Mike's Way Back (Finding Perfect) (14 page)

Chapter 14

“You don’t have to make something to take to my parents’ house, Taryn. Really.”

Her fingers snapped twice in the air. “Just keep up, detective.”

He didn’t want to keep up. The view he had of her walking down the aisle in front of him was spectacular.

“I can feel your eyes on my ass, Michael.”

He snickered. “Well, it’s not my fault, your ass is amazing.”

She turned and narrowed her eyes on him. Placing both her hands on the end of the grocery cart, she leaned over, trying to intimidate him. The only thing she accomplished was turning him on even more, because now he had a great view of her cleavage. “Damn, you’re beautiful, sugar.”

“What am I going to do with you?”

Walking around the metal cart, he neared her. Just as he wanted, she stepped back from him. When she had her back against the shelves lined with cake mixes, he grasped her waist with his hand and leaned near her ear. “I could think of a few things.” The sharp intake of air he heard answered any doubts he had. Taryn could be professional, cool, in control, and beautifully put together. However, Mike was well aware of the effect he had on her and just how little it took to watch her come undone. Placing a soft kiss on her lips, he grinned and kissed her forehead, too.

They were in public after all, and he was supposed to be an upstanding citizen who set a good example. He chuckled picturing what the headlines of the local paper would look like if they had to report one of their law enforcement officials had been busted for indecent exposure.

That didn’t stop his heart from warming when she smiled her sweet smile and blinked at him as if waiting for his next move…or words.

“I love you, sugar.”

“Love you.”

“What did you want to bake?”

“Bake?”

Mike snickered as the grin tugged at his mouth. “My parents?”

“Oh…yeah. Bake. Damn it, Michael. You should be ashamed of yourself. You’re going to run me out of time. Now behave.”

“Quit being sexy.”

She rolled her eyes, but as she turned, Mike tapped her on the butt in her black pencil skirt. Taryn glanced back with a raised eyebrow trained on him. He blew her a kiss. Taryn bumped him out of the way, but she was unsuccessful in hiding the smirk on her face
.

~~~

“Oh, Taryn. This is delicious sweetheart. But, you certainly didn’t have to bring anything.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Sterling. But I wanted to.”

“It’s Connie, please.”

Taryn was nervous as they’d approached the back door, but she’d been pulled immediately into his mother’s embrace and those fears went right out the window. His mother had genuinely welcomed her.

“I’m glad she brought it. At least now maybe I’ve got someone who will bake for me, since you don’t anymore,” his father said.

“Tom…you don’t need it.”

As they continued to joke back and forth, Taryn blushed and glanced at Mike who just shook his head. Her parents were strict, boring, and almost cold. Her dad was in charge, and although her mother was very devoted to him, she never crossed him, and they certainly didn’t act silly or playful. Especially in front of others. Mike’s parents were the exact opposite of hers, and she was very quickly falling in love with them.

“Son…If you don’t keep this one around, I may just have to snap her up myself.”

“You couldn’t handle her, Dad. Trust me.”

She swatted at his bicep
s, the sting on her hand reminded her he was made of steel. “You be nice to me.”

“You tell him, Taryn, honey. Don’t you take a lick of shit from him.”

Her cheeks flamed as his father winked at her, but she was excited to be pulled into the mix instead of watching from the sidelines. She’d never had a pedigree quite good enough for Phillip’s parents. Not that it mattered anyway. She hadn’t loved him, but it had made it awkward to be around them.

Tom and Connie though…they were a world apart. Their laughter filled the house on a handful of rolling acres at the outskirts of town. It only took a moment in their home to feel the love Mike grew up with. It was also quiet and peaceful—a place where she imagined three boys had run, played, and gotten into all sorts of mischief.

“What are you grinning for?” Mike asked, putting his arm around her.

“Oh, nothing really. I was just picturing the trouble you and your brothers probably got into around here. It’s so wide open. You probably dragged in all sorts of living friends for your poor mother to find.”

“Sugar, you have no idea.”

Tom tipped his chin. “Just remember, son. It will all come back to haunt you, eventually. I promise you.”

His mother wagged a finger at him with a glimmer of fire in her eye. “Oh, those damn frogs.” Connie shivered.

“Damn it, Mom. That was Carter. Not me. I’ve told you that for years. I would help him catch them down on the bank of the pond, but it was his scrawny little ass that brought them home.”

“Yeah, remember, Connie. He was the one who had a fascination with snakes.”

Taryn’s jaw dropped as she listened to his father. “Eww. Oh, that’s disgusting. Snakes? Really?” Mike wiggled his eyebrows at her, but as cute he was trying to appear, that didn’t chase away the image of slithering things coming at her with beady eyes and fangs.

“It’s okay, sugar. They were just baby garter snakes. They are harmless, and really, pretty cute.”

“Michael…
puppies
are cute. Kittens are cute. Snakes—not so much.” Even saying the words sent a chill down her spine. She wasn’t scared of much. Intimidating rich people didn’t faze her. Driving in heavy traffic was second nature, big brothers and their stinky friends who picked on her…no problem. Things with more than four legs…or none at all—sent her screaming for the hills.

“I totally agree, sweetheart.” Connie said. “So, how is the new cooking school coming along anyway? I’m very excited to see something like that going in on the square. It will be so good for the town.”

Slowing her pounding heart, Taryn was more than happy to take the change of subject and run with it. “I am glad to hear you think so. It’s progressing nicely. I know the owner is still a bit worried about if it will take off, but I’ve seen one similar that was very well received by a town with about the same population.”

“Well then, do you have to go somewhere else for your next project? Traveling a lot would be fun, but I’m sure it gets old.”

“Actually, Tom, I’m very excited. My business associate and I have taken on two more projects here in town. So, even if everything goes exactly like planned, I’ll be here another two months for the smaller job, and five, possibly six more months for the project after that. And you’re right. It will be very nice to be in one spot for more than ten minutes. It seems like I just rotate my belongings in and out of my suitcase.”

“Yeah, we’ll have to bring Andrew and Scott out to have dinner or something when they get into town. She needed more things, and Andrew wanted to see the progress. Plus, I’d like to get to know Scott, I haven’t met him yet.”

Taryn smiled up at Mike. Her two closest friends were important to her, and she wanted Mike to like them. It meant a lot to her that he was truly interested. “You’ll like him. He’s not quite as girly as Andrew.”

“Girly?” Connie asked.

“Oh, Mom. Andrew is as gay as the day is long.”

“Hey…that’s my line.” Taryn bumped him.

“We’ll plan on dinner then while they’re here. It will be fun. And that makes me feel better. I was hoping Mike told you that you didn’t need to dress up for us.”

His mother made her feel so welcome. In
Boston, even in her most expensive suits, she still felt like she was an unwelcome stranger in her parents’ home. “He didn’t, but he’s seen me at the school enough to know that I always wear heels when I’m around clients. So unfortunately, I just don’t have many other items here with me, yet. Well…except for one.” She smirked and bit her lip.

“I’m going to burn that offensive thing, so don’t go looking for it.”

“Don’t you touch my Sox jersey, detective. If you think I wouldn’t have you arrested…well then, you’d be sadly mistaken my dear.”

Tom smacked his thigh and let out a howl of laughter that bounced off the walls. Taryn was so caught by surprise, she quickly found herself wiping tears from her own laughter.

“That’s priceless, honey. I couldn’t have planned a better prank on him if I tried. Knowing you will be joining forces with us in giving him shit about those damn Yanks of his, well that’s just wonderful. You’re welcome here anytime.”

“Dad…she doesn’t need any help. She gives me enough shit all on her very own.”

His mother stepped in. “Michael, you be nice to her. We really like Taryn. I don’t want you running her off with teasing and picking on her. You need a good girl like her in your life.”

“Taryn, if he takes your jersey, sweetheart, you just come tell me. I’ll get you a new one. Hell. I’ll get a matching one just to piss him off.”

Her heart was full, close to bursting, and she was thankful she’d already been dabbing at her eyes, so the new tears there weren’t obvious. Although, they weren’t from laughter now. Their acceptance meant more to her than they would probably ever know. A pang of fear hit her as she thought of Connecticut, and how hard it was going to be to go back home. She’d officially been in town less than two weeks and going back now would hurt. After she spent the better part of an entire year here—she knew damn well…it would be excruciating.

