Watch Me Take Your Girl (4 page)

Chapter 5

Tyson was still
fuming when he got home. In a rage, he punched the wall in his bedroom, relieving pent-up anger and frustration. Then he took a few steps to the bathroom, washed his hands and after towel-drying, he stared at his bruised knuckles before dashing cold water on his face, trying to calm down. He had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last fight he’d have with Dilvan. But Tyson was older, more mature and he could beat himself up now for striking his young, immature, ignorant cousin. Dilvan just didn’t know any better. However, when it comes to being abusive towards women, pleading ignorance is never an excuse.

Tyson was otherwise cool and levelheaded, but his outbreak of
frustration stemmed from the fact that Gabrielle was gone – that he showed up at her apartment this morning only to continuously ring the doorbell for nothing. Padma had let him know that she moved back home, and he intended on seeing her now and not a moment more.

Tyson threw some clothes in a gym bag with one
goal in mind – getting to see Gabrielle. He had Gabrielle’s father’s address in a text message from Padma. He tossed his bag in the car, drove to the closest gas station to fill up the tank of his Range Rover and hit the road.

On the drive, he tried to call Gabrielle once more,
but his calls kept going to voicemail. That irritated him to no end. But why would he expect that she would answer his calls after not hearing from him for so long and especially after what he’d done? This matter had to be hashed out and settled in person.

Chapter 6

Gabrielle
wasted no
time getting reacquainted with her sisters. They were on the way home from the movie theater with the music turned up, singing at the top of their lungs. Gabrielle wanted to make the most of the time with her sisters, realizing that she had taken advantage of the time they had together before. Now, she missed them so much, she wanted to make every moment count.

Gabrielle
immediately stopped singing when she turned in the driveway, noticing a silver Range Rover parked there. She almost lost her breath. Was that Tyson’s jeep, and if so, what was he doing here? It couldn’t be Tyson, could it?

“Who’s that?” Carmen asked.

“Um...I’m...not...sure,” Gabrielle said, because she wasn’t sure if it was Tyson’s vehicle. Maybe it was someone her father knew... “Dad doesn’t have any friends that drive a jeep like this?”

“Nope.
All of Dad’s friends drive beat up work trucks,” Destiny said, then giggled.

Gabrielle felt a sour feeling in the pit of her stomach.
With a nervous hand, she shut off the engine and emerged from the car, walking slowly pass the jeep, peering inside. Yep, it was Tyson’s jeep all right. And he wasn’t in the truck. So did that mean he was already inside, making himself comfortable? Was he getting to know her Dad like he had a right to be there? The thought infuriated her.

Taking the steps
up to the porch, she cautiously opened the front door with her sisters hot on her heels. Tyson was sitting alertly on the couch. Her Father sat opposite of him.

“Look who came for
a visit, honey,” her father, Henry, said cheerfully, like he and Tyson had bonded that quickly.

Gabrielle was speechless as she stood there, staring at Tyson.
What was he doing here? Granted, she ignored a few phone calls from him, but did that warrant an intrusion on his part? He ignored her calls and she didn’t take it upon herself to make a pop-up visit at his home.

“Hi, Gabrielle,” Tyson said, staring at her like she was one of his desserts
, waiting to be savored and devoured.

Gabrielle frowned just slightly.
He had some nerve thinking he could just invade her life with his presence as if they were cool and on good terms. They were anything but, especially after he put her out.

“Carmen, Destiny, come over and meet your sister’s friend, Tyson.”

Your sister’s friend, Tyson
. Gabrielle rolled her eyes.

The girls walked by Gabrielle to formally meet Tyson
, the stranger in their home. He stood up and greeted them both with a handshake.

“Nice to meet you girls,” he said.

“Nice to meet you, too,” they responded together, then ran down the hallway.

Gabrielle
didn’t know what to do or say, but she knew she had to do something other than stand at the door with her purse swinging from her shoulder.

What is he doing here?

She hadn’t seen Tyson in two months. She was certain he was avoiding her at all costs because their paths should have crossed at some point, being that they rolled in the same circles. And, he didn’t answer any of her phone calls. He avoided going to
Padma’s Food House
when he knew she’d be waitressing. Now, he was sitting here, on her Father’s couch, staring like he could consume her.

