Conklin's Corruption

by Brooke Page

  Jamie’s eyes swept back around all of us again then she groaned. “Fine! I swear to God, if he makes a move on me, I’m kicking him in the nuts.”

  Chapter 20

  Tyler

  Top Ten Moves To Make Her Come. This was the headline in the magazine I was reading in Becca’s old apartment. No one knew, but I already subscribed to this magazine on my iPad. They gave good advice most of the time; at least I believed it was good because it worked. I’d planned on using some of it next weekend when Becca and I took our trip.

  I managed to get a three day weekend for both of us. Clearing our schedules wasn’t always easy, but I knew we needed to get away.

  Our relationship had been better, but I still had business to attend to in Chicago the past week. I couldn’t swap with Nathan because he would be mainly in Miami. Tonight was the first time Becca and I had seen each other in over a week.

  Becca was helping Jamie get ready for her date with Mitch. Jamie was being a poor sport, complaining there was no way Mitch would tell her anything and how he would never leave her alone after tonight. I guess he’d been hitting on her constantly since she had been stationed in Miami, making landing a date with him easy.

  Both girls came walking down the hall, Jamie’s heels clicking loudly on the hardwood. My brother would eat her up in her short tight dress, but she didn’t compare to my Becs and her little shorts and comfy t-shirt. Becca’s hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and her face was fresh without makeup, just how I liked it.

  I threw the magazine down, not wanting them to know my secret as they approached me. “You look like Mitch won’t be able to keep his hands off you,” I teased.

  Jamie narrowed her eyes at me. “I meant what I said. If he touches me, he won’t ever be able to have children.”

  Becca laughed. “Maybe we should put a cardigan on you and dress pants.”

  “No, because a girl only gets what she wants if she looks the part. How else am I supposed to tempt him into telling me what I want to know if I don’t seduce him a little?”

  “Jamie, I think you are underestimating your ability to control my little brother. There isn’t that much going on up there,” I smiled, pointing a finger to my head.

  She let out a growl and stomped to the kitchen the best she could with her dangerous shoes. I never understood why woman put themselves through wearing those things.

  The buzzer rang, letting us know Mitch was here.

  “Okay, put on your game face. What do you have to do?” I asked, standing from the couch.

  “Try and get Mitch to spill about the RJ bricks. Find out if he’s working with anyone on the side and where and how many properties,” she answered as if I were an idiot.

  I nodded my head, wrapping an arm around Becca’s waist.

  We heard a knock at the door, and Becca left my side to open the door for Mitch.

  To no surprise, he showed in jeans and a button shirt with boots. No flowers. I shook my head. How did he ever expect to charm a woman this way? I guess it didn’t matter to him; he wasn’t looking for the one, only the one night. I felt slightly guilty for throwing Jamie into this situation.

  “Hey Becca,” he greeted, giving her too friendly of a hug. I cleared my throat as I gave him the death glare.

  Mitch looked passed Becca’s shoulder and gave me a smirk. Ass.

  “Surprised to see you here, Tyler. This isn’t a double date, is it?” he asked, showing concern.

  Jamie walked from around the island loudly. “Nope. Just you and me,” she said, popping her lips.

  Mitch’s eyes grew wide as he took her in, and I knew he was thinking the same as any other warm blooded male. My guilt for Jamie just doubled. She might have a hard time fighting him off her leg by the end of the night.

  “You look amazing,” Mitch said.

  “Thank you.” Jamie smiled then turned to roll her eyes at me. I stifled a laugh and shrugged my shoulders. “What do you have planned?” she asked, batting her eyelashes in Mitch’s direction.

  Mitch licked his lips, proving Jamie might be able to pull off our plan. “Let me tell you on the way out,” he flirted, actually holding the door open for her. He gave a wink with his sleazy grin, and I only shook my head in disgust.

  Becs came back to my side, wrapping her arms around my waist. “Have fun! Be good to my best friend!” she called after Mitch.

