Conklin's Foundation (Conklin's Trilogy #2)

by Brooke Page

  “Good, I was hoping we could stop at your place. I want to change into something a little dressier.”

  Tyler glared at me. “You don’t need to change. What you are wearing is fine.”

  His tone was quick and sharp.

  “I really don’t want to be wearing plain jeans the first time I meet your mother, Tyler,” I said quietly, staring down at my hands in my lap.

  “Well I don’t want you to wear some short dress either!” he snapped.

  I winced at his bluntness, my body shifting closer to the window. Was he worried about my looking nice for RJ to see? Did that mean what I was wearing now wasn’t flattering? I bit my lip and crossed my arms, staring out the window. No need to make small talk if he was going be in a foul mood the whole ride.

  He let out a big sigh after what felt like hours but was only minutes. “My condo isn’t on the way. It would take us an extra hour or so to stop with the traffic.”

  I nodded my head. I forgot how big Chicago was and that his parents didn’t actually live in the city. Their “family home” was in the suburbs.

  “Is it really because of RJ?” I weakly asked.

  Tyler wouldn’t meet my eyes, but only gripped the steering wheel tighter.

  “You do know how outrageous that sounds, right? That you would rather I look sub-par instead of presentable because you are worried about what RJ is going to do or say. Your thoughts on RJ making a move on me are absurd,” I huffed, crossing my arms tighter.

  “That’s not it,” Tyler bit back, clearly irritated.

  “So you are going to pass up an excuse to spend less time at your family’s house, the house you have been trying to avoid going to all day? Just so I can’t put on a dress? I wanted to curl my hair, too.” I felt hurt. He was being ridiculous.

  He let out a loud groan, banging his head back on the headrest. “Becca… aren’t you the one who wants to go spend time with my fucked up family?”

  I didn’t reply but looked out the window, hugging myself tighter. Why did I have the urge to cry? I didn’t like when he was so stern with me, when he raised his voice and was short. I felt like a child.

  As though he were counting to ten to calm his nerves, Tyler finally glanced over at me. “No one else will be dressed up. I will throw on a t-shirt if it makes you feel better.”

  “Why, so we can both look sub-par?” my voice cracked.

  He groaned again, rolling his eyes. “Damn it Becca, when are you going to believe me when I tell you how beautiful you are?”

  I looked down, feeling stupid for being so insecure.

  Tyler looked over at me, letting out a deep breath. “You are beautiful. I will make a point to tell you every morning and every night. Whether your hair is up or down, in sweats or a floor length gown, makeup or no makeup. Although I personally prefer you without.”

  I gulped, brushing away a tear. I felt guilty for worrying he thought I looked unattractive.

  “Thank you,” I croaked.

  “You don’t need to thank me,” he said quietly. “I should thank you for putting up with my bullshit.”

  A small giggle escaped me. Tyler looked over at me, his lip twitching as though he was trying to contain a smile. He shook his head as I laughed some more.

  When he turned to look back at the road, he became serious again. “RJ will flirt with you. I’m sure Mitch will too.” He took a deep breath again. “It will bug the shit out of me.”

  “Tyler, you know I won’t flirt back. You know I would never take any advancement from either of them, from anyone,” I said. “You’re all I want, remember?”

  I reached over and patted his thigh. He was unbelievably tense. I could feel his muscles bulging through his jeans. He looked so pained again. I wanted to unbuckle my seat belt and hold him.

  “I know,” he whispered, taking a long blink.

  “Then relax. If this goes horribly, I won’t ever make you bring me to your family again, I promise,” I said with big sincere eyes. I ran my hand up and down his thigh, trying to get his muscles to relax.

  I took off my seat belt and sat up on my knees, leaning into his side. Tyler was puzzled at first as I wrapped one arm around his bicep and kept one hand on his thigh. I kissed the soft spot just below his ear. He half smirked as I kissed him again but lower on his neck. He tilted his head to the side, his smirk expanding. Both of his hands were still on the steering wheel.

  “What are you doing?” he asked with an amused laugh.

  I nibbled his ear and smirked. “Trying to get you to relax.”

