Chapter Text
Kate is snuggled up on her couch with a slice of pizza folded in one hand when her phone starts ringing on the table. She leans forward to grab it and stops the sound before opening her United Airlines app. Once she’s checked into her flight, she screenshots her boarding pass and texts it to Tyler with a smiley face emoji. Her phone almost immediately starts buzzing with a FaceTime call, and, despite her rolling eyes, she can’t help but smile as the call connects.
“Well, hey there, darlin’,” Tyler says, settling himself somewhere and propping the phone up. “Landing in Oklahoma City at six o’clock isn’t too bad. Are you checking a bag?”
“Of course. I couldn’t have my Mama tempted to snoop at what I was getting everybody by shipping it to the house. Plus two full weeks’ worth of clothes.”
“I don’t need any explanation, Sapulpa. Just making sure I pull up on the curb at the right time. The airport staff apparently don’t like it when I’m waiting around too long,” he explains. She chuckles, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
“I think they were more upset with the destruction of property than with you waiting, but sure, we can say it was the waiting.” She’s happy to make just a bit of fun before taking another bite of her pizza.
“Alright, alright. But if that guard hadn’t been threatening to tow me, I wouldn’t have been in that situation.”
“The tow would’ve been a lot cheaper,” she says. “It also wouldn’t have involved a court date.” Kate giggles when he just rolls his eyes at her, refusing to give any more of a response. Tyler is doing random chores around his house in Arkansas, bringing her into every room with him. It takes a surprising amount of time for their call to be interrupted by a wrangler, especially since Kate knows they’re all living at the house right now. They only run into Boone on the stairs, who teases Tyler about the call with what Kate assumes are a couple of exaggerated winks.
“So, I’m gonna pick you up tomorrow and take you to your Mama’s house, right? And you’ll stay there for Christmas before I come back and get you again for New Year’s here at the house? And I’ll give you my room here, unless you really want to bunk on an air mattress in Lily and Dani’s room. But we’ve got an extra mattress in Boonie’s room anyway that I was gonna sleep on.”
“Uh, yeah, that sounds alright to me, I guess. I feel really bad taking your room, though. I’d be fine on the couch, I promise.”
“That is absolutely not happening, darlin’,” he states. Kate can tell she won’t win this argument, so she decides to leave it, getting up to grab the ice cream from her freezer. “What are you most excited about this Christmas?”
“Mama’s cooking, obviously. And getting to be around her tree and goin’ to see the lights and all.”
“Isn’t New York full of lights? That’s supposed to be its whole thing. And the big tree.”
“I am not going to the Rockefeller Tree in December, Tyler. It’s a touristy mess. And the city is gorgeous in the winter, don’t get me wrong. But it’s not the same as the houses and the colorful lights people do. And I don’t usually decorate my apartment all that much. I haven’t really wanted to celebrate much of anything, until this year.” Kate shrugs as she explains. She can sense Tyler’s eyes on her through the phone, and he’s listening intently to her. It feels so vulnerable to talk about what she’s done in the city the past five years. Yet Kate can’t quite tell if the feeling in her stomach is flutters or twisting when they lock eyes.
As if knowing exactly what she needs, he grins widely and moves the phone around, getting up from his desk. “Well, I’ll show you what we put up on the house this year. You can get a glimpse of what you’re looking forward to.”
“Ty, you sent me a picture the day you put ‘em up. And Mama sent me one of the house, too. Said you only gave her an hour warnin’ that you were gonna put ‘em up for her.” She laughs a little as he remembers. He sits back in his chair and thinks for a moment.
“Well, maybe next Christmas I’ll want to go be a tourist in the big city and want to go see that Rocker-whatever tree. And I know a city-girl who could show me around.”
“Oh, you’ve got another city-girl you’ve been talking to? Cause I just told you I’m not goin’ near that thing.”
“Just you, darlin’. Just you.” He’s looking right at her again, and this time, there’s just fluttering. Kate’s cheeks are hot, and she knows they must be a deep red as he continues talking, “I’d better let you get back to packing yourself up. Plus, I’ve got some gifts to wrap. Text me when you get to the airport, and any flight updates.”
“I will. And I’ll see you tomorrow.” She smiles at him, cheeks still warm. They hang up the phone, and Kate flops face-first into her couch. She spends the rest of the night packing up a few more things so she can spend the morning clearing her apartment before leaving for a full three weeks. They send good night texts, as they have been for months at this point, and she falls asleep to a TikTok still playing on her phone.
—--
When Kate steps out on the curb at the airport, her head is immediately on a swivel, looking for Tyler’s dirty and beat-up chasing truck. She had called him once her luggage had come out on the conveyor belt and was hoping she wouldn’t have to wait too long for him to pull around from the cell phone lot. What she saw instead was Tyler standing at an open passenger door of a black Chevrolet Colorado.