“Uh
...wha...” The words couldn’t leave Gabrielle’s mouth. How does one react when they think they’re looking at an apparition, a mirage? But this was not the Sahara. Sure, Gabrielle’s body temperature rose significantly since she was being put on the spot by Tyson, but this was no desert. This was reality.

Finally, after getting her thoughts together, she said, “Tyson
, can I speak to you outside for a moment?”

“Of course,
” he said, standing.

“Don’t keep him too
long,” her Father said. “Tyson is cooking dinner for the family tonight.”

Gabrielle
tried to disguise the frown in her forehead with a forced smile, but was unsuccessful. Instead, she turned around and walked out of the front door, Tyson following her.

When he
pulled the door closed behind him, Gabrielle looked up at him, deep into his longing brown eyes, gasping for a breath after being up close and personal with the extreme handsomeness of this man. Gosh she missed being this close to him, but she wouldn’t let her heart cloud her mind. Besides, he did put her out her out of his home.

“What are you doing here, Tyson?”
she asked, crossing her arms and looking up at him.

“Why do you
think
I’m here, Gabrielle?” he said, towering over her. His voice was deep and strong, emanating words through a pair of gorgeous, slender lips.

Gabrielle frowned and felt her body temperature shoot up even higher.
“I don’t know why you’re here but I want you to leave.”

“I’m not leaving,
” he said firmly.

“Tyson, you can’t just show up here and—”

“I’m not going anywhere, Gabrielle,” he said, interrupting her, “And since you don’t know why I’m here, I’ll tell you. I came here for you. You know why? Because I
want
you.”

Gabrielle grinded her t
eeth. Frowning, she asked, “You want me?”

“Yes. I want you.”

“After you kicked me out of your house, you want me?” She let out a forced chuckle. “Yeah, okay...like I believe that. You can’t
kick
me out of your house and then claim to want me two months later, Tyson.”

“First off, I didn’t kick you out of my house. I would never do that to you.”

“So I suppose I somehow magically fell out of the sky and right into an apartment that just so happens to have your name on the lease...”

He
smirked and that pissed her off. He could tell by her clenched jaw. Tyson had never seen her angry at him before because their relationship was a carefree one – they understood each other and got along like good friends. They never fought about anything. Now, they were at odds.

He watched her pout, b
ut found her stubbornness sweet and endearing, staring at her with a yearning blaze of heat in his eyes.

“You’re even beautiful w
hen you’re mad at me,” he said, reaching to touch her face, but she quickly moved away from him. “Listen, Bri, I promised Henry that I would cook a meal for the family.”

“Henry? Now you’re on a first-name basis with my Father?”

“Gabrielle—”

“
You need to leave, Tyson.”

“I will,” he said. “I have to run to the
market to get a few things, but I’ll be right back.” He walked down the stairs and on his way to his jeep, he turned around and looked at her. “Maybe later, after you’ve calmed down a bit, we can talk rationally like two people who respect each other.”

Gabrielle watched him walk away with that
sexy walk she remembered. He was dressed so nicely, in a pair of Seven jeans, a black sweater and a Tom Ford jacket. And why did he smell so delicious? He always smelled fresh, like some magnificent cologne, Old Spice and his own alluring body scent.

He started the engine, backed out into the street and drove away.

Gabrielle broke out of her trance when his jeep was no longer in sight. She walked back into the living room. “Dad, how long has he been here?”

“Um...’bout two hours
or so.”

“Two hours? Why’d you even let him in? You don’t know him
.”

“I know you told me he helped you, right?”

Crap. I did say that didn’t I.
“Well, he did help me, but—”

“And he seems like a standup guy. You know I’m a good judge of character. That’s why I wish I would’ve met Dilvan before you did. I would’ve known
right away that he was no good.”

“Dad...”

“I would have...now this Tyson guy, on the other hand, he’s the real deal.”

Gabrielle sighed
, feeling lightheaded. “I’m going to go lie down.”

“Okay, sweetheart, b
ut Tyson’s cooking something good tonight. He told me that he’s a chef.”

Gabrielle rolled her eyes on the way to
her make-shift guest room. “Yeah. He’s a chef,” she said, unenthused.

Once in the
room, she closed the door, dropped her purse on the floor and fell on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t be...

