A Long Five Years – Tyler Owens
Wattpad Request Ferrisbueller1986
It was a miracle I survived. Most of our team wasn't as lucky. After Javi, Kate, and my horrible accident, we all escaped Sapulpa. Kate ran away to New York. Javi ran away to Miami and then later joined the military. Rumor is, Javi is working for StormPAR and trying to get Kate to join him, but she's been pretty icy.
Not that I blame her.
After the storm, the three of us lost contact. When they both left, the trauma from the storm hit me all over again. The constant memories of what happened forced me to leave Sapulpa. I ended up at a college in Arkansas. That's where I met Tyler.
Tyler Owens was studying meteorology while I was studying science education. We had a few classes together here and there. After our first date, things seemed to just fit. We had a lot in common. We got along great. He was the support I needed. Tyler helped me through my PTSD from the storm. He even helped me mourn the friends I lost.
Our relationship wasn't one-sided. He told me all about his experiences riding bulls. He told me about how he got hurt and had no choice but to switch gears. He confessed that he hated having to quit competing until he met me. From the moment we went on our first date, it felt like we were perfect together. It felt like we could actually have a life together.
And that's just what we did.
We dated for six months before moving in together. After being together for a year, Tyler started his "Tornado Wranglers" group, and they began chasing storms. After his first storm, he came home beaten up. Seeing him like that sent me into a panic attack.
"Y/N," he said, grabbing my arms as my hands hovered over his face. "Baby, I'm fine."
"But you're covered in bruises and cuts and. . ." I said between short gasps.
"I'm fine," he said again.
"You can't keep doing this," I started to nervously stutter. "Please, Tyler. You can't do this. You're gonna get hurt. I've been through this. I've lost people when I did this. I can't lose you, Tyler. Please. I can't."
He cut me off by gently grabbing my face and pressing his lips to mine. I let out a small whimper as I kissed him back. When he broke the kiss, he leaned his forehead against mine.
"I made it home," he soothed. "I will always make it home to you, darling. I promise. I will fight like hell to make sure I come home to you every time."
~ Five Years Later ~
Even though he chases tornadoes, Tyler has kept his promise. He always comes home to me. I was making dinner when the front door opened.
"Daddy!" Our daughter, Ally, giggled as she ran toward the front door. Three years ago, Tyler and I found out we were pregnant. This only strengthened our relationship.
I stepped out into the hallway and watched as Tyler knelt down and caught her as she jumped into his arms. He picked her up and listened as she excitedly told him about what we did today.
"And then Mommy got me a treat on the way home from the store because I was good," she giggled as Tyler looked up at me.
"She got you a treat?" He asked, not looking away from me. "Before dinner?"
"It was just a slurpee," I chuckled as I walked over to my family. With our daughter still in his arms, he wrapped his free arm around my waist.
"I missed my girls," Tyler said, looking between Ally and me.
"We missed you, too," I whispered. Tyler leaned down and kissed me. We laughed and broke the kiss when Ally pushed us apart.
"Hey," Tyler fake-pouted. "What was that for, little tornado?"
"I'm hungry," she said, sticking her bottom lip out. We laughed when she excitedly gasped. "Daddy, guess what!"
"What?" He asked, matching her excitement.
"Mommy made our favorite dinner! Special mac and cheese."
"Yum!" Tyler laughed as he started walking us into the kitchen. "Isn't Mommy the best?"
"She is!" Ally giggled. He laughed as he put her down. "What does Mommy like us to do before we eat dinner?"
"Wash our hands," Ally said proudly.
"Perfect," Tyler said as he playfully booped her nose. "Go do that and then we can eat."
He stood back up and watched as she ran toward the bathroom. Once she was gone, he turned toward me. I smiled when he instantly wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer.
"Hi," he whispered.
"Hi," I whispered back. He leaned in and firmly pressed his lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck as I kissed him back.
"I mean it," he whispered as he broke the kiss. "I missed you."
"We missed you, too," I said, subconsciously scanning him for injuries. "Every night, Ally prays that her daddy and his friends are safe. Every night, I pray that my daughter's father and the love of my life make it home to us."
