by Trisha Grace
Kate chuckled and waved to the rest of the guys. “Good morning people. Breakfast smells great. Am I allowed to join?”
Tyler beamed at Kate and led her to an empty seat beside Ryan. The moment she sat, she gasped and reached for the rings hanging right in front of her.
She took the rings in her hand and said, “You’re wearing them. They’re beautiful.”
“Thank you,” he mouthed the words softly.
“You’re welcome,” she mouthed back and let go of the rings, turning to the table of food. “Mm …” Kate took in a deep breath. “I completely understand why they’re here all the time.”
No one commented on her words. No one said anything.
Kate glanced around the table and blinked when she saw everyone staring at her. “Did I say something wrong?”
Tyler took an empty chair and placed it next to Kate, forcing Ryan to move his chair and make room for him.
“You just touched his things,” Ryan said as he got pushed aside.
Kate looked at Ryan, pursed her lips, then turned to Tyler, speaking as slowly as Ryan did. “Am I not supposed to?”
“Ignore them.”
“When Ty says not to touch something, it means nobody is allowed to touch it,” Ryan continued.
“Generally, just don’t touch any of his things without first asking,” Joseph added.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I—”
“Ignore them,” Tyler repeated, then glared at Ryan. “Knock it off.”
“Where did you get that?” Ryan asked.
Instantly, last night’s conversation surfaced on his mind. Kate was already staring at him, probably waiting for him to reply Ryan’s question.
He gave Kate a smirk and shrugged.
She bit down on her lips and looked away from him.
He didn’t know if she was trying to stop herself from answering the question or if she was trying to prevent herself from bursting into laughter. But he couldn’t help grinning as he saw her struggling.
After drawing in a long, deep breath, she tried imitating the shrug he gave. She failed miserably.
“It’s killing you.”
Kate closed her eyes, took in another deep breath, wiped the smile off her face, and gave another shot at the shrug. This time, she succeeded.
“I’m impressed,” Tyler commented.
She was still chewing on her lips, but the corners were slowly inching up. She gave Tyler a brief glance and the same aloof shrug she’d just mastered.
“You guys have an inside joke already?” Ryan leaned forward and directed the question to Kate.
Kate leaned forward and closer against Tyler. “Long story short, he was being irritating,” Kate said to Ryan.
Tyler took in the vanilla scent from her hair as Kate returned to her position. She smelled like ice cream. There was something else, something flowery, but he couldn’t quite make out what it was.
“I’m done eating and I’m going home to sleep. Coming?” Joseph asked Ryan.
Ryan groaned. “I haven’t had my fill.”
“Suit yourself. Nice to see you again, Kate.”
“What? We’re all becoming Ty now? How am I supposed to get home?” Ryan’s bellow got louder with each question, but Joseph continued walking out of the house without even flinching.
“Ty, can we talk for a minute?” Joanne whined in her sweetened voice.
He hated that voice. It never failed to give him goosebumps.
“Where are you going?” Kate asked Ryan.
Kate had leaned in closer again, and he forgot all about Joanne when he felt Kate’s hair brush against his arm.
“I can give you a ride home,” Kate continued.
“I’ll drive,” Tyler interjected. The thought of Ryan getting to know Kate better didn’t sit too well with him.
“Really?” Ryan eyed him warily. “The world’s upside down today. But since my ride’s gone, can I just crash in one of the rooms here?”
“Ty, just one minute. Pleaseee …"
Dan rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Tyler saw Kate’s eyes flit toward Joanne.
He shook his head. “She’s always like this,” he whispered when her eyes returned to him.
Kate tugged on her necklace and turned back to her food.
“There are some rooms on the other side of the house. Marianne will arrange it for you,” Tyler continued as though Joanne hadn’t spoken a word.
“Ty,” Joanne whined again.
He saw Kate pursing her lips before she gave him a pleading look. “Ty,” she whispered even as he glared at her.
