The beach was already scattered with a handful of town folk and there were some kids wading not too far away. The last thing he wanted to do was give the people even more to talk about. As it was, taking Ellie around today would already make them a juicy topic.
With a sigh of regret, he lifted his lips and pressed his forehead against hers. “I probably shouldn’t have done that.”
“I don’t know, felt pretty nice to me.”
“Me too. A little too nice.” He glanced over her shoulder, wincing as his hypersensitive cock pressed against her hip. “I’m tempted to take a few steps farther out and dive under the water…cool myself off a bit.”
She laughed softly. “It might be a bit cumbersome swimming in jeans though, don’t you think?”
“You’re probably right.” He lifted his head again. “Why don’t we walk a bit on the beach before we head out to my parents’.”
“That sounds great.”
He took her hand again, threading his fingers through hers in a gesture that he hoped implied he had no intention of letting her back away emotionally again.
But Ellie made no effort to free herself, instead her smaller fingers tightened around his and she gave a soft sigh as they headed out of the shallow waves and back to the beach.
He’d gain her trust. No matter what it took. He needed to convince Ellie that he wasn’t the bad guy. Whoever that might be in her life…
Each minute they spent driving to Tyson’s parents’ house, Ellie got a little more nervous. She sat staring out the window at the cute houses they passed. Some literally had white-picket fences, flower gardens, kids and dogs running free.
This town was surreal. The people were surreal. But in a good way that she hadn’t known existed outside of the sitcoms.
And now she was going to meet the rest of Tyson’s family. It seemed so overwhelming and, well, soon. They weren’t even dating—though pretty soon they’d most likely be sleeping together.
“You have nothing to worry about,” Tyson said softly, glancing her way with a reassuring smile. “It’s just a barbeque, Ellie. Seriously.”
“Oh, I’m fine,” she said a little too quickly. “Was just thinking maybe we should’ve brought a potato salad or something.”
Damn. Now that she’d mentioned it, she realized they probably should have.
“Nah, mom makes enough food to feed an army.”
“Do a lot of people come?”
He hesitated. “Not too many. Depends if the cousins, aunts and uncles show up.”
Cousins. She bit her lip and wondered if these cousins were as much trouble as Tyson and his brothers seemed to be.
Her gut clenched. When was the last time she’d met a guy’s family? Probably a few years ago, when she’d been in college, and that had been after almost seven months of dating.
What would Tyson’s family think of her? What would his parents be like? Or the now infamous brothers she’d heard so much about. And apparently cousins to top it off.
“Here we are.”
She blinked as Tyson turned the vehicle onto a dirt road. The property was massive, with an old wooden fence running along the open land.
“Wow, that’s a lot of green. Do your parents have horses or something?” she asked.
“A few, actually. We all grew up riding.”
“Do you still ride?”
His expression turned reflective. “Not as much as I’d like. Trevor’s the big rider in the family. But I do hop on Jimmy every now and then. Riding’s a great way to de-stress.”
Ellie’s lips twitched. “Jimmy?”
“Mom named the horse after Jimmy Buffett. She loves the guy.”
Her smile widened. Something told her she was going to like Tyson’s mom quite a bit.
A few minutes later, they parked in front of the large, sprawling ranch house. It was painted white with a green trim, and of course had pretty flowers aligning both sides of the front door. It was almost too lovely.
“You grew up here?” she asked softly.
“Sure did.” He turned off the engine and opened his door. “My parents have been married for almost forty years.”
Wow, that many years was pretty amazing nowadays. Her parents had just hit twenty-seven and she’d always been impressed by how long they’d made it.
Though she sometimes wondered how much her parents really loved each other. They bickered constantly and slept in separate rooms. It had crossed her mind more than once that they both just didn’t want to deal with the hassle of a divorce.
“Ready for this?” Tyson asked when he opened her door a moment later.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” She gave him what she hoped was a confident smile. “I mean, it’s just a barbeque, right?”
