Prologue

January, 2002

Abby Elliott looked up with a tear stained face as the tiny baby girl was placed in her arms. She had to sit down because she was too shaken to stand. She looked at the tiny sleeping face, the soft flawless skin, button nose and little curved mouth, held her as tight as she could without hurting her and cried.

Joe turned to his wife and new daughter, filled with such overwhelming joy and satisfaction that he could fill the empty place inside of her. He knelt down on the kitchen floor beside her chair, kissed the baby’s head then raised Abby’s to look in her eyes.

"She’s only 2 months old. She’s from Scotland. Her and her parents were in a car accident a month ago. Her parents died from head injuries, but she survived in the back in the car seat. The only immediate family she had after that was a grandmother who was sick with cancer and unable to care for her. I had Norman going out of his mind searching for a baby when he came upon their story. The grandmother, although sick, immediately agreed that the baby's welfare was more important and agreed to give her up for adoption."

Abby couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She was torn between crying and laughing. She did both. Suddenly, Joe helped her up.

"Come, luv…there’s something I want you to see."

He led the two of them up the stairs. Abby stopped and handed the baby to Joe. "Joe, I’m shaking too much to carry her up the stairs. Please, take her."

"Of course, luv. That’s what I’m here for. To protect my two ladies."

With the baby nestled in the crook of one arm, he took Abby’s hand and walked up the stairs. He led them to the room that Joe had been coming in and out of the last 5 days. He opened the door and Abby almost collapsed.

The room was done up in a nursery for a baby girl. The walls were awash with seashell pink with little white clouds sponged here and there. A white, lacquer crib sat in the center of the room with a mobile of sleeping angels hanging above it. A matching changing table and dresser were against the other two walls.

"While we were on tour, I commissioned all this to be done. Nuala was here everyday while we were gone and kept a sharp eye on everything. Once we got back, I had to keep the room locked but I was in and out trying to put the furniture together without you knowing about it. Nuala bought all the supplies on the floor and my mum bought all those outfits and shipped them here. She’s sooo excited and can’t wait to see her ‘granddaughter’. Oh, by the way, Jewels, Lauren and Anita are at Sav’s house and tomorrow, Paige is having a little baby shower for you."

Abby couldn’t take her tear filled eyes off of her wonderful, wonderful husband.

"You did all this?" she barely whispered.

"Yes, I did," Joe said as he shifted the wakening baby in his arms. "We have three months alone with her before I have to go back on tour. We can then take her with us with a nanny, if you’d like. And…who knows. Once the tour is over, maybe we can give her a baby brother."

Abby ran forward and, careful not to disturb the baby, threw her arms around Joe and kissed him passionately. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!" she whispered tearfully in between kisses.

All of a sudden, the baby opened her eyes and let out a yawn and a soft cooing sound. Abby gasped when she saw her eyes.

"Joe! My God. Look how green they are!"

"I know, just like yours. All the more reason she belongs to us."

"We have to name her."

"Well, she already has a name, but we can change it. Her name is Grace."

"Grace," Abby whispered. "No, I wouldn’t change it. Its perfect. She’s perfect. Lets just skip dinner and stare at her all night. I can’t get over how beautiful she is. Wait until she grows up. Hmmm, I think Tyler and Scott may fight over her."

Joe’s eyes darkened. "My daughter isn’t getting anywhere near those Savage boys, especially if they grow up to be like their father! I’m putting a padlock on her…you know…down there…and she’s not leaving the house until she’s 30!"

::Hmmmm, lets see Joe!:::

1

11 years Later

Sheffield, England

Eleven year old Grace Elliott came home from school and rushed right upstairs to her room. All Joe saw of his daughter when she came through the door was a blur, accompanied by muffled sobs.

He wasted no time in going upstairs to see if she was alright. He got to her bedroom door and softly knocked on it.

“Grace? Grace, luv its dad.”

“Go away!”

Joe raised startled eyes at her tone, even though she was upset over something and had nothing to do with him.

“Luv, please….I need to know if you’re okay. Are you hurt? Did someone hurt you?”

“Yes,” came a tiny sound from the other side.

Joe was coloring with anger thinking someone hurt his little girl.

“Grace, open the door and tell me. Please, luv. You know if you don’t, I have a way of coming in. This is my house, after all.”

Joe heard silence, followed by tiny footsteps and then the turn of a knob. The door opened and there stood Grace. Five foot two, skinny with straight, dark blonde hair.

Joe bent down so that he was eye level with his daughter. “Luv, tell me what happened.”

She turned and flopped herself on the bed. “I hate boys, that’s what! I hate them! I hate them!”

Joe walked over and sat on the bed next to her, rubbing her back to soothe her.

“Why, Grace? What happened?”

“I….I feel funny telling you. Maybe I should talk to mum.”

“Mum’s not here right now. Grace, you know you can tell me anything. Please, I’m worried. What happened?”

She sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Well, I was at the park with Beth and Allison. We were watching the eighth graders footie practice. There were some other girls there that….well….they’re a little older and more….you know.”

Joe supressed a smirk and nodded.

“Anyway, these….other girls, well….they get the boys’ attention a lot. But then the boys were mean to Beth, Allison and I because we’re only eleven and not yet…….you know.”

Again, Joe supressed a smirk. “Who were these boys, Grace?”

“Um…well….they were Ty’s friends from the team. We were watching them practice.”

Joe raised his eyebrows. “Tyler? Tyler was teasing you?”

“No..no, daddy, he didn’t. But his friends did.”

“And he didn’t stop them?”

“No. I..I guess he didn’t want to be teased for sticking up for me. Why do boys have to be so mean because I’m not yet….you know…grown up like the other girls?”

“Grace luv, I’m sorry to say that its part of growing up. I know its wrong, but sometimes kids can be cruel to one another, not so much intentionally but to ‘go along with the group’. Peer pressure. And the boys, well, they’re experiencing growing pains and noticing girls for the first time. You’re only eleven so they probably don’t see you in the same light as they see the …….older girls. However, someday they will….and I dread that day.”

“Why?”

“Well, once boys start noticing girls, and vice versa, you start to have different feelings and thoughts about them than you were younger. There’s a different kind of attraction.”

Grace folded her arms. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that, daddy. The way I look, no boy will ever look at me or think of me in that way. I’m short, I’m skinny and I’m…..I’m……”

“What?”

Grace blushed before whispering. “Flat!”

Joe bit his lip to keep from laughing. “Grace, trust me, that will all change, much to my dismay. Remember, you’re only eleven. Give yourself a few more years and you’ll see changes.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter if I change or not. Its not gonna change the fact that I hate boys.”

Joe kissed her on the head. “Trust me, luv. That’ll change too.”

Joe regretted saying that as soon as he said it. However, it was true. Being the father of a pre-teen daughter was not fun. He and Abby had been preparing for this phase for a while. Grace was now in the throes of the ‘in between’ stage.

“Do you want me to call Uncle Sav and talk to him about Tyler?”

“No! No, I don’t want him to know. Its okay, daddy. I’ll be alright. They’ll get theirs someday.”

Joe let out his long supressed chuckle. Even though Grace was his adoptive daughter, she had his fire in her. As difficult at the years ahead of her were going to be, he knew that she’d handle them head on.

If only he had the same confidence.

“Well, I don’t want you to sulk over this, Grace. Now, your mum will be home soon and I want you to help her with dinner. If you have homework, get it done now so you don’t have to worry about it after dinner.”

“Okay daddy. Thank you. I feel a little better now.”

“You’re welcome, luv. That’s what dad’s are for.”

Joe kissed her forehead, got up and walked out of her bedroom. He leaned against the closed door and blew out a frustrated breath. This was only the beginning.

He went downstairs and rethought about calling Sav about Tyler. Ever since they both left Ireland behind several years ago for Sheffield, they knew that their children would probably be attending the same schools together. They both promised each other that they would make sure that their kids would lookout for one another. Grace and Sav’s youngest son, Scott, were both in sixth grade together while Tyler was in eighth grade of the same school.

Keeping his promise to his longtime friend, Joe picked up the phone and called the Savage residence.

******************************************

Several minutes and several blocks away, Sav hung up the phone just as Ty came in the front door and immediately scooted upstairs.

“Tyler Kenneth!”

Ty bounded back down the stairs, dirty, sweaty with a soccer ball under his arm.

“Yeah dad?”

“After you clean up, wait in your room. I want to talk to you.”

Ty’s blue eyes popped. “What? What did I do?”

“We’ll talk about it when I get upstairs. Now go.”

Ty looked at his brother Scott who was sitting at the kitchen table wolfing down cookies and milk. Scott gave his big brother smug ‘you’re gonna get it’ look before Ty made a face at him and headed upstairs.

Meanwhile, Paige came in from the other room. “What are you yelling about Rick?”

“Ty’s in trouble,” Scott blurted.

“Quiet, you,” Sav warned him. “Either go do your homework or go downstairs and watch the telly. And enough of those cookies! Dinner will be in a few hours."

“Okay. Um….I think I’ll go upstairs and do my homework,” Scott said with a shy, mischievous grin.

Sav saw right through it. “Um, on second thought, go downstairs. You just want to go upstairs so you can overhear me and Ty.”

“Crikey,” Scott muttered before putting his milk glass in the sink and heading down the finished basement that served as an entertainment room to watch the telly.

“Rick, what is it?”

Sav relayed his conversation with Joe to Paige. “Oh dear,” she said. “Rick, you know that these things are bound to happen. Ty and his friends are thirteen. You know what that means.”

“Of course I know what it means, Paige. I was a thirteen year old lad once. Thoughts are rampant and your body has no control over itself.”

“And its only gonna get worse as he gets older,” Paige reminded him. “Not to mention that you’re gonna have to go through the same thing with Scott when he reaches his teens.”

Sav blew out a frustrated breath. “Maybe we should’ve had girls. No! Wait! Scratch that!”

“Um….Rick,” Paige sheepishly said. “Ty is thirteen. Have you um…..you know…….talked to him?”

Sav’s face colored. Even in his mid-50’s, he still retained his shyness. “Um…no. I was kinda hoping that he’d learn on his own.”

“The way you did?”

Sav’s face turned from shyness to shocked. “No way! I mean….damn!”

“Rick, don’t wait too long. I’m sure he knows the basics. You can’t prevent kids from finding these things out, especially if they’re around older kids who talk and….brag.”

Sav heard the shower turn off upstairs and knew that Ty was finished. “Wish me luck,” he said as he turned to go upstairs to ‘talk’ with his son.

He knocked on the door. “Ty…..you finished?”

“Yeah…..come in.”

Sav entered his room to find him laying on the bed in a pair of denim shorts and a t-shirt, twirling a soccer ball in his hands. His light brown, softly curled hair was damp from his shower. Sav couldn’t help but be amazed that looking at Ty was like looking in a mirror when he was his age. Whereas Ty had his looks and features, he possessed Paige’s Irish spirit. On the flip side, Scott had Paige’s silky blonde hair and feautures, but Sav’s outward shyness, with a little bit of inward mischief.

His boys were as different as night and day.

“Dad, whatever it is, I didn’t do anything.”

“Don’t be so sure. What happened at practice today?”

Ty looked a little bewildered. “Nothing, why?”

“Did some of your mates tease Grace and her friends?”

Ty looked down dejected. “What, did Uncle Joe call?”

“Nevermind the questions, Ty….did they?”

“Yeah, they were. But I didn’t.”

“Nor did you do anything to stop them.”

“Dad, I……”

“Ty, listen to me. Grace came home upset. Uncle Joe forced it out of her. She specifically didn’t want him to call me on it, but he and I made a pact regarding you kids. We’re supposed to look out for one another. Now, I know your thirteen and getting older and, well…..changing.”

Ty saw the uneasy look on his father’s face. “What do you mean, ‘changing’. I’m still the same.”

“Well, in some ways you are,” Sav began, not knowing where to go from there.

“Crikey, how am I gonna do this?,” Sav thought to himself. “Maybe if I relate ‘it’ to something else, it won’t be so bad.

“You see, as you get older, you change. Not just outside, but inside. You start to develop different……interests.”

Ty’s blue eyes twinkled a bit at his father’s uneasiness “Such as?”

“Well…….playing the guitar for instance.”

“But dad, I already have a guitar. You’ve been teaching me for a while now. That’s not a new interest.”

Sav cleared his throat. “Um, yeah but….lets just say that the ‘level’ of interest in playing the guitar will change. You may not think about playing the guitar now because you’re too into soccer, but, as you get older, um……playing the guitar will become more…….appealing.”

Ty smirked. “More than it is now.”

“Yes, more. Much..much..much more,” Sav stammered. “You see, you’ll develop such an interest in…….playing the guitar…..that that’s all you’ll ever think about. ALL the time.”

“You mean….more than soccer?” Ty asked with interest.

“Oh, yes,” Sav drawled out. “And, um….once your interest in….playing the guitar…um….peaks, you’ll want to play it all the time. Now, um…because you’re young, the main way you’ll appease this interest is by..playing the guitar um……by yourself.”

Ty was beginning to catch on to where this was going and the wicked Irish blood in him wanted to see how far his father would go before he’d crack with embarrassment.

“But dad….I already play the guitar by myself. How else do you play?”

Sav squirmed on the bed. “Well, of course you play it by yourself. But, as you get older, your desire to play it by yourself will happen – a lot – but all the while you’ll be thinking about someone, mainly a lass, that you’ll want to um…..play the guitar with.”

“A lass?” Ty asked with a mock sour face. “I’ll want to play the guitar with a ‘lass’?”

“Very much so,” Sav said. “However, when you come across a lass that you think about……playing the guitar with…you have to remember that she may not want to and you have to respect that. You should never force a lass to…..play the guitar with you. You’re to always respect girls and their wishes, you understand?”

Ty couldn’t hold back, but forced himself. “So um, dad. What if I do meet a lass who wants to…..play the guitar…? Then what?”

Sav rolled his eyes. “Oh Lord,” he thought.

“Well, hopefully that won’t be for a while, but…..if and when that does happen and you find yourself in a position where you can’t avoid….playing the guitar with a lass, then you must make very sure that you always use a……..pick.”

“A pick?”

“Yes, a guitar pick. Never, never…..play the guitar without a ……pick. It protects your, um…….fingers.”

“Mine and the lass’ fingers?” Ty asked.

“Especially the lass’…..fingers. Um….do…do you understand what I’m talking about, Ty?”

Ty turned to his father with innocent smugness. “Of course I do, dad. This is my sex talk!”

Sav’s mouth dropped and all the color drained from his face. His imp of a son knew all along and played him for a blushing, stammering fool. However, he regained his composure and leaned into him, remembering the matter at hand.

“You think you’re smart, don’t you? Well, you’re not. If you were smart, you would’ve stopped those boys from teasing Grace. C’mon, Ty. She’s like a sister to you. I know you want to go along with the crowd, but show some maturity and let me know that I raised you right.”

Ty looked down. “I know dad. Its just….its hard. Grace is only eleven. Her and her friends are just…little girls. They’re so scrawny. When me and the lads spotted the freshman girls from the highschool, we just…I don’t know…started comparing them.”

“I know, Ty. Its natural for lads your age to do that. But, just remember, in a few years, Grace may not be so ‘scrawny’ and your friends just may wind up talking about her the way they were talking about those older girls. I hope you come to her defense then. Now, I think I’ve made my point enough. I don’t want you to be mad at Grace for this. She doesn’t know that Uncle Joe called me on this. This is between you and I, got it?”

“I got it,”

“Good. Dinner’s in a few hours,” Sav said as he got up and left Ty’s room. After he did, he leaned against the closed door and blew out a long, relieved breath.

“Well, that wasn’t too bad,” he thought to himself.

Little did he know, that it would only get worse in a few years.

2

Four Years Later

Sheffield, England

Grace Elliott carefully applied a little bit of charcoal gray eyeliner on the outer corner of her beautiful, deep green eyes. She then dusted a little light pink blush on the tops of her high cheekbones then dabbed a bit of lipshine on her full lips. Just enough, but not enough so that her father would go through the roof.

She stood back and looked in the mirror. After running her hand through her shoulder length, dark blonde silky locks, she adjusted her mid-riff baring halter before hooking her finger in the pocket of her curve hugging blue jeans.

All this at just fifteen years old.

Her father was not going to be happy.

Being Joe Elliott’s daughter, she had to learn how to carefully handle him. She knew when it was the best time to approach him when she wanted to get her way and she knew when she best keep her mouth shut and lock herself in her room, else she’d feel his wrath.

But, she knew she’d get her way dressing like this, only on the account that today was her fifteenth birthday. And, she was looking forward to her party tomorrow night with her friends from the neighborhood and school.

She hopped downstairs on a beautiful, summer Friday morning and found her mum and ten year old brother, J.T., in the kitchen. Her father was nowhere to be found.

“Mornin’, mum,” Grace said before poking J.T. in the shoulder. “Mornin’ brat.”

“Shut up, Grace,” he blurted back. “You think you’re cool just because today’s your birthday.”

“That’s right,” Grace shot back.

“Grace,” her mum, Abby, warned. “I don’t want to hear that attitude from you. Its bad enough that I’ve got to deal with your father’s arrogance, I won’t have it from you.”

“Sorry, mum. I just feel so good today. And…I’m looking forward to my party tomorrow night. Um….where’s dad?”

“He’s in the office making some phone calls. Seems this new up and coming band is ready to record and want to use the studio.”

“Wow, dad’s been awful busy with this recording business,” Grace said.

Shortly after Grace was adopted, Def Leppard had resumed the balance of their “X” tour. They then took much deserved rests to spend time with their families before beginning what would be the band’s final studio album. While on their last tour to promote that album, one of their concerts was recorded for a long anticipated ‘live’ album, which was released approximately 6 months after the tour ended.

It was a bittersweet end to a 30+ year career as a band, but they still kept their pulse on the music business.

All five of them bought out their management company, Q-Prime, after Pete and Cliff retired from the business.

Phil owned two very successful kick-boxing studios in posh Los Angeles and gives private guitar lessons to the kids of the rich and famous.

Rick Allen still operates the Raven Drum Foundation with passion while Viv has written and played on soundtracks for several successful movies.

Meanwhile, on this side of the Atlantic, Joe and Sav partnered up when Joe decided to move his ‘Garage’ from his private home into London’s Central District. Over the years, it has become ‘the’ studio to record in. As a matter of fact, they became so successful, that they branced out and opened a New York studio for American acts.

Even through all this, they still manage to keep in constant, tight contact with one another.

Grace retraced her thoughts back to the matter at hand. Her party.

“Mum, do you think its still gonna rain tomorrow?”

“Weather’s calling for it. Why?”

“Well, because that means the party will have to be inside instead of having a pool party. I so wanted it outside. I want to wear my new bikini.”

“In that case, I hope it pours like a mother.”

Grace pursed her lips and turned towards her father’s voice as he came into the kitchen.

“Daddy, stop.”

