Reckless

Reckless – Chapter 1

Tyler’s jaw clenched—both from irritation and getting ready for the hit his little brother was about to throw. He leaned casually on his porch railing, nursing a beer. Noah’s voice on the phone made him tense, and it made him check the label. His beer probably wasn’t one of the bougie brands his little brother now preferred after making it big in Hollywood.
But Tyler didn’t care.
He was on edge given his brother’s call from out of nowhere. He and Noah hadn’t been close since they were kids, so he was more than a little wary about what Noah wanted. He took another swig of the beer that now tasted cheap even to him.
Sure enough, Noah spoke words that Tyler felt like a punch to the gut. “How did you ever get over Kay?”
Tyler hit back for no good reason, his tone snarky and rude. “Why? Did you lose some girl?”
But when Noah simply repeated the question, Tyler felt the shame creep up his neck. Even another swig of the beer didn’t fix it. His little brother had called for advice and Tyler was being an ass.
For whatever reason, he decided to be honest. Maybe it was the combination of the alcohol and the direct hit. Maybe he’d finally realized it was just time to move on. He took a deep breath. “The truth is, I never did get over her.”
He waited for Noah to make fun of him the way that little brothers did. To point out that Tyler knew where Kay lived, who she’d married, and that she already had a couple kids.
But Noah didn’t hit back. That only made the conversation worse. Fighting was something Tyler could understand—it was the way he and Noah operated. But his little brother wasn’t in the mood. They said a terse goodbye and he’d been no use to his little brother.
Or maybe he had, because only a few weeks later Noah had fixed things with the woman—it turned out her name was Zoe. Little brother had even landed a primo role in the next big superhero film. So now Noah Preston wasn’t just going to be famous, he was going to be famous, the kind you’d put in all caps.
Noah had gotten his dream, and Tyler was still standing on his damn porch drinking cheap beer.
Their mother and his older brother Wills had simply barked at him to “find a new dream!” But it wasn’t that easy, Tyler knew. The NFL didn’t come knocking for guys who blew out their knee their junior year of college. And the lawsuit had taken almost a decade to pay off.
Despite Tyler’s new money, there was still no new dream. He didn’t have a plan. He didn’t have Kay. He didn’t even have a decent job, just one that made him need cheap beer and made his damn knee ache.
Everywhere he turned were memories of high school, memories of Kay. At least she was happy. But Tyler couldn’t stay here.
He set the beer down on the railing and told his landlord he was moving out. Then he called his job and gave two days notice. Tyler bought a Harley Davidson and hit the road.