Warnings: None

Word Count: 2096

Author's Note: The first Tyler chapter of this book! I hope you enjoy this one :)

*     *     * 

The TV was the first thing that I heard as I finally started to wake up, followed closely by a number of other things. Y/N was still running her hand through my hair, very nearly putting me right back to sleep. Part of me wanted to pretend that I hadn't woken up yet, just so I could take in everything about the moment and avoid the responsibilities that would inevitably start to pour in.

My plan only lasted for a few minutes before I was tilting my head up towards Y/N, unable to keep my eyes off of her for too long. I had missed her so much over the last month that I could hardly believe that I was home again, napping on our couch and being close to her. She smiled at me once she realized I was awake.

"Good morning, sunshine," she said, moving her hand from my hair to instead rest on my back.

"No," I whined. "Keep doing that."

"Ty, I've been playing with your hair for almost three hours now."

"Three hours?" I asked, my eyes going wide. "Why did you let me sleep that long?"

"You were tired! And you were so peaceful while you were sleeping and I got to cuddle with you..." she slowly trailed off. "I was going to wake you up soon so that we could make dinner, anyway."

"What are we having?"

"Pasta. I didn't want to make some elaborate meal because I wanted as much time to relax with you as possible."

"I'll help you."

"And by help do you mean follow me around the kitchen and try to distract me?"

"Mhmm," I mumbled into her shoulder.

"Ok, come on, sleepyhead. I'm getting hungry."

I slowly sat up and moved so that Y/N could get off the couch. While she wandered into the kitchen to start getting things ready, I took a moment to stretch all the muscles that had gotten tight from the plane and sleeping on the couch. Once I felt adequately stretched out, I joined her in the kitchen.

"Do you want to be in charge of the noodles or the bread?" she asked.

I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist, lowering my head so that it was resting on her shoulder. She tilted her head slightly so that it was resting against mine.

"What's easier?" I laughed.

"They're both easy, Ty," she smiled. "It's just a matter of preference."

"I can do the bread. If I'm in charge of the noodles, I might fall asleep again before they finish cooking."

"You just slept for three hours! How could you possibly need to sleep more?"

"I had a busy month! It's not easy to play sold out shows every night, you know."

"Ok, ok, point taken."

"Thank you," I grinned, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek.

Y/N was quiet for a little as she filled a pot with water and set it on the stove to start boiling. Once that was done, she turned in my arms so that we were now facing one another.

"And now you have three weeks until you get busy again."

My shoulders tensed. I would hardly call the three weeks that I had off "a break". Between meetings, final rehearsals, and other last minute preparations we would have to do, there was hardly any time left to relax. Not to mention that this was going to be our biggest tour yet, which only added to the stress that I was already feeling.

I just hoped that Y/N would understand if I was busier than usual.

"Right," I said, ignoring the discomfort that was beginning to swell in my stomach.

"Do you want anything to drink while we cook?" she asked.

"Do we have Red Bull?"

"I picked some up when I went shopping yesterday so that we would have some when you got back."

Y/N slid out of my arms and over to the fridge where, sure enough, there was plenty of fresh Red Bull. She grabbed one and tossed it to me, which I nearly missed because of my exhaustion.

"Sorry, not my best idea," she winced.

"It's ok, I still caught it."

She pressed a quick kiss on my lips as she passed by on her way to get pasta from the cupboard. Unfortunately for her, I wasn't so ready to let her go. I used my free hand to catch her arm and bring her back towards me so that I could wrap my arms around her again.

"Ty," she pouted, sticking her bottom lip out. "I need to make dinner."

"I don't think letting me look at you for thirty seconds will set you back too much," I smiled.

"It might."

I leaned forward so that our foreheads were pressed together, "I thought you missed me."

"I did, but I'm also very hungry," she laughed.

My smile grew even more. I didn't think that I would ever get tired of hearing her laugh.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you too."

I tilted my head a little so that I could kiss her. Her hand moved to the side of my face, holding me close. It was hard not to smile as I deepened the kiss.

"Ok, Joseph, you've distracted me long enough," she smiled when she finally pulled away. "I'm going to make pasta now."

"Fine," I sighed. "I'll start cutting up the bread."

"Thank you. Also, I was thinking we could eat out on the porch tonight, if you want."

"I would like that."

Y/N smiled, "Then we have a deal."

*     *     *

There was a light breeze as I followed Y/N out onto the porch. The sun was just barely beginning its descent below the horizon, putting the first bits of pale pink light on the clouds. I took a moment to stand still and look out over the forest that served as our backyard, taking in the fresh air and various sounds coming from the trees. If there was one thing that I missed about home - aside from Y/N, when she wasn't with me - it was our backyard.

