Full Potential

by L. J. Kentowski

  “What’s going on?” he asked, sitting next to his mom.

  With a tilt of her head, she studied him for a moment. “First, tell me what’s up with you.” She rested a hand on his knee. “What has you beating on that poor table?”

  “It’s nothing, Mom. I was just…” He looked away, his gaze falling on the darkened television. “I was frustrated with the game.”

  Her lips pursed in a way that told him she wasn’t buying it. “Mmm hmm. You sure it doesn’t have anything to do with a fiery redhead? Riley’s maid of honor? Jena, isn’t it?”

  How did she do that? Seriously, it was one thing to have maternal instinct, but this was creepy.

  He was about to deny everything because it was the best way to get out of any situation with parents, but before he could utter a word, his mom added, “The very one you were sexting in your truck last night?”

  Wait, what? Eyes bulging out of their sockets, Tyler looked to his father for help, but the man stared straight ahead with an expression that read, no way am I getting involved in this one.

  “Jesus, Mom. Where did you even hear that? And, for the record, you’re using the word in the wrong context. You should stay away from modern slang.”

  “You mean sexting?”

  Tyler winced at the horrible sound coming from his mother’s lips. Shaking his head as if he could erase the memory of it, he said, “Yes. Stop it. It doesn’t mean what you think it does.”

  Her lips thinned as she glared. “Fine, smarty pants. Were you having sex with Jena in your truck, or not?”

  Okay, that was definitely not any better. Worse, maybe. He wasn’t sure. “No, I was not. Who told you that?”

  “Josephine told me at our yoga workout this morning. Marianne Johnson called her, along with the rest of the book club, with news of a real-life sex scene that played out right in front of Marty last night.”

  Wonderful. He should have let Mr. Johnson choke. Dirty old, gossip-spreading perv.

  “We were only kissing, Mom.”

  “Mmm hmm. Well, from what I hear, it’s not the first time you two hooked up. So, what happened? You get her pregnant or something?”

  Her assumption socked him in the gut, hitting too close to home. He dropped his head into his hands with a groan, trying to get his thoughts in order so he could set his mom straight.

  True to form, she didn’t give him time. “Honestly, Tyler, if that’s the case, I say marry the girl. I like her. It’s about time one of you kids gave me a grandbaby.” She took a breath, appearing thoughtful. “Although, that would change what we came here to talk to you about.”

  Tyler’s head was about to explode. “Mom, stop. Jena is not pregnant.”

  “Oh? Then what’s the problem?”

  He lifted his gaze to the ceiling and let out a loud sigh. “There’s no problem,” he said, meeting his mom’s stare again. “In fact, there’s nothing. And there won’t be. Jena lives four hundred miles away and is only in town for the wedding.”

  His mom searched her son’s features for what seemed like forever and then nodded as if coming to some kind of conclusion in her head. “You want her to stay,” she announced as fact.

  Hanging his head in exhausted defeat, he closed his eyes. Someone, please put a fork in me. He didn’t want to talk to his parents about this. He didn’t even want to talk with his friends about it. Shit, he could barely stand to be around his own thoughts when it came to his feelings for Jena.

  “Just tell her, Son,” his dad piped in. “You know she won’t let this go until you do, and I’ve got dinner with the crew tonight. I can’t be late. Last one there has to buy appetizers, and those guys eat like their wives starve them all week.”

  Tyler picked at an imaginary piece of lint on the sofa. “I like her, okay?” he relented. “But she’s not sticking around. Can we leave it at that?”

  Lynn cupped the side of his face with her palm, gently urging him to look at her. “One more thing, and I’ll leave it alone.”

  Preparing himself for some obscure motherly advice, he waited.

  She locked in on his gaze. “Give her a reason to stay,” she whispered.

  Those were not the words he was expecting, and they had him reeling. Give Jena a reason to stay? Here? With him? But his parents didn’t know he had plans of leaving Seeton. He was waiting until the right job offer happened to tell them. No sense stirring the pot before it was hot enough to mess around with the contents. So, giving Jena a reason to stay was a moot point. Right?