Undeterred, she cocked her head slightly toward Joanne.
“Ty?” Joanne sneered. “You’ve known him for like what? Two days? And you’re calling him Ty?”
“That’s enough,” he said.
“But—”
“But nothing.”
Everyone, even Ryan, froze.
Joanne’s head snapped toward her brother.
“Don’t need to look at him. You can leave if you’re unhappy. No one will stop you.”
Joanne got up, but instead of walking out, she picked up a random glass of orange juice from the table and splashed its contents into Kate’s face. “Bitch.”
Tyler was on his feet in an instant, but Dan had already pulled Joanne out of his way.
“Ugh.”
Kate’s soft cries immediately got his attention. Pushing the chair aside, he knelt down beside her.
Her hands hovered before her eyes, and she wouldn’t stop blinking. “My contacts, something’s wrong with them.”
Tears started streaming down her face as she continued blinking.
“I’ll find some eye drops,” Marianne said, rushing out of the kitchen.
“Get Joe,” Tyler said as he cupped his hands over Kate’s. Ryan nodded and sprinted out.
Gently, Tyler pulled her hands down and placed them on her lap. “Stop blinking if it hurts. Just close your eyes,” he whispered. He clenched his jaws, frustrated with himself.
He should’ve seen that coming.
She was only here because of him, and he couldn’t even keep her safe in his own house.
“I can’t help it. It stings too much to keep my eyes close, and I can’t keep my eyes open either.”
Tyler wiped the tears away, wishing there were something more he could do for her.
“Ty—”
“Enough.” Dan grabbed Joanne by her arm and dragged her out of the house.
Tyler crooked his lower jaw and took in a deep breath, turning his attention back to Kate.
He tucked her hair behind her ear and pulled her hand back down just as she reached for her eyes.
“Let me try taking the contacts out. It really stings.”
“I know, but just wait for a while. Joe will be here anytime now.” He covered her hands with his and gave them a gentle squeeze.
“Yeah, he’s already on the way back. Your fingers are dirty. Don’t make it worse,” Ryan added as he came running back into the kitchen.
“I’m so sorry,” Tyler mumbled.
He sighed, relieved, when Joseph finally came running in with Marianne’s eye drops in hand.
“Here, let me take a look.” Joseph tipped her head up. “I can see the lens in your left eye. The right lens is missing.”
“I only know it hurts like crazy.”
Her hands shifted, moving toward her eyes, but Tyler held them down. Instead of fighting him, she turned her hands over and held on to his.
“All right. I’m going to drip some eye drops before taking out the one in your left. Keep staring up at the ceiling and try not to move your eyes around. It’s going to sting, but try to focus on the ceiling,” Joseph said in his soothing professional voice.
Her grip on his hands tightened as Joseph removed her lens. Her blinking worsened and tears rushed down her cheeks.
Shifting both her hands into one of his, Tyler reached up and wiped the tears away.
�
��It’s the eyes’ reflex to wash away the foreign liquid,” Joseph explained to him.
“Focus on her.”
“I’m going to take out the contact lens in your right eye now. I know it hurts, but close your eyes for me. Remember to keep your eyes focused and don’t move them around.” Joseph pushed softly along the edges of her eye. “Open your eyes now.”
She forced her eyes open, her hands still clutched tightly onto his.
“Got it. It’s going to hurt. Bear with me, okay?”
She nodded. She clenched her jaws and held her tongue as Joseph pinched and tugged against the tinted blue edge of her lens.
Even Tyler had to cringe when he saw Joseph pulling out the lens from the corner of her eye. More tears gushed down Kate’s face, and her grip tightened around his hands. But not a whimper escaped her lips.
“It’s out.” Washing her eyes with eye drops, Joseph announced, “Done.”
Ryan gave Joseph a pat on his back. “Well done, doc. I think your life depended on it,” Ryan joked as he cocked his head toward Tyler.