"Are you coming, Ty?" Y/N asked.

"Yeah, I'm coming. Just needed a moment to take everything in."

She smiled at me as I joined her at the table. The metal was still warm from the afternoon sun, but not too hot that it was painful to sit on. Once I was settled, Y/N stretched her legs out so that they were resting on top of mine.

I had forgotten how much I missed nights like these.

"Is everything ready for the wedding this weekend?" I asked as I mixed up my noodles.

"I think there were a few last minute things that Carter and Marenna had to do, but other than that they're good to go. I got most of my responsibilities done last week, thankfully."

"Are you excited?"

"I don't think excited begins to cover it," she laughed. "I mean, my brother is getting married."

"I can't believe it. I still remember sitting in your den with him when we were like fifteen and playing Mario Kart for an entire day."

Y/N smiled for a moment before it quickly faded again. "Yeah, now you and I are out of town most of the year and Carter and Marenna have their family and Josh is off in California when you actually do get a break."

I rubbed her shin, hoping it would provide some reassurance. "Hey, it's not all bad, is it? We still have a lot of good moments."

"You're right," she nodded. "I guess this wedding is just bringing up a lot of feelings for me."

Doubt immediately flooded my mind. Were the feelings related to me? Was she finally realizing that I wasn't good enough for her after all these years? My hands were starting to shake, so I moved them away from Y/N's leg so that she wouldn't be able to tell. Thankfully her attention was on her food at the moment, meaning that I could take some deep breaths without her noticing.

"Are you ok, Ty?"

So much for that.

"Yeah, I just - you don't - is it bringing up feelings about me?"

Y/N reached over so that she could take hold of my hand. "Only positive ones, love. I guess, sometimes, I just miss how things used to be."

I nodded. In an instant, all the fears were gone again. Y/N had always been good at that.

"I love you."

"I love you too," she smiled, giving my hand a little squeeze before letting go again. "And that also reminds me, Carter said we're in charge of taking care of their son Max during the reception."

"Max!" I gasped. "I haven't seen that little dude in so long. How is he doing?"

"Ty, I swear he gets cuter by the day. He's learning all sorts of new words, and he even called me auntie the other day."

"He called you auntie?"

"Yes! I almost started crying, that's how cute it was."

"I hope he still remembers me when I see him," I said, idly poking at my noodles.

"He asked for you the other day. I would have called, but you mentioned you were busy at the time."

It was impossible to hold back a smile after hearing that. Although Max wasn't technically related to me, he still felt just as much like family as my actual nieces did.

"It's a good thing I'll have a chance to make up for lost time on Saturday then."

"Exactly."

I turned and looked out over the trees again. The sky was growing more pink now, though the sun was still shining brightly in the distance. I was already looking forward to summer nights on tour, wandering around unfamiliar streets with Y/N and pretending like we were kids again.

"Are you sure you're doing alright, Ty?" she asked.

I turned back to her with a smile, "The best I've been in a long time."

We stayed out on the porch long past the time that we both finished dinner, just enjoying one another's company and the sounds that came along with living next to a forest. With each passing minute, my eyes started to grow heavier and I was beginning to question how much longer I would be able to stay awake. As much as I was enjoying this time with Y/N, I knew it couldn't last forever.

"I think I'm going to have to call it a night," I said, finishing off the last sip of my drink. "My eyes don't want to stay open any longer."

"Why don't you head upstairs and get ready for bed then? I'll clean up the dishes and be up there in a bit."

"You don't have to come upstairs with me. I know it's still early and I'm sure there are things that you would rather be doing."

"There's nothing that I would rather be doing than cuddling with you and watching some TV," Y/N said, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek as she picked up my plate.

"Ok," I grinned.

I slowly shuffled my way upstairs and into our bedroom. It was tempting to just collapse onto the bed and let myself sink into the mattress that I had missed so dearly, but I knew the second that I laid down there wouldn't be a getting back up. Instead, I headed into the bathroom to change into pajamas and finish getting ready.

Twenty minutes later, Y/N and I were both curled up in bed in our pajamas. She was resting on my chest, one of her arms slung lazily across my stomach. I was fighting to stay awake, just so that I could appreciate finally being home again and having her in my arms. Tours without Y/N were always hard, even when I wasn't spending the entire time trying to work up the courage to tell her how I felt.

But I didn't have to worry about that now, because she was here in my arms and I could tell her that I loved her as many times as I wanted and always hear it in return.

"I love you, Y/N," I said, finally accepting defeat and letting my eyes close.

"I love you too, Ty. I'm glad you're home."

"Me too."

It only took a few minutes for me to fall asleep with a smile on my face.