  He gave another wink to Becca as he closed the door.

  “We owe her big time for this,” Becca said, nestling her head into my shoulder.

  “Yeah, we’ll think of something,” I said, rubbing her back with my arm. “I just hope it’ll be worth it.”

  I sensed her thinking then pulled her away so I could look at her. “What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head then headed back towards the kitchen. “Nothing. I bought ingredients to make fish tacos. Does that sound good?”

  I nodded my head, following her into the kitchen.

  ***

  After cleaning the mess from dinner, we settled ourselves on the couch, waiting like anxious parents for Jamie to come home.

  “Dinner was great,” I murmured, touching my lips to her hair. I inhaled the smell of her shampoo, feeling calm and collected. It was a big change from my normal anxiety.

  “I’m glad you liked it. I enjoy feeding you,” she smiled, running her hands along my full stomach.

  I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, enjoying the small and rare moment of peace between us. Is this what our Saturday nights were going to be like? Cuddled on the couch, gentle caresses and conversation? If so, I could really get used to it.

  “Our schedules are set for next weekend. I hope you don’t mind me talking to Will for you.”

  “No, it’s fine. Where are we going?”

  “Somewhere that means a lot to me,” I said, swallowing for a moment before I continued. “My family has a cottage in the Upper Peninsula on Lake Superior. I thought it would be nice to disappear for a few days.”

  Becca turned to me and smiled. “I’d love that. What days?”

  “Friday through Sunday. We’d be back in time for work on Monday.” She slowly brought her hand to my chest, tracing circles with her finger. Her eyes wouldn’t meet mine. Something else was on her mind. “Spill the beans, baby,” I said in a teasing tone.

  She glanced back to my eyes from my chest then continued her pattern. “Will you be here on Thursday night? I’m supposed to do the food tasting for the caterer for the final menu. It’d be nice to have your opinion.” Her voice was small, acting as though it wasn’t a big deal even though it probably would mean the world to her if I could come.

  “I can probably make it. Did you not think I’d want to come?” I asked with concern.

  Her smile didn’t meet her eyes when she looked at me. “No, I just didn’t know if you’d make time. You haven’t shown interest whenever I mention anything about the wedding.”

  I furrowed my brows, not really knowing what to say. “It’s your special day.”

  “No, it’s our special day.”

  “You’re right. It is our special day. But what matters to me most is that you're happy with everything. I’ll love whatever you choose,” I reassured her, rubbing my nose with hers. My absence the past few months made her lose faith in me and that sick, guilty feeling went straight to my gut.

  She let out a soft smile but still wouldn’t meet my eyes.

  “Tell me about everything you’ve chosen so far,” I said, sitting up straighter on the couch to give her my full, undivided attention.

  She sat up alongside me, a hesitant look on her face. “Really?”

  I nodded my head in all seriousness.

  “Do you want to see the wedding book?” she asked, even more puzzled.

  Oh boy, there was a book. “Yeah. Show me.”

  She bit her lip then stood, walking towards her old room. “Let me get it.”

  When Becca came back, her face was brighter. The book she was carrying was massive, ma
king my eye twitch.

  “We don’t have to do this,” she said, a bit of life fading from her eyes. I shook my head, pulling her to sit down next to me.

  “I want to. Show me.”

  She smiled brightly again, getting cozy next to me while crossing her legs. Once she opened the book, my eyes went wide. There were magazine pictures, color swatches, printed pictures of everything wedding related. Pamphlets and business cards, spreadsheets with finances. Becca was more in to this than I thought.

  She smiled widely when talking about each subject from the cake to the DJ.

  “We should set a time to meet with the DJ, soon. He’s been hounding me about songs. And so has the wedding planner about our vows” she sighed. I frowned. My lack of involvement was stressing her out. More guilt passed through me. “Don’t take it the wrong way, but I wanted to keep them traditional.”