“Tyson Gerald Wyatt!” Sharon’s voice called out. “Will you stop your stalling and bring your girl in so everyone can meet her already?”
Ellie’s brows shot up and a barely audible whimper slipped past her lips.
“Sorry about that,” Tyson muttered under his breath as he shook his head. “She gets excited if we bring a girl over.”
“Totally a mom thing. I get it.” And she did. But still, it didn’t make it any easier as they walked up the pathway to where his mother stood in the doorway.
“Nice to see you again, Ellie.” Sharon took a step back and waved them inside. “Go on in, everyone’s out back.”
Ellie stepped over the threshold of the doorway and into the house, one ear still open to hear the greeting between mother and son behind her as they continued to stand outside.
But their friendly exchange faded from her mind as she gave a wistful sigh. What a great house—a comfy layout, with plush furniture and cream-painted walls.
Pictures covered most of those walls. Pictures from twenty years ago, when the brothers were obviously kids, wedding pictures from Tyson’s parents, and current photos.
Ellie picked up a framed picture of Sharon and a man she assumed to be Tyson’s dad. They were in a fishing boat, arms around each other, smiling, and holding up a salmon they’d caught.
So sweet. Something she’d never had…but, God, wouldn’t it be nice to find some day? For a moment, the image of her and Tyson flickered through her mind, but she snuffed it out, her stomach clenching.
“Damn. I can see why Ty staked his claim on you.”
She dropped the picture with a startled gasp, then fumbled to pick it up again as she cast a glance over her shoulder.
Another ridiculously hot male stood behind her, arms folded across his wide chest as he glanced her over with an appreciative smile.
One of Tyson’s brothers, without a doubt. His T-shirt with the firefighter logo gave that away. Not to mention he had the same hard, chiseled face and body as Tyson’s, but darker coloring. His hair was brown, almost black, and his eyes a rich chocolate.
Oh, yeah. She knew without a doubt by his words and his appearance alone that this guy must have a trail of broken hearts a mile long.
“Have I been claimed?” she asked lightly, turning fully to face him with a smile. “Because that would be news to me. I’m Ellie.”
“I’ve heard. Todd Wyatt.”
“Nice to meet you.” She held out her hand for him to shake, and then immediately wondered if he would try to hug her like his mom had.
Instead, Todd caught her hand between his two, and lifted it to his lips to brush a kiss across her knuckles.
“I see you’ve managed to corner the one single woman in the vicinity,” Tyson’s amused voice drawled from behind her, but there was the faintest hint of warning in his tone.
She felt the heat of Tyson’s body just behind her, before his hand settled possessively on her lower back.
Todd’s grin widened. “Are you surprised?”
“Not at all.” Tyson stepped forward again to hug his brother, pounding him on the back with a closed fist. “I think I’ve got you pretty much figured out by now.”
“Jeez, you boys are going to s
care her off.” Sharon swept through with an exasperated sigh and caught her arm, pulling her away from the two. “Come on, honey, you’ve still got two more to meet.”
Two more. Well, at least that meant the extended family hadn’t shown up today. Ellie gave a small laugh of relief and let Sharon lead her out of the house into the backyard.
Chapter Nine
The smell of wood chips and barbeque hit her first and her stomach growled, even though they’d eaten the treats from Kate’s Cakes not too long ago.
With the glare of the sun, Ellie couldn’t see much as they stepped out onto the patio. But then a few more steps led them to a shady tree and, once again, the details of the backyard came into perspective—folding chairs, lots of green lawn.
“There they are,” Sharon murmured. “The other two men in my life.”
The two men in question were standing by the grill, deep in discussion. Everyone was tall, she realized, the entire family.
She approached as they finally glanced up and noticed her.
The older of the two was still quite handsome, with his full head of white hair, twinkling blue eyes, and big smile on his face. He was exactly what Tyson would look like in forty years, she thought.
“You must be Ellie!” he called, coming around the barbeque. “Glad to meet you. I’m Dan.”