  “Okay, so,” his dad said with a clap of his hands. “Your mom is retiring the shop, and we’re going to travel.”

  It took a moment for Tyler to realize the subject change, but when he did, that too blew his mind. Why, he didn’t know. His dad had been retired for a couple years, and he knew his mom doing the same was inevitable, but after a while, Tyler had become complacent with her continuing to run the shop. And he sure didn’t expect the travel part.

  “You are?” he asked.

  “Yes,” his mom confirmed. “It’s time. We’ve always wanted to drive around the country and take in the sights but never really had the chance with our jobs and you kids. Not that we didn’t love both, of course. But we want to do it while we’re still physically and financially able to.”

  Tyler didn’t really know how to react. His parents would be gone. For who knew how long. No more weekly visits. No more stopping in for a beer with Dad. No more of Mom’s cooking. He was independent enough to cope, but that didn’t mean he welcomed the safety blanket being taken away.

  “But you’ve never talked about traveling. Where would you go? What would you do? Are you coming back? Ever?”

  Lynn chuckled and squeezed his knee. “Well, we want to check out Arizona, Texas, and Florida, for sure. I’m still trying to persuade your father to go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. I want a set of those beads.” Tyler cringed, as did his dad. “And, of course, we’ll be back. We’ll miss you kids too much to stay away for long. It’s something we really want to do, Ty.”

  The twinkle in his mother’s eyes as she talked was all he needed to respond. He put a hand over the one she rested on his knee. “You’re right.” He alternated his gaze between his mom and dad. “You both deserve this. And I think it’s great. I’m going to miss the hell out of you, but it’s time you got to do something for yourselves. When is this happening? What are you going to do with the shop?”

  “Well,” his mom said, “since there’s no one in the family who can sew a button worth a damn besides me, we’re going to close the business and sell the space. That’s what we’ve been talking about with Chris. He’s getting the paperwork ready.”

  “And we’re meeting with Mia Ruthers about the shop to get it up for sale as soon as possible,” his dad added. “Who knows how long it will take.”

  They were eager. Tyler could tell. And who could blame them? They’d worked all their lives for this, and now they had the opportunity to be free of the constraints even he knew Seeton could have on a person.

  “And your house?” Tyler asked.

  His mom smiled. “Oh, we’re keeping the house. The traveling is only until we get those grandbabies. Then, it’s back home to spoil them. We were going to talk to you kids about what you wanted to do with it until we got back. Both you and Wade already have houses of your own. And Ivy has the apartment. All three of you can move back in the house if you want, but that’s something we can discuss together.”

  Wow. While the news wasn’t completely life-changing, it was still a lot to take in. He would miss the hell out of his parents, but more than anything, he wanted them to be happy.

  Wasn’t he planning on moving away anyway?

  The doorbell rang, sounding utterly foreign to him. One, because he was wrapped up in the discussion with his parents; and two, because no one ever rang the damned thing. He was actually surprised it worked.

  Wondering whom it could be, he glanced at the clock as he got up from the couch. Nearing five
.

  “Were you expecting someone, dear?” his mom asked.

  “No.” He stepped cautiously toward the front door as the doorbell rang again.

  “Tyler, it’s me,” Jena’s voice called out. “I know you’re here. Your truck is in the driveway. I have your—”

  He opened the door. Jena fell through the doorway and straight into his chest with an oomph. A wrench fell onto the floor, nearly hitting his foot.

  Latched onto his t-shirt, hanging on for dear life, she peered up at him and huffed out a hi.

  Gazing down at her, he kept his cool, though his heart was racing between the catastrophic entrance and the fact that she was there, caring enough to air things out between them after he’d walked away. Sure, she’d returned the wrench, but it was an excuse. No way had she driven all the way to his house to bring it to him. She could have given it to Dax or Riley to pass on. He was going to make damned sure she knew he was aware of that fact too…but not in front of his parents.