“Grace, I saw that bikini. I’ve seen more material in a napkin.”

J.T. snickered and Grace shot him a dirty look before looking back at her father.

“Daddy…it’s the style. Its all the stores sell.”

“Hmm, I’ll bet. Um…by the way….is that your navel I see?”

Grace discreetly pulled her halter top down to cover her taut, flat midriff. “Um….no.”

“Grace Elliott, I hope you’re not planning on leaving this house today like that.”

“Joe…she looks fine,” Abby interrupted.

“Of course you think she looks fine,” Joe fumed at his wife. “You probably bought her that skimpy top and…….um…how tight are those jeans?”

“Dad!” Grace said, mortified.

“Joe, like she said, it’s the style,” Abby reasoned. “All the pertinent areas are covered. Lets put it this way, it covers more than that bikini.”

Joe put his elbows on the table and propped his chin up on his fist. “So, birthday girl. Where are you off to today?”

“Oh, the junior team is having footie tryouts at the school. They’re gonna go up against some of the current team members. Beth, Allison and I are gonna go watch.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Joe said. “Sav told me that Ty had to go there today. Damn, I can’t believe that when school starts in September, he’s gonna be a senior.”

“And I’m gonna be a sophomore,” Grace replied. “No more being a baby freshman.”

Joe stared at his daughter protectively. “Sometimes I wish you were still a baby,” he said. “It was a lot easier then.”

Just then, a car horn honked outside. Grace bolted up. “That’s Beth’s mum. She’s taking us to the school. Allison’s mum’s gonna pick us up. I’ll be home by 3:00pm.”

“Take your cell phone young lady,” Joe said sternly. “And…make sure its on!”

“Yes, daddy,” she said, kissing him on top of his head. While she did, Joe grabbed the bottom of her halter and yanked it down some more. She slapped his hand away.”

“Dad, stop! If you keep yanking it down, then I’m gonna fall out…you know…on top.”

Joe casually eyed her growing upper endowments with a blush, not knowing which was worse. “Crikey, Grace. Can’t you wear a bloody t-shirt?”

“Dad, its summer. I could go upstairs and take my jeans off and put on my real short shorts……”

“Get sassy with me young lady and you’ll find half your wardrobe in the trash. Now, go have fun and…….behave!”

“Yes, daddy,” she said with exasperation before kissing Abby. “Bye, mum.”

“Bye luv. Remember, no later than 3:00pm.”

“Okay,” she said before looking at J.T. “Bye squirt,”

“Bite me!”

“J.T.!” Joe scolded his son. “Don’t let me hear that talk again, lad.”

J.T. rolled his eyes then headed out into the backyard. Joe leaned back and looked at Abby, who was leaning up against the counter looking at him wryly.

“What?”

“Oh, just thinking of something you said the day we first got Grace,” Abby replied.

“Which is?”

“Oh the part about you insisting that she’s not gonna leave the house till she’s 30. And…I see you allowed those ‘Savage boys’ as you called them, go get within a mile of her.”

“Yeah, well, as much as they’re like her brothers, they still have to be watched. That Ty has got his father’s eyes that seduced too many innocent women way back when. And Ty’s wasted no time in learning how to use him. He’s not as shy as Sav was, Scott’s got that. But that doesn’t make him safe either. It’s the shy, quiet ones that are the most devilish. I guess I just don’t any boy around my little girl.”

“Well, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about Grace with the Savage boys. As you said, they’re almost like brother and sister.”

“I know, I know. Its just me. You know how I am.”

“Do I ever!”

Joe narrowed his green eyes at her, which still sparkled with fire and wickedness even in his 50’s.

“Now I see where our daughter gets her sassiness from! You know, I’m not too old to punish you either.”

“I hope not,” Abby said with mischief. “I rather like your punishments.”

Joe pushed away from the table and crooked his finger. “Why don’t you come on over here and bend over my knee and I’ll give you a punishment you won’t forget.”

Abby feigned a yawn. “Been there, done that.”

Joe shot out of his chair and over to his wife. He wrapped his arms around her and bent her back, capturing her mouth with his in a deep, passionate kiss.

Even after 16 years of marriage, he still made her soften, and she still made him harden!

Joe released the kiss and looked down at her. “The house is empty. What do you say?”

“I’d say you’re a horny old man!”

“Would you have me any other way?”

Abby pulled him down to the kitchen floor, on top of her. “Never!”

3

Grace sat with her friends, Beth and Allison, in the bleachers at Westfield School as they watched a new batch of freshman and sophomore lads try out for the varsity team. As they did, the girls chatted about their favorite subject.

“Did you see that tall lad with the dark hair and the white shorts?” Beth exclaimed. “I hope he’s not a freshman. I’d hate to date someone younger than me. Too tacky.”

“So what Beth,” Allison chimed in. “He’s quite a looker. However, none of these newcomers compare to our varsity lads.”

“Mmm, I agree,” Grace quietly added.

“Ooooh, does Grace have her eye on someone?”

Grace was startled from her trance. “What? Who? Me?”

“Um..yeah..you,” Allison joked. “C’mon, which one is he. You’re 15 and will be a sophomore in the fall. Which means you’ll be able to date juniors and seniors. They wouldn’t even look at us when we were freshman.”

“Yeah, that is if my dad lets me,” Graced huffed. “He’s too protective. I even got an offer to go spend the entire summer with Lily and Una in California. Uncle Viv called and offered it to daddy, saying he’d be happy to have me till I went back to school.”

“Well…..what did your dad say?”

Grace sighed. “Well, I don’t remember his exact words, but some of them included ‘over my dead body!’

“Well, at least you get to have this fab party tomorrow night,” Allison said in consolation.

“I know…and some of these varsity lads are gonna be there, right Grace?” Beth asked anxiously.

“Yeah, about five of them. But they’re only coming because they’re Ty’s friends.”

“Hmmm, speaking of Ty Savage, he gets better looking every year,” Allison said with a lick of her lips. She then noticed the dreamy look on Grace’s face. “Don’t you think so, Grace?”

“Who….Ty? He….he’s practically my brother.”

“Yeah, and brothers and sisters marry in the south in the States, don’t they?”

“No, you ninny. That’s cousins,” Grace adamantly said.

“Well, still and all…you have to admit that he’s one fine lad,” Allison said. “I remember going through some of my mum’s old cassettes. She still has all the Def Leppard ones. Ty looks just like his dad. Man, he was gorgeous back in the 1980’s.”

“So was Joe Elliott,” Beth added with a smirk.

Grace was appalled. “Stop! God, that’s my father and his best friend, my ‘uncle’ that you’re talking about! I don’t want to hear you talk about them like that…especially my dad. Yuk!”

“Hmm, my mum wouldn’t think so,” Beth said. “She had the major hots for your dad way back when. If I didn’t know better, I think the only reason she drives me to and from your house is because she thinks she may get a glimpse of him.”

“Yeah, and my mum got that dreamy look on her face when I told her that we go to school with Rick Savage’s sons,” Allison added. “She’d like nothing better for me than to date one of them. I think I’d have a better chance with Scott since he’s in our class. He’s real cute and sweet, but a little shy. I like that a bit, but Ty….man, I wouldn’t mind having a crack at him.”

“Will you guys stop it!” Grace said with embarrassment.

“Why, because he’s your ‘brother’, or because you’re starting to get ‘interested’ in him?” Beth asked.

“Yeah, he may almost be family to you Grace, but he’s still a lad,” Allison said. “A fine looking lad. He’s not that scrawny string bean who used to tease us. Its like he shot up overnight, not to mention um…filled out.”

“I wonder if he’s filled out ‘all over’,” Beth asked wickedly.

Grace was about to shut her two best friends up again when a site on the soccer field caused her eyes to bulge and her mouth to drop. Beth and Allison followed her stare to Tyler Savage, who just removed his shirt.

“Bloody hell!” Allison choked. “He did fill out.”

“I’ll say,” Beth admitted.

Grace just continued to stare, as Beth nudged her.

“Um…stop staring at your ‘brother’ like that, Grace! I believe that’s called incest!”

Grace eyes snapped from the lean, young muscled, sweaty chest of Ty when she felt her friend poke her in the side.

“W..w..what? I…I, no. I wasn’t staring at him. I was um…..wow, look at those dark clouds on the horizon. I think its gonna rain later.”

“Nice try, Gracie,” Allison smirked. “You were staring. I think you quite fancy him.”

“Well, if you do, then I guess we don’t stand a chance,” Beth sulked. “I mean, you practically see each other all the time. So….are you gonna have him kiss you at your party tomorrow night?”

Grace slapped her hands on her knees and stood up. “You two need cold showers! I’m going inside to get a soda from the cafeteria. Want anything?”

“What I want is on that field,” Allison said wickedly.

Grace knew her boy-crazy friends were lost causes. She got up and walked away towards the direction of the school entrance.

From the field, Tyler Savage wiped the sweat from his face with his t-shirt before tossing it on the sidelines. His eyes adjusted just in time to see Grace Elliott get up from the bleachers and walk away. And, like most of the lads on the field, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

It was like yesterday that his father gave him ‘the talk’ – comparing having sex to playing the guitar. He still chuckled over his dad’s awkwardness over trying to discuss the facts of life with him. Ty also remembered how he said that Grace was a gawky little girl. However, he forgot how his father reminded him that she would change in a few years. Boy, did she ever!

He stared after her with the same blue-eyed intensity that his dad used so many years ago. After all, the acorn didn’t fall too far from the tree. However, he wasn’t as shy as his dad. Scott was more like that. Ty had his mother’s feisty Irish blood in him. He had no problem in chatting up a girl.

But, Grace….Grace was different. The thoughts he was having about her were rampant. Even though she was practically his sister, in reality she wasn’t. She was worse. She was her ‘Uncle Joe’s’ daughter and he’d probably lose his ballocks if he so much as touched a hair on her head.

Still, he wasn’t afraid to ‘try’. Tomorrow night was her birthday party and he planned on trying out his inherited seduction skills.

“Hey Ty, if you stare at her bum any harder your eyes might fall out!”

Ty turned to his best mate Chad and frowned at him. “I wasn’t staring at her.”

“Mate, you were. We all were. Damn, she’s got one fine ass! And sweet fifteen on top of it. Man, I can’t wait for that party tomorrow night. I’ve got me a flask of vodka to spice things up a bit.”

Ty turned warning eyes to Chad. “Mate, if my Uncle Joe catches you with that, we’ll be out on our arses so fast our head’s will spin. Then, my dad will knock mine off! And watch what you say about Grace and don’t try anything with her in her dad’s house. You’ll regret it.”

“Hmm, little protective, aren’t we? C’mon, mate. Enough with this sister crap. You fancy her. A lot. Aye, this party tomorrow will be a good reason to give her her first real french kiss, huh?”

“Chad…I’m warning you….”

“Aye, don’t get your pecker in a twist. Which um…by the way….I think you better put your shirt back on, mate. All that staring at your ‘sister’ is kinda showin’, ya know?”

Ty looked down to see his young erection, which his thin, cotton shorts did nothing to disguise.

“Crikey!” he muttered before grabbing his dirty, sweaty t-shirt off the ground and throwing back over his head. Chad chuckled at him, which earned him a stiff punch in the upper arm from Ty.

With one last look in Grace’s direction, Ty wickedly grinned in anticipation of the party tomorrow night before running back on the field.

4

The night of Grace’s birthday party arrived and, true to the weather forecast, it was raining. But, that didn’t stop around 20 fifteen to seventeen year olds coming out for a bash.

The Elliott’s had an expansive, finished entertainment room on the lower level, complete with a wide screen telly, a satellite dish to get just about every movie and sporting event under the sun, a separate telly specifically for playing the latest Sony Playstations games, a jacuzzi room, snooker table, pinball machine, and a card table.

It was a teenager’s dream!

Grace sometimes felt that the only reason kids liked her was because of her dad. But, she’d known her friends long enough before they even discovered who Def Leppard were from their parents, so she knew their friendships were true. Plus, Joe wanted to create the type of room where Grace, J.T. and their friends could hang out in rather than elsewhere. Between his house and Sav’s, it was like Heathrow Airport just about every weekend during the summer.

One by one, the doorbell rang as kids began to show up. Abby was busy in the kitchen uncovering the food that was delivered from the caterer. Each time the doorbell rang, Joe made Grace come upstairs and answer it. It was her party and he wanted her to show good manners by greeting her guests.

A little before 8:00pm, the doorbell rang and Grace was dragged upstairs to answer it. She pulled the door open and was greeted by the hypnotic blue eyes of Ty. Next to him, almost as tall, very blonde and very adorable, was Scott. Behind them was the man responsible for siring such good looking lads.

“Happy Birthday Gracie luv,” Sav said from behind his sons as he nudged them inside. “C’mon lads , move…its flippin’ pouring out here.”

Ty walked in first and wasted no time in taking in Grace’s short, pale green sundress which accented her long, tanned arms and legs. Her silky blonde hair was twisted around and caught up in a tortise shell butterfly clip. Tiny diamond studs sparkled from her earlobes, a birthday gift from her father.

When his appreciative gaze met her gorgeous green eyes, he twinkled his own and flashed her a sexy, upturned grin.

“Happy Birthday luv,” he murmured as he leaned down and boldly kissed her on the mouth before pulling back, winking and walking by.

“Th…thanks Ty. Um…hi Scott.”

Scott Savage, not as bold as his brother, grinned at her. “Happy Birthday Grace.”

He then leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “I don’t want to give you a kiss in front of my dad.”

He leaned back, rolled his eyes and followed his older brother. Sav stared after his two sons a little leery before looking at Grace, who was a little flushed. He gave her a polite kiss on the cheek.

“You okay, luv?”

“Me, oh, uh yeah Uncle Sav. Just um…frazzled. Daddy’s making me come upstairs everytime the doorbell rings. I’m right knackered and its only 8:00pm. He’s such a slavedriver.”

Sav rolled his eyes. “Ha! That’s nothing! You should’ve seen your dad when he first joined the band. All he wanted to do was practice and practice hour after hour. He’s lucky we didn’t konk him unconscious and locked him away in that spoon factory for no one to find.”

Grace giggled and waved her hand. “Oh, Uncle Sav, stop with all the horror stories about my dad. If he’s that bad, then why do you still hang around him after all these years?”

Sav thought on that. “Some habits are hard to break. Even bad ones. C’mon, luv….get to your guests downstairs. I’m gonna join your dad and Abby for the evening.”

“Oh, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Sav looked up as Joe approached him. “Well, Paige decided, with all the men out of the house, that she’d have a little ‘alone’ time, that’s all.”

Joe folded his arms. “Which translates into…..she’s getting sick of seeing your pretty face day in and day out?”

“Joe, stop referring to me like that! Crikey, 56 year old men don’t have pretty faces.”

“Sav, you’ll always be a pretty boy, even when you’re 80!”

“Okay, this is where I leave,” Grace said. “God, you guys never quit, do you?”

Sav and Joe looked at each other before agreeing. “Nope, and we never will!”

Before Grace left she turned around. “Um…daddy? Remember what we talked about earlier? No sneaking downstairs to check up on me.”

“Of course, luv,” Joe said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “You know I’ll keep my word.”

Grace kissed him quickly then went to rejoin her party.

Joe turned to Sav and whispered. “Once the rain stops, I’ll just go outside to peek in on them through the basement window, that’s all!”

5

By 9:00pm, the party was in full swing. Since Abby was the only one Grace would allow downstairs, she brought down all the trays of food and a huge bowl of ginger ale punch, which were quickly devoured. Lord, hungry teens!

Some of the girls playfully fought with some of the lads over what satellite channel to watch on the telly. A few lads played poker, making sure that they hid the money they were using to bet whenever Abby came downstairs. Ty and two of his soccer mates played a game of snooker while a not-so-innocent looking redhead hung around them as they did.

Her name was Julie and Grace had made friends with her, despite the girl’s reputation around school for being…well….a little easy. It was thought to only be a rumor, but tonght, especially with so many fine looking lads about, she looked to be on the prowl. And Ty looked to be her prey.

Grace sat with Beth, Allison and two other girls chatting, as she casually eyed Ty and his friends playing snooker. Every so often, she’d catching him staring at her which caused her to flush. She just chalked it up that he was flirting in front of his mates.

On the other side of the room, Scott mastered the pinball machine, while a blonde haired, blue eyed lass from his and Grace’s class leaned against it as he played, staring dreamily at him. Every so often, Scott would look up at her and flash her a shy grin, accompanied by a blush, as he continued to play.

Grace shook her head over how different the two Savage boys grew up to be. Scott was shy, whereas Ty was shameless. Just then, one of the lads left the snooker table and came over to Grace.

“Aye Grace….I’ve um….gotta little flask of vodka in my coat pocket. Wanna spark up the punch a bit?”

Grace widened her eyes, wondering if she should or not. Well, who’d know? It was just a little flask so no one would get that drunk. Plus, no one’s driving.

“Chad, if you’re gonna do it, do it quick before my mum comes back down.”

Chad grinned and went over to the table and quickly emptied the contents of vodka into the punch. When he was done, he turned around and winked to the other lads, who caught onto Chad’s signal that he succeeded.

“Hmm, I think I’m a bit thirsty now,” Jack, another one of Ty’s soccer mates said.

“Yeah, me too,” Ty said, catching on.

“Oooh, Ty….get me a cup…pretty please,” Julie cooed at him.

“Um…sure, luv,” Ty responsed.

Julie was practically hanging all over him and Chad and Jack were urging him to go into the jacuzzi room with her. At seventeen, he hadn’t experienced anything sexual with a lass, just a snog and a quick feel from two girls from the start of the school year. That was it.

However, ever since he turned 17 in early July, his urges were becoming stronger. Especially towards the lovely, fifteen year old birthday girl in the bloody short green sundress!

Ty knew that he didn’t stand a chance with getting anywhere with Grace, unless he wanted his Uncle Joe coming after him with an ax! But, forbidden fruit was always the sweetest and he kept his promise to try.

Meanwhile, Scott had come up to Grace. “Aye Grace. About before, I’m sorry I didn’t kiss you when I came in. Not in front of Ty and my dad.”

“Oh, that’s okay Scott. You can give me one now if you’d like.”

Grace knew how shy he was, so she made it easier by telling him it was okay. Scott leaned down and gave her a chaste peck on the cheek, very, very close to the corner of her mouth.

Scott straightened up and Grace noticed his cheeks flush. She smiled at it. There was just something so appealing about his shy, sweet nature that made her warm. If the bad boy in Ty didn’t innocently suck her in, she’d definitely wouldn’t turn Scott down.

“Thank you Scott. I’m glad you’re here.”

“So am I,” he replied, rolling his eyes down to the floor a bit. He then turned and left to join the lass who was hanging by the pinball machine with him.

“Wow, isn’t he quite the little charmer,” Beth exclaimed. “He disguises it, where Ty flaunts it.”

“Speaking of Ty, he’s looking mighty fine in those jeans and that white shirt. Its practically unbuttoned all the way down to his waist,” Allison remarked.

