1.11

It wasn't long after graduation that Kaylee and Ty moved out to Serenity Cove. As a matter of fact Ty wanted to make a road trip out of it so they put whatever would fit in the bed of an old truck he had fixed up and started off. It was fun. Or at least it was fun until they started to near their destination and then Kaylee started to get nervous.
"What if I'm making a mistake?"

Ty glanced over at her then shook his head before turning back to the road. "I was wondering when this was going to come up."
"What?" she snapped crossing her arms over her chest. She glared at his profile. He was just so relaxed and confident while she was a bundle of nerves. Look at him, she thought angrily, just so calm and nonchalant about everything as if his life isn't changing either. How can one person be that way?
"I was wondering when your fears were going to resurface."
"Hello? Are you not realizing that we're moving away from everything, and everyone, that we know to start all over again?"
"My parents will probably be out here sooner or later. Probably sooner. And besides," he said with a shrug, "how can following your dreams be wrong?" He glanced down at the paper that he had dug out of his pocket and before she realized it he was pulling into a driveway.



"This is it," Ty said as he brought the truck to a halt. Shutting it off they both looked through the windshield at the house standing before them. At the house that was going to be their new home. A house, Ty hoped, that would be filled with their kids one day. He shot a look at Kaylee out of the corner of his eyes. She was gnawing on her bottom lip as she leaned forward to stare intently at the house that was nestled on the beach. It didn't look that big but it would be plenty of space for the two of them...maybe even more. Reaching over Ty patted her thigh.
"Get out."
Her eyes swung to his. "Huh?"
He gestured to the house. "Get out the car. Us sitting here isn't going to make the boxes in the bed of the truck magically unpack themselves."
"Smart ass," Kaylee muttered as she reached for the door handle.
Laughing he gave her a butt a little pat as she started to climb out of the truck winking when she shot a glare over her shoulder.

It was a beautiful house, Kaylee thought as she and Ty stood in front of it in silence. It was set back from the street, nestled among bushes and flowers. There was a wrap around porch that she could just imagine sitting out on and people watching. It was only a one story house, set high on a foundation. Inhaling deeply the smell of the ocean tickled her nostrils and she could faintly hear the sound of the ocean. She smiled when Ty gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze.
"We're home Kaylee. Can you feel it?"
Closing her eyes she reached up and gave his hand a squeeze. "You know, the moment I stepped out of the truck the restlessness eased. This does feel like home Ty." A faint sound behind them had Kaylee straightening but Ty shoved her behind him as he swung around with his fists raised and tension radiating from his body.

"I'm Charles Nelson!" the elderly man rasped out as he took a quick step back. Raising one hand he placed the other over his heart. "I'm the head researcher at SCBA. I just wanted to come and greet you both and show you around the property."
Placing a calming hand on Ty's tense shoulder she stepped forward with a smile on her face. "Mr Nelson. Hi! I'm-"
"Please, call me Charles. We're sort of informal over at SCBA. And I know who you are Kaylee. You're reputation proceeds you. Why, your senior thesis alone provoked several debates at work. How you connected single cell organisms and the synapses in the brain was utterly brilliant."
Kaylee could feel herself blushing. She hated to be the center of attention. Slipping her hand into Ty's she pulled him forward. He had somehow managed to step behind her. When she looked over at him she saw he was grinning proudly down at her. She rolled her eyes.
"This is my fiance Tyrese J-"
"Mr. Jameson! Wow, it's a pleasure to meet you as well. We're surprised and pleased that you're taking a position on our small football team. When rumors started to swirl I could barely believe it but to see you standing here...amazing, simple amazing. You're going to put us on the map no doubt."
"I'm going to try my best sir," Ty said modestly.
Charles nodded energetically. "Yes, I know you both are. Now, let me show you around the house."

"God, I don't remember....those stairs....don't recall there being so many. Just...give me a moment to catch my breath."
Kaylee absently heard Charles talking but she was already studying the house. The walls were unpainted and there was still flooring down in certain spots. But...she could see the potential.

