Elyse, Finn, and Bryce left after dinner. We had spent the entire afternoon and evening together. I was exhausted from the day. It was only nine when I told everyone I was headed to bed.

I knew Laura would join me later so I tried not to hog the covers. I was dead asleep when the weight of another person joining me in bed woke me partially up. I felt myself getting pulled into a little spoon position.

The hand that wrapped itself around my waist definitely wasn't Laura's. I scooted back into Tyler's embrace.

He kissed the top of my head and whispered, "Goodnight, Baby."

I didn't wake up again until the early morning light started shining through my window. I rolled under Tyler's arm to face him. His sandy brown hair hung around his shoulders. I felt something pressed against my stomach.

Well good morning to you too.

I could feel roughly what he had going on down there and it made my eyes bulge a bit. I also wanted to touch it. That made me blush. Jordan would have a fit if she knew he was in here. I wondered how he had managed to convince James and Laura to switch. I was trying to get up the nerve to put my hand on it but stopped.

What if he doesn't want me to?

I mean he said he wanted me in every way but what if he didn't? The anxiety was crippling me.

I wrapped my leg around his waist. Only our underwear separated us. I was working myself up mentally and physically at this point. I needed a release from both. So I started to kiss Tyler awake.

It didn't take him long to respond. He flipped me onto my back and started grinding against me. There was a lot of friction and fluids starting to build between the two of us.

"Lexi, Baby, what do you want to do?"

"I want you."

Tyler bent down to the floor and grabbed his wallet. He pulled out a little foil packet. He looked at me and I nodded. We started kissing again. I was more than ready for this moment. I put my hand where I had wanted to put it since yesterday. Tyler breathed in and let me do my thing for a moment.

*Knock, knock*

We froze. Tyler pulled up his underwear and I went to answer the door. I cracked it open. It was Laura.

I didn't know whether to thank her or curse her at that moment. At least it wasn't Jordan or Patrick.

"Hey, it's getting late enough that Jordan will be up soon. Time to switch back."

Tyler appeared behind me acting completely casual. "Awesome, Thanks Laur." He kissed the top of my head and squeezed past us.

I was dying inside.

Laura looked around when she entered the room.

"Did I interrupt something?"

I shook my head no and tried to look convincing. "No, we just woke up."

She walked over to the bed and picked up the foil packet. It was ripped open but still had the condom inside.

"Might want to get rid of that."

I could feel my face turning bright red.

"Laura, I think I'm cursed."

She smirked, "No, you just need to get back to Canada first before you try this again. Tyler has a big truck. Find an empty parking lot like the rest of us do and don't get busted by the cops. Or wait until your dad is at work. Shit, you don't even have to worry about siblings interrupting you at home."

She had a point there.

We packed up all of our stuff and I stripped the bed so that we could drop it off in the laundry room for Jordan. We went downstairs and saw the boys already at the breakfast table. Patrick and James were having a discussion about football.

I wrapped my arm around Tyler's neck and gave him a kiss on the head as a good morning gesture. Not that we hadn't just spent all night together. Jordan was putting the finishing touches on breakfast and I went to help her.

"You sleep okay kiddo?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Did Tyler sleep good?"

"I think so."

"I mean you slept with him all night, I figured you'd know."

I froze. She had a smile on her face so I prayed this wasn't going to go south. "Are you going to tell Dad?"

"Lex, you're almost seventeen. You don't live under my roof anymore. I'm not going to go out of my way to tattle tell on you to Tim."

I gave her a hug, "Thank you. We didn't do anything, by the way."

That was technically the truth.

"Just be safe if you do. I am way too young to be a grandma."

I nodded my head emphatically yes.

We finished breakfast and had to start heading to the airport. Tyler had been fairly distant. I wanted to talk to him about this morning but we hadn't been alone since. When we were seated on the plane home I finally felt like we had a moment to ourselves.

"Are you mad at me?"

Tyler's eyes widened, "Why would I be mad at you Alex?"

He used my name and not a pet name. That was a red flag.

"Because of this morning. You've barely talked to me."

"Alex, I got busted almost taking your virginity this morning. I am just really disappointed in myself."

"Why?"

"Because you deserve something special. For your first time to be special. And I almost fucked that up because I wanted to blow my load. It's embarrassing."

"Tyler, it's not 1953. We aren't waiting until our wedding night to make love on a bed of roses. Dude, it's just sex."

He looked pointedly back at me, "The fact that we are not on the same page with this, proves my point. I do not want to rush into this Lex. I fully understand wanting to be together. But I have fucked up in the past with girls when it came to sex. I only thought about myself and the girl got hurt. I'm not doing that to you."

"And I am telling you, I want you." I leaned in closer to make sure only he could hear and whispered, "I want to know what it's like to have your mouth all over my body. I want those magical fingers of yours inside of me again. I want you inside of me."

