Conklin's Foundation (Conklin's Trilogy) (10 page)

“You saved them?” h
e whispered, slowly turning to look at me. 

I gulped at his slow stare.  “I did.  I couldn’t muster the strength to read your notes though
… I’m sorry.”  I shrugged my shoulders.

He scowled, almost looking lost and nervous, then dropped the roses back in the drawer and fingered through the envelope.

“Are you mad I didn’t read them?”  I murmured, shifting uncomfortably.

He stood and pulled one of the delicate white ribbons out of the envelope and put it in his back pocket, then opened the other drawer, pulling a pair of shorts out.
  I wonder why he took only one?  What did it say?

“Becca, I don’t blame you for not wanting
to. I was an asshole.”  His scowl deepened as he walked past me, undoing his pants to put his shorts on.

“Tyler…”  I drug out his name, walking over to him as he was pulling on his shorts then stepping back into his jeans.
  I shouldn’t have ignored him for so long.  We should have talked sooner.  If I would have given in to his phone calls, maybe he would have given into my demands sooner.

Once his jeans were on he
turned to look at me. “Ty, I’m so sorry for being so stubborn,” I whispered, my heart pulling at my chest.

He shook his head and gave me a soft smile.  “It doesn’
t matter; we are better now, right?  No more secrets,” he said, pulling my face up to give me a chaste kiss.

My face relaxed as I looked up at his sobering smile.  Nodding my head, I held his wrists.
  I wasn’t his secret anymore. 

“Good, now let’s go,” he smirked, giving me another quick kiss.

Chapter
6

“Do you normally hang out with Cooper outside of work?”  I asked Tyler as we pulled out of the ramp at River House.

  “Cooper and I
are friends.  We met in college,” he said nonchalantly.  I was surprised.  He seemed to be so stern and short with Cooper, not friendly.  “Cooper is very bright.  We sat next to each other in business finance.  I’m lucky he works for me.  He could get a job anywhere he wanted.”

“He must be very fond of you.”

“I pay him well,” he shared, shrugging his shoulders.  We pulled into the parking ramp and hurried inside.  I tugged on my zip up hoodie.  I should have thrown my coat on too. The weather was very chilly, and the snow was falling in big flakes.  It would be pretty if it didn’t cause my teeth to chatter.  As much as I didn’t like how the snow chilled me to the bones, I still enjoyed seeing it.  We would most likely have a white Christmas.  Nothing beats having a white Christmas.

A white Christmas in Tyler Conklin’s bed. 

Yes, being in Tyler Conklin’s bed on Christmas morning could be the only thing better than having a white Christmas.

As we
walked in the gym, Tyler reached for his wallet and dropped some cash into the Salvation Army box, wishing the gentleman ringing the bell a Merry Christmas.  I couldn’t tell how much he put in, but it made me smile. I was always curious if he was generous with his money.  I knew the company had a fund that helped build and design shelters for women and children and other beneficial community buildings, but was Tyler actively involved with the fund? How could I be falling so hard for him when I really didn’t know that much about him?

When we walked
up the three flights of stairs to the gym I let go of Tyler’s hand and headed in the opposite direction towards the fitness area.  Tyler stopped and gave me a puzzled look.

“What are you
doing?” he asked.  “The basketball courts are this way.”

“I was going to go work out while you played.”

He frowned and furrowed his eyebrows.  Walking over to me he grabbed my hand and looked down at me.  “I was planning on giving you a workout later tonight,” he pouted.

I blushed and lo
oked around, hoping no one overheard his comment.

“Tyler, I haven’t been to the gym since
Monday, and I skipped Sunday… unless you wanted me to watch you?” I asked curiously.

He looked down at our feet and grabbed my other hand.  When I caught the look on his face
, warmth spread throughout my body.  He was bashful and boyish, biting his lip and slowly nodding his head yes.  I cocked my head and smiled up at him, trying to meet his eyes.  I rarely saw him looking young and demure.

I tugged on his
hands and leaned up on my tip toes so my lips were brushing his ear.  “Okay, I guess I can skip, but I’m going to hold you to giving me a workout tonight,” I whispered.

His shyness turned into mischief,
reminding me of that same Conklin grin he shared with his brothers and father that swooned many appeared on his face.  Whenever Tyler threw his grin my way, my heart flickered with excitement, knowing he was up to something.

“I can’t wait for our workout,” he smirked.  “B
ut we have 10 minutes, and I need to warm up.”  He hurried, nearly dragging me towards the court.

Once we walked
onto the court, Cooper’s voice traveled past the noises of squeaky shoes, bouncing basketballs, and different altitudes of voices.  “Conk!  You made it!”  Cooper yelled, his arms thrown in the air as he walked towards us.  I let go of Tyler’s hand instinctively, taking a step away from him.  He glanced over to me and smirked then reached for my hand again.  I shrugged apologetically.  Why did I feel so nervous?

“Hey, Becca. Sorry to
steal your boyfriend when he just got back.  I’m shocked he answered on the third try,” he teased, his big white smile grinning in my direction. 

“Yeah, I tried to ignore you,” Tyler grumbled, letting go of my hand so he could take off his jeans
and jacket.

“I knew you’d eventually answer.
You always do.  Although, I thought I might have to try at least six or seven times,” Cooper joked with a knowing smile.

Tyler rolled his eyes at Cooper and handed me his pants
and jacket.  “Hold these for me, will you baby?”

I grabbed his
clothes and nodded my head.  “Good luck!”  I beamed at him, taking a seat on the steps behind us.  To my surprise, Tyler leaned down, cradling my face with both hands, and gave me a big, lip-smacking kiss right in front of Cooper. 

Tyler’s mischievous grin
spread across his face causing a blush to spread throughout my entire body.  He was actually being a boyfriend and not caring about what others saw.  I could only hope he would still have the same mentality when we were at his parents’ house for Christmas. 

