The Boyfriend Deal Read Online Free Page A

– 1, Hadley – 0.
    Finished with my ice cream, I pulled my hand away from his, wiped my mouth, then stood to throw away my napkin. I felt Tyler’s presence behind me. Quite honestly, I wasn’t sure what to do with him. He had a point about meeting my parents. If Mom or Dad caught wind of my dating someone they hadn’t met, it would get ugly fast. They gave me plenty of space to be my own person, but after the Hunter fiasco, they were a little more selective about the boys I dated.
    An arm curled around my waist and I was tugged against Tyler’s side as he caught up with me. Even when I’d had a real boyfriend, I hadn’t had this much attention. Hunter had stolen kisses here and there, but he hadn’t been big on touching or holding hands in public. For that matter, I’d never seen Tyler act this way before either. If he wanted people to think this was a real relationship, he was laying it on kind of thick. I’m sure people were already questioning why he would pick someone like me. We didn’t need them digging any deeper, not if we wanted this to work.
    “You should at least let me take you home,” Tyler said. “You shouldn’t walk from here, and you’ll ruin my reputation if word gets out I made my girl walk.”
    “You really want to take me home?”
    “Wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it.” He squeezed my waist. “Besides, it’s an ideal time for me to meet your mom. That way she doesn’t freak when I show up in the morning to pick you up for school.”
    Pick me up?
    “Since when do I ride to school with you? I’ve gone to school with my friends every day since school started last month.”
    “Look, Red. I know you don’t really like me, probably can’t stand being near me, but can we at least try to pretend to be a happy couple?” he asked softly so no one walking by would hear. “Is it really so horrible pretending to be my girlfriend?”
    “Not so far. But then, Alicia hasn’t tried to rearrange my face yet. By the time word spreads through the school, I’m sure she’ll pay me a visit, and I doubt it will be a pleasant one.”
    He winced.
    “You had to go out with a psycho, didn’t you?” I asked. “Couldn’t go for some nice, normal girl?”
    The smile was back. “I’m trying the nice and normal thing now, aren’t I?”
    “Fine. You can give me a ride home, and if Mom agrees, then you can take me to school in the morning. But I have to warn you, after Hunter, she’s leery of the boys I bring home. I had a friend over for a study session, and I thought she was going to have a stroke.”
    “Noted. I promise to be on my best behavior.”
    “Then get me out of here before someone else notices us. I’m not the best actress, and I’m not sure I can pull off two shows in one day.”
    Tyler winked at me, opened the passenger side door, and then walked around the front of the car. As he slid behind the wheel, he reached over and laced our fingers together again. I thought it was a little odd since no one could see us, but I had to admit I liked it so much I didn’t really resist. Being alone with him should have been uncomfortable, or at least a little bit weird, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t like we were best friends or anything, but being with him was … nice. If the charismatic boy I’d spent time with today was the real Tyler Robbins, I was in so much more trouble than I’d thought. He wasn’t just sexy and funny. He was sweet, endearing, and judging by his class schedule, he was pretty smart. Would the real Tyler Robbins please stand up? Because if all of this was just for show, I didn’t think I’d survive the break-up.
    I gave him my address, but he gave me one of those smirks of his and it made me wonder if he already knew where I lived. He pulled into the driveway a few minutes later, parking behind my mother’s car, and we walked hand-in-hand up to the front door. Before I could get my key in the lock, the door swung open and my rather frantic mother