BEAUTY AND THE BADGE

by cpsmi

  “You okay?” Tyler yells above the sound of rushing water.

  “I’m so much better than okay. This is awesome!” I yell back.

  As I paddle, I have an epiphany. I don’t think I would’ve ever done anything like this had I stayed in Los Angeles. Since making the move to Washington, I’ve spent so much more time outdoors, and I can feel how it’s positively affected my mood. I think positive thinking and all the visualization I did helped to bring me to this moment. After all, being open to new adventures is one of the things I put on my list before I got here.

  _______________

  AFTER WE GOT back from our epic whitewater rafting adventure and took a nap, we left the hotel we checked into for the weekend to explore Leavenworth. It’s a small Bavarian-style village a little over three hours away from Charlotte’s Cove, and to say it’s a gem is a vast understatement. I’ve spent most of the time we’ve been here wide-eyed as I take it all in.

  “I can’t believe I’ve never been to Leavenworth before,” I tell Tyler as we make our way through the Nutcracker Museum.

  “The last time I was here was for Oktoberfest during my sophomore year in college. I ate so much bratwurst that weekend I’m surprised I didn’t turn into one. Between that and the beer, it was a hell of a weekend.”

  “It sounds like a good time,” I tease.

  “It was,” Tyler agrees. “My favorite memories of Leavenworth are from when I was a kid though. My parents brought my sister and me here for the Christmas lighting festival a few times. There are so many lights I wouldn’t be surprised to find out it’s visible from space.”

  “I love Christmas lights,” I tell him. “And when I say that, I mean it in a Clark W. Griswold kind of way. I’ve gone to both Candy Cane Lane in El Segundo and Christmas Tree Lane in Altadena every year for as long as I can remember. My grandparents figured I’d stop wanting to go each year at some point, but that never happened. There’s something magical about holiday light displays.”

  “Then we’ll come back here for the lighting festival this year,” he declares.

  “Really?” I squeak, making no effort to contain my excitement.

  “Absolutely.”

  When he stops, squeezes my hand, and shoots me a smile, I grin up at him. After dropping a sweet kiss on my lips, he resumes walking through the museum.

  There are so many nutcrackers that it takes us a full hour to see everything, but Tyler never once tries to rush me. Once again, I am struck by the fact that he never huffs about doing touristy things. I grew up watching my grandparents and couples like the Andovers, and I loved how much time they spent together. When I got older and I started dating, I knew whatever it was those couples had I hadn’t gotten close to finding it. In fact, I’d started to wonder if it was even possible to have that kind of relationship. Things are different now though.

  With Tyler, I never feel as though he begrudges doing things with me. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. We both enjoy spending time together and it shows. When he asked if I was interested in going away for the weekend to go whitewater rafting, I’d said yes before he got the entire sentence out. I expected it to be fun, but it’s been so much more than that.

  “Thank you for bringing me,” I tell him again as we step out of the museum.

  “Thank you for wanting to travel with me. I’m having a great time, and I hope you are too.”

  “It’s the best,” I tell him.

  Leaning in, he kisses me. It’s quick enough not to have everyone walking by shouting for us to get a room, but it still makes me dizzy.

  After ending the kiss, he grins down at me as he swipes his thumb across my lower lip. “Where to next?”

  I don’t even have to think about it. “Can we go to the Kris Kringle store?”

  Tyler chuckles as he nods. “Yeah, babe. Let’s go enjoy some very early Christmas spirit.”

  _______________

  AFTER OUR VISIT to the Kris Kringle store, we chose a place to go for dinner. I don’t know if all the restaurants in town are this good, but if they are, it’s a wonder anyone cooks. I’d want to try everything on the menu at least once.

  Pushing my plate away, I settle back into my seat and let out a breath. “Bavarian goulash is my new favorite thing, but if I take one more bite, I’m going to explode.”

  Tyler grins at me as he finishes chewing a bite of his schnitzel cordon bleu. “I knew you’d love this trip.”

