Tyson: Broken Hill Boys (Novella 4)

by Sheridan Anne

  I start heading for the gate with my rolls when Jesse’s voice stops me in my tracks. “Ty?” he calls out in a concerned tone that’s incredibly rare for him. I turn back to find both Kaylah and Jesse watching me. “Just go and fucking talk to her, man. What’s the worst that could happen?”

  “What’s the worst that could happen?” I repeat. “Trust me, when it comes to Brylee, the worst is something I don’t even want to think about.”

  I walk out of the pool area and back through the house. I thank Trish for my bacon and egg sandwiches and before I know it, I’m dropping back down into my car, unable to stop replaying Kaylah’s words in my head. She’s scared. If that is the case and she’s just worried I’m going to hurt her, then I’ll put those fucking worries to bed and prove to her that there’s absolutely nothing to be afraid of.

  All I know is that after the taste I got last night, there’s no way in hell that I’ll be able to continue on without getting more. Brylee is my end game and I’d be a fucking fool not to give it one last shot.

  I’m just about to put my key in the ignition to get my ass home when a text comes through on my phone. I glance down and arch a brow as I see Brylee’s nickname on my screen. Out of all the people I’d expect a message from today, she was certainly not one of them.

  Freckles – Um…you used a condom, right?

  I think back, trying to recall the moment before she raised up and slide down on my dick. She held me, I held her ass, we kissed, it was messy and desperate, fucking limbs going everywhere…but a condom?

  Fuck.

  Chapter 7

  Brylee

  I stand at the front of the church, watching as my aunt Kate pours her heart out saying her vows. She holds tightly onto the hands of her groom who hasn’t stopped looking at her in adoration since she came walking down the aisle.

  I never thought this day was going to come. Kate and Harrison have been together for at least ten years. She’s my dad’s little sister who had it hard in her teen years. She fell pregnant with my older cousin, Arianna, when she was fifteen and the second she told her boyfriend that she was knocked up, he ran for the hills. Kate did it all on her own until she finally met Harrison and the two of them have been inseparable ever since. He gave her the life she’s always deserved and brought Arianna along. They even have two little boys of their own now.

  I stand beside Arianna who’s had tears in her eyes since we first woke up this morning. I reach out and take her hand, giving it a quick squeeze as I glance across at her. She gives me a warm smile and laughs at herself, not usually one to fall victim to her emotions. “Oh, shut up,” she teases. “I can’t help it.”

  I laugh before turning back to the bride and groom. This is my favorite part of every wedding ceremony, especially when the couple writes their own vows. It’s one of the most honest and raw moments a human can experience and to be able to do it with the person you love just seems far beyond anything I’ll ever be lucky enough to experience.

  They exchange rings and I blink back tears of my own. These two are so in love. No one deserves this happy ending more than them. Before I know it, the line “You may kiss your bride,” is being said with pride and Harrison is grabbing Kate as though he can’t possibly get enough and kissing her with everything he’s got.

  The ceremony comes to an end and the bride and groom walk back up the aisle with their bridal party following behind. We walk out the front of the church and Arianna instantly throws her arms around her mom. “You finally did it,” she beams. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “Thank you, my darling,” Kate says with tears brimming in her eyes. “Have I told you how beautiful you look in this dress?”

  Arianna rolls her eyes as Kate and Harrison’s guests begin pouring out of the church to congratulate them. “Yes,” Arianna groans. “I’m sure you’ve said it at least one hundred times since I first put it on. Now, stop making this moment about me, this is all you, mom.”

  Kate and Harrison hardly get a chance to say ‘hi’ to all their guests before the photographers are herding everyone into a big group to take photos and I find myself standing among my family. Mom curls her arm around my side and pulls me in while beaming with joy. “You made an excellent bridesmaid,” she whispers as the photographers start going nuts with their cameras.