Cooper laughed and yanked Tyler’s shoulder as he walked backwards onto the court to go play.  They were laughing and acting like friends as they joined the few other guys on the court.
  It was humbling to see Tyler act young and carefree instead of all business. 

It looked like Tyler was their fifth man.  Hopefully he wouldn’t get too tired from playing basketball so he could play with me later.  I blushe
d again. Why my mind always wandered to my desires when I thought about him was beyond me.

Just as the game was about to start, I felt a tap on
my shoulder and a body standing next to me.

“H
ow’s it going, Bs?”  Gage asked with a tentative smile.

My heart skipped when I turned to look at him.  He unfortunately also had a taste of my fire at my father’s Christmas party.  Guilt spread through my body as his kind brown eyes sought my approval to sit down.

“Hey, Gage.  What are you doing here?”  I asked, veining normalcy.

His seeking eyes relaxed.  “I play in the league on Wednesdays, remember?”

I cocked my head with a smile feeling silly I had forgotten seeing him last week, leading us to go out for pizza together while I was wallowing in my self pity missing Tyler.

“How could I forget?”
My smile was growing more bashful as I looked down in my lap.  I caught a glimpse of his dimple appearing on his cheek.  He was also looking down at his lap, his elbows on his knees, holding his closed fists out towards the court.

We had an awkward silence after exchanging glances.  I finally took a deep breath and turned to look at him.  “Gage, I’m sorry about the Christmas party.”

He shook his head and gave me his heart stopping grin.  “Don’t worry about it Bs.  It’s about time you called me out on being a man whore.”

“A safe man
whore.” I pointed at him with a smirk, feeling the guilt creep in from telling him I didn’t want to wait and catch an STD from him, knowing Gage would never have unprotected sex.

He grinned into his lap, licking his lips.

“Bec I want you to know I never slept around while we were together that summer.  You were the only one I wanted to be with.  I know I messed around with your sister’s friend after you left, and I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have done that.  I was… confused.”  He took a breath, lifting his brown eyes to my blue.  “I was confused because I have never felt for anyone the way I feel for you, Becca.”

I tilted my head and gave him a wry smile.  I was afraid where this conversation was leading.

“I never envisioned myself wanting one girl or a family or anything like that.”

I inhaled a deep breath. 
Please don’t confess your love for me!

“What I’m trying to say is, I love you Bs, but the only thing I could give you right now would be me, not kids or marriage.  Hell, I could never give you the lifestyle
you’re used to.”

I frowned
and became angry.  “Have I ever insinuated that I want some rich and fancy lifestyle?”

He gave me a sad smile.  “I’ve seen your condo.  I’ve met your parents.  I know a mechanic for a boyfriend
would never fit for your family.”

“Gage
, how could you-”

He nudged my shoulder and stared into my eyes to silence me. 

“I said your family, not you.  You are different.  You see right through people, always looking for the good in everyone.  Becca, you would have ignored me all of high school if you were like your family.”  Gage laughed to himself.  “We are the exact opposite.  Maybe that’s why I’m so attracted to you,” he murmured.

Looking into his sobering eyes, I didn’t know what to tell him.  For once Gage was being serious and not playful or flirty.  He was attempting to express his feelings, and I didn’t know how to tell him I was already in love with Tyler.

“Gage, I…” I didn’t know what to say.  I moved my eyes to my hands then back to Gage.  He was sitting too close to me.  I could feel his breath on my cheek.  The room felt smaller and the air seemed thicker.

A vision of Gage and
me sitting downtown in the park waiting for fireworks to start on the fourth of July popped into my head from the summer before college.  Gage moved the blanket we were sitting on so it was wrapped around us while pulling me on his lap.  I never felt so safe and secure, feeling his cheek pressed against mine, wanting him to tell me we were more than just two kids having a summer fling before entering college.

I shook my head, snapping out of my past.  It was too late for Gage and
me.  I had grown, and so had he.  For as many sparks as we had at one point, they would never be equivalent to the full-blown fireworks between Tyler and me.

I sat up
straight and turned to look at Gage.  “Gage, Tyler and I…”  How could I tell Gage that I was in love with Tyler when I couldn’t even muster up the courage to tell Tyler?

Gage smirked looking out
on the court, holding his hands together.  “You love him, I know.”  He turned his smirk towards me, dimples and all.  His front was back up, all hints of exposer gone.  I relaxed.  I couldn’t give him what he wanted, so the farther away from the subject we went, the better.

“Does he feel the same?” Gage asked.

I gave him a blank look.  “What do you mean?”

Gage tilted his head questioningly.  “
Does he want what you want?  To settle down?  Have a family?”

I stared at him, a
fraid to tell him I didn’t know.

Gage laughed and shook his head.  “I think you need to figure that out before he breaks your heart.  I know about guys like him.”  He looked out at Tyler who was running
up and down the court, focused on the game.  “Guys like him are used to women like your mom.  A trophy wife.  Someone he can attend functions with, have children to carry on his name.  Guys who leave their families at home for long periods of time to control their empire.”  Turning from the court to me, he added, “I know you don’t want what you grew up with, Becs.  He won’t be home by 5:00pm every night for dinner.  He won’t go to your kid’s first day of school, T-ball games, science fairs, because he will be working. A guy like Conklin is always going to put his empire before his family.” 

I gulped and closed my eyes.  Ye
s, Tyler took his job seriously. He went out of town every week, and it was very hard for me to deal with already.  Would he change if we got married?  Would he want to be around if we had kids? Did he even want kids? I was suddenly depressed.  Tyler and I would need to talk about what we wanted, and I needed to tell him how I felt.  I needed to tell him I loved him and find out how serious he was about me.