Tyler's Undoing (15 page)

I couldn’t wait.

While Kacey scattered her grandmother’s ashes through the Grand Canyon, we all sat in silence until every last trace of her grandmother fluttered out into the wind. I honestly thought she would break down and cry, but she never did. In fact, she surprised me when she wanted to see more of the canyons. For over an hour, Larry flew us around in his helicopter.

“That was so amazing,” Kacey exclaimed, jumping up and down on the tarmac. “Not exactly the part about spreading my grandmother’s ashes, but the rest was simply breathtaking. Can we go up again sometime?”

Larry smiled at her and then to me. “Certainly, I’d be happy to take you both up again. Just let me know when.”

Larry Briggs was a retired military general and also a good friend of my father. His white hair was shaved down close to his scalp, but he made sure to keep a scruffy white beard on his face. When I was younger I used to think he was Santa Claus, just a skinny one.

“Will do,” I replied, shaking his outstretched hand.

Instead of shaking his hand, Kacey wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you for doing this for me. I really appreciate it and I know my grandmother would too. She loved the Grand Canyon.”

Larry’s face was red when Kacey let him go. “It was my pleasure, darling. Don’t be a stranger now, okay?”

“I won’t.”

Kacey started toward the truck while I stayed behind with Larry. As soon as she was out of earshot, he whistled and slapped me on the shoulder. “How in the hell did you manage to get that one?”

I turned to look at her as she got in my truck. “Lucky, I guess. I don’t deserve her at all.”

“That’s not true, Tyler. You’re a good guy. You’ve just let success go to your head a little bit. I know your father’s been worried about you.”

“More like pissed,” I grumbled. “The man doesn’t know how to give me a break. Everything I do isn’t good enough.”

“He only wants the best for you, son. Since he never won a title in his boxing days, I think he has a lot of regret weighing him down. Take it easy on the old man.”

“I have to keep him on his toes,” I chuckled, heading back to Kacey. “He wouldn’t know what to do if I didn’t.” I waved over my head and got in the truck.

Larry waved at us as I slowly backed us out of the parking space.

“I take it you and your dad have a couple issues?” Kacey asked.

I turned to look at her with my eyebrows raised.

Sheepishly, she smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “I heard. The window was down—it was kind of hard not to.”

“It’s not that we have
issues
per se, it’s just that he likes to ride me hard. Nothing I do is ever good enough. I could win a fight and all he’d do is bitch about what I did wrong.”

“He’s your coach,” she murmured. “I’m sure he only wants the best for you, especially if he never won a title himself. Imagine how he must feel after fighting for so long and never making it to the top? You are so close to winning the Heavyweight title, and if you win it’ll make your father’s dreams come true, for him and you. My father was the same way.”

“What could he have possibly gotten on you about?” I asked curiously. She was smart and a hard worker. There was nothing for her parents to be disappointed about.

Turning her head, she gazed out the window. “It wasn’t me. Unfortunately, I have a brother who is very good at disappointing people.”

“I didn’t know you had a brother. Why didn’t you mention it when I asked about your family?”

She shrugged and looked down at her hands fiddling in her lap. I could tell she was uncomfortable talking about it. “I guess because I don’t consider him family anymore. The same goes for my mom. I try not to talk about them.”

“Do they know about your grandmother?”

She bit her lip and shook her head. “No, I haven’t called them. It’s not like they care anyway. They wanted to put her in a nursing home and leave her there. My father wouldn’t have allowed that to happen.”

“I’m sorry, Kacey. Here I am, complaining about my dad, when I know you miss your father.” Other than her grandmother, her father was the only other person she talked highly about.

“More than anything,” she murmured, smiling off in the distance. “But at least I have Bree. She’s been the only thing holding me together.”

Taking her hand, I brought it up to my lips and kissed her palm. “Well, now you have me . . . that is, if you want me.”

“I’m still deciding on that one,” she teased. “But I’ll let you know.”

Little did she know, but her smile gave me the answer I needed. She was mine.

“WHAT ARE WE doing at your gym?” I asked curiously.

Tyler parked his truck and turned to me, chuckling. “You weren’t really being serious last week, when you told me you weren’t coming back, right?”

“Kind of,” I confessed. “Especially now that I know Liam is part of the fighting crowd. He and his clients don’t come into your gym do they? They are the last people I want to be around.”

It was an underhanded question, but at least it would give me peace of mind about hanging out in his gym. If I knew Kyle’s friends wouldn’t be there, I’d be safe. Immediately, he growled low, “They know not to step foot in my gym, unless I’ve given specific permission. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Then I’ll go in there,” I replied, breathing a sigh of relief. “Is there a reason we’re stopping here?”

Tyler grinned sheepishly and opened his door. “Actually there is. I need help with something and I was wondering if you’d be able to do it.”

“Do what?”

He winked and slid out of his truck. “Come and find out.”