“Well, he isn’t shy about displaying that fine chest of his,” Beth said. “He’s shameless! Positively shameless!”

“Yeah, well, so is Julie,” Grace sneered as she nodded her head towards the snooker table. “She’s practically hanging all over those lads.”

“Hmm, and Ty looks as if he wants her to choose him,” Beth noticed. “He just brought her some of Chad’s famous spiked punch.”

Grace looked over at the snooker table and saw Julie siding up to Ty. “Hmm, no doubt he won’t turn down what she has to offer,” Grace thought to herself. “Who am I kidding that he was interested, just because he kissed me on the lips when he got here and has been staring at me most of the night. He’s nothing but a big flirt, that’s all!”

Over at the snooker table, Ty handed Julie her ‘punch’.

“Thanks Ty,” she purred.

“You’re welcome,” he replied, glancing down at her chest in a fitted tank top. Although she was turning his young body on in every way, the true object of his desire was sitting across the room with her girlfriends.

“Aye Ty…c’mere,” Chad called him over.

“Be right back,” he said, winking at Julie

“I’ll be here,” she promised.

Ty went over to Chad and Jack. “What?”

“Man, that Julie’s practically in your pants! Listen, I understand there’s a little jacuzzi room around the corner. Now’s your big chance, mate. I can tell she wants to be alone with you.”

Ty was tempted by the thought, however he’d rather try to get alone with Grace. Crikey, if her father knew what he was thinking he’d be floating in the Thames River!

“Guys, I don’t know,” Ty said. “I mean…if my Uncle Joe comes down…..”

“Nah, he won’t. Grace said he promised to stay upstairs.”

“Hey, wait a minute,” Jack interrupted. “You know…Julie’s no challenge. How’s about a real challenge, mate?”

Ty narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about you….Grace…and that French kiss she should have the pleasure of receiving from you,” Jack answered.

The corner of Ty’s mouth hitched up in a wicked grin. Damn, he’d love nothing than to give Grace the kind of kiss he wanted to give her when he came in. After all, he did promise himself that he would ‘try’ and the vodka in that punch was making his young body begin to stir.

Plus, he loved a challenge.

“You’re on, mates,” he said before taking off.

“Aye,” Chad called out. “Go where we can see you.”

Ty looked around before shrugging. “Where?”

“Over in the corner.”

Ty nodded and headed over to Grace. When Grace saw him coming, the chatter stopped. And so did her heart.

Ty looked at her with persuasive blue eyes.

“Excuse me, ladies. Um…Grace, can I talk to you a minute? Over there?”

Grace saw that Ty pointed to a secluded corner of the room then looked back. Acting confident, she stood up and led the way. “Sure, lets go.”

Ty followed Grace, before giving Chad and Jack a wink across the room. Once they got to the partially secluded spot, Grace turned around and looked up into his gorgeous face and tried to stay calm and cool.

“What do you want to talk to me about?”

Ty used his best feauture, his eyes, to suck her in. “Um, well….I was wondering. You know we’ve known each other since we were kids, right?”

“Right?”

“Well,” he said, touching her bare shoulder. “It is your birthday and I was wondering if I could give you a proper kiss.”

Graces heart jumped to her throat. “Don’t act like a silly ninny,” she thought to herself.

“Ty, you gave me a kiss when you came in, remember?”

“Yeah, but….not the kind that a fifteen year old lass should get. After all, you can trust me, since you know me. If you don’t want to, I’ll understand.”

Grace couldn’t help herself from stuttering. “Um..well..I…I guess, you’re right. I’ve never been kissed….you know…..with tongue and all.”

Ty moved in for the kill and bent down. “You mean…..like this?”

He touched his lips to hers and slowly moved them, waiting to see if she’d open hers. When he felt them part slightly, he slipped his tongue inside.

Grace sighed and softly whimpered at the feel and couldn’t help herself from reaching her arms up to place on his broad shoulders. Ty couldn’t help himself either and placed his hand on her narrow waist, pulling her just a wee bit closer to him.

He opened his mouth wider, causing her to do the same and their tongues wildly fought each other. Both teens were breathing heavily as their hands cautiously moved over one another.

Grace could’nt help but reach her arms up to wrap around the back of his neck. Ty groaned softly in her mouth over how far he was getting and wrapped his arms around he waist, pulling her closer to where her bare thigh brushed up against the fly of his jeans, feeling the obvious growing hardness.

Grace’s eyes flew open and broke the kiss. She stepped back and looked down at the floor, too embarrassed to look up at Ty’s face. She couldn’t believe how far she let that kiss go, but she couldn’t have stopped her young body from responding if she tried.

Ty, on the other hand, was sufficiently aroused to the point of actual discomfort. He needed so bad to reach down and shift his hard-on to a more comfortable position, but not in front of Grace.

“Um….th…thanks, Ty,” she shyly said, as she peered up at his face. His blue eyes were glazed and his lips were flushed and still parted from their kiss. She wanted nothing but to kiss him again, but she couldn’t. She was trembling from the experience which left he wickedly wanting more. But she knew she’d look just as easy as Julie if she did. It was his idea, and only because it was her birthday and he wanted her to experience a ‘true’ kiss..

“You’re welcome, Grace,” he said a little shaky before turning to walk away. As soon as he turned, he reached down and made himself a little more comfortable, and a little less conspicuous.

When he was sufficiently adjusted, he walked back into full site to a grinning Chad and Jack.

“Aye, way to go mate,” Chad said, clapping him on the back.

“Shhh, not so loud you wanker,” Ty warned. “She’ll hear you.”

“Well..how was it?” Jack asked.

Ty rolled his eyes. “My ballocks are about to explode, that’s how it was!”

The lads snickered before they noticed Julie talking to a few girls. Chad grinned and turned to Ty.

“Well, there’s your source of relief right there. C’mon, Ty, do it! You’re on a roll tonight.”

Ty drained his spiked punched, shook the light brown curls from his eyes and walked over to Julie. He was so empowered by the vodka and Grace’s kiss that he felt invincable. Not to mention, horny as hell. No one would know if he was gone for a few minutes and was dying to see what Julie had in store, if anything.

“Miss me?”

“You bet,” Julie answered, licking her lips.

“Um…I bet you didn’t know that there’s a jacuzzi down here,” Ty said with mischief.

Julie’s eyes widened. “No, I didn’t. Care to play tour guide?”

Ty looked around to make sure everyone was into their own thing before motioning with his head for Julie to follow him.

6

Grace rejoined her friends on shaky legs after that intoxicating kiss from Ty. She had never been kissed like that. Even though she looked at it as a present that he gave her just so she could experience it with someone she knew, it turned out to be very heated – as if he were really enjoying it. Well, after what she felt against her thigh, it was obvious.

Could he possibly be feeling the same thing for her that she was for him after all these years of platonic friendship?

As she approached her friends, Beth took one look at her and raised her eyebrows.

“And what did sweet Ty want?”

Grace tried to hide her trembling hands and compose herself. “Uh..uh, oh, nothing. Just um….wanting to tell me something.”

“Um, Grace,” Allison said. “How come your lip gloss is all smudged?”

“Its not smudged, its gone,” Beth corrected.

Grace put her fingers to her lips and looked at her friends, who suddenly caught on.

“He kissed you!” Beth almost shouted. “Oh my God, did he?”

“Tell, tell,” Allison demanded.

Grace rolled her eyes. “Okay, yes he kissed me. He just wanted to give me a proper kiss for my birthday, you know. He thought I never received one and thought it would be safe from someone I knew and trusted all my life.”

“Is that what he told you?” Allison mused. “Damn, Grace, if you believe a line like that!”

“Well, whatever the line, it worked,” Beth said. “Gracie here said yes. So…how was it. Did he use his tongue? Did he put his arms around you. Oh God…did…did…did you feel it?”

Grace turned pink before answering. “Shhh, quiet will ya? Yes, he used his tongue. Yes, he put his arm around me. And…..yes…I felt it. My um….thigh brushed up against his um….fly.”

Beth and Allison squealed before Grace shushed them again.

“Yep, the lad was definitely into it if he was…um…hard,” Beth said.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Grace said. “Lads this age get….you know….that way over anything!”

‘I don’t know Grace,” Allison said. “I think that kiss was meant to be more than just a present.”

Just then, Grace looked over and saw Ty and Julie disapear around the corner in the direction of the……jacuzzi room. Her mouth dropped open and her heart sunk.

“What?” her friends asked.

Grace felt like she was punched in the gut. Here Ty was just giving her her first, real kiss – and felt like he meant it – and now he was going off with…with…Julie. With her secret reputation in school, she no doubt had something up her sleeve.

“You’re wrong,” Grace said with anger and hurt. “You’re both wrong. It didn’t mean anything more than what he meant it to be. If it did, then he wouldn’t be sneaking off with Julie.”

Beth and Allison craned their necks past Grace to see Ty and Julie disappear.

“Why…why…that little….” Allison started.

“Doesn’t matter,” Grace said, trying to play it cool. “If that’s the way he wants to play it, fine. I’m not gonna give him the satisfaction that I’m pining for him just because he kissed me. Hey…this is my birthday party. He’s not the only fine lad in the room.”

With resolve, Grace got up and spotted one of the newest members of the varsity team that came with Jack and Chad. She pulled her butterfly clip out of her hair, letting it fall loose and shiny around her shoulders and walked over to the dark haired, dark eyed lad.

“Hi, I don’t believe we’ve formally met. I’m Grace. I saw that you came with Jack and Chad.”

The lad smiled at the attention from the birthday girl. “Yeah, I did. I hope you didn’t mind. I know this was a private birthday party but, they told me that you said they could bring a friend if they wanted. I just made the varsity squad yesterday. Um…I’m Ethan.”

“Nice to meet you Ethan. I remember seeing you yesterday. So, what year are you?”

“I’ll be a senior this year. I just switched over from another school.”

Grace smiled up at him with interest and he smiled back. She needed something to fuel her courage if she was gonna go through with this flirting thing.

“Um…Ethan….would you be a dear lad and get this thirsty birthday girl a cup of punch.”

Ethan grinned broadly. “Sure luv…be right back.”

“I’m counting on it,” she slyly said.

As Grace watched Ethan go for punch, her insides fluttered at what she was thinking. Just as she was about to chicken out, she though of Ty and Julie –wherever they took off too.

“Two can play at this flirting game, Ty,” she wickedly thought to herself.

7

“Abby, how long has it been since you peeked in on them downstairs?”

Abby rolled her eyes at the tenth time her husband asked that question in as many minutes.

“Joe, will you relax,” she said. “I was just down there not more than twenty minutes ago. I just scanned the area for any possible warning signs than I came back up before anyone saw me.”

“What was Grace doing?”

“She was sitting with Beth and Allison talking. There were some kids watching a game on the telly, and there were some kids playing cards. I think they were betting too, but I guess there’s no harm in that.”

“And where were my lads?” Sav asked.

Abby thought a moment. “Um, Scott was on the couch talking to some pretty blonde girl.”

Sav was astonished. “Scott? Chatting up a girl? Are you sure it wasn’t the other way around?”

Abby shook her head. “Rick, he may be shy, but I think he opens up after a bit.”

“Hmm, and just was my firstborn up to?”

“Well, he was playing a game of snooker with Chad and Jack and a, um…very brazen looking redhead clinging close by him.”

Sav raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”

Joe slapped him on the back. “Just like their old man, eh?”

“Joe, stop referring to me as old, especially since you’re older!” He then turned to Abby. “So…..what about this redhead?”

“Oh will you two stop inquiring! It’s a party. They’re around their peers. They’re having a good time and well, they’re teenagers. They’re harmlessly flirting. They don’t need their father’s hovering over them.”

“I do not hover,” Joe said emphatically.

“No, you sneak,” Abby corrected.

“Hmm, speaking of sneaking, how’s about doing a bit,” Joe said, nudging Sav. “The rain stopped. Lets go out around the other side of the house and look in through the basement window.”

“Joe, stop!” Abby scolded him. “Why don’t you just trust them? My God, they’re in your house for Pete’s sake! What on earth would they possibly try right under our roof?”

*************************************

“In here,” Ty said to Julie as he opened the door to the jacuzzi room.

Julie boldly walked in and looked at the huge jacuzzi that sat about 8 people. She then turned around, looked at Ty, then moved towards the door to shut them in. She then approached him.

“Hmm, all alone,” she cooed, running her finger down his smooth, exposed chest.

Ty tried hard to control himself. “Yes, we are,” he replied.

“You know, Ty, I’ve had my eye on you since last year .”

“Really? I didn’t know.”

“Well, you know now. Wanna know how really interested I am in you?”

Ty’s body was beginning to respond to her offer, even as she slid her hands up around his neck.

“Sure,” he replied.

With that, Julie pulled his head down and kissed him hungrily. Her tongue sought entrance to his mouth, which he wasted no time in granting her. He momentarily thought of his kiss earlier with Grace, but those thoughts quickly vanished when he felt Julie lower her hand and run it all the way down his body until she was brushing it over his fly.

Ty gasped in her mouth at the feeling of a hand, other than his own, touching him. As soon as he responded to it, Julie further responded by squeezing him through his jeans, which earned her a full fledged groan.

She broke the kiss then pushed him back, until he was leaning up against the wall. She then lowered her head to kiss his smooth chest while her fingers worked to unfasten his jeans and pull them down a bit.

Ty stood against the wall on shaky legs, unable to move, anticipating what was to come. Oh crikey, its what he fantasized about every time he wankered off in the darkness of his bedroom!

When his jeans were down to his hips, Julie looked up with languid eyes.

“I know its Grace’s birthday, but right now I’m gonna give you a present!”

***********************************

Back inside, Grace was starting to get a good, fuzzy feeling from the spiked punch.

Ethan had sat down in a big leather easy chair and Grace was carefully balanced on the arm of it. She stared down at Ethan with glassy green eyes.

“Are you having a good time, Ethan?”

Ethan shifted in the chair and looked up at her, casually putting his arm around the arm of the chair, close to where her bum was nestled.

“Yeah, I’m having a great time. Especially now that I’ve got the attention of the birthday girl. I have to admit that I saw you in the bleachers yesterday with your friends, watching practice. I wanted to ask one of the lads who you were, but I kinda got the idea that you were Ty Savage’s girl.”

Grace knitted her brows. “What made you think that?”

“Um…well, I overheard him and his mates talking about you. They were kinda teasing him about liking you and, well…kissing you tonight.”

Grace fumed inside. So….she was being discussed with Ty and his friends as a little ‘conquest’? Well, he succeeded in kissing her tonight, nor did he waste any time taking off with Julie right after. So much for thinking that that kiss meant anything or that he was starting to think of her in a non-sisterly way. Fine, let him be that way! As she said to herself earlier, two can play this game!

“Well, Ethan, I’m not Ty’s girl. Ty and I have been around each other since we were babies. We grew up together. He’s made no mention to me about ‘liking’ me other than a friend. So, that means I’m perfectly available.”

“But….did he kiss you tonight?”

“Well, yeah, he did. But..it was just a birthday kiss. Nothing special,” she lied, as she reached up to brush her fingers through his hair.

“So….would you like a special one?”

Grace felt that offer go to her head, along with the spiked punch. “Sure, why not.”

Ethan took his arm which was casually draped on the arm of the chair behind her bum and lifted it to her waist. He then slid her off the arm of the chair and onto his lap.

Grace giggled a bit, then just casually looked around the room. Beth and Allison were on the couch with Chad and Jack, doing some harmless snuggling. Some other lads were heavily involved in a snooker game and the lads playing poker were still into it.

Scott was on the Playstation with the blonde girl, laughing and nudging each other as they played.

With everyone looking to be in their own little world, Grace put her arms around Ethan as he leaned up to kiss her.

8

Outside, Joe and Sav bent down to peer into the basement window of the entertainment room.

“Crikey Joe,” Sav whined. “I’m sinking in all this mud out here. Hurry up and look in before the ground sucks me up!”

“Quit complaining,” Joe shot back. “Hold on…I just gotta wipe the raindrops off the window so I can see. There…much better.”

“Well…..?”

“Um…lets see…..your little Scott is on the Playstation with that pretty blonde lass Abby saw him with.”

Sav grinned. “That’s my boy!”

“Um…there’s a few lads playing poker. Hmm, I see some pound notes on the table there. Those lads are betting!”

“Oh, that’s nothing, Joe. What else?”

“Ummmmmmm, I see……w…w..what the hell is my daugher doing?”

Sav nudged Joe over to peer in. “What do you mean?”

“I mean she’s sitting on the arm of the chair running her fingers in that lad’s hair.”

Sav looked in and saw Grace flirting with the dark haired lad in the chair. He knew that was enough to send Joe through the roof, however, he suddenly became concerned with the absence of his eldest son.

“Uh……do you see Ty anywhere?”

Joe didn’t want to pry his protective eyes from his daughter, but he casually glanced around.

“Hmm, no I don’t,” Joe stated. “Matter of fact, I don’t see that redhead that Abby said was hanging all over him either.”

*******************************

“Julie! Julie! I…..dammit!”

In the jacuzzi room, Ty instinctively held the back of Julie’s neck as he quickly spilled himself down her throat as she continued to suck him. The sensation, so much more intense than using his own hand, caused his knees to finally give in as she slid down the wall all the way to the floor.

The movement made Julie release him. Ty felt as if his eyeballs fell out of his head. “Crikey, that was bloody fantastic!” he thought to himself.

His chest heaving, he looked at Julie with glazed eyes. She haughtily sat back on her heels, seductively licking her lips.

“First time?” she asked.

All Ty had the energy for was to nod. After catching a few more breaths he looked at her.

“Yours too?”

“Hell no!” Julie replied. “I’ve done that a few times before.”

Well, at least it confirmed that her reputation wasn’t a rumor. After collecting his bearings a bit, he realized that he’d been gone from the party a little too long.

“C’mon,” he said, as he stood and pulled his jeans up. “We gotta get back before someone notices we’re gone.”

***********************************

“Bloody hell!”

Joe’s seething curse caused Sav to almost topple over on his bum in the mud.

“What?”

“That lad just pulled Grace down on his lap and…….oh, crap! They’re making out! That’s it! I don’t care what I promised! This was not on the agenda tonight. I think we’re gonna pay this little teenage soiree a visit!”

Abby saw both men trudge in the house. “Joe! Rick! You’re tracking mud in the……”

“Screw the bleedin’ floors! The cleaning people can take care of it tomorrow. I’ve got to disengage some lad’s mouth from our daughter’s!”

Abby was incredulous. “What? Joe, what do you mean?”

“I mean, she’s down there draped across some lad’s lap kissing. Didn’t you see anything when you went down there last?”

“No, I didn’t. They must’ve waited until I went back up. Now, Joe…don’t do anything embarrassing. Just announce yourself as you go down so they’ll hear you and stop. We’ll deal with her later after everyone leaves.”

