was quieter than usual. Harper barely said anything the whole way, and I didn’t push her to. By the time we pulled into the driveway, I was already reaching for her, pulling her close the second we stepped out of the car. I didn’t know exactly what she needed, but staying close felt like a good place to start.

When we got inside, the smell of food hit us immediately.
Mom was in the kitchen.

She turned the second she heard us and her face softened when she saw Harper. “Oh, sweetheart,” she said, walking over and pulling her into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Harper hugged her back. “Thanks, Rose,” she said softly.

“I already set up the guest room,” Mom continued. “Tyler told me you’d be staying over.”

I glanced at Harper, then back at Mom. “Actually… I was thinking she could stay in my room.”

Mom raised a brow. “Tyler.”

“She doesn’t want to be alone tonight,” I said. “And I’m not letting her be.”

Mom glanced between two of us, as if thinking about. Then she sighed lightly, a small smile forming. “Alright. Just… make sure to leave the door open. I'll be checking up on you two.”

“Yeah,” I said quickly.

Harper tried to hide her smile.

We headed upstairs after that, and the second we stepped into my room, I turned to her.

“You wanna get some sleep?” I asked. “Or we could watch something. Anything to get your mind off things.”

She shook her head slightly. “I think I just want to shower.”

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll grab you a towel.”

I turned toward my closet, but stopped when I noticed she wasn’t moving toward the bathroom.

Instead, she was… taking off her clothes.

I blinked.

“Harper—”

She glanced at me like it was the most normal thing in the world. “What?”

I let out a short breath. “Nothing. I just—”

“We’re dating now,” she said simply. “And we’ve already… you know.” She shrugged lightly. “I don’t feel like I have to hide from you anymore.”

That did something to my brain I couldn’t quite explain.

She stepped closer, slowly peeling off each layer of clothing as she moved.

Closer.

Closer.

Until she was standing right in front of me.

Completely Naked.

My body tensed as she reached up and pressed a soft kiss to my lips.

“I was actually hoping,” she murmured, her voice sultry, “that we could shower together.”

I swallowed, my thoughts tripping over themselves.

It felt unreal. Like I was balancing on something fragile, one wrong move and I could lose her.

“You sure?” I asked quietly. “This isn’t too fast for you?”

She slid her arms around my neck, holding my gaze. “If I wanted to take things slow, I would’ve told you, Tyler Mercer.”

Something in my chest eased at that.

Without thinking twice, I lifted her into my arms and carried her toward the bathroom.

“If that’s what you want, mama,” I said, my voice low, “who am I to argue?”

She laughed softly, and I pressed her back against the bathroom wall as I shut the door behind us.