“Nice to meet you, Dan.” And he did shake her hand. No hugs, no knuckle kissing.
Not sure what to expect from the last member of the Wyatt’s family, she turned her gaze to the man who could only be Tyson’s older brother.
He looked similar to Todd, with the dark hair and eyes. But, unlike the rest of the family, his expression wasn’t quite as animated. He wasn’t scowling, but there definitely wasn’t a big welcoming smile. Lifting his bottle of beer, he took a long, hard draw on it while keeping his gaze on her.
His lukewarm demeanor was a bit of a jolt and her smile faltered.
He made no move toward her, but gave a slight nod of his head. “I’m Trevor. It’s good to meet you, Ellie.”
Well, his words certainly sounded sincere, and some of the tension slipped away. Besides, hadn’t Tyson warned her about him?
“Likewise.” She brightened her smile again, then turned her attention away in search of her lifeline, the only person she knew here.
Tyson was just stepping out of the house into the yard. His gaze was on her, the knowing grin on his face a welcome relief.
He came to stand by her, holding a beer in his outstretched hand. “You meet everyone?”
“Thank you. I think so.” Ellie took the beer gratefully, even if she rarely drank the stuff. She went to twist the cap off and found he’d already done that for her. “Unless there’s more hiding that I haven’t seen?”
Tyson watched as she tilted the beer bottle back, wrapping her lips around the rim and taking a sip. Jesus, she looked sexy sucking on a Budweiser.
“No, unfortunately my nephews and nieces couldn’t be here today,” his mom said, moving next to her husband, who promptly draped an arm around her shoulder. “But they send their love to everyone.”
“Now that’s too bad. I have a serious hankering for some of Ryan’s jambalaya.” Tyson rubbed his belly and winked down at Ellie. “My cousin went to college down in Louisiana. He makes a mean jambalaya.”
Her eyes light up with amusement. “I swear, you have a hollow leg. You always seem to be thinking about food.”
His dad chuckled, brushing a kiss across his wife’s forehead. “All the boys are like that. You wouldn’t have believed the grocery bill when they were teens.”
“I can only imagine,” Ellie said. “You have my sympathy.”
“Speaking of food, how’s that salmon coming, Pops?” Todd asked, crossing the grass toward the barbeque. “I’m starving. Didn’t quite wake up in time for breakfast this morning.”
Trevor snorted and glanced at Ellie. “That’s code for he was sleeping off a wild night at some girl’s house.”
“Why you jealous bastard,” Todd yelled, taking a playful swing at the back of his brother’s head.
Trevor ducked and countered with a light jab to Todd’s shoulder.
“Are you guys always like this?” Ellie asked in an amused whisper, leaning into him.
“What do you mean?” Tyson caught her hand and stroked the inside of her palm, then couldn’t resist teasing, “We’re on our best behavior today.”
She laughed as her fingers curled around his. “I highly doubt you guys are ever on your best behavior.”
Tyson smiled at that. She was pretty much dead on.
When he glanced at his parents, he found his mom watching them with a considering expression, her mouth curved into a tiny smile.
Don’t get your hopes up, Mom, he warned silently. Ellie wasn’t in town for long, and he wasn’t thinking beyond a summer fling. Even as the thought flickered through his head, the denials came rushing up behind it.
Well, shit.
“So, Trevor, I hear Megan’s back in town,” their dad announced suddenly.
All talking and laughter ceased, leaving a silence that was only disturbed by the occasional cries of seagulls.
Tyson’s breath held as he took another sip of beer and tried to glance over at his brother inconspicuously.
Trevor’s expression was unreadable, his gaze shuttered. But Tyson didn’t miss the way his fingers tightened around the bottle in his hand.
“Is that so?” Trevor finally replied in a voice without inflection. “I hadn’t heard.”
Their mom cleared her throat. “Maybe you should invite her over to join us? She’s not far from here—”
“No.” The harsh word whipped through the group, snuffing out any hope his parents might have for further discussion.