  I keep my smile on my face, not wanting to be the reason for a ruined photo. “Thanks, mom. It’s been fun. We all got our hair and makeup done this morning while sipping champagne and feasting on fruit platters and pancakes.”

  “Damn, I missed out,” she says with a soft laugh. “But it’s not over yet. Are you girls still planning on doing a speech together?”

  I let out a long breath, not wanting to be caught groaning while so closely surrounded by all these people. “Yeah,” I say, feeling slightly nervous and anxious while trying to give myself a mental pep talk. After all, what Arianna and I have planned for our ‘speech’ is not exactly traditional. “Arianna talked me into writing our speech as a song to the tune of ‘Sexy and I Know it’ and now I have to get up in front of all these people and sing.”

  Mom’s mouth drops and she looks at me in horror. “You?” she questions in shock before placing a hand to my forehead. “Are you feeling alright? Because the daughter I know and love would never get up in front of a crowd and sing.”

  “I know,” I groan. “It’s going to be horrendous, but I have to admit, it’s actually pretty cool. If I can get up there and get the words out without fainting or throwing up, then you’ll love it.”

  “Oh, honey, if you were to get up there and throw up in front of all these people, I can guarantee that I’ll love every moment of it.”

  “Mom,” I groan, nudging her with my elbow.

  She pulls me in tighter. “You’re going to be fine,” she tells me. “You’ll have your cousin right by your side and the knowledge that you’ll never have to see most of these people again.”

  Dad’s head pokes in between mine and mom’s. “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that,” dad says with a playful grin. “I’ll be videoing it in the hopes you get tongue-tied so I can spend the rest of my days playing it on repeat and laughing.”

  “The rest of your days are going to be numbered if you even think about pulling out your phone while I’m up there,” I warn, knowing that no amount of begging is going to stop him from recording our song. As long as there’s a chance that he could secure himself the perfect footage to embarrass me with, then I can guarantee that he’ll capture it, and I don’t doubt, that if I do screw it up, dad will have that footage showing at every birthday, Christmas, and family lunch until the end of time.

  The photographer lets the guest go and requests the bridal party to pile into the limousines. We drive for half an hour while sipping champagne until we pull up at the most beautiful rainforest this world has to offer.

  I’ve never been here before but I’ve heard some incredible things and after a short fifteen-minute walk through the trees, it becomes startlingly clear how this place got such a stellar reputation.

  A waterfall crashes down into a pool of water that glistens with the sun’s rays, despite the heavy clouds from this morning’s thunder storm. The water is crystal clear and instantly has me desperate to jump in, though I wouldn’t dare ruin this dress like that.

  We start posing for photos with our incredible backdrop and as the next hour goes by, all I can think about is telling Tyson about this place. There’d be nothing better than swimming through the water and feeling the waterfall coming down around you. Come to think of it, I wouldn’t mind swimming under that waterfall and seeing what’s on the other side.

  All too soon the photographer calls a wrap on the photoshoot and while I never want to leave this place, I can’t help the excitement pulsing through my veins at knowing what’s to come.

  We pull up at the most luscious manor home in Broken Hill. It’s the one place people go to have their wedding receptions around here because it’s simply stunn
ing. There are beautiful gardens over the whole property, there’s a massive ballroom with floor to ceiling windows, a private bar, indoor and outdoor dance floors. Whatever you want in a reception, this place has got it.

  The party gets underway and Kate and Harrison are introduced as husband and wife for the first time, making both me and Arianna giddy with excitement. Our night goes on and it’s absolutely perfect, we even manage to nail our song receiving a standing ovation from the guests. Naturally, dad recorded and for the first time, I’m kind of glad that he did.

  Kate and Harrison are called to the dance floor and all the lights are dimmed. A spotlight comes down on them as the sound of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud’ begins flowing through the speakers. Kate places a hand on Harrison’s chest as his arms curl around her waist. She looks up at him and at this moment, it’s clear that to her, all that exists is him.

