Conklin's Foundation (Conklin's Trilogy #2)

by Brooke Page

  He had a boyish grin on his face as he saw the gaudily wrapped Christmas presents I placed next to his lap. “Are all of these for me?” he asked, examining the boxes.

  I nodded my head enthusiastically, barely containing my excitement. I sat beside him, pulling my legs underneath me while getting cozy on the couch.

  He took the top package and gently shook it, holding it next to his ear as his grin grew wider.

  “Open them,” I encouraged, placing my hand on his bicep.

  With deft fingers, he opened a small box first. Once the wrapping paper was off he lifted the lid and found a Waterford platinum pen. He pulled the pen out and examined it with a huge smile. His name was engraved on the side.

  “I find it odd that being an architect you don’t carry around a nice pen, so I thought I would get one for you. I actually got the same thing for your brothers and RJ,” I admitted, caressing his bicep as he twirled the pen in between his fingers.

  “This is great; thank you. It will make a home in my dress shirt pocket,” he smiled, leaning over to give me a kiss.

  He set the pen down and moved to the next, which was another small box. I was practically biting my nails. This was the gift I knew he would love and had to call a favor into my father.

  His eyes went wide. “How did you get these? They don’t normally go on sale this early,” he said with excitement, leaning forward holding the two tickets behind the dugout to the Cubs opener at Wrigley Field.

  “I have my connections. I have never been to a Cubs game before.”

  He bit his lip as he stared at the tickets, clearly trying to hide his excitement. “I would be honored to take you.”

  “This one kind of goes with the tickets,” I said, pointing to one of the other boxes.

  Tyler swiftly picked it up off the floor and started unwrapping. He pulled out the tissue paper to reveal an Anthony Rizzo official jersey.

  “I figured you would need one for the game, and he is a first baseman, right?” I asked.

  Tyler’s eyes were glimmering as he held the jersey up. “Yes, he is. Very good choice. I am so excited to wear this.” He set the jersey down and reached for me, curling his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me in for a deep kiss. “You are too perfect,” he whispered giving me another kiss.

  I giggled into his mouth and pushed on his chest. “Finish opening all of your presents before you jump me, please.”

  Tyler laughed as he picked up another box, which happened to contain a Tigers t-shirt. I laughed at his sour face and told him he had to wear it underneath the jersey to the game. He shook his head, trying to seem appalled, but was clearly tickled by my playfulness.

  The next gift was a little silly, but I knew he would love it.

  “This one is for your bat cave,” I teased. He gave me a sharp yet flirty look as he ripped open the package.

  “Holy shit, a Batman chess set?” he exclaimed. I giggled at his response.

  “This is so bad ass. Where did you find this?” he asked, checking over the box.

  “A very weird store in the mall. They looked at me suspiciously when I asked to purchase it. I don’t think they were used to seeing a woman come into their store asking for Batman type gifts.”

  Tyler smirked at me. “I am so turned on right now,” he said with heated eyes.

  I sucked in a breath of air, knowing he was going to tackle me at any moment. “You have one more present and then you can play with whatever toys you want,” I whispered, attempting to be flirtatious.

  Tyler’s eyes darkened as he set the chess set box down and reached for the last gift. He was surprised when he went to pick it up at how heavy it was and reached with two hands.

  Quickly removing the paper, he opened the box and pulled out a picture frame covered in tissue paper. He looked at it closely, pulling out another frame, holding both out at arm’s length. Curiously, he set down the two frames on the coffee table then removed the tissue paper from the other two frames in the box. Standing, he placed them all down on the table, his jaw slacking as he figured out what the pictures were.

  “Are these different stages of Wrigley Field being built?” He whispered.

  “Yes. Your office walls are bare. I thought these might look good there,” I said, standing up next to him. He stared down at the photos in silence. Did he not like them?

  “You can take them back if you don’t want-”

  Before I knew what was happening I was on my back on the couch with Tyler’s hand yanking down my sweat pants and tugging at my shirt.

