Kincade's Rose (Megalodon Team) (19 page)

“We just thought you might have met that
white man later.” The scornful voice came.

“Who is ‘we’?” Jayde wanted to go back to
sleep, not deal with her mother.

“Why, George and I, of course. Don’t worry;
we know that fake ring you’re wearing is just for show,” she gloated as if she
had discovered a huge secret.

“First, there is no man in this room with
me.  Second, I don’t want things smoothed over with George.  I want nothing to
do with him.  I will not marry him; in fact I don’t even want to talk to him! 
So the very notion he wants me to apologize to him is not going to happen,”
Jayde said as she slid on her bathrobe and sat down on the edge of the bed.
This ring is not just for show, and I can’t wait until you realize that.

“Don’t get sassy with me,” her mother
snapped.

“Listen to me.  George and I aren’t an
item.”  Jayde stood and walked to the door, opening it.  “Now, if there is
nothing else…”  She pinned her mother with a look that said “get out!”

“We are all ashamed of you for not coming
down to care for your sister.  But I guess that is to be expected.” The woman
just wouldn’t take a hint.

Jayde felt dread grow in the pit of her
stomach. “Meaning?”

“Meaning you aren’t my child.”

Why the hell is she doing this to me?
For a moment, Jayde could only stand there and stare. “What are you saying?”

“You aren’t one of us; you don’t belong
with us.  The only reason you were here is because my stupid husband made a
promise to his sister-in-law.  If it weren’t for who he was in the city, I
would’ve made him get rid of you from the very beginning.”

“Get out!”  At her mother’s hesitation she
shouted again.  “Get out!  Damn you, just get out!”

The second Porscha was through the door,
Jayde slammed it in her face, cutting off whatever she was going to say next. 
Then Jayde succumbed to tears.

For the rest of the day, Jayde tried to be
upbeat, first spending the day at the beach with her cousins, then having
dinner with Cole and his wife.  However, thoughts of Tyson and her mother’s
words weren’t far from her mind.

The next day, Jayde treated herself to a
day at the spa.  She got a massage anointed with water lily and dark amber oil,
a body wax, a manicure, and a pedicure.  Her hair was swept up in a dazzling
display with only one tendril left to hang down by her right ear.

Back in her hotel room, Jayde slid on her
dress for the evening.  It was a black formal gown that fit her body like a
dream.  The straps were offset on her shoulders and the neckline sweetheart
neckline tantalized what lay beneath the satin material.

As she stared at her reflection, she
removed her gold necklace and replaced it with a silver one that had a sapphire
rose pendant on it.  She also put in silver dangling earrings that had three
chains. At the end of each was a small sapphire teardrop.

She placed a sapphire and diamond ring on
her ring finger on her right hand.  Her only other piece of jewelry was the
silver filigree bracelet on her left hand and her wedding ring.  Jayde slipped
her feet in T-strapped, three-inch black heels and picked up her small purse. 
She was ready to go.

A good portion of the city had turned out
for this, or so it seemed.  The ballroom was practically wall to wall with
people.  Her grandparents were really well liked and respected here.  As she
sat off to the side and watched the couples dancing, she spotted George moving
towards her.

She wanted to flee, but she refused to make
a scene on her grandparents’ night. “What do you want?” she asked as he stopped
beside her.

“A dance,” he said in his normal
condescending tone.

“No.  I don’t know how many times I can say
this or in how many different ways.  I don’t want a relationship with you.  I
don’t want anything with you, so go away and leave me alone,” Jayde responded,
so tired of the same old thing between them.

The room erupted in applause as the guests
of honor spoke. “Thank you for this, to our family and friends who came
together to celebrate our union.  Now continue to eat, dance, and have a
wonderful time.”

The band struck up the beginning to a slow
dance and as George reached for her hand, something behind her caught his
attention, causing him to back away.  Little by little the whole room fell
silent until the only thing she heard was a set of very deliberate footsteps
walking across the ballroom floor.

Jayde turned in her seat.  What she saw
brought tears to her eyes.  It was Tyson in full military dress, striding
purposefully toward her.  His white uniform stood out sharply against his
tanned skin, his hat tucked under his left arm.  On the left side of his
uniform was, in brilliant gold, his Trident pin, marking him as a soldier in
the Teams.  Under that were numerous rows of ribbons, many with pins in them as
well. It was obvious he’d gone above and beyond the call of duty many times
over.  His hair had been freshly cut, shorter than when she’d seen him two days
ago.