Tyler's jaw dropped a bit. He looked like he was having to readjust himself a bit.

He nodded, "Baby, I want that too. You have no idea how long I have wanted that. And when the time is right, we will make that happen. Just please, don't rush it."

I nodded in agreement and we relaxed into each other. I was ready to be back home. I had my dad drop me off at Elle's. I just needed some time to catch up with my best friend.

A scene was unfolding on the Munro/Evans front lawn. Ari and Darcy were verbally going at it.

"All you do is mope, and fuck me, and mope some more!"

"How many times do I have to tell you, not partying until two in the morning is not moping!"

"I like to have fun on the weekends. Not sit around and watch stupid old movies."

"Then why are you with me?"

"I guess I'm not. Not anymore! I'm fucking done!" Darcy stormed off and I sat there frozen in the car with my dad.

He looked back at me, "So uhh, you still want to go in there?"

I nodded, "I'll be fine."

My phone battery was dead or I would have just texted Elle to let me in. Instead I knocked quietly. I prayed Ari had gone up to his room and literally anyone else in the house answered.

Brenna was the one who answered. Her face actually went from annoyed to calm when she saw me.

"Oh thank God. I thought it was that dipshit coming back for another round with Ari. They have been at it for an hour."

"You're folks not home?"

"Nope just us kids. You're looking for Elle I assume?"

"Yep."

She moved aside to let me in, "How was the funeral?"

"It was okay. As nice as a funeral can be I guess. I got to see my half siblings so I guess there's a plus."

She nodded. There wasn't much she could add on to that and I knew it.

"So is Tyler home then?"

I nodded. Then I realized who I had in front of me... Tyler's ex. There was a question I had that I knew would be painfully awkward to ask. And knowing Brenna, she might just laugh in my face. This was our first real conversation ever, so I figured it might be my only chance.

"How did Tyler treat you? I mean I saw you two fight there at the end of it all but overall, how did he treat you?"

She looked surprised that I would ask, "He treats you a lot better than he ever did me. As a girl friend at least. We were friends a lot longer than we ever dated. I honestly started dating him to make James jealous. Tyler liked getting laid. It was a match made in hell."

"So you rushed into things?"

She smirked, "By things do you mean sex?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

"Yeah, you could say that. He was my first. I have no clue what number I was to him. God when we first got together James and him actually went to blows. They didn't talk for a month. Then it all kind of blew over. But um, I guess James made it seem like we had done stuff we hadn't because Tyler didn't realize he was my first for a long time. Might be why he's trying with you. He already knows how easy it is to fuck it up quick with a girl."

"I'm sorry you got hurt."

She shrugged, "Water under the bridge. Nixon and I are so different. When you find your person, it feels a lot easier. Does that make sense?"

I nodded. "I totally get that."

"I'm glad you and Ari figured that out sooner rather than later. The rest of us knew it was only a matter of time until you and Tyler figured out there was something there."

That piqued my interest, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, ask Elle, James, Aaron, anyone really. They'll tell you the same thing. You and Ari were cute together but you and Tyler, there's something... chemical. We could all see it. Ari could too. Why do you think he was so jealous any time you two hung out?"

"We never crossed a line while either of us was taken, I swear."

Brenna smiled, "I know. You're not like that Alex. I have long since figured that out."

"Hey Alex?"

We looked up and saw Elle on the stairs.

"Hey Elle, came to see you. Sorry my phone died or I would have texted."

I walked past Brenna and smiled shyly at her as I did. I followed Elle back upstairs.

"Did you two just have an actual conversation?"

"I am just as surprised as you are."

We got comfortable on her bed and I told her about what all happened in Dallas.

Elle's jaw hung open by the end of it, "So, you didn't have sex?"

I shook my head, "And I was the aggressor."

"You had to convince Tyler to have sex? Tyler Mason?"

"Yep. I don't want to be pushy. I feel like I did something wrong though. For the last year he's let everyone know he's like me. Then we I try to take it to that next level he tells me to wait. Like is that wrong? Should have let him make the first move?"

"Alex, it's the twenty-first century. You have every right to be interested in sex. We aren't babies anymore. We're women who have needs and there's nothing wrong with that. You are both two consenting adults."

"Not quite. We're still sixteen and seventeen."

"Yeah, until next week."

I shot up, "Oh fuck, it's the 15th."

She smiled, "You forgot?"

"He mentioned it to me once. I'm proud of myself for even knowing."

"Well you have a week to figure out what you're going to do for it."

Considering last year he couldn't even come to my birthday party and he didn't tell me about his birthday until after the fact. I knew I owed him something good. We started going into planning mode. This was going to be the best last minute surprise birthday Tyler had ever had.