  ~

  “I’m glad you are wearing your presents,” Tyler beamed as we walked down the path leading to my parents’ front door. Tyler was carrying a large bag filled with gifts.

  I blushed as I fumbled with one of the earrings. I decided to wear a pair of nice jeans with a red cashmere sweater that scooped low, showing off my new necklace. It was simple enough, although I was sure my mother would frown upon my casualness for the holiday, but everyone else would be wearing jeans. I planned on changing into something more sophisticated for meeting Tyler’s family later in the day. Tyler wore his faded jeans and a red and white thin stripped button up. His hair was styled in his typical controlled mess and his face freshly shaven.

  “I like your hair up too,” he smiled, leaning in to give me a kiss before we opened the door. I blushed at his compliment, enjoying how he freed one hand to rub a finger on my earlobe, including the beautiful earrings he gave me earlier. They were very flashy with my hair up, so was the necklace, but Tyler couldn’t contain his ear to ear grin as he placed the necklace on me back at his condo, telling me how he loved being able to see the diamonds he had gifted me.

  The front door to my parents’ house swung open during our kiss, my mother snickering as I pulled back from Tyler blushing.

  “Merry Christmas!” she greeted, throwing her arms around me then Tyler, giving us both kisses on our cheeks. My father shook Tyler’s hand then gave me a hug. They were both wearing their picture perfect polo sweaters, my mother in green while my father was in red, both with white button up collared shirts underneath with khaki chinos.

  Right out of the catalog.

  For the first time, my mother didn’t look me up and down examining my outfit and body. It was weird, but it felt nice to not feel judged by my appearance.

  Tyler dropped the bag of gifts under the tree then joined us around the kitchen island. Michael was there, eating a freshly baked cinnamon roll, icing dripping down on his fingers.

  “Merry Christmas, little sis,” he said with his mouth full.

  I smiled at him. “Merry Christmas to you, too.” I gave him a kiss on the cheek. He snuck his hand on my side, squeezing my love handle, his usual tradition. I squealed and hit his arm, jumping a mile away.

  “Damn it, Michael! When are you going to stop doing that?” I grumbled.

  Michael grinned. “Never. Although it is a lot harder to find those love handles. I think you need to eat one of these,” he teased, waving his half eaten cinnamon roll at me. I rolled my eyes and stood by Tyler, leaning my head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around my waist.

  “So how was your first Christmas morning away from home?” my mom asked, throwing dishes in the oven to warm up.

  “It was fine,” I said nonchalantly. My mother smirked along with Michael. I glanced at Tyler who was staring down at me, a trace of amusement playing at his lips. I blushed looking downward.

  Michael snickered. “I bet it was fine.”

  “Michael, leave them alone!” my mother hounded, bumping his shoulder as she walked to the refrigerator. Michael shrugged his shoulders, grabbing another cinnamon roll.

  The front door opened and little feet scurried down the elaborate hall into the kitchen. Josie came running, holding a brand new doll. She ran up to my father, jumping in his arms, showing him her doll. Once we all hugged and kissed, sharing our Christmas greetings, we sat down in the living room to open presents.

  Ty
ler sat next to me, taking everything in. He was blown away by our family dynamic. His expression of surprise and gratitude towards my mother handing him gifts was priceless.

  “You didn’t have to do all of this for me, Missy.” Tyler stared at the pile of presents sitting next to him.

  My mother waved him off, Missy Stine might be a little crazy, but she was giving and caring, and if Tyler was with me, he was immediately part of our family in my mother’s eyes.

  The fact that he was successful and wealthy made a big impression, too.

  I leaned in, kissing his cheek. A hint of sadness spread across his face as he watched my family interact and open gifts. I kept my hand on his thigh as we both sat on the love seat. I didn’t want him to feel upset about how my family wanted to accept him. He almost seemed guilty.

  “Are you okay?” I murmured, tracing a circle on his bicep with my opposite hand.

  He quietly nodded his head, not looking me in the eye. His reaction made me uneasy.