Joe took a deep breath to calm down his anger. He didn’t want to ruin his daughter’s party, but he didn’t want any hanky panky going on either.

He and Sav agreed on a strategy before ascending the stairs. “Aye kids, is everything okay down here?” Joe announced as he came down the stairs.

The lads at the card table swiped the pound notes out of view. Beth and Allison quit fooling around on the couch with Chad and Jack. And….Grace jumped off Ethan’s lap with lightening speed.

Scott, not doing anything wrong, continued on the Playstation with the blonde lass.

Grace’s eyes widened as she saw the commanding, unwelcomed presence of her father. She smiled nervously at the other kids before walking over to her father.

“Daddy!” she whispered, mortified. “What are you doing down here? You promised you wouldn’t come down here!”

“Well, that was before I saw my fifteen year old daughter snogging some lad while sitting on his lap,” he whispered back.

Grace looked stunned. “How….how…?”

“Well, I did promise not to come down here to check in on you, but I didn’t say I wouldn’t look in through the basement window from outside.”

“I…I can’t believe you,” she whispered back before looking to Sav for help. “Uncle Sav! Tell him this isn’t fair!”

“Afraid not, luv,” he replied. “By the way, where’s Ty?”

As soon as Sav said that, he looked up and, around the corner from the area of the jacuzzi room, came a redhaired girl, followed by Ty..

Sav took in the girl brazenly wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, not to mention the dazed look on Ty’s face. He inwardly groaned at the scenario. He’d been in that position countless times in his past to know what just occurred.

Ty looked up across the room and right into his father’s eyes as he rounded the corner. Joe took in the scene, almost immediately figuring out what happened. His first intention was to draw attention away from it.

“Okay lads, listen up,” Joe said as he reached in his pocket, pulled out a few pound notes and placed them on the snooker table.

“Who wants to take a crack at trying to beat an old man? I’ve got 50 pounds saying you can’t!”

The lads grinned at the opportunity to beat a famous rock star at snooker and take his money.

“You’re on, Mr. Elliott,” one of the lads said as he cued up.

Joe grinned, knowing that he saved the ‘cool’ factor of Grace’s party, yet still being able to stay down and keep an eye on things.

Meanwhile, Sav took his eyes off Ty for a moment and, catching onto what Joe was doing, went over to the poker table. He, too, pulled a few notes out of his pocket.

“Okay, lads. I know you’re not playing for pence over here. I’ll give you a chance to take some of my money too.”

The lads at the table heartily agreed before one took the deck of cards to shuffle them, looking forward to some real action.

Before Sav sat down, he walked over to Ty, who still remained leaning against the corner from where he just came. Ty looked up and confidently met his fathers eyes, pretending as if nothing happened.

“Aye dad.”

Sav just leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

“Your fly’s open, sport!”

9

After the last guest left, Abby went downstairs to start bringing everything up. Grace was outwardly polite as she said goodbye to everyone, except to Ty whom she met with a frozen stare as he walked out the door.

Scott noticed the visual exchange and just smirked to himself. He had seen Ty kiss Grace earlier, as well as disappear, and reappear, with Julie. His mischievous little brain was slowly digesting everything that happened, wondering how it’ll all work to his advantage in the future.

As Grace closed the front door for the night, she immediately went to head upstairs. But…not before Joe caught her.

“Don’t even think about it, lass,” he sternly said, grabbing her arm as it hit the stair rail. “Get your bum in that kitchen and help your mum clean up. It’s the least you can do after what happened.”

Without a word, Grace snuck past her father back down the stairs and into the kitchen. Joe quickly followed, preparing to have a little talk with his daughter in front of his wife. He was thankful that he sent J.T. to sleep over a friend’s house tonight, not having to worry about his ears overhearing anything.

As soon as he walked in, Grace noticed the look on his face, folded her arms and faced him.

“Okay, go ahead. Get it over with.”

Joe raised a cautionary eyebrow at his daughter’s sassiness. “I wouldn’t take that tone with me if I were you, young lady,” he warned. “Not after what I walked in on.”

Grace put her hands on her hips. “Daddy, first of all, you weren’t supposed to be…….”

“Nevermind that, Grace! If I hadn’t gone down there, who knows how far it would’ve gotten.”

Grace covered her face with her hands before turning to Abby. “Mum?”

“Don’t look at me to help you out, Grace,” Abby said. “I’m in total agreement with your father. He agreed to stay up here in an effort to show that he trusts you. And I stuck up for you, telling him he had nothing to worry about. You just betrayed that trust that I had for you, Grace.”

“But mum…I wasn’t doing anything bad. Crikey, it was just a kiss!”

“Grace, to a fifteen year old girl its ‘just a kiss’,” Joe stated. “But…to a seventeen year old lad, its an appetizer! You were sitting on his lap, in a bloody short dress! Do you know what that does to a lad?”

Grace looked appalled. “Daddy, stop! Oh my God, you’re embarrassing me!”

“Grace, luv, I’m just telling you a fact, one that I think you’re very aware of. I know its perfectly natural to wonder what its like to kiss a lad and, well, you just gave into that curiousity. But luv…you’ve got to be careful how far you let it go.”

“Well, if you must know, Ethan wasn’t the first lad I kissed.”

Joe folded his arms. “Oh?”

“That’s right. Tyler kissed me tonight, a lot better than Ethan did.”

Joe paled a bit. “Crikey! I had a feeling something like this may happen someday,” he thought to himself.

He quickly reigned in control of his anger. “Anyone else I should know about, lass?”

Grace feigned deep thought. “Mmm, nope. That’s about it.”

“I said…..don’t take that attitude, Grace! You’re forgetting that you’re the child and I’m the father and that this is my house. I will not have my fifteen year old daughter acting like that in, or out, of it, do you understand?”

Grace was silent, looking as if she’d been bested. Just then, as Abby was cleaning the punch bowl, she scooped up the remaining punch left over with a cup and drank it down. And, as quickly, she spit it out.

“Oh…my..God,” Abby exclaimed, before turning to Grace. “What was put in this punch, young lady?”

Grace’s horrified face watched her father step over and scoop some punch out and drink it.

“Daddy! No……”

Joe had already swallowed it, tasting the vodka as it burned down his throat. He then looked at Grace, who now hung her head low.

“Who did this?” he demanded.

Grace couldn’t squeal on anyone from school. She just couldn’t. “I….I don’t know daddy. All I know is that one of the new lads from the team handed me some punch and told me to try it. When I drank it, I tasted something different. I don’t know if it was him who did it or someone else.”

Joe ran his hand through his hair. “Grace, for God’s sake, someone snuck alcohol into this house and put it in the punch? And you went along with it?

Even though she was their adopted daughter, Grace possessed a lot of Joe’s fire and brazeness and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind.

“Daddy….can I be honest with you about something?”

Joe let out a long sigh. “What?”

“Well….if you don’t mind me saying so, I think you’re being a hypocrit.”

Abby saw the anger that colored her husband’s face and nudged her daughter. Grace, you better quit while you’re ahead. You’re already gonna be punished for what took place tonight.”

Grace looked at her mother with betrayal in her eyes. “I…I can’t believe it! How can you punish me for doing something that just about every teenagers tries – you especially, dad.”

Joe was nearing the edge. “Excuse me?”

“C’mon, daddy. You were my age once. You probably tried the same exact things. And, its practically legend at school how you and the band snuck a bottle of brandy in the bass drum when you played your very first gig there. And here you’re yelling at me for someone doing the exact same thing.”

Joe inched closer to his daughter, his voice a dangerous whisper. “First of all, I was nineteen years old at the time. I was of a legal drinking age. Second of all, sneaking alcohol into a school is not that same thing as sneaking it into someone’s private home. And third, just because ‘everyone’s tried it’, doesn’t make it alright. You’re a fifteen year old lass who shouldn’t be exposed to this stuff?”

Grace answered him by sarcastically rolling her eyes. Joe saw it and inched a little closer.

“That look better be because you’ve got something in your eye, Grace,” he warned.

“Daddy, I’m sorry. Again, you’re being a hypocrit. You say you don’t want me ‘exposed’ to this stuff. Well, it’s a little hard not to when your father was in a rock band who wrote songs about all the ‘stuff’ you don’t want me exposed to. I listened to all your CD’s, Beth and Allison’s mums have them. We listened to all the lyrics. Hmm, lets see…..’High and Dry’ is all about having fun drinking, oh and ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ is all about sex, and….whats that song where you moan and groan about ‘doing it all night’? Oh, and ‘Let It Go’ is about what Ty probably got from Julie tonight.”

Joe’s right hand shook as he drew his arm back to crack his daughter right across the mouth. As he did, he saw her cringe, and halted his hand in the air. He was so flipping angry right now that he knew he’d hurt her badly by hitting her hard.

“Joe!” Abby said nervously, when she saw her husband’s hand still.

Never taking his eyes off his fear-filled daughter, Joe slowly lowered his hand and leaned into her.

“Get upstairs and get out of my sight now,” he seethed. “And don’t you even think of locking that door because when I finally cool off from that smart little mouth of yours, I’m coming up to deal with you.”

Grace didn’t think twice, knowing that she definitely pushed him too far. She quickly scooted past him and ran up the stairs, her sobs evident before her bedroom door slammed shut.

Joe wearily sat down and held his shaking hands. He didn’t know where his control came from, he was only glad it came when it did else he knew that he’d hurt Grace badly.

Abby immediately went to Joe and put comforting arms around him.

“God, you scared me, Joe.”

“I scared myself,” he admitted. “Damn, Abby I was so bloody angry that I would’ve really hurt her. Regardless of what I did or wrote about in the band, that doesn’t give her the right to compare. She’s gotta learn that its different for boys than it is for girls, whether its right or not.”

Abby began massaging the tension out of his shoulders. “Hmm, speaking of which, what was that remark she made about Tyler and that girl Julie? Is it what I think it was?”

Joe allowed himself a grin. “Um, I think so. I don’t feel so bad having to deal with Grace tonight. Sav’s gonna have to deal with that randy son of his when they get home.

Abby thought a moment. “You mean….that randy son who also kissed our daughter tonight?”

Joe put his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. “Oh no!”

10

As soon as Sav opened the front door, Ty sped in and right up the stairs. Scott noticed and smirked.

“Hmm, seems like someone wants to avoid you, dad. Now, why, I have no idea?”

Sav glared at his youngest son. “Nevermind, Scott. I don’t need any comments from you.”

Scott touched his fingers to his chest and widened his eyes. “Aye, don’t get mad at me. I was a perfect angel tonight.”

With that, Scott turned to walk up the stairs. Sav stared after him.

“Why does that worry me more?” he murmured before climbing the stairs himself. When he got to the landing, he saw Ty come out of the bathroom and head back to his room, avoiding eye contact. Sav caught him before he could escape to his room.

“Don’t plan on going to sleep just yet, lad. We need to have a talk.”

Ty had his hand on his bedroom door as he sighed. “Fine,” he mumbled before going inside.

Sav let his head fall back, as if looking to heaven for some help. He then approached his bedroom and opened the door to find Paige sitting up in bed – a pint of chocolate chip ice cream in one hand, a trashy romance novel in the other.

She almost dropped both when he walked in.

“Oh….home already? I thought you were gonna be gone longer.”

Sav stood there feeling unwanted. “Do you want me to go back out and circle the block for another hour or so?”

Paige grinned and put her book and ice cream down on the nightstand. “No, I’m only kidding. So….how was the party?”

“Do you want the mild version or the X-rated one?”

Paige widened her eyes. “What? What happened?”

Sav blew out a long, slow breath. “Oh, the usual stuff that teens try. Snogging, gambling and….well…….”

“Well what?”

“Lets just say that it involves Ty and some very accommodating lass from school.”

Paige nearly choked. “Rick……did..did they…..oh my God!”

“I don’t think it got that far, but far enough. I’m going into talk to him right now.”

“What about Scott?”

“On his best behavior, as usual,” Sav said. “Though that frightens me. That boy’s planning something. What, I don’t know.”

“Rick, please…don’t think the worst, okay?”

“Paige, I have to prepare for the worst. I’ve got two teenage lads for Pete’s sake! You know what that means – the next few years is gonna be one painful road down the Hormone Highway.”

Paige giggled. “You should know, eh?”

Sav leaned into her and nuzzled her neck. “So should you,” he wickedly retorted before leaving to get this talk with Ty over with.

He knocked on Ty’s bedroom door. “Ty?”

A moment of silence was followed by a dejected voice. “Yeah, dad?”

Sav turned the knob to find Ty sprawled on his bed, unable to look at his father. Sav closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed.

“I think you know what I’m here to talk about.”

Ty answered by lowering his eyes, embarrassed.

“Lad, I’m not gonna get into the details of what happened. This is awkward enough. Look, I know you’re experiencing changes and….you know…feelings. But, with the responsibility of becoming a man comes exercising a little self control. Ty….you gotta be careful what you get yourself into. You’re only seventeen.”

Ty sat up in bed and looked at his father. “Crikey dad! That’s a little odd coming from you.”

Sav narrowed his eyes at him. “I beg your pardon?”

“Well….you were in a band by the time you were my age. I’m sure you had girls all over you, and I don’t think you pushed them all away. What I did was no different. You know the saying….like father, like son.”

The smug look on Ty’s face showed that he was trying to exploit his father’s shyness. But Sav would not have Ty giving into all his lusty urges only to wind up making a mistake that could jeopardize his future.

Sav pointed a finger right at Ty’s chest. “You listen to me, and listen good lad. Don’t you dare go comparing yourself to me when I was your age. It was a hell of a lot different for me. I didn’t have many choices. It was either work in a factory for the rest of my life, or take a chance to make it in music. Your grandparents didn’t have the money for me to go to university because they we’re helping to put your Uncle Brian through medical school. I had no choice to but to try to make something of myself on my own. You and your brother will never have to struggle like I did. I want the two of you to do something important and meaningful with your lives, but I want it to be something that makes you happy. And I’ll be there to support you all the way. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you Ty. Don’t screw it up with a foolish mistake.”

Ty put his head down. “You’re disappointed in me, aren’t you?”

Sav put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Of course I’m not. I’m just concerned, that’s all. What you’re going through is nothing new. I went through the same thing. But you’ve got more choices to look forward to than I ever did, and I want you to take advantage of them. And you will, only if you use your head – the one on your shoulders!”

Ty rolled his eyes and looked away, a little embarrassed. “Okay, fine. I’m…I’m sorry.”

Sav looked at him and knew that something else was wrong. “Is there something else bothering you?”

Ty just shrugged his shoulders.

“What?”

“I think Grace hates me,” he confessed.

“Why do you think that?”

“Well, she saw Julie hanging all over me and I think that got her mad?”

“Any particular reason why she should be mad?”

Ty rolled his eyes, a little hesitant to answer. “I guess…I don’t know, I guess because I kissed her before I, you know…..took off with Julie.”

Sav squeezed his eyes shut and inwardly chuckled. “I knew those two would take to each other one day,” he thought.

“Well, was it an innocent peck………..?”

“No!” Ty said quickly, to embarrassed to finish.

Sav folded his arms and regarded his son. “Hmm, so you think that Grace thought you kissing her meant that you liked her other than a friend, then got upset when you went off with Julie?”

Ty frowned. “Yeah.”

“Do you like her more than…..a friend?”

Ty look mortified. “Dad!”

“What?”

“W…why are you asking me that? Crikey, she’s like my sister!”

“Brothers don’t give sisters the kind of kiss you gave Grace. Well, maybe in Arkansas or something.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. Ty, look, I gotta be honest that I was kinda expecting this someday. I remember the first day Abby brought Grace over the house. It was the day after she and Uncle Joe first got her. Your mum had a little baby shower for her that day. I remember Abby putting her down on the floor in the baby seat. And you - only two years old at the time - went strutting up to her to peer inside. You stuck you hand in the babyseat and Grace immediately latched onto your finger. Then she smiled at you. I think the two of you knew since then.”

“Yeah, well, like I said. She probably hates me now,” Ty said, grabbing his pillow and hugging it to his chest.

“Well, then I think the first thing you should do tomorrow is either call or go over your Uncle Joe’s and apologize to her, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“I’ll go with you,” Sav said. “And…since you’ll be getting your license soon, I’ll let you drive.”

Ty perked up and his eyes widened. “The Porsche?”

“Forget it! We’ll take your mum’s car.”

Ty immediately frowned and Sav shoved him playfully in the shoulder. “Oh, sorry you have to slum around Sheffield in your mum’s Mercedes!”

Ty grinned at his father. “Okay. Thanks dad. And…thanks for not flipping out about….you know…..”

Now it was Sav’s turn to grin. “Like I said, lad. I was seventeen once, so I understand perfectly. But, it is my job to make sure you don’t let yourself get reckless and lose control, got it?”

“Got it.”

Sav got up and went to leave. Before he did, he turned around.

“Ty?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

Ty glanced down a bit, blushing. “Yeah. I love you too, dad.”

Smiling to himself, Sav left Ty’s bedroom. When he closed the door, he leaned up against it, just like he did the time he gave him ‘the talk’ 4 years ago.

“Well, another crisis averted. For now!” he thought.

Just then, he heard Scott open his bedroom door and peek his head out.

“So, did Ty get it, or what?”

Sav pushed himself away from the door and towards Scott. “Get back to bed and mind your business!”

Scott snickered and went back inside his room and closed the door.

Sav shook his head. “Crikey, these two lads aren’t gonna let me see 60!”

11

Back at the Elliott house, Grace had flopped on her bed after shutting herself inside her bedroom.

She knew she went too far with her father, bringing all that up, but she couldn’t help herself. She took after him in that respect. And…it almost earned her a crack across the mouth for it. She saw the look in her fathers eye as he raised his hand to her and couldn’t believe that he had the control to stop just in time. But, she knew she wasn’t off the hook.

A calmed down Joe Elliott can be just as dangerous as a pissed off one.

A few moments later, there was a soft knock at the door, then the sound of her mum’s voice.

“Grace?’

“Come in,” she said sitting up and wiping the tears from her face.

Abby stepped inside and went to stand in front of her daughter. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know,” Grace replied. “I have yet to see daddy. I though you were him. Where is he?”

Abby folded her arms and smirked. “Oh, he’s surfing the internet looking for modern day chastity belts!”

Grace colored and hid her face with her pillow. “Oh God!”

“Oh, stop…I’m just kidding,” her mother mused. “I’m just trying to lighten the mood a bit, although we’re not too thrilled about what happened tonight, not to mention mouthing off to your father the way you did. You should know better, Grace.”

“I’m sorry, mum. But….he absolutely embarrassed me by coming down there. He and Uncle Sav together.”

“Well, from what I heard from a few of the lads leaving tonight, they had quite a time winning money off them. And….if you didn’t give your father reason to go down there, he wouldn’t have.”

“Yeah, he had to check up on me outside through the basement window. I can’t believe he did that!”

“Well, he just had this gut feeling about something. Turns out he was right. Grace, you’re only fifteen. That lad you were kissing is going to be a senior.”