Tyson had never displayed any signs of arrogance before
. He wasn’t the type of man to just roll up where he was not wanted and claim a position. That was more along the lines of Dilvan’s behavior. However, as he barged his way back into her life, Tyson was very unapologetic and cocky about it. He wanted her and he would stop at nothing to fulfill that want.

This can’t be happening...

Gabrielle sighed, knowing she couldn’t stop it from happening. Her Father was excited and she wouldn’t disappoint him. She could get through one dinner with her family and Tyson present. It would be easy to do if she remained quiet, ate her food and went back to her room.

Yes, I can do this
, Gabrielle thought, reassuring herself that her plan would work. One dinner and Tyson would be on his way back home, especially if she did a good enough job of ignoring him. If he thought he would waltz his way right back into her life, he was sadly mistaken.

Granted, th
ey had a good thing going for a while, and the kiss she shared with Tyson before had been mind-blowing, something completely out of this world. She would never forget how succulent his lips were and how he caressed her that morning after they ran together along the shore. But their time together had come to an abrupt end when
he
decided it was time for her to go. Now, it was his turn to leave.

Chapter
7

Gabrielle opened her
tired eyes to find her sisters kneeled down next to her bed, both staring at her and now both giggling.

“Wake up
sis. Your friend, Tyson, said dinner is ready,” Destiny said.

“More like her boyfriend, Tyson,” Carmen quipped.

Gabrielle rubbed her eyes, waking up to reality. She was hoping that this was a dream, but it wasn’t. Tyson was here as confirmed by the silly grin on her sister’s faces. Looking at them, she said, “Tyson is not my boyfriend, Carmen.”

“Well, whoever he is, he’s waiting for you
at the dinner table, and so is Dad.”

This can’t be happening
, Gabrielle thought.
It can’t be
.

Destiny grabbed Gabrielle
by the hand. “Come on, Gabby.”

“Okay, okay.” Gabrielle pulled her hand back. “
I’ll be out in a minute.”

When her sisters left the room, Gabrielle sat up and rubbed her eyes. She walked to the bathroom and spruced up her hair. Then she slowly
and quietly walked to the dining room table and took a seat directly across from Tyson. She was certain he’d chosen her seat.

Carmen
was sitting on the same side of the table as Tyson. Destiny sat next to Gabrielle. Her Father was at the head of the table, sitting closest to Tyson.

“So what do we have here, Tyson?”
Henry asked, staring at the spread on the table.

“We have
salmon puff pastries with fresh basil and creamy pesto along with homemade mashed potatoes. I also boiled some corn on the cob and made Cannoncini alla Crema Pasticcera for dessert.”

“What’s that?
” Destiny asked.

Tyson smirked
and glanced up at Gabrielle. She used to ask him the same thing whenever he made something new and interesting and she couldn’t figure out what it was. “You sound like Gabrielle,” he commented.

Gabrielle didn’t bother looking at him.

Tyson continued, “It’s basically a pastry, shaped like a horn and filled with Italian cream.”

“Well, let’s dig into this m
eal. It smells delicious,” Henry said. “Gabrielle, you want to get some and pass it around, honey?”

“Sure,” Gabrielle responded unenthusiastically.
As she scooped one of the salmon pastries from the dish, she could feel the heat of Tyson’s eyes on her. She was angry enough to resist the urge to glance up at him, but she couldn’t ignore him altogether – his lingering scent and presence seemed to have taken over her Father’s home.

As
Tyson stared at her, he wanted to say something but he knew that if he rocked the boat too much, she’d get up and leave. So keeping things lighthearted, he asked, “So what grades are you girls in?” looking at Carmen and Destiny.

“I’m a
sophomore,” Destiny said.

“And I’m a senior,” Carmen said with pride.

“Nice. So you’re graduating this year, huh?”

“Yes,
” Carmen answered.

“I vaguely remembe
r my senior year in high school,” Tyson said.

“Oh come on, Tyson,” Henry chuckled. “It couldn’t have been that long ago.”

Tyson grinned. “It’s been about twelve years.”

“Hmm...okay,” Henry acknowledged. Tyson was older than he thought.

Tyson continued, “I remember certain highlights of high school. For instance, I was captain of the football team so I can recall the games, pep rallies and such.”