  They look at each other in adoration and I have to grab Arianna’s hand again to help manage her tears. There’s simply nothing more beautiful than seeing the love between two people.

  Their bodies begin swaying to the music and I lean forward onto the table, propping my hand under my chin as I watch them with a strange feeling pulsing through me. What is that? I don’t even think I know. I feel unbelievably happy, but the longer I watch them in their private little love bubble, the more my heart breaks. I don’t understand this. What’s going on? I should be sitting here with tears in my eyes just like everyone else in this grand ballroom.

  Arianna squeezes my hand. “What’s wrong?” she questions, making me realize that whatever is going on inside of me must be reflected on my face.

  I shake my head as I let out a heavy breath. “I don’t know,” I tell her, unable to look away from the dance floor. “I just…I feel kind of heavy.”

  Arianna gives me a soft, knowing smile. “It’s Tyson, isn’t it?”

  My head whips in her direction faster than lightning. “What?” I laugh. “What does Tyson have to do with anything?”

  She grins. “Because you’re in love with him and right now, he isn’t here.”

  “Woah,” I laugh. “Slow down there, Ari. I may have a habit of sneaking into bed with the guy, but I’m not in love with him. I just like having sex with him. There’s a huge difference. It’s not that.”

  “Bullshit,” Arianna says. “I see it all over your face every time you talk about him, which is constantly by the way. You’re in denial. You don’t want to love him and you’re terrified of opening yourself up to someone like him, so you push him away, over and over, and over again.”

  “I do not.”

  She squeezes my hand again. “You do. You might think you’re just telling him no and that he’s just a friend with benefits, but he’s so much more. You’re in love with him, Bry.”

  I shake my head, unable to believe her lunacy. I mean, me in love with Tyson? That’s absurd. I’d understand me maybe liking the guy a little more than I should, but I’m certainly not in love with him. Despite what Ari might think, we’re just friends and I don’t want to ruin that. I know he feels something more, that’s obvious, but he knows where I draw the line and he’s always been okay with that which is exactly how this whole sleeping together thing has been able to work.

  Tyson knew the deal from the very first second he ever touched me. Though to be fair, I think we were both pretty drunk that night. I know I can hardly remember it. I understand Arianna’s confusion. I am incredibly attracted to him, but the need to be where he is, that comes from having such a great connection. My heart races because I know that he can set my body on fire and I want to be around him because I know that if I’m lucky, that’s exactly what he’ll do to me. It’s just sex, nothing more. No, I’m definitely not in love with the guy.

  I shake my head, refusing to answer her as I know exactly how that’s going to go. Ari is stubborn just like the rest of our family and if you try to tell her something that she doesn’t think is right, she’ll fight you on it until you’re unsure of what you were even trying to convince her of in the first place.

  “So whether you’re in love with the guy or not,” she starts, making me roll my eyes. “Don’t you think you owe it to yourself to at least give him a shot? You guys have something real and I think it could turn into so much more.” She flicks her eyes towards her mom and Harrison as if trying to make a point. “Tyson wants you so bad and despite your endless denials, you want him too, so just do yourself a favor and go be with him.”

  “You realize that I live at Yale, right? Hours away from Broken Hill. It would never work. He’s in high school, living it up, partying every chance he gets and probably screwing everything with a pulse, while I spend my nights with my head in textbooks, not even thinking about having fun.”

  “It’s called a long-distance relationship. People do it all the time.”

  “I know that, but for something like that to work, Ty would have to be faithful and I’d need to be able to trust him, and I’m not sure if that’s possible. He’s a wild card and being with him is taking a risk that I’m not sure I want to take.”

  “You know the road goes both ways, right? You’d need to be trustworthy too.”

  I scoff at her ridiculous comments. “Who would I be unfaithful with? My eighty-year-old professor, whose idea of an exciting day is combing his hair in the opposite direction?”

  “Come on,” she says, turning back to watch the newlyweds first dance. “Just think about it. No harm could come from that.”