“Oh! Hi!” Kate is shocked when Tyler leans down slightly to pull her into a hug. The flutters that have been growing since April practically explode, but the nerves at seeing him again dissipate the moment his arms are around her. In the months of texting, phone calls, FaceTimes, and voice messages, neither of them has dared address the elephant in the room of their feelings, or what it would be like once they managed to be together in person again. Kate had tried to take more time off for another trip to Oklahoma, but had instead needed to go to a conference in California, so between that and the holidays, she was running low on vacation.
What’s this?” she asks, pulling her bag up behind her. Tyler pulls her into a hug, arms wrapping tightly around her.
“My off-season truck. You really think I drive the chasing truck around all year?” He takes her suitcase from her side and carries it around to the bed.
“I guess I never really thought about it. Figured you liked driving your big truck around, though. It’s hard to beat,” Kate says. She steps up into the seat and closes the door.
“When it was the only car I had, sure. And I liked the size back when I was nineteen and first got her. But I think it’s pretty damn stupid when people are buyin’ F-250s just for their grocery store runs. So I got this truck once the channel was doin’ well enough to afford it. Plus, it keeps Big Red in better shape. We don’t want to be putin’ extra miles on her,” Tyler explains. He settles into the driver's seat and pulls away from the curb.
“Thank you for coming to get me. I know it’s pretty late. My mom would’ve been happy to come out here, but I think she’s pretty happy to be cooking for us right now.”
“That’s the main reason I wanted to,” he says. “Gettin’ to see you back in Oklahoma is alright, but I wanted an excuse to have your Mom’s cooking.” Kate gently smacks his arm, and he feigns a hurt bicep. They spend the rest of the drive talking and singing along to the Spotify playlist Kate had made for Tyler. She had assumed he would never actually listen to it, but then a few of the songs started popping up during Wrangler streams, accompanied by a subtle wink at the camera. Of course, the fans had caught on, but they had no way to figure out who Tyler was winking at, considering Kate hadn’t been seen with any of them in months, at that point.
By the time they turn onto the dirt driveway in Sapulpa, Kate’s stomach is growling loudly. She’s surprised her mom isn’t waiting on the porch for her, but the door is already unlocked and she’s met with Christmas music playing from the kitchen. It’s accompanied by the sound of sizzling onions and garlic that fill the room with an incredible smell. Tyler had grabbed both of their bags from the truck and set them down by the staircase while Kate enters the kitchen, calling out to her Mom. She’s immediately wrapped up in the biggest hug.
Her mom gives Tyler a hug as well, and Kate can’t help but notice the way he blushes at whatever she’s saying to him. She catches her name in the mix of their conversation and instantly tries to tune in, but all she can manage to make out from across the room is that he beat her flight to the airport by a lot.
During dinner, Kate tells them both about her flight and the movie she had watched and the trio continue chatting at the table for a while. Tyler and Kate both move to clean up when her mom starts to stand and all three of them attempt to insist the other two should go sit down. Tyler eventually manages to win out, thanking Cathy for the meal and her hospitality while urging Kate to rest after travelling for a good part of the day.
Once they hear the sink water running, Cathy determines it’s safe to nudge her daughter.
“He’s awful sweet, goin’ all the way to pick you up and bring you back here. Comin’ in from Arkansas no less,” she says, moving to put her feet up on the coffee table. “Most people won’t do that for just anyone.”
“I— I don’t know.” Kate shrugs, picking up her wine glass so she has something to do
with her hands. “He’s been such a gentleman. And that’s truly what I’ve needed. But I’m coming back for the season in March, and I don’t want to necessarily be dancing around each other for four months on the road. Or if he doesn’t actually feel the same way and I ruin the season then mess up our work. And what if messing up our work gets someone on the team hurt?” She looks up to see her mom’s head tilted, one eyebrow raised, waiting for her to finish.
“Katie Carter. That boy is head over heels in love with you. In my sixty years in this life, I have never seen anyone look at another person the way Tyler looks at you. It’s written clear as day all over his face, he’d follow you to the end of the Earth if that’s where you wanted to go.”
“You really think so?”
“Sweetie, I know so. Even Javi was commenting on it, when he came ‘round a couple months ago,” Cathy promises. “Apparently, Tyler was damn close to hoppin’ on a plane to New York for your big presentation. But it was cutting it too close to his sister havin’ the baby, so he was on the hook for babysitting his older nephews. Javi said he was putting his credit card into the flight app when Boone reminded him about his responsibilities. Tried thinking of a hundred ways to make it work, but couldn’t manage one.”
“Good thing, I guess. His niece was born that night. I remember being so crushed ‘cause he didn’t get a chance to ask me about it until the boys were asleep, but I hadn’t even known he was with them. She was a full week early!”
“How long did y’all talk on the phone for, once he did call?” her Mama asks, but is met with silence for a couple of moments too long. Cathy gently elbows her blushing daughter, wanting for a response. The water is still running and splashing every so often in the kitchen, indicating that Tyler is still working on the dishes.