  “That’s fine,” I agreed quickly. I loved Becca more than anything, but I liked telling only her. Spilling my guts in front of 600 people didn’t sound fun to me. Becca and I were personal and quiet. No one needed to see my emotions for my wife.

  My wife.

  My heart sped faster at the thought. Becca was going to be my wife in a month's time.

  She continued going through the book but quickly passed through the wedding dress portion.

  “Hey, I want to see that,” I teased, reaching for the book.

  “No! You have to wait!” she scolded, pulling the book from my reach.

  “Oh, come on, Becs. A picture won’t do it justice. I probably won’t even remember the photo,” I teased, reaching across her lap.

  She shoved my chest with her free hand, holding the book as far away from me as she could. “No!” Becca giggled. Instead of trying to grab the book, now I was tickling her sides, making her shriek, flailing her arms and legs. I pinned her to the couch, laughing along with her.

  I studied her beautiful features as she laughed underneath me, realizing how lucky I was to have her. Once her giggles subsided, she met my gaze, her smile still wide as I moved a stray strand of hair from her face.

  “What?” she asked, matching my grin.

  “I can’t wait to see you in your wedding dress,” I murmured, still brushing the hair from her forehead.

  She raised a brow in question.

  “I think… seeing you in that dress, walking towards me… is the biggest fantasy I’ve ever had. I think about it a lot.”

  Her smile faded and wonder was heavy in her eyes.

  “And of course I can’t wait to see what’s underneath it,” I joked, causing her to roll her eyes and laugh again.

  We stayed like that, gazing at each other. I must have looked drunk with love because I couldn’t stop smiling at her. She reached her hands so they were cradling my face.

  “Will you keep this,” she whispered, running her hands along my thicker stubble.

  “You really like it, don’t you?” I asked. She had seen my beard a lot lately. It only took a few days to grow and typically every Sunday it was a full on beard.

  She nodded her head, her look becoming deeper. She bit her lip, and I couldn’t help but follow her lead. Becca’s lips found mine and tenderly locked together, slowly moving in a grateful way. Kissing her like this felt amazing and well needed. We hadn’t taken our time together, cherished each other in so long. This was my fault, and I couldn’t wait to have a normal schedule together. That was my next project. Figuring out how I could stay in Grand Rapids and be with my Becs more.

  Becca’s tongue swept into my mouth, sweetly entangling with mine. I was getting excited but was enjoying the innocent vibe we were taking. We loved kissing and touching, really awakening our depth of feelings for one another.

  Just as things were going to heat up, Becca slowly pulled her face from mine, her breathing heavier than before. “We should wait until Jamie gets home,” she whispered, biting her lip while looking back into my eyes. “Then we can go to my room.”

  Tilting my head, I reluctantly agreed, resituating so we were both sitting upright. I pulled her close to my side, my arms firmly wrapped around her as she continued going through her wedding book.

  Our wedding book.

  ***

  My eyelids were heavy as I kinked my neck, the sunbeams seeping in through the half drawn blinds. I was slouched on the couch, Becca sprawled across my chest. After rubbing my eyes with my palm, I checked my watch. It was 7:30 a.m.

  Did we really fall asleep out here? I hadn’t slept that hard in a while. Maybe it was the prescription I just started taking this week. How did we not hear Jamie come back? And why didn’t she wake us?

  I lay my head back further into the couch cushion, attempting to stretch my neck the best I could without waking Becca. She felt so peaceful, and I enjoyed her cozy on my chest.

  Just as I was about to drift again, the door creaked open, and a disheveled Jamie tiptoed across the hardwood floor in escape to her room.

  “What happened?” I heard Becca’s morning voice accuse.

  Jamie stopped dead in her tracks, not turning to face either of us. “Nothing. I didn’t get any information out of him. Sorry.”

  Becca quickly sat up, fussing with her hair. “Jay, are you just getting home?” she questioned.

  “Um… yeah,” Jamie muffled. Both Becca and I waited for her to continue talking, but she said nothing and proceeded to her room.

  “Jamie!” Becca called, standing from the couch and following her down the hall.