"I know it doesn't look like much. We started to build it but then our decorators...well...they decided that they didn't want the job anymore so we were in the midst of finding another when we got your letter stating that you were coming. In a few weeks we should have someone in here. However, you're free to do whatever you want with the walls and floors at no extra cost."
"Then don't worry about the decorators. We'll have this place up and decorated in no time."
"Really?"
Kaylee nodded absently. She was already imagining this area as a little kitchen nook and this area could be...She walked around the house, peeking into rooms, placing furniture here, carpet there and smiling as she imagined the finished product.
"Kaylee! Come and look at this."
Following the sound of Ty and Charles talking she pushed open a door and stepped out onto a balcony. The roar of the waves assaulted her ears as the salt from the ocean stung her eyes.

Ty gestured with a hand. Wiping at her eyes Kaylee turned in the direction he was pointing and stood in silent amazement.

"We have a freaking beach as our backyard? Wicked!" She had to yell to be heard over the sound of the surf but it was stunning. Everything looked so blue and pure. It was nothing like the beaches she vaguely remembered. And the pictures she had seen were nothing in comparison.
"Alright, I'm going to head out. Kaylee, you don't have to be into work for at least another month but you can stop by and familiarize yourself if you would like." He frowned. "I feel as if I'm forgetting something but...oh yes," he said snapping his fingers. "Unfortunately the electricity hasn't been turned on yet. I'll have an electrician come by tomorrow and turn everything on. It was nice to meet you both. Welcome to Serenity Cove." With a jovial wave he slowly walked down the stairs and disappeared around the corner of the house.
Ty let out a whoop causing Kaylee to jump. "What is wrong with you?" she asked with a laugh as he swung her up into his arms and gave her a quick spin.
"I'm just so happy. We have a home, our own private beach," he waggled his eyebrows at her then snuck in a quick kiss when she giggled, "and we both have jobs. That's a lot more than some people have in the middle of their life. And we're right out of college. Right now, in this moment, I feel as if I could die a happy and content man."
Slipping her arms around his waist Kaylee nestled against him. She knew exactly what he meant.

"Okay, you're saying that your wide receivers are supposed to guard you against getting hit?"
"Yup."
Kaylee dug around in her small box of Chinese food that they had ordered after carrying all the boxes and suitcases in. Spying a piece of shrimp she speared it with her fork and brought it to her mouth. Glancing over at Ty she noticed him starting intently at her fork. Looking down she saw the two empty boxes in front of him. Looking back into his eyes he gave her his patented puppy dog look. Heaving a sigh she leaned forward with her fork. A smile creased his mouth as he leaned forward. At the last possible moment she snatched the fork back and popped the piece of shrimp into her mouth.
"Sike!" she exclaimed around her piece of shrimp.
Ty glared at her. "That was just dirty," he grumbled before laughter won out. "I really thought I had you with that look."
She edged her box toward him. "You can have the rest. I'm full." Wiping her mouth she rolled over onto her back.
"Okay, so you have quarterbacks, wide receivers, and linebackers?"
"Babe, I hate to tell you this but if you haven't gotten the sport in the last six years I've known you I don't think you're going to grasp the concept. I appreciate you trying though."
"I'm still going to keep trying."
"And I'll keep trying to teach you."
They fell silent as they stared into the flames of the fire Ty had created. A full stomach and the crackling of the fire started to lull Kaylee to sleep before she felt Ty lift her up.
"Whatcha doing?" she mumbled curling into him.
"I just wanted to watch the ocean with you. There's a hammock on the back porch."