~~~

Mike knew the time had come. The news had been sitting in his stomach like a lead weight, but like he’d told Taryn, having her by his side made all things easier.

He knew his parents, and knew they would like her. However, after having to deal with his ex-wife, Mike wasn’t sure if they’d warm up so quickly to another woman. He should have given all three of them more credit though. Taryn fell into stride with his family as if she was always meant to be there. The argument regarding his Yankees was all in fun, something he loved to tease his father with. Seeing the two of them gang up together thrilled him in a way Mike never expected.

The woman under his arm glanced up at him, the tears made her pale green eyes sparkle like precious gems. He’d have to ask her more about her own family because what he saw in those eyes was so layered…and so much more than just a laugh with his father.

Mike laid his lips against her forehead and pulled in a long breath through his nostrils. Because of her he had the strength to walk through his parent
‘s backdoor today. It was because of her he had the courage to begin accepting what he couldn’t change. It was because of Taryn he was beginning to breathe freely for the first time in years.

“Mom, Dad.” He began, and she immediately gripped his free hand without taking her eyes off of him and held it tightly to her chest. “I have something to tell you both.”

“We know, son.”

His mother
replied, her voice barely more than a whisper. Taryn’s head whipped to look in her direction. That was the only way he knew he hadn’t misheard her. His mouth dried instantly, and he couldn’t control his heart from pounding. The blood rushed through his head and it was all he could hear. Focusing on the soft hand squeezing his, it was Taryn’s voice he heard next.

“But? Tom, Connie…how?”

“Please don’t be angry. And promise you won’t call him, Michael. But after it happened, and you were in surgery—it was your chief who told us what had happened at the scene. He sat with us in the waiting room. When you never said anything, your father called and questioned him in greater detail. He reassured us, insisting every man and woman on the force dealt with tragedy their own way. He suggested we not ask or push you, and reassured us you would be ready in your own time.”

His mother’s voice wasn’t what he’d spent hours preparing himself for. He had in effect, killed a child. Not an innocent one, but a young teenager nonetheless. In the past when he envisioned this moment, there were accusations and yelling filled with hatred and blame. That was what he’d been ready for. Not calm. Not acceptance. “But?”

“Son…your mother and I have sat by waiting for too long, praying for this day. We are so grateful you finally came to us. We hated staying quiet, but we know you. We knew you weren’t ready to talk, but that also meant you didn’t know we would love you no matter what. That child, despite his limited years on this earth, stopped being a child when he aimed his gun at you.”

He dragged his gaze away from his parents and back to Taryn. Tears streamed down her soft cheeks, and a hopeful smile tugged on her lips. In a very short amount of time, he’d come to be able to read her and understand her thoughts and feelings without words. She was begging. Not like she was this morning, but begging him to believe his parents—to believe her.

“Someone else told me the same exact thing late last night,” he said without looking away from her. He lowered to kiss her. He breathed against her lips first then murmured, “Thank you.”

“I love you, Michael,” she whispered against him.