  My mother pulled Josie on her lap. “Tyler, it’s your turn. Open some of your gifts!”

  Tyler gulped and gave her a quick smile, picking up one of the gifts. He bit his lip as he opened it. My jaw was clenched, nervous my mother might have crossed a line with her gifts.

  Tyler studied the inside of the small box then pulled out the present.

  Inside were white gold cuff links with the Michigan M symbol on them. A slow smile spread across his face. “Thank you,” his voice was grateful, but sadness filled his eyes. I saw him swallow hard as he looked down at the cuff links and then to the rest of the gifts beside him.

  We continued around the room, everyone taking turns. When it was back to Tyler for his final gift, he looked like he might be sick. He picked up his last present and started to open it.

  “This one is my favorite,” my mother grinned, reaching for my father’s hand. Max smiled at her then turned his attention to Tyler.

  I furrowed my eyebrows when I saw what he opened. It was a set of two picture frames with three photos stacked on top of each other in the landscape view. One was a picture of Tyler, Michael, Ray and my dad from yesterday, all of them standing at the kitchen island. Another was of our entire family in front of the Christmas tree, and then in the middle was the picture from last night of the two of us.

  The other frame held a sequence of our mistletoe scene. I blushed seeing them, noticing how Tyler looked down at me as I was too embarrassed to kiss him, then the next photo we were actually kissing, smiles on the corner of our mouths, then the last I was laughing, mere inches from his face as he was grinning down at me, our noses nearly touching. My mother must have printed the pictures off last night or this morning.

  Tyler studied the pictures, emotion hidden from his face. He looked up at my parents who were smiling warmly; my father had his arm around my mom’s shoulder now.

  “Thank you for everything. This is really great,” he said graciously.

  “Wait Tyler, open mine!” Josie shrieked, as though she had almost forgotten. She ran to the Christmas tree, throwing paper around. Heather and Ray smiled at her then to Tyler.

  “I think Josie might have her first crush,” Heather winked at Tyler.

  Once Josie found what she was looking for, she ran over to Tyler, hopping up on his lap. Tyler went stiff, taking a breath as she threw a little baggie that had a few mismatched cookies inside. Attached to it was a drawing.

  “I made this for you this morning. I told Daddy we had to save some of the cookies we made for Santa for you. I drew you a picture from my new coloring book, too. It’s the Backyardigans playing baseball. Mommy told me you liked baseball.”

  Tyler focused on the folded piece of paper in one hand and then looked at the glitter covered bag in the other. Josie had her little arms wrapped around his neck now, sitting up on her knees in his lap.

  “Thanks, Josie. I love them,” Tyler said gently, his eyebrows furrowed but his face held a smile. Josie giggled and kissed his cheek then jumped down to her other mountain of presents.

  My mother and Heather awed at Josie’s display of affection towards Tyler. Everyone turned their focus on Josie who started to open the rest of her gifts. Tyler rubbed his face then leaned over to give me a chaste kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to use the restroom,” he excused himself curtly. I scowled at him as he walked away. Something was wrong, and he was trying to hide it. His face had a hidden emotion that was achingly sad.

  Was my family being too invasive? Yes, my mother bought him a few shirts that were the correct size and some other random things that probably wouldn’t be a normal gift from your girlfriend's parents when you hadn’t been together that long.

  When Tyler didn’t come back right away, I went to search for him. He was in the bathroom, but the door was half opened. He was staring at the sink, his hands gripping the edge of the counter, his back hunched over with his head down. I slowly walked in the large bathroom; the walls were a warm orange with rich chocolate brown wood flooring. The counter was pale cream granite with an elaborate fountain sink.

  I quietly closed the door behind me, leaning into it as it clicked. Tyler lifted his head and saw my reflection in the mirror. He quickly put his head back down, quietly staring into the sink. I walked behind him, running my hand along his back.

  “Do you want to talk?” I whispered, worried this was all too much for him too soon.

  I heard him sigh heavily. “I’m not used to this… this… warmth. Your family is so… inviting and friendly.”

