“That’s so … so … romantic,” I growled.

His shoulders sagged. “Do you hate me?”

“Yes, but not because you kissed Falyn.”

He looked down, a little lost. “The last month has been amazing, Ellie. Exactly what I thought it would be. I’ve been sweating New Year’s Eve since I found out she was going to be there.”

“Then maybe you should have told me the whole truth the first time. If you remember, I didn’t care then, either.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Okay, I did, but it wasn’t a deal breaker.”

“You’re right,” he said, angry with himself. “You’re right. It won’t happen again.”

“Kissing Falyn, lying, or asking me to move in with you?”

He turned to me, his eyebrows pulling in to form a deep line between them.

“Wow,” I said. “I think this is the first time you’ve actually been mad at me.”

“It’s not a good feeling,” he said, still frowning.

The plane taxied out to the runway, and within five minutes, the engines pushed us forward, racing down the asphalt and then into the air.

Tyler slid his hand over mine, resting back against the headrest. “I didn’t realize how scary this would be,” he whispered.

“I told you,” I said.

His eyes popped open, and he turned to face me. Even with circles under his eyes and yesterday’s scruff on his face, he was ridiculously beautiful.

“And I said it’d be worth it.” He squeezed my hand. “And it is.”

I grinned. “Just because I don’t say it doesn’t mean I don’t.”

“That you love me? Why is that so hard for you?”

I shrugged. “Your family says it a lot. Mine doesn’t. It just doesn’t feel natural to say. But I do. Love you.” I had to force out the words, but not the feeling behind them.

He kissed my forehead, and then I leaned over, snuggling against his arm and hugging him to me. He rested his cheek on my head, his breathing evened out, and he slept until the flight attendant began her final announcement.

“Ladies and gentlemen, as we start our descent, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. Thank you.”

Tyler stirred, rubbing his eyes. “Wow. How long was I out?”

“Well, we’re landing, so a little over two hours.”

“Holy fuck. I must have been more tired than I thought.”

I stretched my neck and leaned in to kiss his cheek, then settled back as we began our descent. The Denver airport was busy and chaotic as usual, but we navigated our new roller luggage through the terminal, to the tram, and finally to level five toward the exit.