  “Hello, Red,” he said, a glint of humor in his eyes. Then he turned to look at his parents. “Mom, Dad, you remember Jena, right?”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Horrified, Jena slowly twisted her neck to peer into Tyler’s living room. Richard and Lynn Cole stood next to the couch, their expressions both a mix of shock and intrigue. She knew her face was beet red, and the fact she was still dangling from their son’s chest wasn’t helping the situation.

  Lynn was the first to speak up. “Of course. It’s nice to see you again, dear.”

  “Hello, Jena,” Richard added.

  Finding her footing, Jena slowly released the death grip on Tyler’s shirt and turned to face them. “Mr. and Mrs. Cole, it’s nice to see you too. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to barge in on you guys.”

  Tyler chuckled. “I’d say that was more like dropping in.”

  Jena jerked her head back to glare at him. He put his palms up and shrugged, but the smirk on his face defied innocence. Embarrassed, she could only imagine what his parents were thinking. Look, dear, there’s that crazy-redheaded floozy again, stalking our son, falling at his feet. Think we should call the police? Or maybe the looney bin?

  Hell, she agreed with that scenario. The crazy part anyway. For hours, she’d debated about what to do after Tyler had left the apartment. She wanted to know why he’d gotten so pissed. Her plan was to force him to tell her one way or another. Did she deserve an explanation from him? Probably not. But she wanted one. And depending how the conversation went, she intended to tell him exactly how she felt too. Now that she was in his cozy house, staring at the Cole family, she was second-guessing her decision to confront him.

  “Tyler, stop it,” his mom said. Jena rather enjoyed hearing Tyler get reprimanded like a child. She almost considered sticking out her tongue at him but thought that would definitely not give her any points with the parents. “We were about to leave anyway. This is Richard’s night out with the boys, and I have some alterations to work on for Riley’s dress. Will you be stopping by with Riley to come see it, Jena?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Oh, dear, please call me Lynn. Ma’am makes me feel old, and I’m not ready to be old yet. Or, call me Mom.”

  Jena smiled, feeling more at ease until she noticed Richard give Lynn a strange look. It was gone in a flash when his mom reached for their coats from the rack near the door.

  Not quite sure where to go, since she’d never been in his house before and wasn’t exactly an invited guest, Jena stood next to Tyler.

  Lynn surprised her with a goodbye hug, promising to have cookies for her and Riley when they came to the shop. Then she did the same with Tyler, but as she cradled him in her arms, she pushed up on her toes and leaned her mouth toward his ear. “Get her to stay,” she said.

  Jena tried not to listen, but the woman wasn’t very good at whispering.

  Was she talking about Jena? If so, stay where? At his house? Did Tyler’s mom think she was some kind of flight risk?

  Tyler walked his parents to the door, closing it behind them. When he turned back to face Jena, he stayed in the spot near the entrance and stared her down, his expression giving nothing away.

  Her hands fidgeted at her sides. “I…um…I brought your wrench…and…dinner.”

  He glanced down at the tool on the floor and then grazed his eyes over her body as if she were on the menu. An eyebrow went up, and it was then she realized the bag of food from the diner was still on the porch.

  “Oh, crap. I left it on the chair outside. I’ll go—”

  “I’m sorry,” Tyler said.

  At first, she wasn’t sure what he was referring to, but then she took in the seriousness of his features and knew he wasn’t referring to the food.

  Jena let out a sigh “No, Tyler. I’m sorry.” She took a step toward him. “I just…I didn’t think…since there was no…and I would have…”

  “I get it.” Oh, thank God because she was running out of words to ramble on with. “I shouldn’t have gotten so upset. I honestly don’t know why I did.”

  If Jena had been smart, she should have left the conversation there. But she’d come to get answers. For some idiotic reason, she desperately needed to know why he’d acted so strange.

  She stopped directly in front of him. “Yes, you do. Tell me.”

  He stared down at her, his eyes hinting at a battle waging somewhere inside.

