Chapter Fifty-Two
Tyler
The next day, we arrived back at Ashley’s father’s house and I had to admit that I was fucking nervous.
I knew that Ashley was pretty nervous too, just from the way that she squeezed my hand as we made our way down the beach, but she kept her spirits up.
The night before she was somewhat sad, but in a way, she seemed pleased that she was finally going to get this whole mess rectified; or at the very least, there should be some damn closure.
When her father answered the door, he seemed gracious and welcoming to both of us. I thought that was an improvement from the last time we had met.
At least he didn’t try to take a fucking swing at me… I thought as we walked into the house that was supposed to be our home, but had changed into representing something that was so much worse than that for all of us.
The eerie chill of the air was annoying as shit, but I made do, considering I knew I was there for Ashley. I was there strictly for support. If everything went well, I planned to keep my damn mouth shut. That was not something that came easy to me, but for the sake of fucking compromise, I supposed I would give it a try.
Still, even with everything that went on, I was kind of surprised, not only that I kept my promise to keep my mouth shut, but also because for the first time, probably ever, Ashley and her father had a good conversation without giving one another shit.
I didn’t really listen to the whole thing, since it was none of my damn business, but from what I heard of it, the two of them seemed to be working things out. There was no yelling and I would even go as far as to say the two of them actually listened to one another.
If I was into that kind of sentimental shit, it might have been beautiful, but my ass was just bored; which, I guessed, all things considered, was a good thing.
At one point, Ashley got up and hugged her father, which I took as a cue that things were getting patched up and we could probably leave soon, which made me happy.
However, just as I was beginning to be assured that things were winding down, I heard a familiar voice that I was sure was going to fuck up everything.
“Oh, so you are siding with them, are you?” My mother’s voice called as jealousy oozed from her pores.
I rolled my eyes and stood up, realizing that this was now my cross to bear. “Yes, Mom. I’m siding with them. You made your choice and I made mine.”
“Well, fuck you then!” she screamed as her face screwed up into a scowl, before she spat on the floor. She looked past me toward Ashley’s father and screamed, “Here’s your divorce papers, you dick! Now you and your little whore can live happily fucking after with my son.”
This made me completely irate. “Shut the fuck up!” I screamed, moving up to her, close enough so I towered over her. “I will not stand for you talking about Ashley, or to her father that way.” She cowered away from me as I added, “You need to leave, now!” At that, I snatched the divorce papers out of her hands as I said, “I will take care of this. Don’t worry, you will get divorced, but you sure as hell won’t get anything else.”
“You’re just like your father!” she screamed with the same venom attacking her words as she spoke.
“Good!” I exclaimed. “Because I am sure as hell not anything like you.”
At this, my mother’s mouth dropped opened and she stomped away from the three of us, hopefully leaving us for good.
When I turned around, I was met by Ashley, who ran into my arms and thanked me, before she immersed me in a long, passionate kiss.
And for once, her father didn’t even fucking mind.
Epilogue
Ashley
A year later, I sat across from my father and my boyfriend, having dinner while another glorious summer came to a close.
After the divorce from Tyler’s mother, no one had seen her, but that wasn’t such a bad thing.
Tyler had kept his word and had taken care of all the proceedings, representing his mother, so that my father would not have to give up everything he owned. In fact, Tyler had even exposed the court system to what his mother was doing, which caused them to be very leery of her.
He seemed to have settled into our family quite nicely. He was happy to be able to be a part of the traditions that my father had resurrected once again, in memory of my mother. And because of that, along with my father’s slow, yet steady re-emergence back into the way he acted before my mother died, the beach house, as well as the house that he owned on the mainland, was beginning to feel a lot more like a home.
Tonight, however, we were taking it easy. The three of us gazed out over the ocean and enjoyed the view.
I sighed and looked between my father and Tyler and realized, with some regret, that we would not be able to squeeze many more nights like this out of the summer.
After all, I prepared to go back to school for another year and Tyler was going back on his strong man tour. He had gotten a sponsor in his trip around the country last year and this year, he was beginning to make a good living doing exactly what he loved.