“What about prom?” Carmen
asked. “Did you go?”

“Yes, I went to
my prom. Are you going to yours?”

“Yep.
”

“You have a
date?”

Destiny giggled before Carmen could answer.

Carmen glanced at her Father. “Well, he’s just a friend,” afraid to admit that she had a boyfriend.

“
Just a friend?” her father asked. “Why are you turning red in the face, then?”

“Daaad,” Carmen said, embarrassed.

“Don’t worry, Father,” Gabrielle spoke up finally after being completely silent during this exchange. “On the way to the movie theater, I had the talk with Carmen and Destiny about boys. I told her how
shady
they can be.”

“Shady?” Tyson said
frowning, wiping the corners of his mouth with a napkin.

“Yeah. Shady.”

He had a feeling Gabrielle’s comment was a shot at him. But shady? How was he shady? “She’s right, Carmen. They can be shady, but there are some good ones out there.”

“Barely,” Gabrielle
tossed out. “Most of them lie to you, mistreat you, pretend they like you, then one day, boom...they hate you and avoid you like the plague, especially after they’ve gotten what they wanted.”

Tyson grimaced.
Now, he was certain she was directing her comments towards him. But she was crossing the line this time, because he hadn’t done any of those things. Maybe she was referring to the way Dilvan had treated her...

“Like I said, Carmen, not all men are like that. Don’t let your sister’s bad experiences taint your perception of men.”

Gabrielle boldly locked eyes with Tyson. “As her older sister, it is my duty to share my
experiences
with her and to let her know what kind of men to avoid.”

Holding her gaze, Tyson
replied, “In addition to what kind of men she should avoid, I also think it’s important that you let her know what kind of man to look for...like a man who would go to the ends of the earth for her. A man who would take care of her and protect her. A man who dignifies her. A man who
she
knows would do absolutely anything for her.”

Gabrielle rolled her eyes over to glance at her Father then at her sisters. It seemed as if someone had pressed the pause button beca
use everyone was frozen, their eyes locked on her. Even Tyson was looking at her, waiting for her to say something.

Tyson was certain that if she could dish it out, she could take it. And why was she even trying to insinuate that he was a bad person or had treated her unkind when the opposite was true
? He dignified her – raised her up after Dilvan had put her down. He took care of her, cooked for her and, true to his word, he did everything he could to make her happy and comfortable in his home.

The only thing he did wrong was
to not give her the opportunity to explain herself when it came to that secret dinner she had with Dilvan. He was angry about it; so jealous that, at the time, he didn’t want to hear anything she had to say. Yet, he still cared for her. Those two months apart were hard for him as well.

“Um, you know what, Father, I don’t feel good all of a sudden
,” Gabrielle said, pushing her chair back from the table. “I’m going to head out for a while and get some air.”

“Can I get you anything?” her Father asked, concerned.

“No. I’ll be okay, Dad...just need to get some air.”

Gabrielle couldn’t get out of the house fast enough. Who did Tyson Alexander think he was, showing up here anyway?

After hearing Gabrielle exit out of the front door, Tyson said, “I’ll be right back.” He grabbed his jacket from the living room couch and stepped outside, noticing Gabrielle pacing the driveway. He walked over to her and attempted to drape his jacket on her shoulders but she pushed it away.

“You
got some nerve, showing up here,” Gabrielle grunted. “I want you to leave, Tyson.”

“Well, that’s too bad, Gabrielle, because I’m not leaving here without you.”

With raised brows, she said, “I’m certainly not going back with you if that’s what you think. You kicked me out of your house, remember?”

“I didn’t kick you out of my house!” he
snapped. “Stop saying that.”

“Oka
y, so you wanna play with words? Fine! You
put
me out then. Is that better? You
forced
me to leave, didn’t even give me a chance to explain myself, Tyson.”

“Then explain now
,” Tyson said calmly. “I’m standing here in front of you. Explain it to me.”

Gabrielle shook her head. “No. It’s too late now.”

“No. It’s not too late. Talk to me.”

Gabrielle shook her head wordlessly and willed herself not to cry. “No. Do me a favor and leave me and my family alone.
It was good to know you and I appreciate what you did for me but...”

She
quickly walked away from him. Back in the house, in her temporary bedroom, she laid there and cried herself to sleep.