Only Tyler by Jess Dee

night. Not yet. It was still too fresh in her mind.
    Too raw. But, at the very least he deserved to know the truth about Tyler and her past.
    She didn’t say anything.
    It wasn’t just that Tyler had asked her not to. Truth was, she was too much of a coward to confess everything now two years after the fact. The time to tell him should have been after Tyler left. Or maybe even when they had discussed marriage for the first time. Not now, when Tyler’s reappearance was creating havoc with her life and with her relationship with Steve.
    She squeezed him once more, then pushed herself off the bed.
    Disgrace forced her out of his arms. Damn it! Where did her loyalties lie? With the man who’d helped build her dreams who partnered her in her medical practice, and now in her life? The man who’d solidified her present and promised her a future?
    Or with the man who’d shattered her heart two years ago?
    “Kate.” Steve’s voice was soft as he rolled over to look at her.
    “What’s going on?”
    “It is Tyler.” The words burst out of her mouth, and she regretted them the instant she said them. “He I… I…” Oh fuck. Chicken as she was, she couldn’t bring herself to divulge the truth. Not about her and Tyler.
    She improvised. “I’m not sure how to act around you when he’s here.
    I thought everything would be normal, everything would be like it used to between the three of us. But it’s not. We’ve all changed.” She didn’t have a frigging clue how to handle all the secrets and changes that had taken place. “I’m marrying his best friend. We’re not a circle of three anymore, Steve. It’s us and Tyler.”
    For a while the us had been her and Tyler while Steve stood on the sidelines. But there hadn’t been time to face the repercussions of that grouping. Ty had left before it could affect their friendship.
    How do I sleep with you when Tyler’s next door? How do I ask you to leave because Tyler’s staying here? How do I stop myself from sleeping with Tyler when you aren’t around?
    Steve nodded and sighed. “Give it time, Kate. Ty’s just come home.
    We all have to adapt to the changes.” He sat up, positioned the pillows behind his back and looked at her intently. “I’m struggling with it too.
    Of all the scenarios I pictured when we were younger, this was never one I would have imagined.” He gave her a shy smile. “It’s funny. I always figured you and Tyler would be the ones to get to married.”
    She froze. “You did?”
    “Yeah, babe. I did.” He held her gaze. Wouldn’t let her turn away from him.
    “I always suspected there was something between the two of you.
    Never really understood why nothing happened.”
    Katie gaped at him. he’d sensed the underlying sexual tension between them all along and never mentioned it. Her heart lurched. If he’d sensed it before, he must have picked up on it now. Which meant Steve hadn’t just come to her for comfort last night.
    There was no blame or accusation in his words, simply an acknowledgement of his comprehension. He wasn’t trying to make her uncomfortable. He was just letting her know he knew. Still she didn’t respond.
    He let her off the hook. “It was a long time ago. When I was with Pen.” He laughed and shook his head, looking a little surprised. “Turned out a little differently from what I expected, didn’t it? You know, I always assumed we’d all land up together. Me and Pen, and you and Ty.
    Two couples forming a new circle of friends. A circle of four.”
    “Look at us now. We’re not even a circle any more. It’s just you and me.” She gave an empty laugh. “We’re a semicircle.”
    He stood and pulled her back into his arms. She leaned into his sturdy warmth. “There’s nothing semi about us, babe. We have what it takes to make a great future together.”
    Steve was right. They did have what it took. She loved standing like this snug in his embrace. It went a long way to soothe her ragged passions, to