Whispers filled the room.  “Look at that!”

“Who do you think it is?”

“Looks like that same guy who played George
on the court.”

Stopping before Jayde, Tyson looked down,
those gorgeous eyes of his bearing into her soul.  “Figured you might want a
date for the party.”  One lean hand reached out and stroked her face.  She
could smell his aftershave.

“So you just came out of the goodness of
your heart?” she asked behind a smile as she pressed her face into his touch.

“No, I came because there’s not another
place I would rather be than by your side,” Tyson pledged, his eyes backing up
his statement with love.

“Who are you?” a deep voice intruded.

Tyson moved his gaze from his wife to the
older man who stood beside her.  “And you are?” Tyson asked, dropping his hand
from Jayde’s face.

“I believe I asked first.  That is my
daughter,” the man claimed.

Tyson scanned the room and noted the unsure
looks he was receiving.  Then looked back at her. “Jayde?”

She rose and placed her hand in his
outstretched one.  “Now is fine,” she said.

Instead of answering the sour-looking man,
Tyson set his pristine white hat on the table and spun his wife in a circle. 
“You look amazing.” He twirled her back into his decorated chest and, putting one
hand behind her head and the other at the small of her back, kissed her.

The room erupted in cheers and
accusations.  “Get off of my daughter, you bastard!” Jayde’s father yelled and
swung at him.

Tyson gathered Jayde close and sidestepped
the attack easily.  “Don’t ever raise your hand to me.  Or your daughter.”  He
looked down her.  “Are you okay?”

Jayde smiled up at him. “I’m always okay
with you around.”

Tyson winked at her and tucked her under
his arm, then turned his attention back to the man in front of them.  “Forgive
me, sir, but I will not let anyone take a swing at this woman.”

“I remember you from the park the other
day.  You beat George.  Who the hell are you?”

“Yes, I beat George, and I warned him to
leave Jayde alone, a warning I don’t think he heeded very well.” Tyson swung
his gaze over to George, who blanched and backed up even more.

“Who the hell are you to think you can tell
my daughter’s fiancée to leave her alone?” her father demanded.

“Her husband.”

The room plummeted into silence

“What did you say?” A woman screeched as
she headed across the floor, her movements elegant despite the anger radiating
from her.

“You must be Jayde’s mother,” Tyson said
dryly.

“She is not married!” the woman insisted.
Tyson
really
didn’t like her.  Her narrowed eyes focused on Jayde. He
felt his woman tremble beside him.  “She is nothing but a slut!”

“Mind your tone as you speak to my wife. 
And yes, she
is
my wife.”  Tyson knew all present heard the hard edge to
his tone.

“Jayde!” her mother screamed.  “Tell them
this is a lie.  Damn you!  Tell them!”

“I can’t do that,” Jayde said as she sank
back into Tyson’s protective touch.  “He is my husband.  I did marry a
stranger.  I married him in Belize.”  Her eyes grew defiant as she stared down
the spiteful woman. “I married a man who I hadn’t even known for twenty-four
hours.  And you know what else? I have felt more alive with him than I have
ever felt before in my life.  I love him.”

“I love you, too, little rose.”  Tyson
turned to Ben and Regina and went to them, Jayde in tow.  “It is wonderful to
see you both again.”  He kissed Regina’s cheek and shook Ben’s hand.

“And you, Tyson, glad you could make it,”
Ben said.  Then he waved to the band for music.  “Now, go dance with that
lovely wife of yours.  In fact, I think we will join you.”

“Yes, sir!”  Tyson moved Jayde out to the
floor, her grandparents right beside them.

Eventually other couples started dancing as
well and the party atmosphere returned to room.  Tyson could still feel all
eyes on them.  Not really liking all the attention, he walked Jayde back to
where she’d been sitting.

He pulled her chair out for her. “Here,
Jayde, have a seat.”

She smiled gratefully at him. “I can’t
thank you enough for coming here tonight.  Look at you! So amazing…so handsome…” 
She touched the gold pin and asked, “Is this it, the pin that sets you apart
from the rest of the Navy?” Her fingers moved over his chest to the ribbons on
the other side.