Tyler stood and lifted Kate’s chin. She blinked, her eyes bloodshot, and she didn’t seem to be able to keep her eyes open.
“Her eyes are still—”
“It’s normal. I’ll write down the name of some eye drops and eye gel you can get at the pharmacy. And Kate, you’ll need to stay off your contacts for at least a week.”
“A week? I hate wearing my spectacles; they give me such headaches,” she complained.
She blinked a couple more times, and he could see the focus returning to her eyes.
“Don’t look so worried. It doesn’t sting so much anymore,” she said, half laughing.
“Your eyes are bloodshot,” he whispered, his thumb gently brushing along her jawline.
He sighed, frustrated that she got hurt because of him. He would have to talk to Marianne about keeping Joanne from the house.
“Are you all right, dear?” Marianne asked.
“Yeah.” Kate nodded. “Sorry for being such a baby.”
“Kate, when your contacts disappear behind your eyes, it can cut your optic lines and you may go blind,” Joseph said in all seriousness.
“Then maybe you should stay away from contacts permanently,” Tyler suggested.
Kate sighed, and her hands moved unconsciously toward her eyes.
Tyler pulled her hands away from her face and frowned at her. “Don’t do that.”
She dropped her hands onto her lap. “I tried getting lower powered lens and lighter frames for my spectacles, but nothing worked. I can’t wear my spectacles for long periods.”
“Lasik?” Joseph suggested.
“I’ve considered that, but I never had the time to check it out.”
“Any recommendation?” Tyler asked Joseph.
“I’ll text you the contact later.” Scrawling across a notepad, he handed Tyler the list. “Here’s the eye drops and eye gel. For today, apply the eye gel once every four hours and the eye drops whenever her eyes feel dry. Her vision will blur for about a minute or two after applying the gel.”
Tyler nodded as he glanced at Joseph’s note.
“Great. All’s well that ends well. Now, Marianne, where can I get some sleep?”
“You're sleeping here? Can I crash here, too?” Joseph asked.
Tyler heard Joseph’s question, but he didn’t bother answering; Marianne would settle them.
He turned back to Kate. “Do you have to go to the office today?”
“I have some stuff I need to do, but I think I’ll work from my room.” Kate forced her eyes shut. “I don’t want Eve to know what happened, not now anyway.”
“I need to get the eye drops and gel for you. Will you be all right here?”
Kate scowled at him. “I’m not a baby, Ty. I can pick those up on my own.”
He returned her scowl. “You can forget about that. You’re not driving today.” Taking a step closer, he stretched out his hand. “I’ll take you to your room.”
Even as she took his hand, she complained, “I’m not blind.”
Halfway up the steps, Kate threw her head back and gave an exasperated sigh. “I’m supposed to meet my sister for dinner tonight. I haven’t told her that I’ve moved.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you there.”
“Don’t you need to work?”
“The work will still be there when I get back. Anyway, I can work from home, too.”
“Sorry.”
“You’re not used to people taking care of you,” Tyler said. “Just an observation.”
Kate grinned and retorted, “Like my observation about your character going downhill along with the sun?”
His lips curled, but he didn’t bother to reply.
When in her room, Tyler asked Kate where her phone was. “In case you need anything,” he said and placed the phone by her bed. “Just call me.”
“I really am fine.” She lay back on the bed, staring up into the ceiling. She kept blinking her eyes, but it didn’t seem to help.
“I didn’t say you’re not. I’ll be back soon, and don’t rub your eyes,” he said, brushing her hair from her face.
He really should stop touching her.
He hadn’t been able to keep his hands from her. He’d told himself that he was simply wiping her tears away—like anyone would. But she wasn’t crying now, and he had no business or reason to keep touching her.
Kate closed her eyes and smiled. “Yes, sir.”
Tyler flexed his fingers, walked out of the room, and headed over to the other wing.
