Kincade's Rose (Megalodon Team) (17 page)

With one more kiss, he gave her the keys and
jumped into the car without opening the door.  “I’m all yours; do with me what
you will,” he said as he put on his seatbelt.

Forcing her thoughts up from the gutter,
Jayde climbed into the car and drove off, the top down again.  As the air
lowered her body temperature a small bit, she glanced over at the man sitting
silently beside her.  He was eagerly looking around at the city as they rode.

“Thank you,” she said over the wind and
music.

“You are most welcome.  Thank you,” he
responded with a grin.

“For what?”

“Being you.”  He reached for her hand to
intertwine their fingers on the shift stick.  “Where are we going?”

“Hang on, you’ll find out soon enough,”
Jayde answered.  She pulled into an old neighborhood with large, spacious
homes.  They were all pre–Civil War era in style. She shut off the engine and
touched her hair before getting out.  At the steps, Jayde turned to find Tyson
still in the car.  “Well, come on,” she said and headed up to press the
doorbell.

As his lean body was getting out of the car,
the front door opened.  A short woman squealed and threw her arms around Jayde.

“Baby!” the woman said.  “It has been so
long!”

“I know, Mey-maw.  I’m sorry.”  Jayde
pulled away and looked into her grandmother’s shrewd eyes.  She didn’t look a
day over sixty.

“And who is this?” the older woman asked.

“Mey-maw, this is Tyson, Tyson Kincade.” 
Jayde paused for half a second.  “My husband.”

It was like the whole town had fallen
silent.  There were no car noises, no people talking, nothing.  Just dead silence. 
The old woman looked at Tyson in the fading light.  “What do your parents think
of this?”

Jayde declined to answer.

The woman chuckled slightly and waved them
in the house, shutting the door behind them.  The home, like always, was
immaculate.  Around a corner came an old man who asked, “Who is it, Regina?”

“Jayde, Ben.  Jayde and her husband Tyson,”
Regina said.

“Jayde?” the man asked with a voice full of
love.

“Hello, Pey-paw.”  Jayde walked into his
open arms.

“A husband?”  The man stepped away from his
granddaughter and looked at the man standing in his foyer.  “He’s white!” the
man stated bluntly.

“Yes, Pey-paw, he is.”  Jayde stepped back
to stand by Tyson.

“Humph,” was all her grandfather said.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Tyson
replied.

Regina laughed.  “Come into the kitchen. 
We will eat and talk.”

Jayde smiled at and looped her arm into
Tyson’s, following her grandparents.  On the kitchen’s breakfast bar was a tray
of finger foods.

“Sit down and help yourselves,” Regina
said, gesturing to two of the chairs that were on one side of the bar.  “I’d
gone to the store earlier today and saw this in the display; just couldn’t help
myself!”

Jayde did and Tyson followed suit, taking
some nibbles from the tray.  After they’d eaten for about five minutes, with
Tyson under extreme scrutiny from her grandparents, Ben spoke. “Where did you
meet?”

“I met him in—” Jayde began.

“No, Jayde.  I am asking him,” her
grandfather admonished.

“I met Jayde in Belize,” Tyson said, around
a bite of spicy chicken wing.

“And how long have y’all been married?” her
grandfather asked.

“Just about five months, sir,” Tyson said
as his eyes began to water from the spice.  He took a drink and wished to hell
his mouth would stop burning.

“Five months.”

Regina took over.  “What did your parents
say?”  The look in her eyes dared Jayde to ignore her question a second time.

“They don’t know, Mey-maw,” Jayde
confessed.

“Well,” Regina said as she put another hot
wing on Tyson’s plate.  “You know they ain’t gonna like this a-tall.”

“Yes,ma’am, I know,” Jayde responded.

“And you two are ready to weather the crap
they are going to throw at you?” Regina wondered skeptically.

Tyson slid his arm around Jayde.  “Yes,
ma’am.”  His strong voice filled the large kitchen ,making sure everyone understood
his conviction.

The grandparents looked at each other and
broke into wide grins.  “Works for us.  Welcome to the family, Son.”

Jayde smile and Tyson nodded.  “Thank you,”
he said before kissing his wife.

“

“So,” Ben asked, lighting up a pipe as he
and Tyson sat alone outside on the veranda.  “How long did you know each other
before you got married?”