"It's beautiful," Ty said as he pressed a kiss to her head.
Slipping her hand into his she rolled over until she was facing him. "I think you're beautiful."
His eyes shifted away from her. "Guys aren't beautiful. We're handsome."
"I wasn't talking about your looks. I was talking about your soul. When I look at you I don't just see how handsome you are. When you look at me I can see you're soul. You're heart. And that's more beautiful to me than any outer looks could ever be."
Inching up she pressed a kiss to his throat and was surprised at the rapid beating of his pulse. Leaning back she saw his eyes were squeezed tightly closed. "What's wrong?"
"When you say things like that it makes me forget my vow to give you all the time you need. I just want to swoop you up, take you to the justice of the peace, get married and knock you as soon as possible." He gave a shaky laugh. "You may think I'm a beautiful but in reality I'm a selfish bastard who wants all of you."
"You do have all of me. Just...stand still long enough for me to catch up. And while you're waiting..."
Reaching down she undid his belt and then slowly pulled down the zipper of his pants. Reaching in she gently cupped his stiffening penis. The satiny feeling of him always amazed her especially since it covered something so hard.
"Kaylee," he croaked as he thrust his hips toward her. "Don't you think we should take this inside?"
She licked her lips. "We don't have any neighbors."



"Okay, how about you put all the knick-knacks up and I'll unload the heavy stuff? Besides, my mom called and she said that she and dad are sending us some furniture."
"What? Why?"
"A house warming present. I tried to tell her that you'd probably get bent out of shape." He ignore her sharp intake of breath and trudged on before she could snap at him. "But she said if you tried to refuse it that they'd just keep sending it back."
"You're mother is so stubborn," Kaylee muttered as she pulled out a box cutter to open a box. Behind her back Ty rolled his eyes in exasperation. That's calling the kettle black, he thought with amusement as he hefted a box containing their books onto his shoulder and headed out of the room.
Several hours later they both plopped down on the couch.

"Ohh..."Kaylee moaned as the cushions molded around her body. "This couch is fabulous!"
"Yeah, it is."
"Your parents have great taste."
"They should. We travelled sometimes when I was growing up so mom takes her fashion sense from a lot of different cultures."
"Huh," Kaylee said as she closed her eyes.
Shaking his head Ty looked down at her as she rested her head on his thigh. Before he knew it she was asleep. Not wanting to disturb her he leaned back on the couch as well and decided to take a nap.
They worked for weeks trying to get the house together. Each night they'd fall asleep, exhausted, but wrapped around each other.

Three weeks later Kaylee woke up and stared at the ceiling fan as it slowly circulated. Sitting up she glanced over to see that Ty was already up and reading. Seeing her starting at him he put the book down.
"Morning," she croaked.
"Hey sunshine!"
She still had no idea how he could be so insanely chipper in the morning. She glanced around the room again with satisfaction. She and Ty had worked constantly to get each room how they wanted it. There was still several boxes to unpack and she hadn't emptied all the suitcases but the house was slowly coming together.
"What do you think?" she asked kicking the blanket away. "You don't think it's too feminine do you? I mean I want you to be comfortable too so-"
Ty ran a hand down her back before slipping his hand under her shirt and trailing a finger up and down her spine. "Trust me when I tell you men don't mind being surrounded by girlie things like we put on. It means that a woman actually cares enough about us to nest."
She dug her elbow into his side only relenting when he grunted. "We are not birds."
"No, you're not but when you guys feel comfortable you start to modify your surrounds to suit your needs. Us guys actually enjoy that whole process. For example if I were living here by myself these walls would still be bare and I would have gotten some nondescriptive carpet. You went through a crap ton of books and compared wallpaper against carpet. I liked the whole ritual...and I like the room. Now...are you going to hurry up and brush your teeth and come back to bed so I can really make your morning good?"
Kaylee's eyes were drawn like magnets to the tent he was making in the sheet. She scurried to the edge of the bed. "I'll be back in two minutes!"

"Milk, eggs, bread, cheese, butter..."
Kaylee listened as Ty rattled off the list as he dumped item after item into their cart. And he talked about her nesting. He had been nagging her about going shopping for weeks now but she kept putting it off. She hated shopping. She finally relented when Ty had started talking about the delicious french toast he could make if he had the ingredients. So, now they were in grocery store and Ty was meticuliously checking items off his list.
"Do we need anything else?" he asked as they finally made their way to the register.
"Nope," Kaylee said quickly.
Ty chuckled. "You really hate shopping that much?"
"You have no idea!"
Making their way up to the front of the line Kaylee was startled by the woman at the register.
"Good afternoon!" she chirped as she started to ring up their items.
"Good afternoon," Kaylee said automatically. Kaylee knew that people came in all different kinds of shades but this...this was amazing. She automatically began to analyze the possible reasons why this woman's skin would be green. And she ignored Ty as he nudged her with his foot.