Even though I had only known him a year, I knew that this was the happiest he had ever been. He had opened up a lot more to me over the course of the year and I was starting to truly understand what he was all about.
I felt as though I could tell him anything, but what was better, I also felt as though he knew he could tell me anything.
The bond that we had forged and the relationship that we were building, I felt, was a strong one and I was fairly certain that Tyler felt the same way.
“Hey, Ashley,” Tyler said, putting his hand over my own, breaking me from my thoughts and forcing me back completely into the present.
“Yes?” I answered casually, smiling at him with ease.
“I uh…This seems like a good time,” he said as he glanced over at my father, who nodded his head toward him and smiled.
“A good time for what?” It was now that I could feel Tyler’s hand trembling as it grasped tightly onto my own.
“Ha!” Tyler barked a laugh as I gazed deeply into his eyes. “Oh fuck…” he stated carefully, before he gave another nervous chuckle. “Shit…Forget I said that….Damn, I suck at this…”
My amused expression heightened, but I couldn’t help the feeling of confusion that washed over me. I stared at him with a hard, strange look in my eye, while my head automatically bent to the side.
“What is it?” I asked, reaching out for him.
He quickly caught my hand inside of his, as though I had set off some kind of nervous reflex.
I gave a quick, quiet giggle as my eyes passed over to my father, who I could see was also making very weird faces. It was almost as though the two men were sharing a secret that I had no knowledge of.
I narrowed my eyes before I passed another glance between them and said, “Um. Dad…Tyler…What is going on?”
“I believe Tyler can answer that for you…” my father said before I felt him nudge him underneath the table.
I looked at Tyler just as his eyes, like laser pointers singed into my father, before he hissed something about throwing him under the fucking bus.
My prince charming… I thought, amusing myself.
Then, after a sigh, Tyler grasped my one hand with his and moved closer to me. At this, he looked deeply into my eyes before he said, “I know I curse a lot…And I know that I have had a really, really fucked up past.” He winced then, as though he didn’t mean to say it that way, but continued. “I am not the best man. I have my faults, but you have shown me how wonderful life truly can be. I love my life with you and you…you are truly the best thing that has ever happened to me. I need you in my life and I am ready to take the next step in order to ensure that I am always standing by your side…”
“Oh my God…” I gasped under my breath as I realized what was going on, while Tyler slid onto one knee. Instinctively, I pulled my hand back from him and covered my mouth with my hands, which gave him a moment to pull the tiny square box out of his pocket.
He looked up at me, just as he opened it and exclaimed, “Ashley, will you marry me?”
“Oh my God, yes!” I screamed, reaching down to kiss him as he came up to meet my lips.
As our lips touched, I heard my father laugh in a happy, satisfied way, while a smile spread across Tyler’s lips as well. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in closer.
By this point, my heart was beating so fast while my mind was running a million miles a minute and all I could think was, I can’t believe this is happening. But when we pulled away for a moment and my mouth opened, the words that came out were, “I love you, Tyler, with all my heart.”
His beam widened as he squeezed me tightly, looked deep into my eyes and answered, “Damn, Ashley, you know I love you too!”
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DIRTY SEAL
By Alycia Taylor
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Alycia Taylor
Chapter One
Grant
“So, how do you go from being a Navy SEAL to working in real estate? Do you actually enjoy this job?”
I tried not to show my annoyance, which wasn’t too difficult because I’d grown fairly good at keeping a deadpan face over the years. But the question still annoyed me. I hadn’t been a Navy SEAL in a long time, and I’d already been at this job for almost a year. Surely by now I should be accepted as just one of the guys, rather than some prize monkey in a cage?
“Well, do you enjoy it?” I asked hoping to turn the conversation around to Peter.
Peter sighed. “Not really. I mean, when I manage to sell something decent, then yeah, I guess so. But for the most part, it feels like too much admin and too much running around. And it’s sort of depressing selling houses that are so much better than the one that I live in. I’m not sure I’m cut out for this job. I’m too honest.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Peter was by far one of the most honest men that I’d ever met. Sometimes it was refreshing, and other times it was frustrating. But he was a good kid who meant well, and it was hard to stay mad at him.