Tyler gently grabbed my chin and made me look back up at him. With his hand still gently holding my face, he leaned in and kissed me.
"I made you a promise," he said, his voice incredibly soft. "When I started chasing, I promised that I would always make it home to you. When we found out we were having a baby, that promise didn't change. I will always come home to my girls."
"You've kept that promise," I sighed, grabbing onto the front of his flannel. "But that doesn't mean I'm not scared out of my mind the entire time you're gone."
"I'm sorry," he sighed. He thought about it for a second before mumbling, "Maybe I should quit."
"Wait, what?" I gasped, pulling out of his arms. "Tyler, are you really thinking about. . ."
"I washed my hands!" Ally yelled as she ran toward us. Tyler instantly turned toward her and caught her.
"Good job, little tornado. Let's go help Mommy set the table." He sent me a look that meant we'd talk about this later before carrying our daughter into the kitchen. I let out a shaky breath before following them.
Throughout dinner, Ally giggled with her daddy and told him about everything he missed while he was gone. The entire time she talked, he listened closely.
That night, she didn't go to bed right away. She never went to bed on time when Tyler came home from chasing. I didn't have the heart to cut their time short.
"She's finally down," he chuckled as he collapsed onto the couch next to me.
"I'm surprised," I said, tucking my knees under me and turning toward him. "I was sure we'd be up all night with her begging to hear your adventure stories."
Tyler let the silence fall between us as he reached over and grabbed my hand. I was about to ask him if he's okay, but he broke the silence.
"You know that I miss you guys every second I'm gone, right?"
"Of course," I said instantly.
"I am constantly thinking about you two when I'm chasing," he continued. "At night, I wish that you guys were with me, but I know how you feel about chasing storms. I also wouldn't want you and Ally in danger. I would never put my daughter's life at risk. Or yours. I love you. I can't lose you. Either one of you."
"Tyler," I gently cut him off by cupping his cheek in my hand. "Baby, breathe."
"I'm sorry," he whispered. I leaned over and gently kissed him. I giggled when he grabbed my hips and pulled me so I was straddling him.
"I love you," he said when he broke the kiss. I leaned my forehead against his and focused on how it felt to be in his arms.
"I love you, too," I whispered. I stayed on his lap as I asked, "Did you mean what you said when you first got home? The thing you said about quitting storm chasing?"
Tyler looked away, his focus now on his hands on my hips. "I've been thinking. . ." he whispered.
When he didn't look up at me, I used my fingers to slowly lift his chin. "What were you thinking, baby?" I asked softly.
He sighed as he grabbed my hands. "I was thinking about how incredible Ally is," he slowly explained. "And I was thinking about how fun it would be for her to have a younger sibling to play with."
"You want to have another baby?"
"I do," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. I crawled off his lap and sat on the cushion next to him. As soon as I did, Tyler stood up and started pacing back and forth. "I want to have another baby, Y/N. But two babies are a lot. It's a lot for you to have to try and wrangle on your own while I'm out wrangling tornadoes and putting my life on the line. I put my life on the line. How can I put my life in danger when I have two little kids at home? I can't abandon you, forcing you to raise our kids on your own. What kind of husband would I be?"
I jumped up and stood in his pacing path. "Tyler," I said, gently placing my hands on his chest, "breathe. Me, Ally, and any other kids we have will be just fine. I promise to take care of them and protect them with everything I have."
"But you shouldn't have to do that," Tyler said, grabbing my arms without pulling them away. "You shouldn't have to protect them with everything you have, darling. That's my job. To protect you, Ally, and any other kids we have. I can't be a good father while I'm constantly putting my life at risk."
"Okay," I soothed, trying to calm him down. "Look, if you want to quit and have another baby, great. If you want to wait so you can finish your data gathering mission, great. If you want to continue chasing and also have another baby at the same time, great. Whatever you want, we can talk about it and figure it out. Whatever you choose, I want to make something perfectly clear to you: you do not have to quit your job because we have a family."
Tyler and I spent the next couple of hours talking and planning our future. That night, I fell asleep with his arms tightly wrapped around me.