“So? How come you’re not mad about Ty kissing me? He’s gonna be a senior too, you know?”

Abby sighed. “I’m not saying I’m alright with that either. I guess, I don’t know, maybe because you’ve known Ty since you were a baby that I guess I can trust him.”

Grace folded her arms over her pillow. “Yeah, well he’s not as innocent as he seems to be? He snuck in the jacuzzi room with the biggest slut in school.”

“Grace Elliott! Watch your mouth!”

“Well, its true, mum. I mean, I thought it was only a rumor, but I guess its true. He probably just went off with her thinking he’d get….you know. And…..this was after he kissed me. How could he do that?”

Abby sat down next to her daughter and put her arm around her. “Hmm, sounds to me like you like Ty more than in a ‘brotherly’ way.”

Grace shrugged. “I…I don’t know. I mean, he’s like my best friend and all. We’ve know each other forever. Its just that…..its different now. He’s, you know…not some little wanker who used to tease me.”

“You’re seeing him in a different light,” Abby said. “He’s maturing from a lad into a young man – a very handsome young man - and you’re noticing that. And…I think he’s noticing that you’re turning into a beautiful young lady.”

“Yeah, well, now that he knows he can get what he wants from Julie, why would he want to have anything to do with me? I’m not like that.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear you have some sense after all,” Joe said as he entered the room.

Grace looked up at her father’s much more calmer face, then glanced back down.

“Grace…don’t you have something to say to your father?” Abby asked.

“I’m sorry I mouthed off to you, daddy,” she whispered.

“And……?”

“I’m sorry that I didn’t say something about the vodka being put in the punch.”

Joe sat down next to her. “Grace, do you know what kind of trouble your mum and I would’ve been in if those kid’s parents see them come home a little intoxicated? Do you?”

“Yes,” she murmured. “I’m….I’m so sorry,” she began to softly cry.

Joe hugged Grace as she cried. Yes, he was still very angry about what happened and the consequences that could’ve occurred. But he also understood the pressures and anxieties of being this age as well. Not to mention, the urges.

Joe pulled her back a moment. “Now, about this business of you kissing Ty…”

“Daddy, please…I…I don’t want to talk about it. It…it was nothing, obviously. I was just telling mum that he’d have no reason to be interested in me that way when he can be with Julie and get………”

She couldn’t finish her sentence as she started to cry again. It was obvious to Joe that Grace liked Ty a lot more than she led on and was hurt about seeing him and Julie together.

He remembered his vow the day he and Abby adopted her about not letting her near “those Savage boys”. But he did, and now it looked as if they were beginning to discover each other in a more physical way. He guessed that if he could trust his daughter with anyone it would be the son of his best friend. But, after knowing what his best friend’s son got a little taste of tonight, concerned him. He didn’t think Ty would ever pressure Grace into anything like that.

Joe kissed her on the forehead. “Listen, luv, I want you to get to bed. You’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”

Grace looked up. “Oh?”

Joe sternly nodded. “Although I’m glad no harm came of tonight, you’re still not escaping punishment for not using good sense. I told your mum to leave all the dirty dishes from the party on the counter and in the sink. You’re to do them tomorrow. Then, you’re to clean up the entertainment room. Vacuum, dust – the works. Then, you’re gonna mop all the mud off the kitchen floor.”

Grace’s mouth dropped. “But….the cleaning people do that.”

“Not tomorrow they won’t. I’m gonna call them and cancel them. Than, after you’re done cleaning, you’re to stay in. No phone, no telly, no cd player, no internet – nothing.”

“Dad…….!”

“Do you think you deserve less young lady?”

Grace dropped her head. “No, I guess not.”

“Fine,” Joe said kissing her one last time before getting up to leave.

After Joe left, Grace turned to her mum. “Daddy hates me.”

Abby was appalled. “Grace, don’t you dare say that! You have absolutely no idea how much we love you. You, and your brother, are our miracles. Your father and I couldn’t have children of our own, but we were blessed to have gotten the two of you when you were babies.”

“Yeah, well, I bet daddy now wishes he had another daughter.”

“You think so? Grace, I remember the night we first got you. After we put you down to sleep in your crib, we didn’t want to leave your room. We just wanted to stand there looking at you. However, we did wind up going to bed, only for me to wake up about 2:00 in the morning to find your father gone. I found him in your room, resting his chin on the edge of your crib, just watching you sleep. It made me cry to see that big, tough man turned to mush. But, we knew that we had a job to raise you and your brother right. And that includes discipline. Its not because we hate you, but because we love you and want you to learn from your mistakes. Now, enough of this foolish talk and go to sleep.”

Abby kissed Grace goodnight and left. Grace just laid there thinking how boring tomorrow was gonna be staying in all day cleaning with no means of electronic entertainment. It was gonna kill her!

Still, nothing hurt as much as what Ty did to her tonight. So…..why did she want to see him so bad?

12

Late the next morning, Ty came downstairs to grab something to eat before heading with his father over to apologize to Grace. Scott was already at the table when he got there.

“Well, you’re still breathing – so I guess dad didn’t lace into you too bad,” Scott said.

“Ha, ha….very funny,” Ty mocked. “I just got a lecture.”

“About what? Keeping it in your pants?”

Ty gave his younger brother a warning look, before Scott threw his arms up.

“Aye, half the room saw you disappear with Julie last night. And, with her reputation, I’m sure it wasn’t to play darts, not that Uncle Joe even has a dartboard in the jacuzzi room!”

Scott ended that comment with a snicker while Ty rolled his eyes. “All right, you had your fun at my expense. But, lets see how long you continue to fool dad with you’re ‘I’m so innocent’ act.”

Scott wasn’t affected. “Its not an act, I assure you. I’m just playing it cool. At least Grace still respects me this morning!”

“Yeah, well I’m going over there to apologize to her,” Ty stated. “Dad’s gonna let me drive.”

“The Porsche?”

“I wish,” Ty groaned, shoving a Pop Tart in his mouth.

“Hmm, I’ll probably get to drive it before you do,” Scott said.

“Fat chance of that happening!”

“Well, if you keep screwing up like you did last night, you might not,” Scott confidently stated.

“I didn’t screw up! Crikey, I’m seventeen. Dad understands these things. Like I said, all I got was a lecture and I have to apologize to Grace.”

“Think she’ll accept?”

Ty shrugged his shoulders as he took a swig of milk straight from the container, just as his mum walked in.

“Tyler Kenneth! Use a glass,” Paige scolded. “We raised you with better manners than that!”

“Sorry mum,” Ty sheepishly said before getting a glass out of the cabinet. When Paige walked away, Scott chuckled.

“Boy, you’re certainly on a roll at getting caught, big brother.”

Ty squeezed a wet sponge out of the sink and threw it at his brother. “Sod off!”

Scott caught the sponge just as Sav walked in and looked in the direction from which it came.

“What are you throwing, lad?”

Scott snickered again and Ty just rolled his eyes at getting caught, yet again. “Just horsing around, dad. Um…are we leaving.”

“Yep,” Sav said tossing the Mercedes keys to him. “Lets go.”

Ty caught the keys with one hand and put his glass in the sink with the other. On the way out, he poked Scott in the side of his head.

“Ha! Later.”

As Ty left, Scott just sat there smirking to himself. “Yeah, it won’t be long before Ty screws up again,” Scott thought to himself. “Especially with Grace. That’s okay…I’ll just be there to pick up the pieces!”

13

Abby answered the front door, letting Sav and Ty in the house.

“Rick? What are you doing here?”

“Well, it seems this lad here has a few apologies to make,” Sav said, nodding to Ty.

“What do you mean a few? I only have to apologize to Grace.”

“Ty, I believe you’re aunt and uncle here deserve one too, for um…..acting up downstairs?”

Sav wiggled his brows at his son, letting him know what he meant, without so much as saying it. Little did Sav know, that Abby knew about what Ty experienced last night.

Ty took a deep breath and looked at Abby. “I’m sorry, Aunt Abby. I um….acted like a total wanker last night.”

“Apology accepted,” Abby said to the contrite lad. “Come on in.”

Sav and Ty followed Abby in the kitchen where Joe was sitting. Ty took one look at his Uncle Joe and gulped.

“So, what are you two doing about today?” Joe asked.

“Well, I believe that Ty owes Grace an apology for how he acted last night.”

“Well, you’ll find her downstairs in the entertainment room – cleaning it. You can go down and talk to her after I find out one thing – in front of your father.”

Ty’s eyes widened with fear. “What?”

“Who put vodka in the punch last night?”

Sav’s mouth dropped open as he folded his arms and slowly turned to regard his son. “What’s this?”

Ty dropped his head. Boy, he was really in for it now! He just couldn’t squeal on Chad. And, he didn’t want Grace to get any flak for it either.

“Um…well…..I did, Uncle Joe,” Ty lied.

Sav dropped his arms and put them on his hips, making his son face him. “Excuse me? And just where did you get vodka, lad?”

“I…I…um…..well…one of the kids at school has an, um….older brother that um….got a pint from the liquor store. I’m…I’m sorry. I…I wasn’t thinking. Uncle Joe, please, don’t punish Grace. She didn’t know until way after it was done.”

Joe and Sav stared at Ty and knew that he was lying to cover up for someone else. For some reason, they found it quite noble and a bit charming that he was willing to take the heat for a friend, and for Grace. Joe just put a hand on his shoulder and turned him in the direction of the basement door.

“Go. Go downstairs and say what you have to say to Grace while your dad and I talk.”

“Yes sir,” Ty sheepishly said as he went downstairs. When the door was closed, Sav turned to Joe.

“Well, I didn’t know about that,” he said. “Although I can tell he was lying for someone. He didn’t have a coat on when we came last night so there was no way for him to hide it.”

“Yeah, I thought so too,” Joe said. “Crikey Sav, you try to teach these kids right and wrong, but we should know that they’re curious and are going to test the limits.”

Sav pulled out a chair and sat down. “Well, at least you’re getting some first-hand knowledge so you can prepare for J.T., eh?”

“Don’t remind me,” Joe agonzied. “So….did you um….have a talk with him last night about……..?”

Sav blew out a frustrated breath. “Yes, I did.”

“So…….did he…..?”

Sav looked at Joe wiggling his eyebrows in a flirtatous manner. “Joe, he didn’t’ come out and say and I didn’t come out and ask. I didn’t have too. You saw him last night. Crikey, the lad was too delerious to remember to zip his jeans back up!”

Joe looked around a bit. “You know, I have an unopened bottle of courvoisier around here. Why don’t we celebrate Ty getting his first blowjob?”

Sav looked at him with warning eyes. “Don’t start, Joe!.”

Joe rethought what he said and sat down too. “Yeah, you’re right. Especially since he was kissing my daughter right before Julie put his first big grin on his face.”

“Yeah, he told me about kissing Grace,” Sav said. “That’s why he’s here to apologize. He thought he offended her by doing that, then um…disappearing with Julie right afterwards. He was really upset over the fact that Grace saw that last night. I think he likes her more than he lets on.”

“Grace too,” Joe admitted before groaning. “Crikey, I wish the summer was over! Once school starts they’ll be too busy with homework and sports to worry about a young romance budding. Hopefully everything will be dull and boring until then.”

Just then the phone rang. Joe picked it up.

“’Ello?”

“Aye old man!”

Joe made a face. “Aye Collen, if you’re gonna call someone ‘old’, make sure its someone who’s older than yourself!”

“Well, you are. In body that is,” Phil snickered on the other end.

“Bite me,” Joe responded. “What’s up?”

“I hope you and Sav don’t have anything planned in two weeks?”

“Um…I don’t think we have to meet with this new band and their manager and producer till the end of August. Why?”

“Great! Make your plane reservations and bring the family on out here. Rory’s getting married!”

14

Down in the entertainment room, Grace had on a pair of denim shorts and a cropped t-shirt, her hair in a high pony tail, as she furiously vacuumed the carpet. She already knew today was gonna suck. There was absolutely nothing that could take her mind off the boredom she was about to face.

“Hi.”

A voice from behind caused her to turn. Upon seeing Ty’s face, her heart practically stopped and she shut off the vacuum. He looked so gorgeous that she almost forgot that she was mad at him.

“Hi,” she mumbled back, not trying to look like she was really happy to see him. “What are you doing here?”

Ty hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans as he thrust one hip out to the side, all the while, looking down a bit. Grace had to control the beginnings of a teenage girls lust for how incredibly sexy he looked in that pose.

“Well, I’m here to apologize…..for last night. You know….kissing you and then….you know…..Julie. I mean, I know I asked if you wanted to be kissed and you said yes. You um….acted like you liked it. I did too, which is why I shouldn’t have been hanging with Julie. I didn’t mean to insult you, Grace. Especially on your birthday.”

Grace’s insides were tumbling about. She couldn’t believe that Ty actually came here to apologize to her, unless, his dad made him.

“Did….did your father make you come here today to apologize to me?”

“Well, he suggested it after I told him that I thought you hated me for what I did last night. But I agreed with him. He’s letting me do some driving since I’m getting my license soon so he came with me.”

Grace’s eyes perked up a bit. “The Porsche?”

Ty frowned. “No. Got my mum’s Mercedes.”

“That’s still not bad. Think your dad will let us go for a spin alone?”

“I highly doubt it!”

Grace then remembered her punishment. “Yeah, it wouldn’t matter anyway. I’m being punished for last night. I’ve got to clean downstairs then the kitchen and then I’m shut off from the phone, the telly, the computer, music – everything! Dad’s pissed.”

Ty narrowed his eyes. “What are you being punished for….oh…wait….the vodka in the punch, right?”

Grace nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t tell my dad who did it. Did he ask you about it when you came in?”

“Yeah. I told him it was me.”

“You did? Why did you lie?”

“Well, I couldn’t squeal on Chad. And…I didn’t want you to get in trouble for it. I already screwed up enough, one more wasn’t gonna matter. Boy, your dad must’ve blew his top when he found out about that!”

“Trust me, Ty. You didn’t want to be here last night. I mean, it was bad enough he saw me kissing Ethan and……..”

Ty’s face paled. “What?”

Grace bit her lip, realizing what she said. “I..um, well, he um…just gave me a birthday kiss, you know?”

Ty folded his arms and narrowed his eyes. “Well, if it was enough to piss your father off, then it must’ve been quite a birthday kiss, hmmm?”

Grace huffed. “Alright, fine…I admit it. I only kissed Ethan because……well, because I wanted to get back at you. You kissed me in a way that….you know….told me that you like me differently. And then you just went off with Julie to…….. When I saw you with her, I guess I just wanted to fight fire with fire. Little did I know, my dad and yours decided to peek in on us from the basement window on the outside of the house. He saw me kissing Ethan and decided it was time to crash the party. That’s why they came down last night and stayed there till the party was over.”

Ty unfolded his arms and slipped his hands in his back pockets. “So….are you interested in Ethan?”

Grace shrugged. “He’s nice. But…I don’t know if I’m interested in him that way.”

“Well you certainly led him to believe you were after kissing him,” Ty said. “He’s probably gonna shoot his mouth off at footie practice about it.”

Grace look horrified. “Ty, you don’t think he’ll say anything about me, you know…..bad stuff like what’s being said about Julie?”

“If he does, I’ll flatten him,” Ty said adamantly. “Besides, you’re nothing like Julie.”

Grace looked down dejectedly. “Yeah, I know.”

Ty walked over other and put his hands on her shoulders. “You’re better than her. She’s a little trollop. Everything that was said about her is true.”

Grace looked up at him, tingling from the feel of his hands on her shoulders. “I guess you would know firsthand, huh?”

Ty squeezed his eyes shut at how hurt she sounded. “Grace, please don’t bring that up. It happened and there’s nothing I can do about it. My dad already gave me a talking to about it.”

Grace’s eyes bugged out. “Your dad knows?”

“Well, he kinda put two and two together when he saw Julie and I come out from the jacuzzi room. And, being who he is, I guess he’s all too familiar with the signs, you know?”

Grace blushed a bit, knowing that the same thing could be said about her father as well. “Was he mad?”

“No, not really. But, he was concerned and stressed the importance of …um…self control.”

Grace looked down again, Ty’s hands still upon her shoulders. “Grace….do you forgive me?”

She looked up and smiled. “Yeah.”

They stood there just staring at each other, wondering if they should make a move. They were already so close and his hands were still on her shoulders. Grace bit her bottom lip and let her tongue run across it. Ty noticed this and his heart started to beat, wanting so bad to kiss her again. He was already reacting to her in those bloody denim shorts and a t-shirt that bared her flat, curvy mid-riff.

He took a chance and slowly lowered his head, leaving his eyes open a bit. Grace tipped her head up to meet his. As soon as their lips touched, both of them closed their eyes and slid their arms around each other.

************************************

“Great, Phil. We’ll see you in a few weeks,” Joe said as he hung up.

“So….Rory’s getting married?” Sav asked.

“Yep. In two weeks. He’s been seeing this girl Lynn for about seven months now. She has a 3 year old child from a marriage when she was only nineteen. He’s absolutely bonkers for both of them. He asked her to marry him a few weeks ago, but, with his travel schedule for work, their only time for a honeymoon will be in two weeks. They’re just doing something small. Close family, friends and….us. Kids too. Just for a few days. I think I may get a nanny to stay with J.T. I don’t think a ten year old will have much fun at a wedding."

Sav stood up and rubbed his hands together. “Hmm, I think a little jaunt to California may be what we need. It’ll break up the monotony till the kids go back to school. Let me go downstairs and tell Ty and Grace.

The basement door was already ajar when Sav carefully went downstairs. It was awfully quiet and didn’t hear Ty and Grace talking. He squinted his eyes and grinned as he peeked his head down first to find his son and Grace in a lip lock. He pulled back a bit and closed the basement door behind him before he came fully down. The sound of the door closing caused Ty and Grace to jump apart.

“Aye kids. Everything okay?”

“Um, yeah dad. Everythings fine.”

“Good. Its about to get better. We’re going to California for a few days in two weeks. Rory’s getting married.”

Ty looked about as interested as a seventeen year old could, while Grace squealed. “Ooooh, a wedding! Oh, I’ll get to see Una and Lily too.”

“Yep,” Sav said. “Um…if you’re done down here lad, lets go. Your Uncle Joe has things for Grace to do today.”

“O..okay, dad,” Ty said a little skittish as he watched him go back up the stairs.

“Think he saw us?” Grace asked.

“I don’t think so.”

Back upstairs, Sav re-entered Joe’s kitchen.

“Well…we’re they excited?”

“Um, yeah,” Sav said. “Oh…also…I think Grace has forgiven Ty.”

15

The plane ride from London to California was long and exhausting. Grace and Ty had been secretly hiding their newfound like for one another the entire trip, not to mention, the last two weeks. They had barely seen each other since the day they shared that kiss in the basement.