  “Fine,” I grumble moments before the emcee asks the rest of the bridal party to join their dance. I get up from my chair as Harrison’s nephew, Blake, offers me his arm. I take it with a grateful smile and allow him to lead me to the dance floor.

  Blake takes my waist and I turn into him, finding it impossible to get my mind off my conversation with Arianna despite the way he’s looking at me as though I’m some kind of snack. Could Ari be right? Should I actually be considering a future with Tyson, let alone just dating the guy?

  It’s a risk. He’s dangerous territory and while being with a guy like Tyson would be fun, is it something I’m willing to throw caution to the wind with and give it a real shot? I don’t know.

  I have my future to think about. I’ll be at Yale for years to come while Tyson is in Broken Hill doing whatever the hell he wants to do with himself, not to mention, a long-distance relationship is a lot of work.

  I let out a sigh and try to push it to the back of my mind, I’m here to enjoy Kate’s wedding and if that means trying to forget about Tyson for just one night, then that’s exactly what I’m going to do…at least try to do.

  Chapter 8

  Tyson

  I lay back against the headboard of my bed, staring at my phone as I spin it between my fingers, just as I’ve been doing for the past two hours. It’s Sunday night and I was hoping to have had the chance to talk this through with Brylee by now, but she’s at a wedding, leaving me absolutely no choice but to wait it out.

  She’s due to go home tomorrow and I’m not sure I can go on, not knowing how she feels about us. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty fucking positive that she loves me, but I need to hear that from her. It’s one thing to think I know, but having the words come from her mouth would make this real.

  I spin my phone one more time before lighting up the screen. 11:46 pm. When does a wedding usually end? Do they go late into the night or does the bar cut off at 10 and people just take their asses home?

  I sit up in bed and swing my legs over the side, forcing myself to stay seated. This really isn’t how I planned my weekend to go. If I’d known she was coming, I would have been there at the airport to pick her up and forced her to let me drive her home. We would have had this conversation done and dusted by now, instead, it’s dragging out and it’s killing me.

  Oh, fuck it. I bring up her number and hit call before I give myself a chance to pussy out. The phone rings five times and I’m just about to end the call when her voice comes thr
ough my speakers. “Ty? What the hell are you doing? Do you have any idea what time it is?”

  “Is the wedding over?”

  “Umm…yeah? I only just got home.”

  I’m out of my fucking room and racing down the stairs in the blink of an eye. I end the call and throw myself out the door before dropping down into my car and starting it up.

  I race toward Brylee’s place with a desperation that surprises me. I know I’m in love with this woman but I didn’t know it had the ability to make me act like a fucking idiot. What am I supposed to say to her? It’s the middle of the night and she’s probably exhausted from having such a huge day. The last thing she wants to do is deal with whatever this thing is between us, yet even with knowing all of that, I still can’t find it within me to turn the fucking car around.

  I should wait out the night and go see her in the morning. I can take her back to the airport and we can talk it through then. What I shouldn’t be doing is driving as though my name is Nate Ryder and breaking every fucking traffic law while I do it.

  Being the middle of the night, there are no cars on the road and I get myself to Brylee’s house within minutes. I pull up on the curb and get out of my car before leaning against it and looking up at her home. The light is on in her bedroom and I see her faint shadow behind the curtain. I bring up her number once again and hit call.

  Brylee answers within seconds. “What the hell, Tyson? We were talking and then you just hung up on me.”

  “Come outside, babe.”

  “What?” she grunts. “What do you mean come outside? It’s the middle of the night and I want to go to bed.”

  “Babe,” I groan, unable to keep the light joyfulness out of my tone. “Just come outside so we can talk.”

  Brylee sucks in a sharp gasp and the faint shadow becomes pretty fucking detailed moments before she throws open her curtains and stares down at me in shock. “What the hell are you doing here?” she demands. “Shouldn’t you be at home, watching some weird fetish porn while getting off to the thought of your bromance with Jess?”