  I raised a brow. Holy shit, did she spend the night with Mitch? I shook my head, trying to contain my smirk. Poor Jamie, making the walk of shame.

  Running my hands through my hair, I made my way to the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge to find something to cook for breakfast. Never fails, eggs are always in the fridge. I kept searching to find other ingredients to add, warming the pan then chopping veggies.

  By the time I was almost done cooking the veggies, Becca padded her way to the kitchen, her arms crossed and heavy in thought. She took a seat at the island, staring at her hands, a small smile creeping across her face.

  “Well?” I finally asked.

  Becca looked my way then shook her head. “She didn’t get any information out of him.”

  I cocked a brow at her, waiting for her to say more. “Is that all?”

  “Yep.”

  Chuckling, I turned back to the skillet, stirring and flipping the egg mixture. My Becs was one loyal girl.

  Chapter 21

  Becca

  Our weekend was finally here. Tyler and I were going to spend the next 72 hours together. Alone. No interruptions, no RJ bricks, no crazy detectives or drug dealers bothering us. This weekend Tyler and I were going to shut off our phones and reconnect before the wedding.

  The wedding was shockingly in order. Everything was scheduled and planned, merely waiting for the day to come. We had three weeks until the big day. Three weeks until Tyler and I were married. Giddiness ran through my veins as I thought about having him be completely mine.

  Tyler’s mood was better. He was calling me more, asking about wedding details, telling me he loved me and couldn’t wait to be married. His anxiety attacks were fewer, only happening in the night. I’d hold him to my chest, rubbing his back and shoulders, smoothing his hair with my hands, kissing his forehead and cheeks until he’d calm down.

  The psychiatrist was helping. Of all the people, his mother recommended someone based in Chicago. Some nights, I would give him a Xanax to help him calm if I couldn’t do it myself. Tyler seemed to be healing, and I was relieved.

  I tried not to be disappointed in his lack of ability to confide in me. Tyler wouldn’t talk about the psychiatrist but acted as though he never went. He was embarrassed, but I was so thankful he had been making the appointments. I knew it would take time for him to open up to me, and we had the rest of our lives.

  “Ready?” Tyler asked as he tossed one last bag into the back of the Lexus LX.

  Nodding m
y head enthusiastically, I stood on my tip toes to give him a kiss on the cheek, putting my hands in the back pockets of his jeans. His Conklin grin made an appearance as I squeezed his butt. Seeing Tyler dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt made my insides tingle. Reluctantly pulling my hands from him, I hopped inside.

  “This is a good way to celebrate your birthday,” I giggled.

  Tyler rolled his eyes as he closed my car door. “It’s about a six hour drive,” Tyler said as he slid into his side of the car, completely ignoring my birthday comment.

  I ran my hand along his thigh. “Is that why you made me get up so early?”

  “Yes. I want to make it to Mackinaw City for lunch. I haven’t eaten there since I was a little boy,” his smile faded and his face became somber. Was he having a flashback?

  “I can’t wait for you to show me. I haven’t been to the bridge since I was young either, Tyler.” I traced his knee with my fingers. Tyler took my hand in his and kissed my knuckles, still holding the same bleak expression.

  We went between small talk and silence, and that was okay. A few weeks ago Tyler would have been stone faced and put off the entire ride. My Ty needed to take this slow, and I would be beside him through the journey.

  The weather at Mackinaw was shockingly warm for being mid September. Sunny and 75 degrees made me wish I would’ve worn shorts or a skirt instead of jeans. Tyler put his aviators on as we walked to find something to eat. I enjoyed him grabbing my hand and leading the way, another aspect that helped me to feel we were moving forward from the death of his father.

  The town wasn’t very busy. Most tourists were getting back into their fall routines. Stepping into Dixie’s Saloon, I took in the rustic, log cabin environment. We were one of three customers and the waitress was anxious to seat us.

  “Want to split some cheese curds?” Tyler asked.