I woke up to an empty bed. I checked on Ally, but she wasn't in her bed either. When I walked downstairs, I was greeted by the sound of Ally giggling and Tyler making silly noises. Tyler looked up and saw me leaning against the doorway.
"There she is," he smiled. "Are you hungry?"
"I am," I said, but didn't move. Tyler's face fell slightly.
"Everything okay?" He asked.
"Yeah," I said, ignoring the frog in my throat. "I'm just enjoying this."
Unfortunately, the perfect comfort didn't last long. His team got word of a storm brewing a few towns over. After a long goodbye, Tyler rushed off with his team.
A few nights after Tyler left, I woke up hearing the last sound I ever wanted to hear.
"NO! Daddy! Help!"
I jolted awake and ran toward Ally's room. As I swung the door open, she called out again.
"Daddy! No! Daddy, run! Please, Daddy!"
"Ally," I said, instantly at her side. I sat on the edge of her bed and tried to wake her up. "It's okay, baby. Wake up. Come on, sweetheart."
"Daddy," she whimpered.
"Ally, honey, wake up."
Ally sat up, tears instantly streaming down her face. "Daddy? Where's Daddy? I need Daddy!"
I threw my arms around her and held her tightly. I slowly rocked her as I shushed her.
"It's okay, baby," I whispered. "You're okay."
"But Daddy. . ."
"He's okay, sweetie." I tried desperately hard to soothe her. "Daddy is always safe. He's safe for us. For you."
"I miss him," she sobbed into my chest.
"I miss him too, baby girl." As my daughter whimpered into my chest, I got an idea. "Hey," I whispered, slightly pulling away so I could look at her. "I know where Daddy and his team are staying. It's not that far from here. What if we took a little road trip tomorrow to go see him?"
"Really?" Ally jumped up, her mood instantly changing.
"Really," I smiled at her. "We'll pack in the morning. Think you can fall back asleep?"
"If it means I get to see Daddy? Yes!"
* * * * *
We got to the motel, but Tyler and his team were still out chasing. I got the key from the front desk and put Ally down for a nap. I tried to busy myself waiting for him, but I couldn't calm my nerves. When I finally heard his team coming, I felt like I could relax. I looked over to see Ally still taking her nap.
"Y/N," Tyler stuttered when he saw me walking out of his motel room. He threw his duffel bag back in his truck before jogging over to me. "What are you doing here?" He asked as he threw his arms around me.
"Someone needed to see you," I whispered, slowly breaking the hug.
"Did your nightmares come back?"
"Not mine," I whispered.
"Wait, what?" He asked, gently grabbing my arms. "Ally had a nightmare?"
"She woke up at 3 am, screaming that her daddy was hurt," I said, my voice breaking. "She needed to see you, Tyler. I needed to put her in your arms."
"Okay," he soothed as he rubbed my arms. "It's okay. I'm glad you're here. I'll go inside and. . ."
"Y/N?" I looked behind Tyler to see Javi jumping out of a StormPAR van. "What are you doing here?"
"You know him?" Tyler asked.
"Well. . ."
"Y/N?" My heart jumped into my throat when I saw Kate joining Javi.
Javi's eyes narrowed when he saw the way Tyler was holding me. "What the hell is going on? Why is Owens touching you?"
Tyler looked at Javi before looking back at me. "Y/N," he whispered my name. "Do you know them?"
"Yes," I said, my eyes still glued to my brother and old best friend. "I used to chase with them."
"The storm," he said, his eyes still studying me. "The last one you did. You said you lost half your team."
"Y/N, what the hell is. . ."
"Mommy?"
We all turned to see Ally peeking her head out of the motel room.
"Did she say. . ." Javi mumbled.
"Daddy!" Ally giggled as she ran to him. I glanced at Javi when Tyler picked up Ally.
"Hey, little tornado," Tyler said as he held her close.
"I missed you, Daddy," Ally said, her voice breaking.
"Y/N," Javi whispered. "What's. . ."
"Ally," I said, my voice breaking.
"Yes, Mommy?"
"Would you like to meet your Uncle J?"
"Uncle Javi?" Tyler asked as he slowly put Ally down. "Y/N. . ."
No one said anything as Ally walked over to Javi. "Hi, Uncle J," she giggled as he knelt in front of her. "Mommy talks about you."