“Almost a day.”  Tyson sat with his feet
propped up on the stool as he watched darkness fall around them.

“Almost a day.  And what is it that you do,
Mr. Kincade, that makes you think you can take care of my granddaughter?”

“I am in the Navy, sir.”  Tyson stared
directly at his new in-law.  “I will do what I can to give her the life that
she deserves.”

Ben didn’t respond, just sat there puffing
on his pipe.  So Tyson sat with him and after a while, he found himself
enjoying the relaxation.

While the men were outside, Jayde and her
grandmother remained in the kitchen and put the food away.  “How long have you
known him?” Jayde’s grandmother asked.

“Almost five months,” Jayde said as she put
the meat in a container.

“And you have been married that same amount
of time?”  Regina asked.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“How long did it take for you to get
married after you met?” the older woman asked as she took the container from
her granddaughter.

Jayde blushed. “Not even a day.”

Regina shook her head and put the cold cuts
in the fridge.  “I see.  Well, you have never done anything that you haven’t
fully believed in, so he must be something special.”

“Oh, he is, Mey-maw.  He is.”

For a time they worked in silence as they
put away rest of the food and the kitchen once again became spotless.  Once
done, the women sat at the table with a pitcher of iced tea between them.

Regina smiled at her granddaughter.  “You
know, Jayde, I was always so sorry for the way your parents treated you,
especially my son.  I know you probably don’t believe this, but he is very
proud of you and loves you very much.”

Jayde scoffed. “You’re right, Mey-maw, I
don’t believe it.”

The woman’s eyes softened even more. “After
he began to make all that money he changed.  But nevertheless, he wasn’t a good
father to you and for that, I am sorry.”

“Mey-maw, it’s not your fault.  I could
never measure up to daddy’s expectations.” Jayde fought back the tears.

“Sweetheart, you have surpassed all of his
expectations.  I just hope one day he will actually tell you that himself,” her
grandmother assured her.

Jayde didn’t want to talk about her
father.  “What do you think of Tyson, Mey-maw?”

Regina winked. “I think he is fine.  You
caught a good one.  What does he do?”

“He is in the Navy,” Jayde said.

“I see.  And are you ready for that kind of
commitment?” Soft eyes got serious as they looked at Jayde.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, are you ready to stay behind for
months at a time?  Raise the children on your own, if and when you have them? 
Being a military wife is not the same as being a wife.  You have to be
stronger, more self-sufficient.  Because when your husband is gone and there is
no way you can call him home early, you must find the answer to your problem
without him,” Regina stated bluntly.

“I guess I never thought about it like
that,” Jayde said. 
Add that to the worry he may not come back at all.

Regina smiled at her granddaughter, “What
does he do in the Navy?”

At this Jayde hesitated.  Was she allowed
to tell what he did?

“Go ahead and tell her, Jayde.  It’s
fine.”  Tyson’s deep voice wound itself around her and made her feel safe.

Jayde looked to the doorway and saw him
standing with her grandfather.  He stood so proud and strong it almost brought
tears to her eyes.  Turning back to her grandmother, she responded, “He’s a
SEAL.”

“

It was nine-thirty when Tyson and Jayde
left her grandparents house.  Jayde took the passenger seat without an argument. 
As they drove back to the hotel Tyson asked, “What Mey-maw said is true.  Being
a military wife is a very hard thing.  Are you having second thoughts about
us?”

Jayde smiled over him calling Regina,
Mey-maw. Her grandparents and Tyson had liked each other and they’d given him
permission to use Jayde’s endearments for them. That had obviously made her
feel so much better.  “No,” she responded softly.  “At least I don’t think so. 
If anything, it’s the fact I won’t know if you will come back at all.”

Tyson wanted to hold her to him and promise
he would always come back, but he couldn’t.  Not realistically.  He was a SEAL;
what he did was dangerous.  Could he give up the job he loved more than
anything if it meant keeping the woman he loved more than life?

The rest of the ride back was silent.  Both
of them thought about their future and whether or it would be together.  Tyson
pulled into a parking space at the hotel, then turned to look at the woman who
sat in the dark beside him.

“Jayde, I would love to be able to promise
that I will always come back, but I can’t.  I just can’t,” Tyson said in a low
voice.

She faced him as well.  “I know.  I’m not
asking for that promise.  Even if your job were a normal nine-to-five I
wouldn’t ask that.  It is just a lot for me to digest.”