  He chuckled again. “If you move your hand up higher, that might help.”

  I kept my teeth on his ear and gently shook my head no then returned to my seat. Putting my seat belt back on, I gave Tyler a flirty grin.

  He bit his lip, his eyes on the road. I swore he was blushing.

  When I put my hand back on his thigh, he was no longer tense.

  Ha, sexual acts and innuendos always work!

  He covered my hand with his, brushing his thumb along my knuckles, shaking his head back and forth.

  “What?” I asked with a huge grin on my face.

  “You’re a tease,” he said.

  I shrugged my shoulders.

  “Can I ask you something?” Tyler asked, his good mood returning.

  I nodded my head.

  “How did your parents meet?”

  “In high school. My dad was a foster kid, and my mom lived with her aunt. Both of their parents died when they were young. I guess they always had that inner bond.”

  He looked out the window, something reeling in his head. “They have been together ever since?”

  I nodded my head, confused by his random questions. “Yeah, I’m sure they have had their ups and downs, but I think they are in it for the long haul. I mean, they survived my siblings and me throughout our tween and teenage years, what could be worse than that?”

  I saw Tyler smile, but it didn’t touch his eyes.

  “They give me hope,” he murmured, his thumb still skating along my knuckles.

  “Hope for what?” I asked, still confused.

  He turned to look at me, lifting my hand to his lips. “Us.”

  My heart pitter pattered. I loved when he talked about us. I loved how he wanted a future.

  “I want what they have, Becca,” he whispered into my hand. “They remind me of my grandparents. How your father is successful at both business and a marriage is inspiring.”

  I looked down towards my feet, taking a deep breath. My dad was successful, and even though I loved him as he loved my siblings and me, I didn’t know him. He really didn’t know a lot about me. We didn’t have dinner every night to talk about our days at school or our extracurricular activities. I had told myself numerous times I didn’t want that.

  “He did juggle everything well, but…” I sighed again.

  “But what?” Tyler questioned, giving my hand a squeeze as he dropped it from his lips.

  “One of the things Gage and I talked about was my father. How he knew I didn’t want what my mother had.”

  “What do you mean?” He asked nervously.

  “I rarely saw my father growing up. I saw how it hurt my mother when he would call every night telling her he wouldn’t be home for dinner. One day a week isn’t going to be enough for me,” I whispered, afraid to look at him.

  “Baby…my job may take me places, but I promise, it would never come before you.” He brought the palm of my hand back to his mouth, giving it gentle kisses. I smiled over at him, wanting to believe him. He was home at a decent hour when he was in town, but what would happen when the company expanded? Would he have to juggle another city? Be gone all week and only home on the weekends?

  “Okay,” I murmured as convincingly as I could.

  He gave me his flirty Conklin grin and turned his head back to the road, randomly kissing my hand. I could only hope what he was saying was true but only time would tell.

  ~

  Tak
ing a deep breath, Tyler entered the passcode to open his parent’s house. I gripped Tyler’s hand tightly as we stepped into the vast circular foyer. Black marble floors were below our feet with a grand piano in the center, automatically playing a melody. The walls were white stucco with large elaborate paintings opposing each window.

  I heard voices as we turned into an extremely large room with pure white carpet and cream furnishings decorated elegantly. The walls were stucco as well, with more large windows overlooking a massive lawn. One wall was covered in white shelving, filled with books, a desk in the corner. Tyler pulled me into another room where we heard voices.

  It was a vast kitchen, all black cupboards and granite countertops, intricate tiling throughout the floors. I saw Nathan leaned against the counter holding a wine glass. His head veered up from the woman he was talking to, a lopsided smile crossing his face. His hair was neatly styled as he wore charcoal dress slacks with a button up shirt, his black belt matching his black shoes.

  I took a sharp breath in and stood semi behind Tyler. Why was Nathan dressed up? Tyler told me everyone else would be wearing jeans.

