Ford caught the look on Ty's face and beamed back. The mood he'd been in at the beginning of this conversation, and the lingering embarrassment of the ordeal with Miss Chevalier, had almost entirely evaporated. "Don't have too much fun without me," he teased, though obviously if he couldn't get away tonight he was happy for Tycho to do whatever he could on his own. (On his own being the operative phrase in this case — although he'd spent months of their relationship under the impression that Tycho was probably seeing other people on nights that Ford wasn't around, by this point Ford was so uncomfortable with the notion it was amazing to him that he'd ever been able to pretend he wasn't).

"I probably shouldn't let them get too far ahead of me," he said reluctantly, with a nod in the direction of his sisters, whom he'd been shadowing when Ty approached.

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