“You’ve had months to digest it,” he
retorted, tired of her excuse.

“I’ve had months to think I’d participated
in a sham marriage to a guy that somewhere along the way I fell in love with,
only to hear him call out another woman’s name in the hospital!” Jayde snapped
in response.

Tyson’s mouth dropped open. “You love me?” 
It was the first time she’d said so without him asking her so.

“Yes, Tyson.  I love you.  I.  Love.  You. 
I love you.  And I think part of me always has.”  Jayde opened the door and
headed for the hotel entrance.

Tyson sat there in the car for a second and
watched her walk away.  Then, he jumped out, locked the car, and had jogged up
in time to escort her in the automatic door.  His strong arm slid around her
waist, his eyes daring anyone who might be of ignorance to voice discontent
over his relationship with the woman beside him.

In the elevator, Jayde leaned back against
his rock-solid body, his muscular thighs on the outside of hers.  Settled at
her waist were his hands, the fingers laced together just under her belly
button.  Tyson saw her eyes close, as if soothed by his embrace.

When they entered their room and Tyson
closed the door behind them, shutting out the rest of the world, Jayde glanced
at him from under her lashes.  “I am going to go get ready for bed,” she said.
She walked to the dresser and pulled out some clothes before heading to the
bathroom, locking herself in.  Or him out.

Tyson put his own clothes away, went to the
phone, and ordered a bottle of champagne with strawberries.  As he passed his
reflection in the mirror, he noticed the bags that’d been under his eyes seemed
to have disappeared completely.  The stress lines had receded and he looked
satisfied.  Apparently married life agreed with him.  Correction:  Being with
Jayde agreed with him.

The champagne and strawberries arrived
before Jayde got out of the shower.  He’d set up everything in the sitting area
when she finally emerged from the bathroom.  Tyson was settled in an armchair
listening to soft rock when he felt her presence behind him.

Turning his head, he realized it was a good
thing he was sitting down.  She took his breath away.  Scrubbed clean by the
shower, Jayde’s skin shone.  He could smell her baby powder and citrus scent as
his gaze raked her scantily clad body.

She wore one of her negligees.  It was
long, reaching down to her ankles.  A sharp V-neck allowed him to see the
swells of her full breasts.  Thin spaghetti straps held up the material and it
was a vibrant emerald green color.  Against her brown skin, it offset
perfectly.

With slow steps she floated over to him. 
Her hair hung down her back and swayed with every step she took.  “Well,” she
asked in a silken voice, “what do you think?”  Stopping before him, she turned
a complete circle, showing off the low-slung back, exposing her flawless skin
to his lecherous eyes.

“Jesus,” he spoke in a sotto voice.  “You
look amazing.”

Jayde faced him once again.  Her eyes
delivered a message that her mouth had no need to say.  With one smooth motion,
Tyson was on his feet, drawing her in closer to his body.  He hesitated for a
moment and then she spoke.

“Make my wish come true, Tyson.”  She
pressed her soft lips against his and slid her tongue into his mouth.

“Do you want to keep this piece of silk?”
Tyson asked against her mouth.

“Yes.” Then curiosity won and she pulled
back.  “Why?”

“Because I am about to rip the damn thing
off of you,” he growled as his hand slid one strap down, baring her smooth
shoulder.

The heat in her eyes was undeniable.  “I
have others,” she said in a low voice.

Tyson found and held onto his last bit of
control.  “Do you know what you are saying?”

“I know exactly what I am saying, Mr.
Kincade,” she mumbled as her lips found his again.

“I love you, Jayde…my little rose.”  Tyson
moved his hands down to the lower back of her gown and with one powerful
motion, ripped her silk nightgown, leaving her indisputably naked before him.

Tyson made good on his word.  It wasn’t
until seven in the morning that they finally succumbed to a much-needed sleep. 
The strawberries and champagne were gone, and not an inch of skin on either of
them hadn’t been loved by the other.

Around one in the afternoon the room
phone’s shrill ringing awakened the sleeping lovers.  They were intertwined to
the point it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.

“Hello?” Tyson grumbled into the receiver.

“Lunch is going to be served at the house
in an hour.  Be there,” the female voice crackled in his ear.