  “Please, Tyler.”

  He bit the side of his lip, nibbled on it, and then let it go, all while locking her in his gaze. “I guess it’s because you are so adamant about making sure there is space between us, and all I can think about is finding every way possible to get closer to you.”

  She couldn’t breathe. It was everything she didn’t want to hear, but at the same time, everything her soul craved from him. Her heart jumped, snatched those words out of the air between them and said, mine, no givebacks. And her head? Yeah, that said, we’ve got no plan for this, you’re on your own.

  One-night stands were supposed to be simple. One night of pleasure. Quick sexual fix. Move along. Hell, they could even be unforgettable in the sexual department. But that’s not what had happened with Tyler. Feelings got attached the instant she was in his arms their first go-around, and those emotions had nothing to do with the physical pleasure he’d given her. She’d gotten confused. Time and distance should have set her straight, and for a while, she thought they had, but those stupid feelings came barreling back the second she set eyes on him again.

  Now, he was telling her he felt things too. How in the hell was she supposed to lock her heart up in a box when he kept opening up the lid? How was she supposed to go back home and move on with her plans to settle into a career and work on a family of her own, if that box with her heart in it was going to be here with him?

  Tyler’s hand came up and cupped her cheek. As he swept a thumb back and forth over her lips, he said, “Let me in, Jena, strings and all. We can figure it out together, but I’m not going to lie to myself anymore. Or you, because I think it’s what you want to hear. I want more.”

  Jena closed her eyes, leaning her face into his hand, savoring the feel of his touch. “Tyler,” she said on a breath. “How are we—”

  His lips came down on hers, hard, demanding. His tongue lashed at the seam until she gave him entrance, and then it sought hers out in a frenzy as if it could take the rest of the words from her mouth and make them disappear. He moved closer, at the same time wrapping an arm around her waist and pressing her hard against him. She felt everything, the rise and fall of his chest, muscles in his arms and legs as they seemed to cocoon her into him, and the thick longing of his groin at her belly.

  All her thoughts, worries, everything that had the potential to stop what was happening between them faded away. There was only him, them. And at that moment, nothing else mattered.

  Tyler slowed the kiss to a gentle, soft, playing of their mouths. Then he pulled his lips away, and she groaned over the loss
.

  He was still near. She could feel him. His other hand came up from around her waist, and then they were both resting on the sides of her neck, his fingers cupped around her nape, his thumbs brushing below her jawline.

  “Look at me, Jena.”

  She opened her eyes to find his face so close to hers, if she moved less than an inch she’d feel those lips again. A force like a magnetic field filled the space between them and locked their gazes.

  “We’re not going to think of the hows or the whys,” he said, his voice kind, yet demanding. “Not now, and not after. We let go and figure it out as we go along. No regrets. And no running away. I want to see you in my bed when I wake up in the morning. Okay?”

  God, she wanted so badly to let her heart have what it craved, but how could she not think about their future when they lived in two separate worlds? There was no future for them, and she was already too deep. Giving in to her desires now would only lead to the absolute destruction of it later when reality hit. She’d lived a fantasy life for too long, without a care in the world about where she was headed. It had gotten her lost, lonely, and scrambling to find the real Jena. She didn’t want that anymore. She wanted roots where she could water, feed, and strengthen to the point they grew on their own and never broke.

  She closed her eyes, breaking their connection, and she heard him sigh in response.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Tyler, I…I can’t.”

  “Why?” His question came quick, his tone challenging.

  She stared him straight in the eyes. “Because I’m afraid.”

  “Of what?”

  “Of swimming too deep and not having enough air when I know it’s time to head up to the surface.”

  Tyler stared back at her for what seemed like forever. “What if I told you I’ll give you the air you need to make it when the time comes? You only need to let go and trust me.”

  The flirty, sexy, crude Tyler Cole she could handle. This version? This sweet, romantic, swoon-worthy man, reminiscent of a Nicholas Sparks character, had her melting.