Both were looking forward to being able to spend several days with Grace under the same roof, however, thier hopes dropped when they found out that Ty, Scott and his parents were staying with Phil while Joe, Abby and Grace were staying with Viv. Although Grace’s heart fell a bit, at least she’d have Lily and Una for company.

Rick Allen was just unloading a houseful of company from late family parties to celebrate Lauren Shane graduating from nursing school.

Everyone arrived safely and, completely exhausted, had only the energy to say hello, unpack a few things then headed to sleep. The following day, Phil was having a poolside gathering for Rory and Lynn and their immediately family members only to get everyone acquainted before the wedding the day after that.

The day of the party found Grace being shaken awake by Una.

“Grace, c’mon…gotta get up. Party time!”

Grace groaned and rolled over to find sixteen year old Una standing above clad in a navy blue and white print bikini, which evidenced her tall, slender curvy body. Grace looked her up and down.

“So, when did you get those boobs?”

Una adjusted her bikini top a bit, shifting her newly popped teenage breasts.

“Um, they just kinda appeared overnight,” she said proudly. “Lily’s really pissed because I’ve got more than she does!”

Grace looked down at her own budding chest. Her breasts were a decent size for a fifteen year old, but not as big as Una. “You’ve got more than me, too.”

“Yeah, well you are a year younger than me. Give yourself another year and you’ll pop out too.”

“Yeah, only to have my dad try to ‘pop’ them back inside,” Grace huffed.

“Oh….yours too?” Una frowned.

“Yeah. Una, won’t your dad freak when he sees you in that bikini?”

“Probably. I’ll just stay covered up till we get to Uncle Phil’s house. Can’t do anything about it once we’re there.”

“Unless he’s like my dad and do an inspection before we leave,” Grace said.

“Oh God, Grace. He’s really that bad?”

“Yeah, well, considering what happened a few weeks ago, he’s even more cautious.”

“Ooooh,” Una said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “What happened?”

“Well, he caught me kissing this lad Ethan at my birthday party.”

Una’s eyes widened. “Yikes! If Uncle Joe is as I remembered, he must’ve went ballistic!”

“Well, not exactly. He and Uncle Sav came downstairs to ‘crash’ the party. He played snooker with some lads while Uncle Sav played poker. It was their way of keeping an eye on things without making the party seem uncool. However, I did get the big lecture once everyone left.”

“Mmmmm, first kiss huh?”

Grace blushed a bit. “Um…well, no. Not really. Actually, Ethan wasn’t the first lad I kissed that night. Someone else kissed me first – real nice! Tongue too!”

Grace smirked and blushed even further when she said that, which caused Una to squeal.

“Ooooh, better than that Ethan guy?”

“Much!”

“Someone from school?”

“Mmmm, you could say that,” Grace leered.

“What’s he like? How old is he? Is he cute? Is he gorgeous? Is he tall? Oh God, does he have a fine bod? Does your dad know? Is he gonna flip?”

“Una, slow down!”

“Well…..don’t just lie there! Tell me!!”

Grace took a deep breath, and propped herself up on her elbows, enjoying this moment.

“Um, well he’s real nice. I’ve known him a long time. He’s gonna be a senior this year. And, no, he’s not cute. He’s gorgeous! He’s tall and will probably get taller. As far as his bod, well…..lets just say he’s to die for in just a pair of soccer shorts and nothing else. Um…my dad knows that he kissed me and he didn’t freak too much.”

“Wow, he sounds fab,” Una gushed. “So…..what does he look like. In detail!”

“God, you’re so bad. Um, okay….like I said, he’s tall, slender, but he’s starting to get, you know, muscles in his chest and arms. His legs are nice and strong from soccer. He’s got light brown hair, softly curled and huge blue eyes that…that….”

“Oh God stop!” Una exclaimed. “You’re getting me all worked up here! And…you said you’ve known him a long time?”

“Yup,” Grace said. “Since about……I was a baby.”

Una knitted her brows. “Huh?”

“That’s right. And he looks like his father did when he was his age. And, he’s got all the girls starting to swoon over him, just like his father.”

Una sat there with a puzzled look on her face while Grace stared at her with a smirk, waiting for her clues to register. When it finally did, Una covered her mouth with both her hands and bugged her eyes out.

“Oh my God! You….you’re not talking about Tyler, are you?”

Grace answered with a smug smile, which caused Una to squeal again.

“Aaaak! I don’t believe it. Well, yeah, maybe I do. I always thought that maybe you and Scott would be an item, since you’re in the same grade.”

“Yeah, I know,” Grace said. “Funny thing, though. Even though I’ve got the willies for Ty, Scott……I don’t know. There’s just something about him that I just can’t shake. Maybe because he’s so different from Ty that it makes me curious. He’s shy, but in a sweet way that…well…..kinda makes a lass sigh. Ty’s more of a heartbreaker who knows it. But, Ty’s showed interest first and I’m, well…wanting to show it back, ya know?”

“Mmm, I can’t wait to see what he looks like now. I haven’t seen him in so long.”

Grace poked her in the shoulder. “Aye, you keep your bloody hands off, ya hear?”

“Ooooooh, jealous, aren’t we? Well, you won’t have to worry about Lily. She’s been seeing this guy on the football team since last year. Very steady. As for me, my eye roves a bit and I’ve seen too many to choose from. Who knows, maybe I’ll flirt a bit with sweet Scott.”

For some reason, Grace didn’t like the sound of that. “Una, go easy on him. He’s real shy, ya know.”

“I know. Just like Uncle Sav. Oh, don’t worry. I’m not gonna chew him up and spit him out or anything. I do like guys a little forward, but this shyness of his has got me intrigued. We’ll see. Now, enough talk. Get up, take a shower, put your bikini on, cover up good and lets go. I need some color for this wedding tomorrow.”

With that, Una bounded from the room as Grace slowly got up. She went to her suitcase and pulled out her new black and silver bikini that she knew would give her father a heart attack.

However, she had plans of making Ty’s heart stop!

16

The gathering was in full swing at the Collen household by the time Joe, Abby, Grace, Viv, Jewels and Una showed up. Lily had to take college prep tests today and couldn’t make it. Rick Allen and Lauren were already there, as well as Lauren Shane and her boyfriend.

Everybody spent the first hour passing around hugs, kisses and congratulations, to Rory and Lynn especially. Rory was lovingly holding Lynn’s three year old daughter Brianna who seemed to shy away from all the attention and new faces.

After Rory did the introductions to Lynn, she in turn, introduced everyone to her immediate family – her parents, her brother, his wife and two small children and her older sister, her husband and their nineteen year old daughter.

On Phil’s massive redwood deck, he had two huge cookers going, one for hotdogs, burgers and ribs and one for non-meat foods.

“Can’t be mixing up the two,” Phil said jokingly as he flipped several veggie burgers. A young man from the catering service that brought pasta, eggplant, potato salad, tossed salad and baked chicken, stayed to work the meat cooker.

As the adults mingled, the kids cooled off in Phils inground pool. The two young children of Lynn’s brother were in the shallow end while Ty and Scott horsed around in the deep end.

“Ah, nothing can be more perfect than this,” Phil proudly exclaimed to his mates. “I’ve got my son getting married, a beautiful day, great food and my best mates are here. I just love pool parties.”

Joe was about to comment when a site coming out from Phil’s deck slider door caught his attention and caused him to groan.

“Yeah, well I hate them,” he growled to Phil. “And…that’s the reason why!”

All the adults turned to see Grace come out in a black and silver bikini. Joe covered his face with his hands while Phil whistled.

“Wow, where did your baby go?”

“I don’t know, but if you do, let me know so I can go get her back.”

“Oh Joe, stop,” Phil said. “You knew this was gonna happen sooner or later so get over it and get used to it.”

“He’ll never get used to it,” Rick said. “My Lauren may be 20, but she’s still my baby.”

“Could be worse, Joe,” Viv added. “You could have two like me, close in age, and be going through it at the same time. If I can survive it, so can you. I……..mother of!”

Everyone turned again to see Una follow Grace out, clad only in her bikini.

Joe turned a smug face to Viv. “You were saying, oh wise father of teenage girls?”

“Well, knowing and actually seeing it are two different things,” Viv whined. “God, what can be worse?”

“Probably having two teenage boys who are starting to notice daughers like yours,” Sav added. “Ty and Scott may have to stay in that cold water once they see those two.”

“If the water doesn’t heat up once they get in,” Phil added with a smirk.

Joe and Viv shouted at the same time. “Shut up!”

“What?” Phil and Sav both said.

Joe shook his head. “You know, why is it always the fathers of sons who say stupid, hormonal crap like that? Those are our daughters you’re talking about them lusting after!”

“I’m so glad I’m past this stage,” Rick rubbed in.

“Oh pipe down old man,” Phil said to Joe. “Crikey, they’ve known each other since they were children. Nothing’s gonna happen.”

“Um, think again Phil,” Sav said giggling.

Phil, Viv and Rick looked inquisitive. “Um…..what are you talking about?”

“Sav….shut up,” Joe warned.

“Oh Joe, they’re gonna find out sooner or later. Those two won’t be able to hide their…um…interest in each other for too long.”

“Who?” Viv asked.

“What?” Rick asked.

“Tell!” Phil demanded.

“Ty and Grace,” Sav sheepishly said. “We think there’s a little romance budding.”

“Oh-ho,” Phil exclaimed. “And how did this all begin?”

“The night of her birthday party,” Joe added. “She told us afterwards that Ty kissed her.”

“And, he kissed her the next day too,” Sav added.

“What? You didn’t tell me that,” Joe fumed.

“You’re right, I didn’t,” Sav added. I’d like my son to have all his parts, thank you! Don’t worry, it wasn’t going too far. He must’ve apologized, she accepted and they…you know…kissed and made up.”

Rick knitted his brows. “Apologized for what?”

Sav realized that he opened up a door he didn’t want to and clamped his mouth shut. “Oh, nothing. He just acted like a little twerp, that’s all.”

“No its not,” Joe said with amusement. “Tell them, Sav. You just blabbed about your son kissing my daughter, not to mention you kept the fact that he kissed her again from me.”

“Tell us what?” Viv asked.

Sav got a little uncomfortable, knowing that they weren’t gonna let it rest until he said something juicy.

“Well, seems Ty hooked himself up with some young lass at the party who was hanging all over him and….well….they um….kinda….you know….disappeared for a bit.”

Phil was grinning ear to ear. “And…..?”

Sav continued to squirm. “And……what do you think? He reappeared with a very dazed look on his face, his jeans unzipped and this lass, well, wiping her mouth.”

Phil leaned his head back and laughed. “Woo-hoo! So, the lad got his first hummer, eh?”

“Will you keep it quiet, big mouth?” Sav whispered to Phil.

“Well, what do you expect?” Rick asked. “Like father, like son?”

Sav smiled nervously over at Paige before feigning ignorance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Joe put an arm around him. “Um, Sav…is your age really affecting your memory, or have you just chosen to block the years 1981 through 1993? You know, the wild years that you were single and on tour?”

Rick and Viv laughed. Sav grimaced. “No, I haven’t Joe! Its just….Ty doesn’t know about…you know….’those times’.

“Don’t bet on it,” Phil said. “Remember, the mum’s of their friends used to go to our concerts years ago. I’m sure they’ve heard the legacy.”

“Ah, well, who cares,” Rick said. “So….he’s one step away from becoming a full-fledged man, eh.”

All the guys snickered before Sav turned to Joe. “Yes he is. And…he just may have your daughter to help him in his quest.”

Joe’s green eyes darkened, knowing that Sav pushed the wrong button. “Look, I don’t care if they kiss and hold hands. But, Tyler better keep that seventeen year old pecker away from her else he’ll find it missing!”

All of a sudden, Viv craned his neck to look in the pool and gulped. “Um, yeah Sav. Better warn Scott as well. He looks a little too cozy there with Una.”

Sav turned around to see his youngest son shyly flirting in the pool with Una, while Ty and Grace playfully wrestled one another.

Phil clapped Sav on the back. “Aye mate, if you have any intentions of being a grandpa someday, then you best warn your lads there before their family jewels wind up in the hand of these two here,” he motioned to Joe and Viv.

“Oh, stop it! All of you,” Sav said. “Man, they’re surrounded by adults here. Nothings gonna happen. Now…Phil…I’d love a big messy cheeseburger!”

Phil made a face. “Ugghh, get it yourself, mate. I don’t touch the stuff, let alone eat it.”

All the Lep men chuckled and took off to make themselves a plate, leaving their worries about their children behind.

What they should’ve been worried about was Lynn’s nineteen year old niece as she hungily eyed Tyler.

17

While all the adults ate, the kids continued to swim and mess around in the pool, working up an appetite.

Just as Grace predicted, Tyler popped his head out from under the water and looked up at her as she walked to the edge. His eyes completely bugged at the near naked sight of her

Grace bent down at the edge and he swam over to her with a big grin on his face.

“Hows the water?” she asked

“Why don’t you come in and find out,” Ty replied as he grabbed her arm and pulled her in. She responded with a muffled scream before she was completely submersed. When she came to the top, she slicked her blonde hair back, cleared her eyes and sought out Ty.

“Tyler Savage! You bloody wanker! I can’t believe you did that!” Grace then hugged her arms about her. “Crikey, its so cold.”

Ty swam around her, eyeing her slick body. When he got to face her, he noticed her hardened little nipples through her black bikini top. He felt his body immediately react.

Grace saw the direction of Ty’s eyes and looked down. When she saw her reaction to the cold water, she immediately submerged up to her neck.

“No fair,” Ty mused.

“I think you’ve seen more than enough, lad,” she shot back.

Ty quickly swam by her and, as he did, whispered in her ear. “Not as much as I’d like,” before he dove under the water.

On the other side of the deep end, Scott and Una were playfully fighting for use of the raft. Everytime Scott got on, Una would tip it over, and vice versa. They ended up splashing and poking at one another.

“Stop it you bloody tease,” Scott shot at her with a smile.

“Make me, tough guy,” Una flirted back.

“Oooooh, you asked for it,” Scott warned as he dove under the water towards her legs.

Una tried to side step him and make it over to the part of the pool where she could stand, but Scott grabbed her legs and pulled her under. When he did, he resurfaced, just to have Una do the same to him.

Both teens were breathless from all their horseplay. They finally moved over to where they could stand and began to catch their breath.

“You’re such a jerk, Scott,” Una stated as she poked his shoulder.

“You should talk,” Scott retorted, poking her back.

“You’re worse,” Una shot back, shoving him harder.

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“You like to tease, don’t you Scott. You put that shy act on, but you’re really a little demon with halo.”

“Aye, I’m not gonna blow my cover,” Scott leered.

“Hmm, I wonder if you’re as shy and innocent as you want people to think you are,” Una challenged.

Scott rolled his eyes and shrugged. “You’ll never know now, will you?”

Una swam up to him very close and slid her arms around his neck. “Wanna bet?”

After quickly making sure no one was watching, Una pressed her lips to Scott’s. He was at first startled, then sufficiently aroused when she felt her tongue in his mouth. As shy as he was, there was no way he could hide his reaction to this, especially after being taken by surprise.

Although he knew Una practically forever, she was still a lass, clad in a bikini, pressing her young, firm breasts up against him as she kissed him. Scott instinctively put his hands on her waist, reacting even more to the feel of her firm, wet skin, and gave her his tongue as well.

All of a sudden, the thought of his parents, Uncle Viv, or anyone else catching, came to mind and he pulled away.

“Crikey, Una…someone may see us!”

“Nah, I checked. Everyone’s sitting down eating. Hmm, I was right. You’re not as innocent as you seem, Scottie boy.”

“Don’t tease me,” he warned.

“I’m sorry. It was just harmless flirting. So Scott, do you um…have a girlfriend back in England?”

Scott waded away from Una, as he turned his head to glance at Ty and Grace fumbling with each other.

“Um, no…..no one steady, that is,” he said a little dejectedly.

“So…..you have your eye on someone?”

Scott blushed a bit. “Um, yeah…you could say that.”

“Does she know you like her?”

“No, she doesn’t. I mean, she knows I like her, but not in the way I want. I don’t know, maybe when school starts or something. But, I think she may have her eye on someone else.”

Scott punctuated that by secretly glancing at Ty.

“Hmm, well, maybe you can win her from him with your sweet, innocent act, huh?”

Scott splashed Una right in the face. “That’s the plan, smartie,” he stated with confidence before swimming towards the steps to get out.

Meanwhile, Ty and Grace continued to goof around. Ty would occasionally look up and catch that girl, Lynn’s niece, staring at him from where she was stretched out on a lawn chair, working on her tan. He didn’t think anything of it, but it seemed that everytime he looked up, she was staring intently at him.

For some reason, he was starting to feel very randy. At first he thought it was the fun in the pool, Grace’s near naked body and his own hormones acting up that caused it. But then, he thought it had something to do with that girl staring at him.

His ego swelled a bit and he went after Grace. This time, instead of playing, he put his arms around her, dipped them under the water till only their heads were visible and kissed her – wildly.

Grace pulled back. “Ty…are you crazy? They’ll see us.”

Ty looked over to see everyone sitting down and eating. He also saw Scott and Una get out to do the same.

“Nah, its just us in the pool. C’mon, Grace. I want to kiss you again. Don’t you want to kiss me?”

Looking over at her father to make sure he was out of sight, Grace turned back and twined her arms around Ty’s neck.

“Sure I do.”

“Good,” he said before resuming the kiss. Since they were underwater, Ty thought to get a little daring and slide his hands down from her lower back to her bum. When he did, Grace whimpered in his mouth and jerked forward a bit. When she did that, she was pressed fully up against his growing erection.

She then pulled back when she felt it.

“Ty, I…I don’t think we should……s..s..someone will see us.”

“No one will, Grace,” he seductively whispered in her ear as he slid his hand up, dangerously close to the side of her breast. Grace felt how close he was and pulled back.

“Ty, we better cool it. I…th…that’s a little too close. O..okay?”

Ty let out a frustrated breath. “Okay, I’m sorry. C’mon, lets get out. I’m starving.”

Grace got out first, grabbed her towel, wrapped it around her and headed over to get something to eat.

Ty hopped out himself and headed for the cabana area to get himself a towel. As soon as he disapeared inside, the girl in the lawn chair got up and followed him.

18

Ty entered the pool cabana and searched around for a clean towel. Once he found one, he briskly rubbed it over his head before shaking his wet curls in place to dry naturally. He then dried his upper body then searched for his t-shirt.

As he was about to leave, he saw the girl laying by the pool walk in.

“Oh,” she feigned ignorance. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was in here.”

Ty’s eyes couldn’t help but peruse her firm, voluptuous body that was barely contained by her golden brown bikini.

“Um..n..no problem. I was just on my way out.”

“Tyler, right?”

Ty turned around. “Um, yeah.”

“I’m sorry. I’m usually so good with remembering names. Especially when they’re attached to someone as good looking as you. I’m Diane. I’m Lynn’s niece. Are um…..you here for the wedding tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Rory’s dad and mine were in a band together.”

