Conklin's Blueprints

by Brooke Page

  “Auntie B!!!” she yelled running over to me. Her little arms shot up to me, and I pulled her into my lap.

  “How is my favorite niece?” I said pulling her in for a hug. Her little fingers ran through my hair as she giggled. She turned her head and saw Tyler then quickly burrowed into the other side of my chest away from him. I smiled down at her. She was so shy. I lifted her up with me and walked over to Heather to give her a hug.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked looking down at her swollen belly.

  She let out a loud grumble. “Horrible. This little beast seems to never sleep!”

  Ray threw the bag on the floor next to the large island and ran downstairs, no doubt to find a beer. My sister was very dramatic, and I’m sure she was laying it on thick for him.

  My mother came over and took Josie from me. She laughed and giggled in her arms as they went off to find some toys.

  Heather looked over into the living room and saw the boys. “Is that the boy mom said you were bringing?” She gasped. “Becca, he is hot!”

  I rolled my eyes at her. Of course she had talked to my mom within the short time span. They always talked. “Can you not? I mean, please don’t say anything stupid,” I said giving her a pleading look.

  She scoffed at me, “I never say anything stupid. It’s mom you should be telling to watch her mouth.”

  I huffed, “Too late for that.”

  I introduced Tyler to Heather and Ray once they were settled and sitting in the living room. Tyler greeted them with his unbelievable charm and poise. It was weird to see him so relaxed with other people. He was normally tight and right to the point with others, but then I guess that is the business side of him.

  Once the kitchen timer went off my mother and I pulled the food out of the oven and placed it along the large dining table in the dining room. The roast smelled amazing and was covered with root vegetables. There was a large dish of mashed potatoes, gravy, and a basket of bread rolls. I guess I would be sticking the roast and veggies. My mother called for everyone to come and sit down at the table.

  Tyler sat next to me with my mother on my other side. My father was at the head of the table, and Michael, Ray, and Heather were across from us. Josie was sitting in her high chair next to Heather. My father said grace quickly, and we all started to pass the food around. It smelled delicious. Miss Ellie was a marvelous chef. I loaded my plate with veggies and a piece of the roast. Tyler filled his plate full with everything that was on the table. He offered me a roll, and I shook my head. He gave me a smile and passed it across the table to Heather.

  “Gosh sis, are you going to eat anything today?” Michael teased as he loaded his plate with potatoes.

  “Leave her alone. You know Becca has to watch what she eats,” my mother said waving at my brother.

  I sunk in my chair. Why did she say that?

  “You should slow down on the rolls Heather dear. Just because you are pregnant doesn’t mean you should be eating for two,” my mother said, passing me the broccoli. Heather stopped mid-chew and narrowed her eyes at my mother.

  “I haven’t eaten all day,” she snapped. “Besides, the doctor said I needed to gain weight!”

  Ray rolled his eyes and took a large swig of his beer while my mother huffed.

  “So, Tyler… you a football fan?” my father said, trying to change the subject.

  A boyish grin spread across Tyler’s face, “Yes, I love football. I’m a huge Bears fan, and of course I love to watch the Michigan games.”

  Michael let out a snort, “You know you are in a house that bleeds green, right?”

  I rolled my eyes. I didn’t bleed green. In fact, no one else did except Michael. He received his doctorate at Michigan State.

  “Sorry, I bleed maize and blue,” Tyler shrugged.

  “You went to school there, right? Played baseball?” my father said, leaning forward over his plate. How did he know so much about Tyler?

  Tyler gulped and peered over at my father. “Yes, I did. First base.”

  A hint of a smile peeked through my dad’s lips. “So you’re not a fan of the Lions?”

  Tyler shrugged his shoulders again. “I’m a fan if they aren’t playing the Bears.”

  My dad let out a laugh and continued eating.

  “So Ray told me once the baby is six months old we could take a trip to Tahiti and relive our honeymoon!” Heather spat out of the blue. She was always like that, something popped into her head and it was off her tongue before the thought completely processed.