"She. . . She does?" He asked, looking at me.
"I wanted her to know you," I confessed. I turned toward Tyler with tears in my eyes. "Javi is my older brother. Kate was my best friend. After the storm, we kind of fell apart."
"You never told your brother about us?" Tyler asked. "Or about Ally?"
"I never. . . I haven't talked to them in five years, Tyler," I said, my voice breaking. "I didn't want a reminder of what happened, so I kind of shoved that part of my life to the side."
We stopped talking when Ally walked back over to Tyler and pulled on his pant leg. He knelt down next to her.
"Hi, baby," he whispered.
"Daddy?"
"What's wrong, little tornado?"
"I had a bad dream," she said, her eyes filling with tears. "Mommy drove us here so I could see you and you could hug me to make me feel better."
He picked her up and hugged her tightly. "I'm glad Mommy did," he whispered. He looked at me and glanced at Javi. "How about I read you a story while Mommy talks to your Uncle Javi?"
"I want Mommy to come with us," Ally said, her eyes still full of tears. I looked at Javi, and he looked away.
"I'm right here, baby," I said as I walked over to them. "Daddy and I are right here. What story should we tell you?"
"When you and Daddy first met," she smiled. "The one where Daddy saved Mommy from the bad guy."
"The bad guy?" Javi mumbled.
"That's your favorite," Tyler smiled. He grabbed my hand and pulled us into our motel room.
* * * * *
It took us about an hour to get Ally to fall asleep. Most of it was Tyler promising that he was safe and that he was right here. When she finally fell asleep, Tyler stayed with her so I could find Javi.
I walked out of the motel room and found Javi angrily going through the StormPAR van. I wrapped my arms around myself as I walked over to him.
"Hey, big brother," I tried to greet lightly.
"You have a daughter, Y/N," he snapped at me. "And what? Are you married to that Tornado Wrangler?"
"We're not married," I mumbled, tightly wrapping my arms around myself. My heart jumped into my throat when he angrily turned toward me.
"That doesn't change the fact that you never told me," he said harshly. "You never told me that you met a guy. You never told me that you had a daughter. That seems like something you should tell your brother."
"You weren't exactly answering my calls, Javi," I finally snapped. "Neither you nor Kate were calling me back. You both ran off and got careers, completely forgetting about the storm. You both left me! I couldn't stay in Sapulpa, so I ran. I ended up at college in Arkansas. That's where I met Tyler."
"He is just like we used to be," Javi scoffed. "He chases tornadoes for his little YouTube videos."
"He comes home to me," I cut him off. "He calls me before and after the storms. He loves me, Javi."
"Come on," he rolled his eyes.
"I had nightmares." My confession made him freeze. "I had horrible nightmares after the storm. When I met Tyler, we started dating. He found out about the nightmares and made me call him whenever one woke me up. He'd talk to me and sometimes even drive all the way to my place just to hold me. He loves me, Javi. And I love him."
"Y/N. . ."
"He was there for me when my brother wasn't," I said, my voice breaking. "You left me," I slowly started to sob. "You left me, Javi. You left me."
Javi slowly closed the gap between us and wrapped me in his arms. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry, Y/N."
He broke the hug and grabbed my hand. I let him lead me to a nearby picnic table. We sat down and, at first, neither one of us said anything.
"Ally seems great," he whispered.
"She is," I nodded. "And she loves her Daddy more than anything."
"I struggle imagining Tyler Owens, the Tornado Wrangler, as a father," Javi confessed with a small chuckle.
"He's wonderful with her," I told him. "Since the moment I told him I was pregnant, he wouldn't let me do anything. He used to freak out if I got up to get water. I'm not kidding, Javi. He waited on me, hand and foot. After I had Ally, he started doing that for her. She's his whole world."
"He loves you."
I looked at him to see him staring off, not really focused on anything.
"He does," I answered even though it wasn't a question. "He loves me, Javi. And our daughter. He takes care of us."
"Earlier," he said softly, "Ally wanted you and Tyler to tell her the story of how he saved you from a bad guy. What bad guy?"