“Mmm, so I’ve heard. Def Leppard. My parents were big fans. You’re Rick Savage’s son, right?”

Ty grinned. “Well, one of them. My brother Scott is here.”

“Yes, I saw. He was in the pool with Viv’s daughter, is it? Seems you Leppard children are trying to keep it in the family, I see?”

“W…what do you mean?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I…I didn’t mean to pry or eavesdrop. Its just that, well, being so close to the pool, I kinda overheard you with that girl you were in the pool with. I was introduced to her and her parents when they arrived. She’s Joe Elliott’s daughter. I guess what I’m trying to say is…..it looks like the two of you are…you know….an item.”

Ty couldn’t help but blush at someone referring to him and Grace as an ‘item’.

“Well, I guess over time Grace and I started liking each other differently.”

Diane slowly and appreciatively raked his tall frame with calculating eyes. His lightly muscled chest and strong legs made her lick her lips.

“So Tyler, how old are you?”

“Uh, seventeen. I’ll be a senior this year.”

“Wow, I thought you were older. I guess its because you’re tall and, well, developed. Do you play sports?”

Ty was starting to get very warm from her attention, seductive voice and barely naked body.

“Y..y..yes. I play soccer.”

“Mmm, figures. You’ve got strong legs. I figured you played….something. So um….are you and Grace steady?”

“Well, not officially. We’re playing it cool. She just turned fifteen so we’re taking it slow.”

“Hmm, so I heard.”

“W…what?”

Diane stifled a giggle. “Oh, I’m sorry Tyler. As I said, I didn’t mean to overhear before. I couldn’t help it. Its just, well, you know…I heard the two of you playing around in the pool and Grace kinda…you know….wanting to ease off. I can understand, being fifteen years old and all, that she wouldn’t want to go too far. I was like that when I was fifteen, though it didn’t last too long.”

She ended that sentence by burning her eyes in his. Ty gulped and he became very warm.

“Um..how old are you?”

“Nineteen. I’ll be a sophomore in college this year. Can’t wait to go back, believe it or not. Its been such a boring summer. I’d do anything to have some kind of excitement before I go back.”

Diane made sure she stressed the word ‘anything’ and played it to the hilt when Ty couldn’t take his eyes off her body. She knew she had this randy young stud in the palm of her hand, however, she’d play it cool today.

“So Tyler, when do you go back to England?”

“The day after the wedding. We’d stay longer, but my dad and Uncle Joe own a recording studio in London and they’ve got business there when they get back.”

“Ooooh, how exciting,” she purred. “By the way, I just love that British accent. I think its so sexy.”

She punctuated that remark by running her finger up his long, damp arm. All he could do was stand frozen still and stare, not knowing what was gonna happen. He knew he should get out of there – and fast – before anyone, Grace especially, saw him in here alone with her. But, then again, nothing was happening. They were just talking.

So why was he so friggin’ hard in his swim trunks?

“Well, Ty……I’m famished. I’m gonna get something to eat. I’ll um…look forward to seeing you at the wedding tomorrow. I’m sure it’ll be a blast. Perhaps we can have a dance, if Grace doesn’t mind.”

“Oh, well, I don’t really dance.”

Diane stepped closer to him. “Not even a slow one? I never heard a young man passing up the opportunity to hold a woman close against his body, especially if there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s a wedding – everyone dances like that. Perhaps I can persuade you.”

She was standing so close that the tips of her breasts brushed up against his chest. The slight contact caused an immediate reaction in his young body. His breath began to quicken, causing his chest to rise and fall. His eyes were a bit clouded and his mouth was parted slightly.

Diane noticed the signs and knew she’d have no problem convincing him of anything.

“I’ll uh….think about it,” Ty replied.

Diane stepped back. “I’ll hold you to it. Well, let me just grab my t-shirt and head on out. It was nice talking to you, Ty.”

“Yeah, nice talking to you too.”

Diane’s eyes casually perused the obvious hardness behind his wet swim shorts, then looked back up with a gleam in her eye.

“I can see that,” she wickedly said before turning to walk out.

Ty glanced down and saw the evident affect Diane had on him and was immediatley embarrassed. He threw his t-shirt over his head, grateful that the length covered it up. Just then, Grace walked in.

“Ty, what’s taking you so long?”

Ty looked at Grace and gulped, hoping that his face didn’t give anything away.

“Nothing, luv,” he cheerfully said. “Just drying off and getting my t-shirt.”

Grace didn’t look convinced. “What did Diane want?”

Ty inwardly winced. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I saw her walk out as I came in.”

“Nothing. She just came to get her clothes, that’s all.”

“That’s all?”

Ty took a deep breath. “Yes,” he lied, before walking over to Grace to put his arms around here. He thought to get his mind back on track by kissing her.

When he put his arms around her, Grace immediately stretched hers up around his neck and kissed him back.

However, Ty’s body had a mind of its own and immediately sought to ease some of frustration Diane caused by pulling Grace tight against him and rubbing himself against her leg. Grace immediately gasped and pulled back.

“T..T..Ty…..w…what?”

Ty backed away and ran his fingers though his hair. “Grace, I’m sorry. Its…its just that….God, you feel so good.”

Grace didn’t know whether to believe that his body’s reaction was because of her kiss or Diane’s earlier presence. She knew that Diane was 19 and probably had some experience, whereas she was a virgin and didn’t want to go too far too fast. She was confident that Tyler would understand and wait till she was ready.

Now, however, she wasn’t so sure.

19

Later that night, Grace tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. All she kept seeing was Diane and Ty together, doing what he wants so bad to do.

As she thought about it even harder, she clearly remembered the smug look on Diane’s face as she exited the cabana. That, combined with the fact that Ty was obviously aroused before Grace even walked in there, made her suspicious of what really went on between him and Diane.

Even though it was unspoken between her and Ty that they were a couple, they pretty much acted it. And, as such, Ty had been acting as if she were his girl. Right down to wanting to venture into dangerous territory on her person.

She wasn’t stupid to think that someone as good looking and sexy as Ty would want to be satisfied with just kissing her. Hell, he already had a sexual experience with Julie the night of her party which, she was sure, made him wanting more. And Grace was afraid that, if she didn’t give it to him, someone else would.

Someone older, beautiful and more experienced like Diane.

Althought she was experiencing feelings and sensations that she wanted to give into, she knew that, being only fifteen – not to mention Joe Elliott’s daughter – that she should be respectable and wait. However, she didn’t know if she should or, if she did, how long?

Tired of tossing and turning, she got up and softly knocked on Lily’s door. Being a few years older than Grace, maybe she could offer some discreet advice on what to do.

“Who is it?”

“Its Grace, Lily. Can I talk to you?”

“Yeah, come in.”

Grace opened the door to find Lily at her computer, even at this hour.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were still up. Are you busy?”

“Nah, not really. Just beginning to make my list of stuff I gotta do before I go off to school. Whats up, Gracie?”

She hated that name. It made her feel like a kid. “Um…Lily, I….I need to ask you about something. But, you’ve got to swear to keep it confidential. Its….its kinda personal. Well, really personal.”

Lily smiled, knowing that it had to be about boys, or…Ty specifically.

“Absolutely,” Lily agreed. “My lips are sealed. Go ahead.”

“Well, since you’re older and, well, been in a relationship with someone for a while, I was wondering if…… well, how…how old were you when you……you know, and um…..how long did you go out with person before you decided to…..you know?”

Grace kept her head down the entire time, she was so embarrassed. Lily concerned about what she was asking, but…it was only natural.

“Um, well….to tell you the truth, I had just turned seventeen when I first had sex. I had been going with this guy in my class for about 6 months. We did it the night of our prom. But Grace, everyone is different. I’m not saying that just because I did it at seventeen, or someone else did it at fifteen, doesn’t mean there’s a right or wrong time. For me to say to wait because you’re only fifteen would be hypocritical of me because seventeen isn’t that much older. But, I will say, that please…….please think long and hard before you do decide to do anything. You really should wait till you’re very, very sure and that you’re in love”

“Were you in love with that guy?” Grace asked.

“Well, I did love him,” Lily said. “But, the fact that we’re not together anymore makes me kinda regret doing it with him. We ended our relationship on a not so nice note and I’ll always have the memory of my ‘first time’ being with someone I don’t like anymore. That’s where regret can set in.”

“Lily, did you do it because you were afraid that, if you didn’t, he’d find someone more…..cooperative?”

“No, I didn’t. It was my choice. I really felt close to him and decided I wanted to share myself with him. But, like I said, that was me. Everyone is different.”

Lily then looked at Grace with concerned eyes. “Grace……can I ask you something now?”

Grace squirmed around on the bed, knowing that she owed it to Lily to ask. “Yeah.”

“Well, I know I showed up at the picnic late today because of my tests. But, I did happen to notice that you and Tyler were kinda….together. Is he the boy in question?”

Grace just nodded.

“Is he pressuring you?”

“No! Not at all. Its just…well, he is seventeen and, well, you know teenage lads.”

Lily chuckled. “Oh yeah. I think once all guys get their first teenage hard-on it doesn’t go down until their twenty-five!”

Grace covered her mouth and giggled into it, blushing profusely as well.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to be so blunt,” Lily said. “But, I’m sure you’re not ignorant to these things.”

“No, I’m not. I guess I’m just wondering how long I should hold out with him, that’s all. Part of me says I should, for respect. Plus, not only will my dad kill him if he finds out, he may kill Uncle Sav too!”

Lily laughed again. “I’m surprised the both of them haven’t done each other in after all these years!”

“But, the other part of me, well…wants to. Not just because I think he might, but, when I’m with him, kissing and stuff, it…..you know…..feels really good and…..oh, crikey, I can’t believe I’m talking about this!”

“Grace, its okay. We’re both women here. I’ve experienced the same thing. Hell, I still am! But Grace, I do think fifteen is young. And, I can see that certain look in Ty’s eyes when he looks at you. That, and knowing who’s daughter you are, will be enough incentive for him to respect you and your desire to wait. If he does respect you for that, then he’s one special guy that you should hang on to.”

“But, what if I’m the one who doesn’t want to wait?”

Lily put a hand on her arm. “Is that what you really want? Is he the one? Remember, Grace, your first time is special. I know Ty is special to you, but this is your body you’re talking about. Sex just isn’t physical, but emotional. If you’re not sure about your feelings for him, and he for you, and you get physical, then wind up breaking up, it could be devestating. Once you share your body with someone like that, it opens up a whole new set of feelings and emotions. In my opinion, I don't know if you’re ready to handle those now. Please, Grace, please do some thinking on this. If the subject comes up between you and Ty, then talk to him about it and find out where he stands. If you’re gonna be in a relationship with someone, then you have to communicate. Has the subject ever come up between you two?”

“N..no, I mean, not specifically. Sometimes when were kissing, I can sense things getting a little out of control and I always wind up being the one to ease up a bit. I can sense his frustration, but he’s never really shown it. He just says things like ‘I’m driving him crazy’ or ‘that he’s sorry for getting a little carried away, but it feels so good’. Just stuff like that.”

“Well, no doubt Ty would accept if you offered to go farther. But Grace, do think about what I said. Of course, the final decision is yours. Just make sure you know what you’re doing. And….make sure you ……use something.”

Now Grace really blushed. “Oh, I..I know. I would never take a chance like that. I really do like Ty – a lot, and believe that I could come to fall in love with him. I…I just want to know what I should be prepared for, that’s all.”

“Well, that shows maturity right there,” Lily said. “But, you have to talk to him if the subject comes up. Let him know how you feel and that you’re concerned. Then you’ll find out where he stands.”

Grace digested all that Lily said before she got up. “I will. Thanks, Lily. You’ve been a big help.”

Grace give her a quick kiss on the cheek and left. As soon as she got back to her room she flopped back in bed and thought about Ty. She was almost certain that he would respect her wishes to wait.

But, the question was, would he wait for her?

20

The following morning, both the Collen and the Campbell households were a whirl as everyone got ready for Rory’s. Jewels had a hair stylist come to the house to do the girls’ hair.

As Grace looked into the mirror at the small, enameled butterfly pins that adorned her messy, yet stylish upsweep, she carefully applied some charcoal liner to her eyes and a little pink blush. Her large green eyes and teenage porcelain skin didn’t need much help to emphasize.

She then took her brand new dress off the hanger and put it on. It was butter yellow and whisper soft chiffon. The color played up her blonde hair and made her deep green eyes stand out even more. She then called Una in to help her fasten the criss-crosses on the back of her dress. That, combined with the spaghetti straps, revealed her tanned back and arms. Fortunately, the dress was ankle length so that it wouldn’t upset her father too much.

At least she thought.

“Grace…..turn around.”

Grace heard her father’s voice as she decended the stairs. She took a deep breath and did as she was told. Then heard her father groan.

“Do you and your mother do this to me on purpose, lass?”

Grace turned around and huffed. “Daddy, it’s a formal dress. I’m going to a wedding. Its perfectly appropriate.”

“Yeah, for a twenty five year old, maybe. Crikey, why am I even bothering? At least your covered down to your ankles. C’mon, we got to get moving.”

The wedding took place around a flower strewn gazaebo outside the hall where the reception would be held. Rory and Lynn didn’t want any fuss or frills. As the Elliott’s and Campbell’s were led to their seats for the ceremony, Ty turned around from where his mother, father and brother were already sitting up a few rows. When he saw Grace, his mouth practically dropped.

Grace looked up at him as soon as she was settled and saw the appreciative look on his face and blushed. Weddings are so romantic and she hoped that today would provide a little romance for her as well!

After the ceremony, everyone ventured inside the air conditioned hall to escape the August heat and enjoyed hot and cold hors d’oeuvre’s and champagne.

After getting herself a soda, Grace walked to the catering table and popped a stuffed mushroom in her mouth. Her eyes wandered around until they fell upon Ty, looking extrodinarily handsome in a charcoal gray suit and white collarless shirt. Her heart thumped at the mere sight of him. Suddenly, all thoughts and anxieties over what she fretted over the night before vanished. The more she looked at him, the more she wondered if she would ever wait!

She glanced down after catching his eye, but saw him walk over to her. As he got closer, she looked up and met him.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

“You look very handsome Ty. I’m so used to seeing you in either jeans or your soccer uniform.”

Ty grinned knowingly and ran his eyes up and down her form. “You look……wow! I love that dress. It makes you look….grown up.”

“Thanks. Dad freaked a bit, but then he calmed down. Um, I think we’re all sitting at the same table. The Campbell’s and the Allen’s are at the table right next to us.”

“Hmm, that’s too bad. I think Una has taken a bit of a fancy to Scott. I saw her kiss him in the pool yesterday.”

“Oh, I think she was only flirting. She’s a big one you know. Speaking of flirting, is that Diane girl here?”

“Grace, nothing went on. We were just talking, that’s it.”

“Yeah, well….would you look a nineteen year old guy cozying up to me?”

“No, I wouldn’t. Look, lets forget about her. Lets go find our table and sit down. And….maybe we can take a walk later?”

Grace regarded him with veiled green eyes. “Maybe?”

Ty grinned at the prospect of being alone with her for a bit before following her to the table.

After dinner, Rory and Lynn cut their cake, tossed the bouquet and garter and did the traditional dances. Una unsuccessfully tried to cajole Scott onto the dance floor. The shy fifteen year old wouldn’t dream of dancing in public, especially in front of his family. He was also feeling funny around Una after she kissed him yesterday, wondering if anyone, Grace especially, saw them. He wondered why he cared so much if Grace saw. It was clear that she and Ty fancied one another and that he would never have a chance with her. Still, he continued to play it cool and wait to see what the future brought.

Ty saw Diane eyeing him every so often and did his best to avoid her. The last thing he wanted to do was screw anything else up. It was obvious that the girl was trouble and, even though any guy would be crazy not to give into what she was offering, he was trying his best to restrain himself from it.

After a while, Phil came over to the table and pulled Paige out of her chair. “Well, since you’ll never get this husband of yours on the dance floor, you may as well settle for me. Abby….you’re nex luv.” Phil promised her before leading Paige to the dance floor.

Sav shook his head. “Man, he’s almost eligible for social security and he’s still the biggest flirt of us all,” he said of Phil.

Just then, Rory, Lynn and her daughter made their way over to the table to talk. Ty used it as his cue to take Grace by the hand to lead her outside.

“C’mon, luv. I saw a little path here that I think leads to a garden area. Lets go walk.”

Grace clasped her hand in his and followed him down the stone path to a very secluded area, filled with the most beautiful flowers and foliage she’d ever seen.

“Oh Ty…..this is sooooo beautiful,” she exclaimed.

Ty turned to her and touched the side of her face. “Not as beautiful as you, luv. God, you look so hot, Grace. I’m so glad you’re mine.”

Grace’s heart thumped. “Am I yours, Ty?”

He leaned down till his lips were almost touching hers. “Yes,” he huskily said before kissing her.

Grace wrapped her arms around his neck, her body stretching up to meet his tall frame. Ty wrapped his around her waist, practically dying from the feel of her young, curvy body through the soft, sheer chiffon. Their tongues found their way inside each others mouth as the kiss was turning hot.

Ty took the willingness that Grace was showing as a sign to venture a little further. He slid his hands down until they ran over her firm little bum. Grace whimpered in his mouth as a slight protest, before she sighed and gave in, thinking it was quite harmless.

But Ty took it as an invitation to get even more daring. He then slid his hands back up her back, his fingers feeling the exposed skin there, until one hand reached around to her rib cage. It lingered there a bit as his thumb dangerously grazed the side of her breast.

Grace jerked a bit, never disrupting the kiss, but then relaxed. To her, it wasn’t that far and wasn’t concerned. Plus, the feelings coursing through her young body were overwhelming her, making it impossible to stop.

And, when she didn’t stop Ty, he went the final step and slid his hand all the way in front and cupped her breast. He let a satisfied groan escape into her mouth as Grace felt as if she was burned. She broke the kiss a bit and pulled away, only to have Ty pull her back into the kiss.

“Grace, its okay. I’ll only touch you there. Please, luv. I promise not to go farther. God, you feel so damn good. Please, luv. Remember, you’re mine now.”

Although Grace was bit frightened by being touched by a boy for the first time in forbidden places, she admitted that she liked it. And, if she was to allow anyone to touch her, it would be Ty.

She resumed the kiss and leaned back into him, giving him access to fondle her breast again. As he did, he felt her nipple begin to harden under the chiffon. He ran the pad of his thumb over and over it, causing little moans and groans from Grace that were driving him out of his mind.

“Grace, luv,” he murmured in her mouth. “Will….will you touch me too? Please, luv. I’m dying here. I want to feel your hand on me, the way you’re feeling my hand on you. Please.”

Grace couldn’t deny him the way he was pleading. His sexy voice was making her witless. Not sure exactly what to do, but having a pretty good idea what he wanted, she slid one of her hands down from behind his neck and ran it down his back all the way down and over his bum. He groaned his delight in her mouth which caused her to smile. She left her hand there a bit before Ty got anxious.

