Page 17 of A Constant Love

We finished up our pizza and headed out. We drove up and down side streets until he finally came to a stop in front of an old run-down apartment building.

“What’s this?” I asked hoping we weren’t going inside.

“I wanted to show you this place. It might not necessarily be important to me, but it was important in my family. Do you see that window right there?” He pointed to the second story.

I nodded.

“That apartment is where my parents first lived when they got married. Despite how affluent they are now, they both started from nothing. My mom came from Columbia to go to college. She escaped a drunk, abusive father, and my dad grew up with a single mom here in the city. Neither one of them had anything, so they lived here on nothing more than packaged noodles and water. Took them about two years of working multiple jobs to get the bank to give them a loan to flip their first property.”

A little snarkier than I meant to, I said, “You’d think after coming from a place like this, your mom would understand a person like me.”

Tyler turned me to and took my hands in his. “My mom’s behavior is inexcusable. One hundred percent. But I think part of her just doesn’t want any of us kids to ever end up in a place like this.”

“With all their money, they’d never let that happen to any of you guys.”

“I know, but…I’m not really sure how to explain it. She and my dad were in their situation together. Over the years, they’ve seen people, employees mainly, who have tried to take advantage of their wealthy status. It’s made her jaded. She thinks everyone is after a handout, and she doesn’t want any of us to be put in a situation where we might be taken advantage of.”

I sat quietly not really knowing what to say. I understood a mama bear protecting her cubs, but what I couldn’t wrap my head around was not even getting to know the woman your son is in love with.

“Sam, I need you to know I’m not defending her. She’s being a total bitch, and there’s no excuse for anything she’s doing. YOU are my number one, and I’m not letting her come between us, but just like I am going to keep trying to get her to understand you, I thought maybe seeing this place would help you to understand her a little more.”

I nodded and squeezed his hand to let him know I wasn’t upset with him.

“Are you ready to get out of here, Kansas? It’s supposed to start snowing soon, and I don’t want to get trapped in the city when everyone starts panicking.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Chapter 12 – Tyler

Once we arrived back to the house and got settled, Sam insisted on cooking, so she whipped up some sort of pasta dish from ingredients we had on hand. As usual, it was delicious.

The snow had started outside and was quickly making a beautiful white blanket over the whole property.

After helping Sam clean the kitchen, I had another surprise for her. I took her by the hand and led her down a couple long hallways until we reached the back of the house.

We walked into what my mom always called the atrium. It was circular room with a large sunken down hot tub in the middle, and all of the walls and roof were made of glass.

I had the lights turned down, so the only glow was the illuminated hot tub and the glow from the white snowy world outside.

A small gasp escaped her lips. “Ty, this is beautiful.”

“Although I much prefer this house in the summer, the snow does make it quite picturesque, doesn’t it?”

She nodded.

Taking her hand, I led her to the hot tub. “Care for a dip? I know it’s not the pool…or a lake,” I winked. “But It’ll do for now.”

She smiled, “It’s perfect.”

I turned on all the underwater jets while she walked around, taking a good look at everything. “Trouble is though, that I didn’t know where we were going on this trip, and I didn’t even pack a bathing suit, so guess I’m going to have to just get in naked.”

Faux innocence covered her face, but I could see the little sexy minx who wanted to come out and play.

“Well, I guess if you’re going naked, it would only be fair if I was in the buff too,” I shrugged while yanking my shirt over my head.

She began undressing, and before I could even get out of my pants, I was hard.

Following her into the steaming water, I took a seat on the bench next to her as she leaned her head back enjoying the jets pulsating on her back.