“Tell me about it. When they’re asking me all these questions about the house I feel like they can totally see through all my lies. I’m not good at exaggerating like some of the other guys here.”
Peter looked around at the other men and women in the office, most of whom were on the phone or typing furiously into their computers. They were the sort of people that gave estate agents a bad name, because they would do anything to sell a house. I didn’t get along with any of them. Peter was the only one that I actually enjoyed being around, even when he was a pain in the ass.
“Yeah,” he whispered. “They’re all sharks. They were born to do this job. But if I don’t make a sale soon, I’m not sure I’m going to be able to continue here.”
“Seriously?” I asked. “You thinking of leaving?”
He nodded. “I am. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time now. My wife has been nagging me to leave. She can see I’m unhappy. I don’t think I’m good with commission-based work. I need to find a place with a solid and dependable salary.”
“So, what are you thinking of doing?”
“I don’t know. That’s the problem. But I’m definitely keeping my eyes and ears open for something else. I have to. And, I’ll be honest, Grant, I think you should, too. No offense or anything. You just don’t seem happy here. Ah, that’s my phone; maybe I sold a house!” he said and ran off.
I could tell by his facial expression that the person on the other side of the phone was not a client, but more than likely his wife. For a while, I sat staring at my computer screen. We got a small base wage, but the rest of what we earned was based on commission. And so far, I hadn’t been doing very well. But I knew that the fault was with me. I just didn’t feel any passion for the job. I didn’t go after the sales like the rest of the staff seemed to do. And Peter was right; I wasn’t happy. I’d overheard one of the other staff members talking about me once. They’d laughed about how miserable I always was. Apparently, I walked around with a permanent scowl on my face. I’d walked passed the mirror once and realized that they had been right. I really did look miserable.
But going from being a Navy SEAL to a realtor had not been good for my general state of my mind. Every day I made my way to work and wondered what on earth I was doing. I felt as if I was just floating through the days without a sense of purpose. And while that was not how I wanted to live my life, I also had no idea how to fix it. I needed a job, and I needed something to occupy my mind.
I spent the rest of the day trying to focus on the job at hand, and by the end of the day I’d set up a few appointments for the upcoming week. It was hardly enough to make me feel good about the job, but at least it was something. Perhaps if I just applied myself more, I’d be better at the job. I was sure that if an old friend hadn’t set this job up for me, I wouldn’t have actually been accepted into the company. I was sure they were already regretting their decision.
As I was leaving for work that day, Peter waved goodbye at me and said, “Give some thought to what I said. I think it’s time we changed our lives for the better.”
I nodded and walked away without giving it much thought, and tried to shove the conversation to the back of my mind. Peter might be right, but I had more important things to think about that day. For one, I had to visit my father in the hospital.
My father, Paul Maxwell, had taught me how to be tough. He was a good man who loved his bikes more than anything else in the world. The only thing that came close to his love of motorcycles was the love that he had for his five children, although you wouldn’t always know it from the way that he acted. But I’d always been close to him, and I was probably the only one out of all the brothers who didn’t mind showing that love to him. He might have shown me how to be tough, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t be close. I sometimes felt that he was the only one who could see through my toughness, and I assumed that was because I could see right through his.
The day I found out he had cancer had been a dark day for me, but I was grateful when the doctor had pulled me aside to let me know that it was treatable. Still, he had to go through a round of chemotherapy, and I knew that this was going to be hard on him.
I made my way to the hospital and found the cancer treatment facility where my father was staying. It was my second time going to meet with him, and even though he kept telling me that I didn’t need to visit, I knew he appreciated it.
“Grant, I didn’t know you were coming today!” he said. “It’s good to see you, son.”
I could see the smile on his face, which was good to see. Because, other than the smile, he was looking a little gaunt and a little more tired than usual.
“It’s good to see you too, Pop,” I said. “So, how’s it going? They treating you nicely here?”
He nodded. “They are. The food is great. Better than home cooking.”
