Page 3 of Restored By You

Oh, no.

“And since you two are family now,” she continues, oblivious to the panic crawling up my spine, “we thought it would be the perfect opportunity for you two to bond and get to know each other.”

I shift my gaze to Dad, willing him to tell me this isn’t going where I think it is.

He has the decency to look somewhat apologetic. “We were hoping you could stay with Tyler at the house in Malibu.”

“It’s only six weeks,” Michelle says quickly. “And Tyler is very independent, aren’t you, sweetie?”

Tyler doesn’t even look up from his phone. “Sure.”

“Six weeks,” I repeat, my voice hollow. My mind is racing with my carefully made plans: the house in Whitetail, the renovation timeline, the pitch I need to put together, the entire reason I came here today. “Dad, I just told you I bought a house in Montana. I’m leaving on Friday to meet with the contractors and start the pilot reno. I’ll be gone for two months, maybe three.” I turn to my new stepmother, mentally shuddering at the thought. “I’m sorry, but this is very last minute, and my plans—”

“Are perfect!” Michelle lights up like I’ve solved her problem instead of created one. “Tyler can go with you. Montana sounds amazing, doesn’t it, Ty?”

Tyler’s thumb stops scrolling. He looks up, making eye contact for the first time. “Wait, what?”

Finally. An ally in my confusion.

“Michelle, perhaps…” Dad starts.

“No, really, this could work beautifully.” She’s fully animated now, hands gesturing wildly in front of her. “Fresh air, small town living, away from all his friends who are honestly terrible influences.” She pats her son’s arm. “No offense, honey.”

“Offense taken,” he mutters, glaring at me as if I’m the root cause of all of this.

“Shea will be working on her big fancy house project. Ty won’t be cooped up in Malibu, bored out of his mind.” Michelle is glowing, peering between Dad and me like she’s just orchestrated world peace. “He could help with the renovation! It’ll be educational.”

“I don’t want to,” Tyler says flatly.

Dad pinches the bridge of his nose. “Michelle, darling, perhaps we should discuss—”

“Oh, Daniel, it’s perfect and you know it.” She reaches over and squeezes his hand.

Something about the gesture—so casual, so intimate—makes my chest tighten. This isn’t like his other marriages. She’s not performing for him.

“Shea gets to work on her show, Tyler gets a change of scenery, maybe make some new friends, and they actually get to know each other as family. Win-win-win.”

I open my mouth to argue all the reasons this is insane, but Dad speaks first.

“It would help us out considerably, Shea.” His dark eyes meet mine, and there it is—that rare glimpse of him asking me for something instead of dictating. “I know it’s last minute and you have your own plans, but Michelle is right.” He glances at his new stepson, who’s returned to his phone. “Tyler needs his family. And that’s what we are now: family.”

“I’m right here,” Tyler says, shaking his head without looking up.

“What about his school?” I ask, grasping at the most logical straw I can find. “It’s almost October. He can’t just swap schools for two months of his freshman year.”

“Sophomore,” Tyler corrects, still scrolling.

Michelle waves a hand dismissively. “Oh, we’ve already arranged everything with his school. They’re setting him up with online coursework and a local tutor. I’m sure we could find one in—what’s the town called again?”

“Whitetail,” Dad supplies.

“Right, Whitetail. Such a charming name,” Michelle beams. “The school counselor said it’s actually quite common these days, lots of students do hybrid learning.”

I shift my focus to Tyler, slumped in the leather chair. The only sign of his agitation being his jumping knee and flushed cheeks. He’s clearly as uncomfortable as I am, and yet, he’s not protesting any of this. “Are you okay with this?”

He shrugs without glancing up.

“See?” His mother smiles. “He’s on board.”