  “There’s nothing about Leavenworth I don’t like so far,” I tell him. “If I weren’t so in love with Charlotte’s Cove, I’d want to move here.”

  “Glad you’re in love with the Cove, because I know we’d miss our friends and neighbors if we moved here. I’m definitely down to come back for vacations though. Anytime you want to hop in the car for a weekend away, we’ll head here.”

  I melt when Tyler talks about or makes plans for the future, because I love that he plans for us to be together. There’s not a shred of doubt in my mind about the fact that I want to be with him. I’ve fallen for him hard and fast, and it’s only a matter of time before the three words that dance through my head whenever we’re together come out of my mouth.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  ____________________________________

  ASHLEY

  “YOU READY?”

  I nod, hoping I don’t look like the nervous wreck I am inside.

  “You’re sure your family will like this chocolate cheesecake?” I ask for what is probably the third or fourth time in the last hour.

  “Babe, my dad’s a chocoholic, and my mom’s never met a cheesecake she didn’t like,” he assures me with a laugh.

  “Well, what about your sister? Should I have made something different for her?”

  “Eve’s like me. She’ll eat anything as long as it’s good. Don’t stress yourself out, baby. My family is going to love you, and your cheesecake is going to be a hit.”

  “Okay,” I answer softly.

  Earlier in the week I called Rob and had him look for the triple chocolate cheesecake recipe that’s been passed down through his family over the years. He poked fun at me when I told him why I needed it.

  “Tell your man that since you’re making his family the world’s best cheesecake, he better do something equally as kickass for me when Karen and I get to town. As your family, I feel I’m owed something special,” he teased.

  The last time I met someone’s parents, I was in high school. I’ve never liked anyone as much as I like Tyler, and I’m falling for him more each day. There’s nothing about him that I don’t like and the way he treats me is everything. Every day he makes sure that I feel beautiful, respected, and adored. There’s no doubt in my mind that there’s no one better for me than Tyler Jameson.

  Smoothing down the front of my pale pink dress, I smile at him when he hands me Boo’s leash. “You carry this, and I’ll take the cheesecake,” he says.

  Surprise, surprise, I get the easier end of the deal. I’d argue that I can carry a cheesecake but Tyler’s about taking care of me, which means he won’t budge. Taking the leash—which isn’t attached to Boo at the moment—I let him lead the way to the truck. An unleashed Boo trots along at my side, excited to go for a ride. When we get to the truck, Tyler sets the cake carrier on the front seat before he opens the rear door and whistles for Boo. She jumps up, making her silly howling noises of excitement as Tyler harnesses her in before he closes the door. Turning to me, he smiles as he sets his hands at my waist and helps me up into the truck. Even now that we’re together and he touches me every day—naked—he hasn’t stopped picking me up and putting me into the truck. It’s just another thing he does that makes me feel treasured.

  The drive to Seattle doesn’t take long and during it Tyler tells me about places around town he thinks I’d like. My nerves are surprisingly steady, right until the moment I realize that we’ve turned into the driveway of what can only be called a mansion that’s sitting right smack on Lake Washington. I turn and look at him.


  “Honey? Where are we, exactly?”

  “Medina,” he answers.

  “Right, I see that. But is this where you grew up?”

  “Not the whole time,” he hedges. “When I was a kid, we lived in Lake Forest Park. My parents had this home built while I was in high school. I only lived here for about a year before graduation.”

  I glance over at the giant house before I turn my attention back to him. “Is it safe to say that you forgot to tell me something about your parents?”

  Putting the truck in park, he turns and looks at me. “I didn’t want to freak you out,” he admits.

  “And now I’m freaking out anyway,” I mutter. “I should’ve dressed nicer.”

  “You look beautiful,” he says gruffly.

  “My dress is from Target,” I say, my voice making it clear that I’m a bit panicked.

  “Babe,” he says as he tucks his fingers beneath my chin. “It’s a beautiful dress. You look gorgeous, and I’m proud as fuck to take you in there to meet my family. Don’t be thrown off by the house. I promise you that my parents are down to earth and totally normal. Not for nothing, my mom can spend hours in Target.”