“Yes, Mey-maw,” Tyson said as he hung up
the phone.  Then he turned his attention to the woman who was sprawled over him
like a sheet.  He could feel the drool on his shoulder from her mouth.

He shook her gently.  “Jayde, come on, you
have to get up.”  He shook her again.

She mumbled something very unladylike
against his shoulder but did push away and look down at him.  “Why?”

“That was Mey-maw.  Lunch is in an hour and
we’ve been ordered to be there.”  His eyes darkened as they ran over her
delectable body.  “How long does it take to get there again?”

Jayde grinned saucily in return.  “We have
time,” she muttered as she lowered her head to his.

With a little bit of speeding and a whole
lot of luck they made it in time for lunch.  They jumped out of the car and
went up the steps to the door where Ben and Regina met the couple knowing
looks.

“Afternoon, Pey-paw, Mey-maw,” Jayde said
as she kissed them both.

“Y’all almost late,” Regina said.

“My fault, ma’am,” Tyson admitted as he
slid his arm around his woman.

“I bet,” Ben muttered and smirked.  “Well,
come on, we got us some chittin’' and chattin’ to do.”

Jayde blushed and turned her head into
Tyson’s shoulder.  “What’s wrong, my little rose?” he asked as he turned up her
face with one hand.

“They know!”  She gestured with her hand. 
“What we were doing!”

All he did was chuckle. “Of course they
know.  They couldn’t be happier for us.”  He brushed a gentle kiss along her
pouty lips before escorting her to the kitchen.

Soon all four were out in the back yard
sitting at the large table.  “So, are you coming this evening?” Ben asked over
a bite of mashed potatoes.

“This evening?” Tyson inquired as he arched
an eyebrow to Jayde.

“Didn’t she tell you?” Regina asked and
sent her granddaughter an admonishing frown.

“No, I didn’t tell him,” Jayde defended
herself.  “I wanted a chance to tell Father and Mother before they met him.”

“Little rose,” Tyson said.  “I won’t let
anyone hurt you.”

“I know that, Tyson, but this is something
I have to do on my own.” Jayde stood firm.

“Where is this evening happening?” Tyson
asked Ben.

“At the park.  Tonight is the informal
gathering while two nights from now is our formal party.  You know, the whole
nine yards—tuxedos and evening gowns.”  He looked at his wife.  “It’s the way
my son shows the town he is very prominent.”

Regina added, “So will you come tonight?”

“I will be nearby just in case Jayde needs
me.  But otherwise, I will respect her decision to face her family alone.”  His
hazel eyes met Jayde’s dark brown ones and he smiled as he saw her gratitude at
his understanding.

Just as Tyson was finishing up, his pager
beeped.  He looked at the number and excused himself from the table ,pulling
out his cell phone as he walked further into the backyard.

When he returned, he saw them clearing off
the patio table so he went into the kitchen to find Jayde.  “Are you ready to
go?” He wrapped his arms around her from behind.

“Do you have to leave?” Jayde asked as she
spun in his arms.

“No.  That was just Scott checking in on
me.”  He put his face down so their noses were touching.  “He sends his
greetings to you ‘the Megalodon Amazon.’  I think you bewitched him.”

“The Megalodon Amazon?  Do I even want to
know?” Jayde wondered.

Tyson smiled. “It’s an honor.  You are an
honorary teammate.”

“And here I thought Scott didn’t like me,”
she teased.

Tyson narrowed his eyes. “Oh, trust me, he
likes you.”

Jayde grinned.  “Are you jealous?”

“Any man would be jealous of others around
you.”  He kissed her lips.

Jayde wrapped her arms around his neck and
returned the kiss with passion.  Her legs wound themselves around his waist,
pressing them closer together.   She pulled away to add, “I like him too.”

Tyson arched an eyebrow.  “How much do you
like him?”

“Oh, pretty well.  I mean he is very
handsome.  Did you see his eyes? They are such a vibrant shade of blue…and his
mouth…”

Tyson kissed her silent.  “I get it; no
need to say anymore.”  His lips found hers again and went back to doing what
they did so well together.

Finally, a cough broke into their little
world.  “Is this what y’all have been doing in here for the past ten minutes?” 
It was Regina.

Jayde turned her head and met the amused
glance of her grandmother.  “Hello, Mey-maw.”

“Perhaps, chile, you should get off his
waist and get ready for this evening,” Regina suggested.