  “Well that’s lovely! Will you need us to watch the kids?” my mother asked.

  Thank God my family had the attention span of a two year old.

  We made it through dinner without any more invasive questions or awkward situations. Heather dominated the table conversation, as she normally did, and I was grateful she listened to me when I said not to say anything stupid. I helped my mother clear the table and started loading the dishwasher as the boys went down into my dad’s cigar room.

  Heather sat on one of the barstools with Josie on the table and started to braid her hair. My sister may be a young mom, but she was really good at it.

  “Tyler sure seems to have an eye for you, Becca,” Heather said as she absent-mindedly ran her hands through Josie’s hair. “He watched you a lot during dinner and couldn’t take his eyes off you when you were clearing the table.”

  I felt warmth go through my whole body, but for once it wasn’t embarrassing.

  “I don’t think he is the only one who has got it bad,” my mother snickered. “Hang on to him Becca. I think he is a keeper.”

  “Let’s hope they aren’t scaring him off downstairs,” I laughed. My dad wouldn’t do that; he was surprisingly easy going and had a soft spot. But then again, his little girls were his soft spot. I remember the look on his face when my mother told him Heather was pregnant. I hope he never has that look with any surprises I might throw at him and a pregnancy was not going to be one of those surprises. Well, at least not until I was married.

  Michael and Ray emerged from the basement as mom and I finished the dishes. The fresh aroma of tobacco followed them. Ray came up to Heather and put his hands on her shoulders. He looked way more relaxed. My dad must have given them the Cubans because Michael had a haze over his eyes as well.

  “Ready to get going, babe?” Ray asked Heather as he kissed her head. She smiled at his endearment and nodded her head, handing a tired Josie over to her dad. Ray scooped her up and snuggled her. I guess sometimes we all need a way to relax, whether it be a drink or a fine cigar.

  It was starting to get late, and I realized Tyler and my dad never surfaced from the basement.

  “Where are Dad and Tyler?” I asked Michael and Ray. Michael and Ray smirked at each other. “They went into Dad’s office,” Michael said. “Great way to scare him off.”

  I glared at him. “I’m sure they are talking about the arena and didn’t want to bore either of you.”

  Michael shrugged and rummaged in the fridge. “Michael, we just ate!” my mother yelled at him.

  Michael’s head came from the fridge holding a pear. “You know I’m always hungry,” he said biting the pear.

  Before my mother could scold him more, Tyler and my father came up the stairs. Tyler stood next to me with ease and put his hand on my lower back. He had a faint smell of cigar to him as I leaned my head on his shoulder.

  “Want to get going?” I asked, trying not to get caught up in the smell of his cologne being mixed with the tobacco.

  “If you are ready, sure,” he smiled at me. His eyes were swarming with blue and green softness.

  “Thank you for coming with Becca, Tyler. You are welcome to come every Sunday,” my mom said handing us our coats.

  “Thank you Mrs. Stine,” Tyler said throwing out his hand to her after he put on his coat. My mother waved it away and wrapped both her thin arms around him. Poor Tyler tried to not look uncomfortable. After all, he still wasn’t used to simple
touches.

  “Please, call me Missy,” my mother said sincerely.

  My father reached his hand out to Tyler and gave him a firm shake. “I’m glad you came over to Tyler. Please call me Max; we don’t need to be formal on Sundays.” Tyler nodded and gave him a stiff smile. For the first time I saw a little fear in his eyes. I wonder what they talked about.

  We said goodbye to the rest of my family and got in the car. My body sagged against the seat as I let out a loud sigh. Tyler started the car and cocked his head at me.

  “Come on, it wasn’t that bad,” he teased.

  I grunted as I pulled my seat belt across my chest. “I guess you are right, it could have been way worse.” He put his hand on my knee and backed out of the driveway and headed down the road.

  “It was… refreshing,” he said with a smirk.

  I held his hand. “Thank you for coming.”