  “You told me that your mom watched Oprah and does vision boards,” I say like it’s an accusation.

  Throwing back his head, he laughs. “She did, and she does,” he assures me. “If you mention it to her, she’ll tell you visualization is a big part of why their stores are so successful.”

  “Stores plural?” I ask. “You said that they own a furniture store. As in one.”

  “Well, they still keep offices at the flagship store, so to me that one specifically comes to mind.”

  I nod, taking it all in. And then, a light bulb goes on over my head. “Oh my God, Tyler! I thought you were talking about a normal furniture store, but you weren’t. Your family owns Jameson’s Interiors, don’t they?”

  He shrugs like it’s no big thing. He’s wrong. It’s a very big deal.

  Jameson’s Interiors isn’t a mom and pop store in Seattle, or even just in Washington. There are several in Southern California as well. I know this because Rob and Karen bought their sectional sofa there.

  “The big ass dock you built on your property should’ve been a clue,” I mumble. “I don’t pay attention to stuff like that, though.”

  “Didn’t build the dock with their money,” he says. “My grandfather made a lot of investments. One of the first things he invested in back in the ‘50s was a little company that went on to make a shitload of money. There were other, smaller stocks too, but this was the big one. Anyway, pops loved to watch the original stock grow so much that he never cashed out since he didn’t need the money. When he passed, he divided eighty percent of his estate between Eve and me and left the last twenty to my parents. I’m a cop and Eve’s obsessed with animals, which is to say we know fuck all about money management. Therefore, we sold the stock, and that’s what I used to buy the Perry place as well as the land for the next place and the dock. And soon, the forever house.”

  Something about the way he says it puts my antenna up.

  “So that’s it, then? Just the dock, the land, and the houses?

  “Mm.”

  If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Tyler, it’s that he’s a master at understatement.

  “What little company did he buy stock in?”

  By the expression on his face, I can tell he was hoping I wouldn’t ask.

  “Don’t freak out,” he says.

  “Okay,” I answer, my voice soft.

  After a beat, he says, “IBM.”

  I suck in a breath. “Tyler,” I whisper. “Are you… a millionaire?”

  I can tell he is before he answers because the expression on his face says it all.

  “It’s just money, baby.”

  “And the Pope’s robes are just fabric,” I squeak.

  “Until he puts them on, that’s true. I was raised not to flaunt, and I don’t. I was also raised not to sit on my ass doing nothing, so I don’t do that, either. I’m not going to fill a pool with cash or spend my life sipping champagne and taking month or even yearlong vacations. Bottom line, the money’s mine but I didn’t earn it and I don’t look for ways to blow it. It is what it is. Not about to give it all away but I’m not going to wipe my ass with it either. I’m still me, regardless of how many zeros make up my net worth.”

  “I know that. I just… you should’ve warned me,” I grumble.

  The corners of his eyes crinkle up as he tries not to laugh. “Babe, only a douchebag fuck would drop ‘hey, I’m loaded’ into a conversation,” he answers. “I want you to meet my parents because they’re good people. That they happen to be rich shouldn’t even factor in.”

  He’s right about both things. Taking a breath, I quickly give myself a silent pep talk. Anyone who would do something like that wouldn’t be someone I’d want to date, and money doesn’t make a person who they are at their core.

  “You swear they’re not all swanky?” I ask.

  He grins. “I seem like the kind of guy that was raised by swanky people?”

  I shake my head. “No, but you also don’t seem like the kind of guy that was raised by millionaires.”

  His smile grows. “That’s because they’re not swanky,” he laughs, knowing he’s made a good point.

  Behind us, Boo starts howl-talking. “Time to let pup out of the car,” Tyler says. “Let me get you out first, and then I’ll put her leash on so we can go inside.”

  After coming around and opening my door, he quickly sets me on my feet. Keeping his hands on my waist, he brings me in close so that I have to tilt my head and look up at him.

  “Don’t let the money throw you off. My family is excited to meet you, and I know you’re going to get along like a house on fire.”