"You must be new here. I haven't seen you around before."
"Yep. We just moved here about three weeks ago."
"Yeah? What brings you here?"
"A job. I'm going to be working at SCBA" If she hadn't been staring at the woman so intently Kaylee would have missed the flash of anger that contorted her face before she looked down at the register.
"That's be ninety-five fifty." A tinge of frost now covered her words were before she had been cheerful.
"We are so not drinking the water here," he whispered as they left the store. Kaylee had to stifle a snort but she thought that might be a good idea until she was able to analyze any and everything that they put in their mouths.

"Are you going to show me or what?" Ty asked loudly.
Running a hand over the camisole top Kaylee studied herself in the mirror. Ty had pulled her into this lingerie store and after a glance at a display in the window had asked the clerk for one in her size.
"Kaylee?!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she shouted before ripping back the curtain and nearly tripping over him. He steadied her before setting her away from him. Looking at her up and down he made a motion for her to turn around. Throwing her hands up in the air she did as instructed.
"Now walk away. I like the way your hips swish. I enjoy it even more when they're covered in nothing but silk," he said in a husky voice.

Ty cleared his throat as he watched Kaylee walk away from him. She didn't know it but when she was perturbed her hips gave an extra swish when she walked. Right now she was striding away from him back toward the dressing rooms. Whistling silently he gave the sales clerk a thumbs up just as the rings of the curtain skittered across the rod.
"We are so getting that," he told her.
"Ty, we don't have the money-"
"Kaylee, sweetheart, I don't think you realize how much the Pirate's gave me as a sign on bonus. If you didn't want to work you wouldn't have to. And let's leave it at that."
Sometimes, Kaylee thought, she forgot that not only was Ty rich he was stinking rich. He never flaunted it and he usually only splurged on things for her...or them she thought with a smile as she stared at the barely there lingerie. Shaking her head she took it off and started to get dressed.

"Are you sure you want to do this Kaylee? I mean, look at her hair. It's not the best example of her talent."
"Ty, I need a new look. Plus, how can she gain an experience if no one gives her a chance?"
He sighed then crossing his arms jerked his chin toward the chair. "Well, if you're gonna do it, sit your pretty butt down."
"Awesome," the girl, Megan, exclaimed. "I have just the right style for you in mind. You're going to look Fab-u-lous!" She snapped her fingers at the end of each syllable much to Kaylee's amusement. Throwing a glance Ty's way she saw he was fighting laughter. Sitting down she stared up at Megan as she moved around the chair humming to herself before she whipped out a bib and wrapped it around Kaylee.
"You're going to love it," she chirped.



Kaylee heard the snip-snip of scissors as Megan worked. She watched as locks of hair drifted down to the floor then Megan whipped out something that she called extensions. Next thing Kaylee knew Megan was whipping the bib off and spinning her around in the chair. Kaylee cautiously touched her head.

"What do you think?" Megan asked as she pulled a hand mirror off the wall and held it in front of Kaylee.
She studied herself in amazement. Where before she had a short pixie cut with the help of Megan's extensions her hair was now a short bob with red highlights. It gave her a more adult look. The thing that she had been going for.
She stood and turned to Ty who had been hovering over her chair during the entire process.
"What do you think?" she asked fluffing her hair.
He shrugged. "If you're happy with it then so am I."
"Not an answer Tyrese!" she snapped. "That's a qualification."
He sighed then yanked her to him. "How many times," he asked his mouth inches from hers as he bent her over his arm, "Do I have to tell you that you'll always be beautiful to me? Even when your old, grey and going bald?"
He sealed her mouth with his.

When they finally came up for air Ty stared deeply into her eyes. "You look amazing. You're hair is just an accessory. However, I have to say I always had a fondness for red in your hair."