  “Thank you for inviting me.”

  “What were you and my dad talking about downstairs?” I asked.

  Tyler smirked as he looked out the window. “Well, he asked me what my intentions were and then he told me about his gun collection.”

  We both laughed and I left it at that. My daddy was being protective and staking his territory. I loved him even more after giving Tyler a hard time. I figured he couldn’t have been too hard on him otherwise Tyler wouldn’t be in such a good mood.

  Tyler pulled into the parking ramp at River House to drop me off. I wasn’t going to ask him to stay with me, even though I really wanted him to. We had spent such a wonderful weekend together with only a few little hiccups.

  “Can I come in for a little while?” Tyler asked as we stepped off the elevator and towards the front door.

  “I would be sad if you didn’t,” I said unlocking the door. He grinned down at me and followed me into the entryway. We took off our coats and as he set down my bag I reached for him. I squeezed his middle and buried my head into his strong chest. He wrapped his arms around me and let out a slight laugh. “I can stay over if you want,” he said kissing the top of my head.

  Yes, I want you to stay over.

  “You don’t have to,” I said into his chest. “I know you have to leave for Cleveland tomorrow.”

  He took my face in his hands so I would look at him. “More reason for me to stay with you. I won’t be back until late Wednesday.”

  He leaned down to kiss me. I walked backwards until the back of my knees found the couch. I fell backward and Tyler came down on top of me. I giggled into his mouth at the sudden ungraceful movement. He kept kissing me, not letting his hands wander from my face. It was surprisingly fun to just kiss him on the couch as though we were in high school. Tyler never got that experience, and I knew he craved a normal relationship.

  I heard the door open and pushed on Tyler’s chest. He looked down and grinned at me, but still didn’t get up. “Ty!” I said pushing him a little harder. He laughed and pulled off of me, pulling me up with him.

  “Don’t mind me,” Jamie said, throwing her bag on the kitchen counter.

  “How was your business trip?” I asked, fussing with my hair. I heard her chuckle.

  “Great. We did as much business as I am sure you two did.”

  Tyler had his hand covering his mouth, trying to contain his amusement. Jamie came over and plopped herself on the chair across from us.

  “How was Mom’s and Dad’s?” she said, playing with her nails.

  “Good,” I nodded my head.

  She looked between the two of us then a slow, knowing grin spread across her face. “Well, I don’t want to interrupt you two anymore. Have a great evening.” she said standing and waving goodnight as she descended down her hall.

  The second her door closed Tyler was kissing me again, just as a teenager would.

  Chapter 18

  The next four weeks blended together in a blur. Tyler would go out of town for a few days then when he came home we were inseparable--outside of work of course. I got used to Tyler’s coldness whenever I saw him in the office. I knew it was just a front for our co-workers. Except inside I wanted him to kiss me goodbye when I got to my floor. I wanted him to come up to me before a meeting and put his hand on my lower back. I wished we could leave for lunch together and walk in the building and leave the building together on a normal basis. I wanted to ride to work and leave from work in the same car, instead of walking a block to meet him. But I knew we weren’t to that point, and I would have to wait for Tyler to tell me more about why his father wouldn’t approve.

  The week before Thanksgiving was here, and I hadn’t seen Tyler all weekend. He had to go to Chicago for meetings, and I stayed home because Jamie was going to be leaving for Florida for the week. We had been so wrapped up in boys we hadn’t spent a whole lot of time together. It was fun having a girl’s weekend full of spa treatment, shopping, and girl talk.

  As fun as Jamie was, I missed my Ty. We would talk and text on the phone randomly when he was gone, but it just wasn’t the same as in the flesh. He had an early flight Wednesday morning, and unfortunately, I would have to wait until Wednesday night to see him after work. A part of me wanted to ask him to take the red eye in and come sleep with me for a few hours, but I didn’t want to sound needy.