  Taking a deep breath, I nod. “Okay, honey.”

  Reaching into the truck, he picks up the cake carrier and then closes the door.

  “I can hold that,” I tell him.

  He lets out a bark of laughter as he opens the rear door. “Babe, we’ve been over this. I got it. Not for nothing, my dad would lay me the fuck out if I let you carry that. It’s my job to take care of you.”

  For some reason that soothes my nerves more than anything else he’s said so far.

  _______________

  TYLER’S FAMILY IS so awesome that I feel silly for spending even one minute worrying about meeting them. His sister Eve was a doll while she was here, but halfway through dinner, she got a call about an abandoned dog coming to the shelter, so she took off.

  As for his parents—his dad, Trent, is an older version of him, and his mom, Jane, is the sweetest. She’s spent the last half hour talking to me about visualization books and guided meditations she likes on YouTube.

  “I highly recommend Jason Stephenson,” she tells me between bites of the chocolate cheesecake I made, which I’m happy to say is a big hit. “You put the meditation on when you lay down and the next thing you know you’re out like a light. He’s got some that are an hour or so and others that are about three hours. I saw results within the first four weeks of listening.”

  “I’m going to check those out,” I tell her.

  “Not trying to listen to some guy talk about manifesting dreams every night, babe.”

  “You learn to tune it out,” his dad assures him.

  “Or you think you do, but in reality, the suggestions are working on you, too. I’m positive that all the things I listen to have rubbed off on you,” Jane boasts.

  Trent gives her an exasperated look. “Babe, we both know I’m out the second I close my eyes. Other than dreaming about you, I don’t think anything penetrates my wall of sleep.”

  Oh wow. Now I see where Tyler gets it from. His dad’s in his late fifties and no BS, he’s still got it. Going by the little smile on Jane’s face, she thinks the same.

  “Agree to disagree, baby,” she teases.

  About an hour later, after we’
ve said our goodbyes and promised to come back for Sunday dinner next weekend, Tyler and I walk hand in hand to his truck. Boo trails alongside us, tired from playing fetch in the Jamesons’s giant yard.

  Thinking about it now, I can’t believe how nervous I was about tonight. After Tyler lifts me into his truck, secures Boo in the backseat and puts the empty cake carrier on the floor behind his seat, he climbs into the truck. After pressing start, he turns and smiles at me.

  “I told you there was nothing to worry about.”

  “You did,” I admit. “I feel like a dork now for panicking when I saw the house but when we pulled up I had this horrible vision of a formal dining room, servants, me sitting in my forty dollar Target dress not knowing what fork to use and then bam there’d be escargot and I’d biff that the way Julia did in Pretty Woman and if that happened your parents would be appalled and then you’d wonder what the hell was wrong with me and your parents’ manservant would suggest that perhaps in the future you should choose someone with proper breeding,” I babble.

  Tyler bursts out laughing, holding onto his stomach as he does. “Jesus fuck, babe. Wow. That was very specific. Was there anything else?”

  “Um. Only that I was trying to prepare myself for your dad to offer snifters of brandy after dinner. I hate brandy.”

  “Good news: so does my dad. The house is big so yeah they’ve got two maids that come during the week, but there’s no manservant. Speaking of, who says manservant?”

  Ducking my head, I blush. “I used to read a lot of historical romances.”

  “When you weren’t watching Pretty Woman,” he teases.

  I smack his arm and giggle. “It’s a good movie.”

  “Maybe, but it’s nowhere near as entertaining as you are.”

  _______________

  “PLEASE, TYLER,” I moan, needing him to let me come.

  It’s been about half an hour since we got back from his parents, took Boo out for one last bathroom break and then came into his bedroom to go to bed. Since then, he’s been torturing me, and I’m so desperate to come I’m ready to scream. He’s on his back below me, arms wrapped around my waist to hold me in place while he eats me out. I’m shaking so much that I have no choice but to hold onto the wrought iron bars on his headboard as he works me with his tongue.