"To be honest," I sighed, "there wasn't a bad guy. We kind of "Disney" it up for her. She thinks that a bad guy was following me home from class, and Tyler stepped in and told him to leave me alone. After that, Tyler asked to walk me home to make sure the guy wouldn't come back."
"What actually happened?" Javi asked.
"Tyler and I first met at college," I started to explain. "We were in a science class and were studying the weather. They showed us a video of storm chasers. It triggered my PTSD and I ran out of class, practically tripping over Tyler. He ran after me and caught me struggling with a panic attack. He calmed me down and talked me through it. He asked if I wanted to walk around the campus garden. We walked around for over an hour talking about things."
"The storm?" I looked at Javi to see him finally looking at me. "You told him about the storm?" He asked.
"I did," I shrugged. "I needed someone to talk to."
He sighed as he looked away. My throat tightened when he reached over and grabbed my hand. "I'm sorry, Y/N," he whispered. "I should've been around more."
We looked over when mine and Tyler's motel room door slowly opened. When Tyler's eyes found me, he let out a visible breath.
"Is he good to you?" Javi asked.
"He is," I nodded. "He's really good to me, Javi. And to Ally."
I stood up and started to walk away, but Javi grabbed my hand. I turned around to see him sadly smiling at me.
"If he ever hurts you, you let me know and I'll leave him in a tornado."
"Javi," I sighed with a small giggle. He pulled me back into his arms and tightly hugged me.
"I'll be around more," he whispered. "I promise."
He let me go and jokingly pushed me toward Tyler. I rolled my eyes before walking away. As soon as I approached him, he wrapped his arms around my waist.
"How's Ally?" I asked.
"She's sleeping," he said, nodding his head toward the room. "I'm more worried about you. Everything okay?" Tyler's eyes glanced behind me toward Javi.
"I think so," I said, finally feeling like I could breathe. "It's going to take time, but we're working on it."
"Good," Tyler whispered, pulling me closer. "I'm glad."
"I'm sorry I never told Javi about you or Ally," I sighed. "I'm not embarrassed or ashamed of you."
"Why didn't you tell him?" He asked, not an ounce of anger in his voice.
"Because," I said, my voice slightly breaking, "I needed to get away from Sapulpa. I felt stuck after the storm. Nothing I did made it easier to move on, so I left. And then I ran into you. And you gave me a new life. A better life. I didn't want to risk losing that."
Tyler sighed as he pulled me into his chest so my head was pressed to his chest. I closed my eyes and focused on his heartbeat.
"You could never risk losing that," he whispered. "Ally and I will always be here."
I leaned back and looked up at him. He smiled as he reached up and moved some hair out of my face.
"I love you, Mr. Tornado Wrangler."
"I love you, Mrs. Tornado Wrangler."
"Is that a fitting nickname?" I giggled.
"We have a daughter and have been together for five years," he shrugged.
"Yeah," I said slowly, "but we're kind of forgetting something."
"Oh yeah," he smirked. "We are."
He kissed my cheek before walking into the room. Before I could overthink things, he jogged back. He stepped in front of me and grabbed my left hand. My heart jumped into my throat when he slowly knelt down on one knee.
"What are you doing?" I whispered when I saw the diamond ring in his hand.
"Finally making it official," he smiled up at me. "Finally making us a family."
"We are already a family," I said, tears filling my eyes.
"True," he chuckled as he slipped the ring on my finger. "But now, you're officially my bride, soon to be my wife. I love you, Y/N. I want to be by your side every day of my life. I want my job to be taking care of you and our amazing daughter. I want to be able to call you my wife. Y/N, will you marry me?"
"I love you so much, Tyler," I whispered, my voice breaking as tears streamed down my face. "I want you to call me your wife. I want to call you my husband. I trust you to take care of me and Ally. I love you so much. Yes, I will marry you."
Tyler stood up and kissed me. I threw my arms around him as I kissed him back. I giggled against his lips when he picked me up and spun me around. He put me back down and slowly broke the kiss.
"I should go tell my brother," I giggled.
"While you do that, I'm going to start running," he smirked. "I think I can outrun Javi."
"I wouldn't be so sure," I teased. "He was in the military."