  The woman Nathan was talking to turned, a huge smile on her face. She looked very young, but as she walked closer to Tyler and me, her age showed more. Probably in her late 40s, early 50s, her hair was long and blond, curled elegantly. Her green eyes sparkled as she looked between Tyler and me. She was dressed in a form fitting dark green long sleeve dress with gold jewelry galore, long necklaces and flashy bracelets. I felt my face flush with embarrassment and anger. Neither of them were wearing jeans, and I felt even more out of place than usual.

  “Tyler! You’re early!” she exclaimed, holding a wine glass in her hand as she pulled on his shirt to bring him down to her level to kiss his cheek.

  Tyler stiffened. “Hi, Mom. This is-”

  “Becca! It’s so nice to finally meet you! Nathan has told me so much about you, although it should have been Tyler!” she exclaimed, embracing me in a hug. “Nathan told me you were blonde?” she asked confused, her eyes a bit hazy. She had been obviously drinking.

  Tyler rolled his eyes, embarrassed by his mother’s statement.

  “Recent change,” I said with a half-smile, tugging self-consciously on my sweater. Uh, why did Tyler lie to me about how everyone would be dressed?

  “Well you are beautiful, as a blonde or a brunette. You’ve got yourself a looker, Tyler,” she grinned, looking me up and down.

  “Thank you,” I flushed, trying not to squirm as her eyes took me in. The second her eyes were off me I darted mine to Tyler, hoping my death glare would penetrate his thick skull enough for him to know how pissed off I was.

  Nathan walked over, his private joke playing in his head. “I forgot you dyed your hair. Good to see you Becca, brother,” he smirked, holding up his glass to Tyler. Tyler met his smirk, walking over to set the bag of gifts on the counter. He wouldn’t meet my eyes. I could feel his anxiety thick in the air, as it should be for not letting me change.

  “Tyler, I forgot something out in the car. Could I have the keys please,” I asked overly sweetly.

  He moved his eyes to my feet and then slowly let them creep up my body as he reached for the keys out of his pocket. His eyes flashed to mine quickly, enough to see I was irritated.

  Hah, now I will give him a heart attack.

  I snatched the keys from Tyler’s hand, turning on my heel to the door.

  “Tyler, walk her out to the car. Or offer to get whatever she left in the car! Where are your manners!” Mary scolded.

  Tyler shuffled his feet then began walking behind me with his head down.

  By the time I reached the front door to turn the knob, Tyler’s hand was on the door next to my shoulder.

  “Don’t be mad about this,” he timidly said.

  I spun around, holding my chin up high, wishing I were 10 inches taller so I could meet him head to head. “I can’t believe you would lie to me about something as stupid as how your family would dress! Really, Tyler? Is it that big of a deal to make me feel like an idiot in front of your family just so I didn’t wear a dress?” I whispered harshly.

  Tyler rolled his head to the side giving me a ‘you’ve got to be kidding me’ look. “You’re overreacting.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Then it won’t be a big deal if I change,” I said as a matter of fact, opening the doorknob with my hand and pushing it open with my behind.

  Tyler glared at me with his head cocked. “Becca,” he warned.

  A devious smile spread across my lips as I walked backwards to the car, never letting my gaze falter his.

  I opened the trunk of the Lexus and yanked out the dress bag I had hanging in the back. I was planning on wearing a nice, respectable black tea length dress, but since Tyler was going to not play nice, I thought I might spice things up a bit. Quickly unzipping the bag, I pulled out a red cocktail dress, which was definitely respectable, but shorter and snugger than the one I was planning on wearing. I would be lying if I said I felt comfortable wearing it, but it hugged my body nicely, and I knew Tyler would love it. He would hate RJ to see my ass in such form fitting fabric. I held the dress in one hand along with a pair of Jamie’s silver stilettos, and reached for my curling iron and makeup bag with the other. If I was going to do this, I was going to do it right.

  See if he will ever convince me to dress down again.

  Tyler was still standing in the doorway, watching with his chin low, eyes boring into me with his hands in his pockets. “Becca, what are you doing?” His tone was menacingly low.

  I gave him a sweet smile, nudging him to the side with my elbow since my hands were full.

  “Just remember you caused this,” I said as I breezed past him.

  “Becca…,” he scolded as though I were a child.