  I leaned in closer to him, kissing the middle of his shoulder blades, running my hands along his biceps. He was so strong. I couldn’t help giving them a gentle squeeze. It turned me on knowing he had used his strength to cradle me earlier this morning.

  “It’s weird, and I’m just not used this.” He stood up taller, welcoming my arms to curl around his waist. I nuzzled his back, not sure if he wanted me to say anything, or to just hold him.

  “All of this reminds me of when my grandparents were alive, when I was little,” he whispered. “I hate that I pushed those feelings away. I hate that I’ve tried to forget them.”

  Knowing that Tyler missed his grandparents was something I couldn’t empathize with. As bad as I felt for him, I didn’t know what it was like to lose someone I was close to because of death. All I could do was hold him to my best ability, rubbing my hands along his shoulders, sides, stomach, gently trying to soothe his nerves. He slowly turned, not meeting my eyes, pulling me into his embrace, burying his head into my hair.

  “Why don’t we stay here,” his voice muffled into my hair. “We don’t have to go to Chicago.”

  I pulled back, trying to meet his eyes. “Tyler, you can’t just bail on your Mom for Christmas.”

  “It won’t be like this,” he whispered. His eyes were pained, laced with fear and vulnerability. “RJ won’t be sitting next to my mother on the couch with his arm around her. Mitch might bring some bimbo who will hang all over him that we won’t ever see again, and Nathan and my mother will be drinking and in their own world.”

  I held his face in my hands, wanting to wash away the insecure man in front of me. As humbling as it was to see Tyler act so unsure, I wanted my confident and mischievous lover back. “You promised you would bring me around your family, Tyler. If it’s that bad, we will go to your condo in Chicago, and start our own perfect Christmas night early.”

  His eyes were as wide as saucers as he took a hard swallow. I stood on my tip toes, giving him a gentle kiss on his lips. He wrapped his strong hands around my wrists, holding my hands in place.

  “My feelings for you won’t change, no matter how different our families might be.”

  His shoulders relaxed, his lips moving up slightly. His eyes were still wide but a softness shown through. Was that what he was so worried about? I wouldn’t be interested in him once I knew where he came from? I kissed him again.

  “It will be okay,” I encouraged. He sighed and nodded his head, hugging me
tightly. I met his embrace, rubbing his back, enjoying the smell of his sporty cologne. Even though Tyler held me close, at that moment I was holding him, and I could hardly describe the feeling that spread throughout my body knowing I could comfort him.

  “Ready to go back out there?” I asked quietly, smoothing a hand down his spine.

  I felt him nod his head into my neck, not letting me go.

  “Good. Because Michael is going to accuse us of sneaking away to indulge in other Christmas gifts,” I teased.

  I felt Tyler’s warm breath caress my neck. A grin escaping him. He leaned back looking down at me. “I don’t think I’m ready for that kind of conversation in front of your parents,” he smirked, his normal mischievous grin returning.

  I grinned back at him, taking his hand to walk out of the bathroom. When I tugged on his hand, he tugged back. I turned to look up at him.

  “I love you, Becs,” he whispered, a shyness spreading across his face as he bit down on his lip.

  My heart swelled, more pieces jumping out of my chest to meld with Tyler’s.

  Chapter 11

  It was 1:00pm by the time we left my parents’ house. They both gave Tyler and me huge hugs, thanking Tyler for coming and wishing us a Merry Christmas. My mother even told us to say the same to Tyler’s family. Heather gave me a thumbs up, as if to say good luck meeting the man of my dream’s mother.

  The ride in the Lexus was slow and quiet for the first hour. Tyler seemed distant and in his own world. I wondered what he was worrying about. I knew he was nervous for how his family would act around me. But it seemed like there was more.

  “What time is your mother expecting us?” I asked, breaking the silence.

  “Dinner is at 6:00pm. I didn’t really tell her a time,” he replied, his eyes still fixed on the snowy roads.

  “Oh, so we should be there early with the time change?”

  Tyler nodded, still seeming distracted.