“Your friends are settled and probably snoring away right now. But you’re not here for them, are you?” Marianne teased.
Tyler ignored Marianne’s jibe. “Will you stay near her until I’m back?”
“Why are you so worried? I’ve never seen you so concerned about anyone.”
“She got hurt because of me.”
“No, she got hurt because of Joanne.” Marianne scrutinized his face. “You don’t have to be so worried, Ty. She isn’t going to disappear, not everything good will,” she said softly, almost in a whisper.
“Just stay with her until I’m back.”
“All right. Go get her eyedrops. I’ll accompany her.”
He followed behind Marianne, turning to the door when she headed up the stairs.
So much for making the house safe for her, he thought.
When he opened the main door and saw Joanne sitting on the step, he sighed impatiently and thrust his hands into his pockets.
“I tried, but she won’t leave without seeing you,” Dan said after winding down his car’s window.
Dan stepped out of his car as Tyler moved right past Joanne without giving her another glance.
“Wait, Ty.”
He strode toward his own car while Joanne’s heels clicked behind him.
“Let it go, Anne,” Dan called out.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Tyler stopped and asked Joanne.
Joanne skidded to a stop. She took a few steps back and looked up at him.
She rolled her eyes and pouted. “Who does she think she is? She comes in here, calls you Ty—”
“I told her to call me that. If you have a problem with that, you bring it up to me.”
“She was trying to seduce you.”
“Even if she was, it’s none of your business,” Dan said, exasperated.
“Ty,” Joanne switched to her sweetened voice again.
Tyler sighed and continued moving toward his car.
Dan exhaled slowly through his nose. “Anne, I said enough. This isn’t your house. You don’t get to throw tantrums and expect everyone to give in to you. If you’re so in love with Ty, then you should know this. He rarely ever gives a damn about anything or anyone, but of the few things and people he cares about, he’s extremely protective over them. What you did, he’ll never forgive you.”
Protective? Yes, he was protective of her, he supposed. He shou
ld be; she moved into the mansion to make sure he didn’t lose the house. Keeping her safe was the least he could do.
“He doesn’t care about her! I’m his fiancée!” Joanne screamed in Dan’s face. “What’s wrong with all of you?”
Tyler saw Dan jamming his hands into his pockets as he took a step away from Joanne.
So he wasn’t the only one getting irritated.
He’d heard Dan complained about Joanne, but he hadn’t seen Dan this frustrated before.
Tyler pulled his car door open as he looked over his shoulder at Dan and Joanne.
“Ty owns the biggest security software and systems firm. His grandfather had one installed in his house, but have you ever seen him use it?”
Joanne stared pointedly at Dan, not getting his point.
“He never used it because he didn’t see the need. Yesterday, the alarm wasn’t working. Today, it’s up and running. Who do you think he set it up for?”
“Himself! Marianne! It’s isolated here,” Joanne screeched.
“Stop shouting,” Dan said calmly, even as he took another step away from Joanne.
“I set it up for Kate,” Tyler said before Dan had to grab Joanne by her shoulders and shake some sense into her.
“Why?” Dan asked.
He shrugged. “Because I could and I wanted to.” He got into his car and drove off, hoping that for Joanne’s own sake, she wouldn’t be here when he returned.
When Tyler got back to the mansion, he found Kate chatting with Marianne. He couldn’t make out what they were talking about, but he could hear them laughing away.
“Feeling better?” Tyler asked as he entered, interrupting their conversation.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll leave you two alone and go finish up my book,” Marianne said. “Let me know if you need anything.” She gave Kate a pat on her leg and left.
“Have you met Marianne before this?” he asked when Marianne stepped out of the room.
Kate blinked, and her hand reached for her necklace. “Why do you ask?”
“The two of you seem to be on friendly terms.”
“Marianne is nice to everyone.”
“Did she visit him?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said and quickly changed the subject. “Pass me the eyedrops?”