Even Todd’s cheery mood diminished some and he turned to check on the salmon, his smile gone.
Ellie moved closer to Tyson’s side and tightened her grip on his hand, obviously sensing the tension.
But then she surprised him, clearing the air with a bright, “That salmon smells wonderful. Do you guys ever go out there and go fishing?” She gestured to the ocean that lay just beyond the fenced line of Wyatt property.
“Hell, yeah, we do,” Todd said, his grin returning. “I’m the one who caught the salmon we’re grilling right now.”
“Bah! I believe I caught this one,” their dad corrected. “Yours was barely six pounds.”
“Bullshit it was, Pops!”
Any remaining tension from the family dissipated as the two began arguing good-naturedly.
Trevor had turned away from the group, silently staring out at the water.
“Good save,” Tyson finally murmured against Ellie’s ear. “Thank you for that.”
She squeezed his hand and glanced up at him. “No problem. What was that all about anyway?”
He hesitated, but then decided Trevor was too far away to hear.
“Megan was Trevor’s fiancée until they broke up last year. He won’t admit it, but I think Trevor still has some pretty strong feelings for her.”
“Why did they break up then?”
Again, he hesitated. “Trevor’s unit in the Army deployed to Afghanistan for a year. When he came back…I don’t know. Something changed. Their engagement ended shortly after that.”
Sympathy flashed across her face, before Ellie turned to watch Trevor. “I’m really sorry to hear that.”
“I need to go throw together the fruit salad,” his mom said, passing them on the way to the house. “Ellie, why don’t you come help? You can tell me more about yourself.”
Ellie’s eyes widened and her fingers clenched around his, but she said a bright, “Sure.”
Tyson bit back a laugh as he watched her follow his mother inside. He should’ve seen that coming a mile away. It wasn’t every day he brought a girl to the Saturday barbeque…hell, it wasn’t ever.
Which made him wonder again how he was going to convince himself this was a summer fling.
&
nbsp; With a sigh, Tyson took another swig of his beer and went to check out the salmon that he was pretty sure he’d caught.
A few hours later Ellie clutched a croquet mallet and glared down at the yellow ball.
“I’ve got this,” she muttered, which only garnered an amused laugh from Tyson who stood behind her.
“Come on, sweetheart. Take it home and win this one for us,” he encouraged.
She grinned, then bit her lip in concentration, trying to block out the sounds of Trevor and Todd, who immediately began yelling and making as much noise as possible.
The afternoon had been incredible. Amazing food, wonderful people, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so much or had so much fun.
And now, she was going to kick some major Wyatt ass with the help of the middle child.
Raising her mallet, she swung it against the yellow ball and watched as it soared through the last two wickets to smash into the stake in the ground.
“You did it,” Tyson yelled, picking her up around the waist and swinging her around in a circle. He glanced at his brothers. “Take that, ya pansies!”
Ellie let out a giddy laugh, clutching his shoulders as she stared down into his smiling eyes. And then he lowered her slowly back to the ground, their bodies passing in a sensual glide that left her tingling and short of breath.
Tyson’s gaze locked on hers and she saw his pupils dilate and his nostrils flare.
Her heart tripped and she swallowed hard, knowing he must be able to see the same desire in her eyes.
“How about another beer, guys?” Todd called out. “I’m grabbing one for myself.”
“Think we’re going to pass,” Tyson replied back, not removing his gaze from her. “We’ve got to head out.”
Trevor gave a soft laugh. “Get out of here, already. I’m surprised you lasted this long.”
Ellie knew her cheeks were pink as they said their goodbyes to everyone, stopping inside the house to hug his parents farewell and thank them.
By the time they were inside Tyson’s truck and driving back to her place, her knees were shaking and her pulse pounding.
“They loved you,” Tyson said, breaking the silence.
Going Down: Holding Out for a Hero, Book 1 Page 6