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I filled out the application and was hired that afternoon and then quickly handed a schedule. I was going to be booked for Saturdays and Sundays with the antique store while Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings were reserved for SSK, but I didn’t start until the next week. I was already thinking about how busy I was going to be!
That afternoon I did end up going over to the McGuire's household and doing Raina’s laundry, then Tyler came for dinner afterward.
All throughout dinner, Brady and Tyler were pleasant with each other, and to me that was unnerving. Maybe the talk with Tyler about the idiot Tucker softened Brady’s attitude toward him, and they bonded over the desire to keep me safe. Whatever happened, I was just glad the two of them were happy with each other.
When dinner was finished, Brady let the two of us talk on the porch, until I’m sure he deemed it too late.
We both planted ourselves on the first step that led up to the house and Tyler drew me in close, with an arm around my shoulders. I tucked my head into his chest for comfort, sighing as he kissed the top of my head. Life right now was good.
“You ready for tomorrow?”
I listened to the steady rhythm of his heart as I answered. “Nervous, but ready.”
“What is it that you’ll be doing again?”
“Helping out at SSK. I’ll be another person around to keep things in line as I observe social and emotional cues of the kiddos there.”
“Huh.”
“I heard you took down Old Man Brent’s tree with Kane.”
Tyler chuckled. “Yeah, well,” he shrugged, “it was crazy. That old tree wouldn’t budge, but the younger one,” he tightened his arm around me, “The younger one went down with one hard blow. That younger tree uprooted way too quickly.”
“One hard hit?”
“Yeah. It wasn’t a baby tree either. It had some good years on it,” he said into my hair. “I don’t want to be like that tree, Faith. I don’t want Tucker to stay standing while bringing down what we have. I’m worried about that.”
I pulled back, a little upset by his analogy. “You’re saying that I’m a new and weak tree?”
“No. What I’m saying is that we’re still new to each other even with our past histories. Sometimes if the roots aren't seeded right, they’re easily pulled, no matter how long it’s been growing. I want us to be alright. I want you to be able to come to me with anything. I want our roots to grow deep and not just rest on the surface.”
I was quiet for a long time, taking in what he said. His softly spoken confession struck a chord in me. Tyler was a deep person, not just the klutz everyone made him out to be. He wanted to start this relationship off right. I understood that. So that meant I needed to cough up my questions that I desperately wanted to be answered and hope that it was not what I had been thinking. He was giving me an opening, and I was going to take it. But before I ask about Roxie, I wanted to know about him and Tucker and what had happened so long ago. Why they were the way they were?
“Tell me about Tucker,” I whispered.
“Why?” he asked softly. “It’s in the past.”
“But it’s not, and it’s affecting me.”
Tyler's arms loosened and his body tensed as if in defensive mode. He was getting ready for an argument.
“I’ll deal with him.” I pulled away and turned his head to mine so I could look into his eyes.
“We, Tyler. Together, your brothers, me and you will deal with Tucker. But I can’t help, I can’t keep myself safe if I’m kept in the dark. We need to plant our roots right the first time,” I said, taking his wise words and turning them on him.
Tyler stayed silent, and I went on.
“He’s determined, Tyler. Please? Why is he so angry with you, and why are you fighting him?”
He sighed. “Okay.” He stood up and held out his hand. “Walk with me?”
I took it, and we started to walk down the sidewalk. The cold crisp breeze bit into my skin as we walked but nothing could stop me from listening as Tyler talked.
“In high school, Tucker and I only ever saw each other in passing. He had his group, and I had mine. He wasn’t... he never was a problem for me. We shared a whole year together and even a few classes, but it was our senior year that something changed. He wasn’t around much and started wearing a black leather jacket with blue flames on the shoulders. I didn’t really care what he did. We weren't friends.
“My brothers and I wanted to make some money outside of the realty business my parents built up. We wanted to prove to ourselves that there was a different way, a better way.
“That's when I started noticing Tucker more. He seemed to have money. More money than before. He showed up one day with a new car. A racing car. Tucker was making money, and I wanted to find out how.
“With our past and Raina, I didn’t dare say anything. Tucker took me to the street races. I was a natural. I started to take my brothers with me. As it turned out, Kayden had a knack for it as well.” I already knew he was a thrill seeker, because of the bull riding incident and a few others that his uncle had mentioned when he was clearing us up after the fight at the amusement park. “He always liked thrill seeking excitement and his was no different,” Tyler went on.
“We got good. Linc studied people's flaws on the track, giving us the edge we needed to go to the top and eventually we left Tucker behind and became The Fast Track McGuires. Within a year, we were at the top, then things got rough. People were greedy. Mean. We wanted out. My dad’s a cop. People threatened us with that.
“Our last race was against Tucker. It wasn’t without a calculated loss. It wasn't without a bet. It was a close race, but in the end, Tucker lost. We won.”
I sucked in a breath as I asked my burning question, “What did you win?”
I was so lost in his story I hadn’t realized we had looped around and were now back where we started, but on the other side of the street. Right in front of the McGuire’s house.
Tyler let go of me, and I watched him walk up the driveway, past his Jeep toward the garage door. I followed as he lifted the garage door, and the dome light came on inside.
The inside was just as it had been when I had seen Mrs. McGuire through the open door a few weeks ago. It was mostly filled with a few boxes and a tan sheet covering something large.
Tyler went over to the sheet and tugged the covering off so it slid away, revealing a beautiful, sleek, black vehicle underneath. An old sports car.
“Her,” he murmured softly, answering my question. “I won her that night. A 1969 Chevelle Supersport. She’s rare.”
Then it all clicked. I stepped forward touching her hood, looking her over before my eyes caught Tyler's once again. It all made sense.
“This is Roxie,” I stated. It wasn’t a question. I knew. Just like I realized that Tucker had set me up. Made me believe that Roxie was a person. “She’s a racing car.”
I felt ten times lighter knowing who she was. My heart raced with excitement. Tyler was out with a car. Not with another girl.
Tyler turned to me, staring at my relieved face, and stepped closer. “Yes. She’s what he lost that night.” Then he asked the million dollar question. “Who told you about Roxie in the first place, Faith?”
“Tucker,” I said, not holding back anything. The idiot deserved Tyler's wrath for making me believe that Roxie was a person and that the McGuire brothers shared her. “He had me thinking that Roxie was someone you used to date.”
I watched as Tyler’s face went from curious to rage after I was done explaining. “He did what?”
Tyler tugged the brown sheet back over Roxie and then ran both of his hands through his hair before folding me into a hug. “I understand now,” he murmured into my hair as a hand rubbed my back. “Why you were angry. Why it matters.” He pulled away and brushed my hair back. “I’m so sorry, Baby. You can always trust me to tell you the truth, okay?”
I nodded. “I’m sorry, Tyler. For not trusting you and listening to him.”
He kissed my forehead then my lips. “It’s okay, Baby.”
I loved having him surrounding me, and it was such a relief to finally know what was going on. We just stood there hugging until I heard a squeak from across the street that let us both know my front door had been opened.
“Faith?” Sarah called out.
“Yeah?” I answered back, nestled in Tyler's arms.
“Five more minutes.” Then the door shut.
“I don’t want to move,” I grumbled.
“Give me until midnight, and I’ll come over. They should be asleep then, right?”
“Most likely,” I agreed.
“Then I’ll see you at midnight,” he mused, giving me one last lingering kiss, then shooing me back home.
Midnight couldn’t come fast enough.