Page 15 of Swimming for Seduction

“Neither does he,” Tyler admits, making her eyes widen.

I’m relieved when Tyler agrees to his aunt’s quiet plea to wait until after dinner to introduce me to her daughter’s group. We sit at the opposite end of the table as we eat the food catered by the groom’s business, TG’s Happy Hour. It’s a short reprieve, but at least I get the chance to watch my brother interact with his friends before turning his world upside down.

Chapter 13

Tyler

Ricki barely touches her dinner and I can tell it’s because she’s nervous about meeting her brother for the first time. I wish there was something I could do to make this easier for her. I know she strives for control, and she hasnonewhen it comes to how Brady will react. So, when everyone leaves the table and heads toward the dance floor, I pull her toward where my cousin is clearing the table with her two boyfriends along with Brady and his fiancé, Skyler.

“Hey hey, Tray Tray,” I say as I tap Tracey on the shoulder. When she spins to face me, I wrap an arm around Ricki’s tense shoulders. When she whips her head toward me with a glare as I introduce her as myfriendagain, I laugh and drop my handto the small of her back, pushing her forward as I tell her, “I swear, if you say you’re not my friend again, I’m gonna get really offended. Now, go on, introduce yourself,firecracker.”

She rolls her eyes at the nickname as she turns to face Tracey and her friends until her eyes land on Brady. She swallows nervously before straightening her shoulders.

“Hi, Brady. I came to Thorngrove to find you, but I…” her words trail off.

“Do I know you?” Brady cocks his head to the side like he’s trying to determine why she looks familiar.

“No, but…” Her voice drops to a whisper. “I’m your little sister.”

“Is this some kind of joke?” Brady’s usual happy-go-lucky smile turns to a grimace as he takes a step back while the rest of the group lets out a collective gasp.

His reaction has Ricki ready to turn and run, but I wrap a supportive arm around her as I raise my other hand toward Brady.

“No joke, man,” I tell him seriously. “The name on her driver’s license is Erica Hargrove.”

Ricki starts trembling next to me as Brady shakes his head in denial. Being rejected by him was her worst fear and I just forced her to experience it in front of a crowd of people…hispeople. When Brady starts hyperventilating with a panic attack, Ricki pulls herself from my hold.

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry,” she says before turning and running around the side of the house toward where my truck is parked.

I watch her retreat before turning back to Devon who’s been unusually quite during this whole exchange. He and I are usually the biggest jokesters at family gatherings, but we both know that this isn’t a joke. I offer to call the paramedics to help Brady sincehe’s still not breathing normally, but Devon tells me to go after Ricki before assuring me that they will take care of Brady.

When I don’t findRicki next to my truck, I search the yard, but she’s nowhere to be seen. The way she took off running, I’m willing to bet she’s halfway down the mile long driveway by now. So, I get in my truck, turning on my high-beam lights as I slowly drive toward the road until I spot her, pacing back and forth and shaking her hands, looking close to a panic attack of her own. I leave the truck running as I jump out and rush to wrap my arms around her.

“He hates me,” she cries into my shoulder.

“Shh.” I tighten my hold on her. “He’ll come around. Give him time.” I rub soothing circles on her back until her sniffles stop as her body goes rigid and I know what’s coming before it happens.

“This is allyourfault!” She screams as she uses both hands and surprising strength to push me away from her both emotionally and physically. “You made me come here!” She pushes me again. “You said he would accept me.” She balls her hands into fists. “I can’t believe I trusted you.” She pounds on my chest.

I don’t try to stop her. I let her hit me because she needs to hitsomethingand I’d rather it be me than one of the trees lining the driveway. When her rant looses steam and she falls against me, I lift her in my arms and carry her to my truck. Thankfully, she doesn’t fight me as I buckle her into the passenger seat.

We’re both quiet for the entire ride back into town, lost in our own thoughts of, ‘What could we have done differently?’ Wedon’t argue until I pull into the parking lot of my building and she realizes that I didn’t take her to her dorm.

“Take me home, Tyler,” she demands. When I simply shake my head, she pulls out her phone with a huff. “Fine. I’ll get an Uber.”

I laugh humorlessly. “Good luck with that on Christmas Eve,firecracker.You’re stuck with me for the night, because there’s no way I’m leaving you alone after what you just went through.” I keep talking without giving her a chance to reply. “You don’t have to remind me that it’s my fault. I know it is, and I’m going to do everything in my power to fix it. I promise.” When her weary gaze meets mine without an argument, I tell her, “I just can’t do anything tonight…except be here for you however you need me to be.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be this way,” she whispers as she opens her door and steps out into the cool December air.

I sigh in relief as I kill the engine and join her in front of the truck. I hold out my arm, hoping she’ll slide under it for comfort, but expecting her to hit me again. She does neither. She just turns and walks toward the entrance to my building, tapping in the security code that she apparently memorized when she was here last month.

When we get inside my apartment, I grab her a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt to sleep in before queuing upSupernaturalon the TV while she changes in the bathroom. My chest tightens at the sight of her in my clothes as she walks toward the couch and surprisingly sits close enough beside me that our thighs brush together. I rest my arm on the back of the couch and she scoots closer, finally accepting the comfort I’ve been trying to offer her.

Before we make it through a full episode of the show, she’s asleep with her head in my lap. I turn off the TV and carry her to my bed. After a brief argument with myself about whether or notI’m crossing a line she doesn’t want me to cross, I change into another pair of sweats and climb into bed with her. I pull her back to be my little spoon and hold her the way I’ve spent many nights dreaming about these past few months.

Knowing that Devon will likely be the only one able to get through to Brady since they grew up together, I use the final moments before sleep claims me to put a plan together.

Chapter 14

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