“I don’t know, a couple hours, I guess?” Kate lies, but Mama sees right through it. “I fell asleep on the FaceTime call. Woke up and he was at his sister’s stove making breakfast,” Kate sighs and admits, blushing harder, stomach fluttering again at the memory. That’s been happening way too often lately, she decides, ignoring the fact that she usually realizes she’s smiling whenever the butterflies are around.
“Kate. I know you’ve taken a whole lotta risks this year. Some have been more dangerous than others.“ They both laugh. “But can you do me a favor and put that poor boy out of his misery? Just kiss him. Or at least go out on a date with him.”
“I’ll think about it,” she agrees. It’s another few minutes until the water shuts off, then a couple more after that before Tyler comes in. Kate and her mom are still picking which movie to watch, deciding between the claymation ones, now. He has the bottle of wine in hand and refreshes both of their glasses.
“I knew there was a reason I kept letting you in here,” Mama teases, and Tyler shrugs.
“I guess listening to all the advice my sister and Aunt gave me is worth it. They made a whole PowerPoint a couple of months ago.” He winks at Kate, sitting down in the unoccupied armchair while she simply turns back to the VHS tapes her mom is holding, an attempt at hiding her face. The group eventually decides on A Year Without a Santa Claus and Kate gets up to put it in the machine.
After just one movie, Cathy heads up for bed, leaving the pair alone again. Tyler stays in his armchair, but gets up and joins Kate on the couch when he realizes she’s watching him. He sits closely, and Kate smiles as she presses play on their next movie.
“How’s your first night back home for Christmas going, darlin’?” he asks, looking at her. She matches his gaze, contemplating her options. She glances at his lips but decides to speak again.
“Depends.” She shrugs, eyes steadily back on him.
“On?”
“How this goes.” She breathes out and tries to watch his reaction as she slowly leans in, kissing him softly when he doesn’t pull away. He matches her, softly cupping a cheek and going for a second kiss when Kate pulls away slightly.
“So…?” He prompts when they part again. Her brain blanks, trying to piece together what he’s asking. “How’s your first night back home for Christmas?”
“Oh! Right!” She laughs, smiling wider when she sees his face, grinning wider than when they drove into a tornado. “Fantastic.”
“Are you doing anything Monday night?” he asks, and she’s trying to figure out how he’s able to form a full sentence while her brain is still trying to get back online.
“I don’t— I don’t think so? Isn’t that the day you’re coming back here to bring me to Arkansas?”
“It is. What do you say I take you out to dinner? You have somethin’ nice to wear? I know a good spot in Tulsa we could go to. Javi thinks you’d like it.”
“You’ve talked to Javi about this?”
“The crew likes to tease me a whole lot. And he gives a bunch of unsolicited advice on things you’d like. But the man knows where to get good food, so I’m taking his word for it.”
“What are they teasin’ you about?” She smiles, eyes crinkling in the corners.
“Just the big fat crush I’ve had on you. Your mama’s even in on it. Everyone likes to hoot and holler when I walk away to talk to you on the phone.”
“Gotta just ignore her, sometimes.”
“I’m not planning on making a habit of ignoring the Carter women. Y’all know what you want,” he says. She smiles and can’t help but lean in for another kiss. “So, dinner Monday?”
“Sounds nice.” She smiles. “Um, do you think that maybe we could ease into the whole crew knowin’? And the internet, YouTube, and all. It just feels like it could be a lot really fast.”
“We’ll move at whatever pace you want, darlin’. I’m gonna tell my Aunt and sister about you, though. ‘Cause I think they might just kill me if I withhold this from ‘em.”
“Gotta tell your horse, too. I want to know what she thinks of me.”
“She’ll love you as long as you take her out for a ride,” he promises. “Now let’s watch Rudolph.” He leans back against the couch and puts an arm out on the back of it. Kate takes the invite, curling herself up to him. Tyler brings his arm down to wrap around Kate’s body and presses play on the movie before kissing her head. “This is really nice, darlin’.”
When the movie ends, they stay cuddled up for a bit longer until Kate has yawned too many times for them to ignore it. Tyler pulls her up off the couch, and they turn off the living room lights before heading upstairs. Tyler is quick with his time in the bathroom, done before she’s even able to find her toiletry bag in her luggage. Kate takes her turn, and when she comes out, Tyler is holding two glasses of water from the fridge. He grins and hands her one as she thanks him. The flutters hit her in full force again at his face, but they’ve switched from nerves to excitement. He leans down to kiss her again, holding her waist with one hand.
“Good night, Kate,” he says, retreating to the guest room. She almost wants to invite him to snuggle up in her bed, but honestly, she knows her mom wouldn’t be all that happy with them sharing a bed under her roof so suddenly. And Tyler probably knows that, especially with his whole big gentleman thing he’s got going on. When she closes her bedroom door, the flutters settle to leave her with simple happiness as she gets into bed.