After everything he’d done for me, I’d be more than happy to help him out. His smile, on the other hand, had me suspicious. He was clearly up to something.

Once inside, it was like every person in the room instinctively turned their heads toward him, especially the women. I waited for his eyes to linger . . . but they never did. He kept them solely on me.

“Okay, so what do you need help with?” I asked.

Taking my hand, he pulled me over to the front desk and pointed to the seat. “I need you to sit right there for a minute.”

“O-kay,” I muttered, sitting down in the chair. “What now?”

“Just wait there. I need to check on something.”

What the hell was he doing? Even some of the patrons in the gym were wondering, as their looks bounced between the two of us. Tyler hopped up into the practice ring where his father stood coaching two teenage boys. Words were exchanged between them, ending with his father glancing up my way and waving with a grin on his face. Unsure of what was going on, I smiled and waved back.

Before Tyler could get back up to the desk, his mom, Mary, beat him to it. Her sandy-colored hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and she looked to be in her sixties. Although, her body was well-toned, with defined muscles. That didn’t surprise me, considering she owned a gym.

“Kacey, right?”

Quickly, I stood and moved away from her seat and around to the front of the desk. “Yes, ma’am,” I replied, holding out my hand.

Instead of taking my hand, she laughed and pulled me into a hug. It was awkward for me, so I just stood there until the next words came out of her mouth. “Dear girl, there’s no need for such formalities. Tyler told me about your grandmother. I can’t begin to express how sorry I am for your loss. I’m glad he was able to stay with you and help you through the worst of it.”

“Thank you,” I murmured softly, returning her embrace. “It would have been unbearable without him.”

Letting me go, she smiled and stepped back. “So did Tyler ask you yet?”

Furrowing my brows, I didn’t even get a chance to reply before Tyler interjected, grinning mischievously.

“Not yet, but I was about to,” he said to his mother, coming to my side. “I wanted to make sure she was comfortable coming back here, before I threw the question at her.”

“Well, then I’ll excuse myself so you two can get down to business.” His mother winked at him and then smiled at me one more time. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around, Kacey.”

I nodded. “I’m sure you will, Mrs. Rushing.”

“Mary,” she corrected. “I want you to call me, Mary.”

“Okay . . . Mary. It was good to see you again.”

Once she walked away, I watched her walk out the door and disappear around the corner.
I wish my mother could be more like her—heartwarming and loving.

“Kacey? Are you okay?” Tyler asked, bumping me in the shoulder.

“Yes,” I answered hastily, glancing up. “Sorry, I was just thinking. Your mother is pretty awesome. I’ve never met anyone so genuine and approachable.” I looked away and smirked to myself. “Too bad you didn’t take after her.”

“What?” he asked incredulously, head whipping around.

Turning to him, I shrugged. “I’m just sayin’ . . .”

His eyes bulged, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

Breaking into a laugh, I pinched his side. “Yes, yes. You’re the same way, dear. I’m positive you got it from her. So what is it that you needed to ask me?”

Pushing me away and then immediately taking my hand and pulling me back, he chuckled. “You’re the devil.” Kissing just above my ear, he pulled me behind the desk and pointed to the chair. Once I sat down, he locked me in with a hand on each arm rest and sank down to his knees, caging me in.

“You’re looking for a job, right?”

Pursing my lips, I crossed my arms at the chest. “Yeah, why?”

“What would you say about working for me?”

“For you?” I gasped. “Doing what? And please don’t tell me it’s to be your maid.”

“No,” he chuckled. “Although I have to say that thought is very tempting. You in a maid’s uniform would be fucking hot. I’d never let you leave my house.”

Just the thought made my temperature rise. We’d basically been together non-stop for the past week and a half, with zero physical contact other than a few kisses here and there. Each day was obviously more difficult than the last for him to keep his distance, but he did it without getting frustrated—it was a test many men had failed. Out of my twenty-five years of existence, I’d only slept with two men, both of whom I was in love with. One was my high school sweetheart, and the other was a guy I met in college.

“Okay, fine, I accept,” I stated boldly, sliding forward in the chair, playing with the front of his shirt. “Where’s the outfit, and when do I start?” I was just teasing, but the prospect was kind of exciting. I knew being his maid wasn’t what he wanted from me.

His mood grew dark. “Don’t tempt me, Kacey. I’m liable to say to hell with everything today and take you to my house right now. You have no idea how hard it’s been to give you your space.”

“I didn’t ask for it,” I whispered.

He brushed the hair off of my face and slid his fingers down the side of my cheek. “You may not have asked for it, but I gave it to you, beautiful. Your mind was on other things.”

“You’re right, it was,” I agreed, “but seriously though, what exactly do you mean by working for you?”

Smiling, he stood and turned toward the room, opening his arms wide. “Here,” he offered. “I want you to work here with me, until you save up the rest of the money for your restaurant. I know you’re not far from your goal.”