“Yes.  The Budweiser or Trident.  It tells
everyone I am in the Teams.”  He put his hand over hers and placed it against
his heart.  “You never have to thank me for spending time with you, Jayde.  I
love you.”

She stepped closer to him and dropped her
voice to a whisper. “I have to confess something to you.”

His eyes grew dark with desire.  “Unburden
your soul,” his velvet tone ran over her body as his finger traced her
cheekbone.

“When I went back to the hotel and saw you
weren’t there…I thought maybe…maybe you had gone back to
her.
” Jayde
blushed.

“My little rose, I don’t want Carrie.  I
have never wanted her the way I want you.  And now I only want
you.
”  He
cupped the sides of her face, bringing them nose to nose.  “Only you, for the
rest of our lives.”

“Oh, Tyson!”  She threw her arms around his
neck and said, “I love you!”

As if she didn’t weigh more than a feather,
he lifted her in his arms, handing her to the sky.  He was filled with an
overwhelming sense of peace and contentment.  Her head leaned back and her bare
arms fell open as if she were embracing the world as a husky, pealing laughter
rang from her . “I love you, Tyson!  I love you!”

He brought her mouth back to his and
devoured her.  After a long moment, he reluctantly set her on her own feet to
the thunderous applause from the room. Her immediately family merely scowled. 
Jayde and Tyson walked over to her grandparents and kissed them goodbye.  Then
he scooped her up in his arms and carried her up the stairs and out the door,
his hat settled on her head.

They made love once they got back to the
hotel room.  Later on, they put on sleep clothes and shared a relaxing bottle
of wine, both jarred to alertness when a knock sounded on their door.  It was a
little after ten o’clock at night.

Tyson sauntered over to the door dressed
solely in a pair of flannel pajama pants.  He opened it and found himself face
to face with his father-in-law and his eyes narrowed.

“Can I help you?”  Tyson asked.

“I’d like to talk to Jayde.”  Jonas Porter
stared at the man who filled the doorway.  Tyson knew he was taller than Mr.
Porter by a few inches and full of muscles.  He hoped the older man didn’t mind
his attire too much.  Then again, he didn’t much care.

Tyson moved back. “Come on in.”

Jonas moved into the room and saw his
daughter curled up on the lounge in the room.  In her hand was a glass of wine
and the light glinted off her wedding ring.  “Jayde,” he said.

“Father,” she said warily.  “What are you
doing here?”

“I needed to talk to you.  Can you spare me
some time?”

“You’re here, go ahead and say your piece,”
Jayde said, scooting closer to Tyson the moment he sat beside her.  “Can I get
you a drink?”

“Wine please,” her father said.

Jayde poured a glass and handed it to him,
being careful not to touch him, Tyson noticed.  Then she sat back down next to
her him, relaxing as his arm settled around her.  “Well?” she prompted.

“I realize that I am not a candidate for
Father of the Year in your book, but I owe you an explanation,” Jonas began.

Jayde just looked at him with a blank
stare.

“Okay,” Jonas tried.  “I know you will
probably never forgive me for the way I treated you your whole life, but I had
my reasons for doing so.  Porscha is not your mother.  My sister-in-law is.”

“You slept with your sister-in-law?”  Jayde
was clearly astounded.  Tyson began stroking her arm in silent support.

“Yes.  It was a one-time thing, and you
were the result.  When she and my brother died and we got custody of you, I
realized you were mine.  So did Porscha.  When you were small and I would show
you any affection, Porscha would just be meaner to you.  But if I ignored you
and gave all my attention to ‘our’ kids, she would just leave you alone.” Jonas
took another long drink of the wine.

“I know that is not an excuse; I should
have fought for you.  I should have been a man and been a father to you.  I’ve
never told you how proud I am of your accomplishments, your double major, even
your paintings.  I have one; I keep it in my office at work, that way Porscha
won’t ever see it.” He smiled sadly.

“Anyway, I just thought I should tell you
before you leave and I never get to see you again that…that I love you.  I wish
I had been a better father—hell, I wish I had
been
a father.  Regardless,
I see you are in very capable hands with this young man here.  A SEAL, are we? 
Can I ask what your name is?”