I laughed. My father lived by himself, and he’d never been good in the kitchen. “That’s because your home cooking is terrible.”
“Ha! How can you say that you to your own father?”
“It’s the truth. And don’t worry, the same can be said for me. I think it was pretty clear that none of the Maxwell brothers were going to be chefs. A good old cheese and tomato sandwich and I’m good to go.”
“Sounds like the food in my house, too. I didn’t mind, but now that they’ve introduced me to real cooking, I’m not sure that I can go back to that. I might actually have to learn a few things.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Oh yeah? Well, you can invite me over for dinner then. So, other than food, how are things?”
“Ah, you know, same old. I’m feeling okay. They said this first part would be rough but that after that I should feel more like my old self. I only have to stay here a few days at a time. At least I can come into work every now and then. I hate being away from it.”
I chuckled. That didn’t surprise me one bit. My father was a workaholic whose whole life had been dedicated to his motorcycle garage. On top of the shop, he was also one of the leading members of the motorcycle club. His whole life revolved around the shop and the club. The only other person in the family who was quite as dedicated to being in the motorcycle business was my brother Ian, who worked at the shop.
“Oh, you’ll be back in no time. And don’t worry it. I’m sure Gunner’s doing a great job. You know he’s good at what he does.”
“Do you ever call him by his real name?”
I laughed. All the members of the motorcycle club had a nickname, and I’d been calling Ian ‘Gunner’ for as long as I could remember. It would be strange to call him anything else.
“Nope. Just like I call you Pop and everyone calls me Patriot. It feels more . . . normal.”
“Hmm, well you’re still Ian and Grant to me. Did you hear that Ian was in the newspaper again? That boy is giving me gray hairs.”
I sighed. Ian and my father were more alike than either of them cared to admit.
“Look, I was also angry when I saw that he was in the paper. He shouldn’t have hit that guy. But it’s not his fault. I spoke to him. Ian has met the nicest girl. Her name is Eliza, and she’s nothing like the girls he is normally with.”
“I know. I met her. She’s adorable.”
“She is. But she has an abusive ex-boyfriend that has been looking for her. You can’t blame Ian for punching the guy’s lights out. Come on; you know that you and I would’ve done the same in his position. And it’s not his fault he was put in the newspaper for it. The media hates the motorcycle club and will do anything to tarnish our name. Did you see that the paper barely mentioned the other guy even though he was the one that was causing trouble? It’s not Ian’s fault.”
“I don’t know. He should’ve just walked away. He knows that we have the club’s reputation on the line. I don’t know, Grant. I’m starting to regret putting him in charge of the club. He’s great at his job, but I don’t want to see the club fall apart because of his poor decisions.”
I sighed. Ian was the perfect man for the job, and once my father retired from the position, I wanted to see Ian take over. Nobody else in the club cared as much as he did. Hell, even I didn’t. I was a member of the club, but I barely went to any of the meetings. I’d only been going recently to stop me from going mad sitting at home alone with just my thoughts.
“Pop, Ian is great for the job. You know that as much as I do.”
“I don’t know. Maybe you should be the one that takes over.”
“I’ll help as much as I need to while you are here. But don’t count Ian out too quickly. He needs you. And he’s a born leader, just like you are. He just doesn’t realize it yet.”
My father grunted and said he’d think about it, and I quickly changed the subject. I had no desire to be in the club anymore, and I needed him to start seeing Ian’s potential.
Afterward, I walked out of the hospital feeling confused. I loved my bike, but I just wanted to ride it. I didn’t want to be too involved in the club, and I didn’t want to work in the shop. It was clear to me just how much my father and my brother loved what they did. Every single day they woke up excited for the day ahead. But I just went to work and wondered why anyone would care so much about real estate. I stared at a screen and willed the day to go fast. I didn’t want to be involved in the motorcycle world, I didn’t want to be involved in the real estate world, and every day I came home to an empty house with nothing to do but think.
Peter’s words came rushing to the forefront of my mind as I climbed onto my bike and headed home.
I think it’s time we changed our lives.