  I can’t wait to see you tomorrow night. -Tyler

  I smiled at his text and held the phone to my chest. I had just dropped Jamie at the airport to go spend the holiday with her family and was cozy in bed. Maybe he was at his condo? I decided to give Tyler a call.

  “Hey baby doll,” he answered on the second ring. “I thought you might be sleeping so I figured the text would be better than a call.”

  “Nope, not sleeping yet. I am in bed though,” I said. I heard ruffling of papers in the background than his chuckle.

  “That sounds very appealing. I’m sorry I couldn’t come back tonight. With the holiday I have a lot I need to get done in a short amount of time. I’m still at the office,” he said apologetically.

  “I understand.” I tried not to sound disappointed. “I’m just glad you are coming back here for a few days instead of staying in Chicago through the holiday.”

  “About Thanksgiving… I can stay with you if you want. We can make our own dinner or go to your parents’ house.” He sounded hopeful.

  I frowned. I wanted more than anything to have Tyler all to myself for our first holiday, but I knew how much his mom called him, and I knew the holidays were typically the only time he would visit her. I couldn’t take that time away from his mom.

  “I’m sure your mom has been looking forward to having you and your brothers. You should spend it with her and your dad.” There was a long pause on the phone.

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But I plan on coming home Friday and not leaving your side until Monday,” he said, his demeanor changing from annoyed to possessive by the end of his sentence.

  “I think I could handle that,” I said all breathy. I hated when he got to me over the phone. It made me miss him more. Knowing he would be in the same building as me all day tomorrow and not being able to see him would be torture.

  “Good. I will talk to you tomorrow, okay?” he said, still moving things around. He was busy, and I was interrupting.

  “Yes. Goodnight.”

  “Sweet dreams, doll.”

  ~

  I woke in a hurry for work, knowing I might cross paths with Tyler at some point made me excited. I put on the new dress I bought with Jamie this past weekend. It was black and floated out from the waist down and came just above my knees. I put a white jacket over the top and had a long, dangly silver chain necklace with red beads and red flats. I curled my hair-, I think Tyler likes when it is curled. I even spent a little extra time on my eye makeup. The thought of crossing paths with Tyler was obsessing me and the thought of finding any reason to go up to his office was tempting.

  When I arrived at work, Will had a small project for me to start, and I went to work. The office was pretty bare. A lot of t
he junior architects had taken the whole week off, since the building was going to be closed on Thursday and Friday. I tried to focus, but my mind kept drifting to Tyler. It took everything in me to not go up and see him on my lunch break.

  I walked to a local diner to pick up a salad for lunch. Just as I was turning to leave with my salad I heard a voice call my name. When I turned to look and see who it was a smile spread across my face. One of my friends from high school was waving me down.

  “Becca! I thought that was you! How are you?” Lauren said, embracing me in a hug. Lauren and I met in our CAD class freshman year of high school. We both had similar interests so we ended up taking a lot of the same classes.

  “Lauren, it’s so nice running into you! How have you been?” I said pulling away from her. She had grown up just as I had. Her hair was black and wavy and her sapphire eyes popped out with her dark eye makeup.

  “I’ve been great! I work at the Art Museum. I am a curator. I saw an article in the newspaper about the arena so I knew you were back in town.” I consciously held my eyes in place and kept on a smile.

  “That’s great Lauren. I wish I could stay and catch up but I have to get back to work. We should do lunch sometime,” I said going to give her another hug.

  “Yes we should! A bunch of us are going out tonight to McFadden’s, you should come.” She nodded her head enthusiastically at me. I gave a half smile. Even though I am ready to get lost in Tyler tonight, it would be fun for us to go out for a change. We hadn’t gone out since going to Cygnus.

  “Yeah, maybe I will come.”

  We exchanged numbers, and I headed back to the Conklin building.

  The rest of the afternoon went by horribly slow. Will came to my desk, startling me when he put a folder in front of me.

  “Hey Becca, would you mind bringing these account sheets up to Tyler for me on your way out? I told my wife I would be home a half hour ago.”