  I searched the large hallway for a bathroom, Tyler stalking behind me. Once I finally found a bathroom, I stepped in and slammed the door in Tyler’s face.

  I heard him groan, “Becca, stop it.”

  “Go catch up with your mother. I’m just going to freshen up,” I bit, plugging in the curling iron and ridding of my clothing.

  I decided to wear the beautiful diamonds Tyler gifted me. They would help make the dress, and I really was becoming very fond of them. I folded my clothes and put them to the side then pulled out the red cocktail dress and stepped into it. Pulling it up to my chest and through the very short sleeves, I zipped the back and smoothed the satin fabric down my body. It had a unique v-neck with a pleated bodice and it hugged my behind perfectly. I touched up my makeup as I waited for the curling iron to heat up then quickly twirled my hair in big curls, even though Jamie was the only one who could make perfect curls. Amazingly enough, 20 minutes did the trick.

  I looked at myself in the mirror, making sure I looked presentable and not too sexy. I felt good about my choice and knowing Tyler would fly off the handle turned me on. I wasn’t afraid of him; he asked for this.

  I grabbed my things and placed them in the foyer before walking to find Tyler and his entire family. Nathan, Tyler, and Mitch were all standing with their backs towards me at the kitchen island while Mary and RJ were facing my direction. Mary’s eyes lit up when she saw me.

  “Sorry, but I wanted to freshen up a little. Forgive my travel clothing from earlier.” I crossed my arms over my waist.

  Don’t get self-conscious now!

  RJ took me in from head to toe, his eyes slightly widening and his Conklin grin slowly spreading across his face.

  Tyler flipped around, his eyes becoming as big as saucers.

  “You looked lovely before, sweetie. But you do look sensational now!” Mary grinned. RJ’s fixation on me caught her eye, and she swatted him in the arm. He grunted and shrugged his shoulders at her, a scowl forming on his face.

  “Wow, Becca. You look hot in red,” Mitch smirked.

  It was Tyler’s turn to hit someone in the arm. Mitch rubbed his bicep, “What the hell, Tyler?”

  H
e glared at Mitch then turned his heated eyes to me. Oh, he was pissed.

  My breath caught at his intense gaze, making my belly ache. Pissed Tyler was hot.

  He reached for my hand then pulled me to his side, wrapping an arm around my waist. I felt his hand grip my hip, his head tilting backwards as though he was looking elsewhere then pulled me in front of him.

  Nathan chuckled into his wine glass. He knew what was going on; he always knew what was going on.

  “Tyler, I think it’s time for us to go shopping again. For the first time, Mitch is in better fashion,” Nathan smirked. Tyler ignored him, pulling my hips so my back was touching his front.

  I bit my lip, trying to stop a smile from playing on my lips. How Nathan helped Tyler pick out his clothes was adorable and softened my anger towards Tyler a little. I loved how Tyler always tore off his work clothes the second we arrived at his place or mine and would jump into gym shorts and a t-shirt. It made him look younger, hotter. I loved how his snug white t-shirts hugged his pecks and arms. I was getting hot and bothered just thinking about it.

  “Why don’t you ever take me shopping?” Mitch asked, taking a swig of his beer.

  Nathan raised his eyebrows, “You want to come?”

  “Fuck no,” Mitch scowled.

  “Watch your mouth, Mitchell!” Mary shouted, walking over to me.

  “You have a lovely home, Mrs. Conklin,” I changed the subject, feeling weird for hearing her scold her 24-year-old son.

  She waved her hand at me while lacing her other arm through mine and pulling me from Tyler’s grip. “UGH, PLEASE do not call me that. Mary is fine, dear. Let me get you a glass of wine.”

  I walked with her, feeling slightly uncomfortable by how she linked arms with me and having Tyler’s eyes watch my every move.

  She took a wine glass and put a charm around the bottom, filling the glass while topping off her own.

  “Here, sweetie, you can have light blue. Matches your pretty eyes,” she smiled, handing me the glass while giving me a wink. I gave her a polite smile.

  “Why didn’t I get blue?” Nathan pouted.

  “Because you’re not pretty,” Tyler teased, leaning against the counter. “Besides…purple suits you.”