“Please luv….touch me….there. In front.”

Grace cautiously dragged her hand around until it rested on the waistband of his trousers. She then slowly moved it down until it came into contact with something very, very hard.

Both she and Ty gasped at the same time; she at the new feeling, and he at the feel of a soft feminine hand on the most sensitive throbbing part of him. She quickly pulled her hand away, as if it burned her.

“No, Grace. No. Please, its okay. Oh God, it felt so good. Please touch me again. It’ll be okay. I promise.”

Grace touched him again. First, just grazing the length of him with her fingertips before boldly squeezing him. That caused him to almost lose it. He ground his body against hers to assuage the lust growing in him as his fingers slipped inside the side of her dress to feel her bare breast. It happened so fast that Grace hadn’t realized it until her was squeezing her erect nipple with his fingers.

“Yes! Yes, Grace, that’s it. Squeeze me harder. Oh, please, don’t stop. Dammit, that feels so good.”

Grace was torn between pleasing him and letting this go too far. Even though the feel of his hand on her bare breast was making her mad, she knew it was too much. His body grinding against her hand to get more of her touch was sending her over the edge. She knew that if she kept this up, his body would soon give into the natural response most boys get from this kind of stimulation. That frightened her a bit.

She removed her hand, broke the kiss and pulled back, the move causing his hand to slip out of the top of her dress.

Ty was visibly shaken and at the point of exploding from his aroused state. “Grace, what? Please, luv….its okay.”

Grace covered her face with her hands, feeling her burning cheeks from her arousal. “Ty, I…I think that was way too far than I planned to go. Its…its just too much. I’m sorry. Not yet. Not that much anyway. Please, don’t be mad at me.”

Ty put his hands on his hips and lowered his head, catching his breath from his excited, frustrated state. He knew he couldn’t leave himself like this, but he couldn’t force Grace. His father’s voice resounded in his brain about never forcing a lass. And he definitely couldn’t force Grace.

“Its..its okay Grace,” he said with a trembled voice. “I…I shouldn’t have pushed you too far. You just felt so good that I couldn’t help myself. I’ll be alright.”

Grace was relieved that he wasn’t mad. She turned around and looked back. “Um, I think we better get back before someone sees that we’re gone.”

“Yeah, okay,” Ty said. “Um, why don’t you go on ahead so no one sees us coming out together.”

“Okay,” Grace said. “I’ll see you inside.”

Grace turned to leave and, as soon as she was out of sight, he reached down and wrapped his hand around himself, trying desperately to calm himself down. He knew that nothing short of satisfaction would get his erection to go down. Safe in the privacy of the area, he began to unfasten his belt and troushers a bit until he could comfortably slip his hand inside. He then sat down on a stone bench to make himself a little comfortable.

Feeling like an absolutely idiot for what he was about to do, he began to slowly slowly stroke himself until a noise from the clearing made him yank his hand out of his trousers and look up.

“Need some help with that?” Diane asked.

21

Tyler grabbed the waistband of his trousers as he stood up and quickly did the zipper. His suit jacket kept him covered.

“W…what are you doing here?”

Diane smiled at him smugly over catching him trying to satisfy himself. “Well, you’ve been avoiding me since you got here. I saw you walk out here with your little girlfriend, but then I saw her come back without you. She looked a little shaken so I thought maybe you two had a fight or something. I just came to see if you were alright. From the looks of it, I guess you’re not.”

“I don’t appreciate being snuck up on,’ Ty retorted.

“I wasn’t sneaking. You just didn’t hear me because you were…um…busy.”

Ty knew she was trouble, no matter how bloody fantastic she looked in a short, black dress that fit her like a glove. It wasn’t doing his horny body any good to look at her. He had to get out of there and get back to the reception – fast.

He began to walk by her. “Well, I’m not busy anymore. I gotta get back before….”

He felt Diane grab his arm and pull him back. “So soon? Its so beautiful out here. Stay a bit.”

She looked up at him with wicked, pleading eyes that automatically spoke what was on her mind. Ty’s brain told him what he should do, but his body was telling him quite another. And, a seventeen year old lad’s body has more convincing power than his brain!

“Um…I’ve been gone for a bit. Someone may come out here looking. I don’t think…..”

“What were you and Grace fighting about?”

Diane cut him off with that question while the grip on his arm turned to a soft caress up it.

Ty’s heart began to pound as his calmed body began to stir again quickly. “We..we weren’t fighting.”

Diane looked him up and down and smiled. “Well, something happened. She looked a little shaken after leaving you, and here I find you sitting on the bench about to…….hmm, did things get a little too hot for her maybe?”

Ty looked away embarrassedly before responding. “A little. But I care about Grace and I respect her too. She just wants to take it slow, that’s all.”

“So I heard her say in the pool yesterday,” Diane replied. “I gather that all this ‘taking it slow’ business is ‘taking its toll’ on you, hmmm?”

“W…what do you mean?”

Diane pressed herself up against him and ran her hand over the hardness in his trousers. Ty sucked his breath in and jumped at the feel, both forbidden and exquisite.

“This! This is what I mean. Got you all worked up that you had no choice but to….um…take care of it yourself.”

Ty knew this was wrong, but her hand felt so good on his throbbing erection that was screaming for relief. “D..D..Diane,” he stammered. “I..I think you better stop.”

Diane took her other hand and put it behind his neck, pulling his face down to hers. “Than stop me. Take my hand away.”

He couldn’t. He just couldn’t. When he didn’t, Diane smiled knowingly and rubbed him a little harder, causing a relieved groan to escape from his lips. Diane stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear.

“You like that, huh pretty boy.”

Ty had to smile a bit. He remembered how that was a favorite name used to describe his father years ago.

“Yeah,” Ty huskily whispered back. “Feels good.”

“So does this,” she replied as she captured his mouth with hers. Her tongue immediately sought entrance inside and was quickly met by his. Both were moaning and groaning in each others mouths as their hands searched each other as well.

When Ty began to grind against her hand, signaling his closeness, Diane switched gears.

Without realizing it, she began to back him up towards the backless bench that was secluded by most of the foliage. When Ty felt his knees hit the back of it, he felt Diane’s fingers reach for his zipper and pull it down. He then felt his trousers fall to his hips before Diane made him sit down on the edge of the bench on the end.

“Lay back a bit,” she instructed.

Without a will of his own, Ty did as she said. He then watched her straddle him and the bench. She settled herself down on him, her center very close to his exposed erection. She leaned down into him and kissed him again. As she did, she reached for the hem of her short dress and pulled it up. Ty felt her do this and looked down to see she wasn’t wearing any panties underneath.

He looked up at her breathlessly. “W..w.what are you doing?”

She positioned herself over him as her face came dangerously close to his.

“I’m gonna send you back to England a man,” she said before impaling herself on him.

“Holy fuck!” Ty blurted out at his first experience with being inside a woman’s tight wetness.”

“Oh, it’s a fuck alright,” Diane reassured him as she moved over him, doing all the work on the narrow bench. “Enjoy it pretty Ty. May as well learn a woman’s body. A guy like you is gonna need that.”

She whispered those words in his ears as she expertly moved over him, knowing, because of his age and aroused state, it wouldn’t take long. And it didn’t. Ty instictively grabbed her hips and moved her faster to accelerate the orgasm building up inside him.

“Bloody hell! I’m gonna…….YEAH!”

Ty shot his release hard and fast inside Diane as he let out a muffled shout against her shoulder.

As soon as he calmed down, the realization of what just happened hit him like a ton of bricks. Diane had him pegged since she first laid eyes on him yesterday and she succeeded in her mission.

And, he failed. He failed to do what his father warned him about – exercising self control. He also paled when he remembered what his father said about jeopardizing his future because of a foolish mistake. He immediately sat up, causing Diane to jump off him.

“Crikey!”

“Regrets, Ty?”

He looked at her. “We….you…..I mean….we didn’t use protection.”

Diane rolled her eyes. “Ty, I’m nineteen years old. I’ve been on the pill since I was sixteen. I’m not some cast iron virgin like your Grace.”

Ty’s body had calmed down enough that he could think with his brain. He was now full of anger and resentment.

“I happen to care about her,” he seethed at Diane. “But you didn’t seem to care about that fact. You took advantage of the situation. Well, you got what you wanted. Just another conquest, I imagine. And, yeah, I do regret it, but its my regret to live with. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going inside.”

With that, Ty zipped and buttoned up, and left Diane in the garden. She just sat on the bench, watching him walk away.

“You’ll thank me for this little lesson someday, Ty,” she said to herself.

22

The plane ride back to Sheffield the following morning was long and exhausting. Ty was acting very moody, so Grace chose to sit with her parents.

She noticed that he’d been like that ever since their little encounter in the garden yesterday at the wedding. She knew that he said he understood about wanting to stop before it got farther than she’d like. She had gone back to the reception ahead of him like they agreed, but noticed that he hadn’t returned right after her. She wondered if he stayed out there to think.

Grace remembered Ty coming back to the reception hall looking both agitated and skittish. He had avoided her for the remainder of the reception until the very end when he came up to her and apologized for what happened.

However, when Phil announced that he was having a little post-wedding gathering at his house, Ty wound up hiding in his room, feigning an upset stomach.

The truth was, Diane was there and he didn’t want to run into her with Grace around, especially after what happened. Grace had knocked on Ty’s door to at least come out in the living room so they could watch the telly, but he refused, just in case Diane came in the house. She thought about going in his room to stay with him, but that wouldn’t sit too well with her dad.

And now….here they were, heading back home. She hoped that maybe he was just a little homesick, for whatever reason. Once they got settled back into their routines with soccer and getting ready for school, things would return to normal.

And they did. With the start of school in a week, Abby took Grace out shopping for some new back to school clothes, only to have the bags inspected by Joe once they got home. It has been a ritual ever since her body began to develop.

Joe immediately snatched the bags out of Grace’s hands as soon as she came through the door before she had a chance to go up to her room and hide them.

“Not so fast there, lass,” her father warned. “Your dad wants a peek.”

“Daddy, please! You’re just gonna criticize everything.”

Joe pulled out several new pairs of jeans and groaned. “Crikey, Grace! Not only do you have at least a dozen pairs of jeans already, these are so friggin’ low. How do you wear knickers with these?”

Grace decided to have a little fun. “Um, well, actually I don’t wear knickers with those.”

She knew right away that was the wrong thing to say. “The hell you won’t!” Joe fumed back at her. “Its either that or these jeans….all of them…go back!”

“Daddy! I’m only kidding. I wear knickers – all the time. I even bought some……”

Just as she said that, Joe had opened another small bag that Grace was sure that she had kept from his view. Joe reached in and pulled out several pairs of jeweled colored thongs. She thought his eyes would fall out.”

“Grace…tell me that your mother bought these for herself to surprise me with.”

Grace’s inability to answer told Joe that was not the case. “Young lady! No way in bloody, friggin’ hell are you going to wear these! I’ve seen strippers wear more than this!”

“Oh, and when was that last?”

Joe turned when he heard his wife’s voice and made a face. “Waaaaay too long. Which reminds me, I’m overdue for a good night out with the boys,” he joked.

Grace made a face. “Daddy…..yuk! Oh God, I can just picture you and Uncle Sav watching those girlie shows like dirty old men!”

“Watch that mouth, lass. And….do NOT call me old, understand! And…do not change the subject. You are not wearing this piece of string under your jeans – and especially not under a dress! Dear God, I can just imagine!”

“I don’t think you have to imagine, daddy. You were a famous rock star once. I’m sure you’ve seen worse than this.”

Joe folded his arms and narrowed his eyes at her. “Enough, Grace. That’s not for you to speak about. Now….either get some decent knickers or jeans that come to your waist. But…these are going back.”

“But da……….”

Joe just looked at her with that ‘don’t even think about arguing with me’ look before she grabbed her bags and dragged herself upstairs. He then turned to his wife.

“Abby, I can’t believe you bought these for her!”

“Actually, I didn’t. She bought those with some of her birthday money. Must’ve been when I was in the dressing room trying something on.”

Joe saw a twinkle in her eye and already forgot about the matter at hand. He raised a curious eyebrow and moved closer to Abby.

“Oh….something you bought for yourself?”

Abby slid her arms around Joe’s neck. “Mmmm,hmm,” she answered. I bought it. I’m wearing it. And…its just as small as that little piece of material in your hand.”

Joe still had one of the thongs Grace purchased in his fingers. Knowing that Grace was in her room and J.T. was over a friends house, he stuffed it back in the bag and dragged Abby down into the entertainment room for a little game of show and tell.

23

Over at the Savage household, Ty stood in front of the mirror, inspecting himself. Although he wasn’t comfortable with how it came about, he was, so to speak, a man now and was looking for any changes. He felt a little stupid, but he thought that he’d at least see some kind of difference, at least on the outside. Inside, he still felt like a total wanker.

He knew he’d never feel comfortable until he was safely back in England. He was so afraid Grace would find out about him and Diane. As much as how it all came about disgusted him, he couldn’t control himself at that moment. His little snog and grope session with Grace in the garden wound him up to the point of almost erupting in his trousers. And a seventeen year old lad’s body doesn’t calm down too quickly. He, once again, thought with the wrong head and allowed Diane to work her wiles on him. Only until after it was too late did he realize what a conniving bitch she really was.

As he looked in the mirror, he was determined to make his last year in high school his best. Now that he was a ‘man’, he was gonna make a commitment to start acting like one. He had so much ahead of him to decide up. Whether or not to go to university and what to do with the rest of his life. It seemed like so much to be thrusted on his young shoulders, but he was getting older and these decisions needed to be made.

His first decision was about Grace. Although they had known each other all their lives, that wasn’t enough for him to automatically assume that he could take liberties with her. She was a lass and he had to respect her wishes, even if it threw him into horny tizzy. He had to start doing what his father warned him about – exercising self control. He also knew that, once he left school, she’d still have two more years there. Should he go off to university and meet new people, where would that leave them?

He was suddenly overwhelmed by all that he was thinking about and, instead, decided to take one day at a time. As he continued to peer at his reflection, Scott peeked in on him.

“Admiring yourself?”

“Stuff it!” Ty replied.

“Whatcha looking for?”

“Signs of manhood. You know…things you don’t have yet.”

“Ha ha..very funny there. So tell me, are you looking for possible whiskers or some sort of glow?”

Ty looked at his brother with guilt. “W..w..what do you mean?”

“You know something, Ty. I remember Uncle Joe once saying that dad had this bad habit of stuttering when he was guilty of something. Guess you inherited it.”

“I…I…I…don’t know what your’e talking about,” Ty said, before wincing at his stammering. “What I mean is, I’m not guilty of anything.”

“Then why are you stuttering and getting so defensive?”

“N…nothing. Whats this rubbish about a ‘glow’?”

Scott rolled his eyes around, looking towards the ceiling. “Hmm, maybe you’re right. I think I’m asking the wrong person. Maybe I should’ve asked Diane.”

Ty turned on his brother. “What re you talking about?”

Scott grinned. “Something wrong, bro?”

Ty didn’t answer for it seemed everytime he opened up his mouth, he stuck his foot deeper into it.

“Okay Scott. What are you really getting at?”

“Well,” Scott began to whisper, “its like this. “Una and I saw you and Grace leave the wedding reception to go for a walk. After that, her and I went outside for a bit. A while later, we saw Grace walk back alone from the path that led to the garden. Una saw she looked a bit upset so she went back inside to talk to her. I stayed outside and that’s when I saw that Diane lass walk up that path. She was gone for quite a bit. Una then came back outside and said that you and Grace had a little ‘misunderstanding’ but everything was okay. Knowing that Diane was probably in the garden with you, I didn’t want Una to see you two come out together, else she’d tell Grace for sure. We both went inside where we later saw you walk in, looking a little sheepish. When I didn’t see Diane, I went back outside until I saw her walk back from the garden looking a bit flustered herself and her dress twisted about her. Being the logical bloke that I am, I just put two and two together. So, big bro……does it equal four or what?”

Ty just stood there dumbfounded that his younger brother had figured out what happened. He always knew that Scott was more of an observer and figured things out rather quickly. But he never thought this.

Ty looked at him with warning eyes. “Scott…..I swear…if Grace finds out about this……”

Scott threw his hands up. “Aye bro, don’t worry about me. Its not for me to tell, even though what I think you did to her was pretty crappy. Maybe you should confess before she finds out.”

“She’ll never find out,” Ty adamantly stated. “That wench is all the way on the other side of the Atlantic. Hell, Scott, I just want to forget about it. I’ve been sick over it. I bloody screwed up big time!”

“Hmm, seems you’ve been doing a lot of that lately,” Scott smugly said.

“No I’m not! Crikey, I’m seventeen. These things happen. And, it just so happens that I know you’re not a perfect, angel. I saw you and Una kissing in the pool.”

Scott looked a little mortified that he was seen. “Yeah…well….we were just goofing around, that’s all. Una’s a big flirt and she thought it would be safe with me.”

Ty crossed his arms and smirked, happy that the subject was changed. “Hmm, you didn’t look too safe to me!”

Scott smacked him in the arm. “Bugger off! I’m not interested in her that way. Besides, I’m interested in someone else.”

Ty raised his eyebrows. “Oh? Let me guess…that cute little blonde from Grace’s party?”

No way could Scott tell him the truth, that he had feelings for Grace. And, knowing this evil little secret about Ty and Diane would most assuredly split them up. But he couldn’t do that. He just couldn’t. Grace had chosen Ty and that’s where her feelings stood – for now. Scott would just have to keep it to himself and, maybe, find someone who may help him to overcome his feelings for her.

“Um, yeah,” Scott lied. “Its her. I haven’t seen her since the party, but maybe she’ll come to soccer practice. If not, I’ll see her at school. Now..enough about me. Lets get back to you. So….is it true?”

“Is what true?”

Scott and Ty both looked up when Sav peered in from coming down the hall.

“Um, nothing dad,” Scott replied with a smirk. “Just asking Ty if its true that he’s a man now.”

Ty almost choked, as did Sav. He looked at his eldest son. “Just what does that supposed to mean?”

Ty was tongue tied until Scott jumped in to save him. “Oh, he’s been standing here for a half hour or so inspecting his face for whiskers, tis all.”

Scott then shoved Ty in the shoulder. “Keep looking, bro. Sooner or later, one will pop out,” he mused before leaving to head downstairs.

Ty looked at his father with a stupid face and grinned. Sav wasn’t sure about that look, but left it alone. Instead, he changed the subject.

“Um, the mail came. There’s some university brochures in there. You might want to start checking into these things.”

Ty’s shoulders dropped as he felt the heaviness of deciding upon his future. “Dad, I don’t know. I mean, I know I should go to university, but…its just that I’m not sure what I want to be.”

“Ty, no one knows as soon as they get there. However, you may want to start pondering that now. Think about what interests you.”

Ty looked at his dad and smiled. “Girls and soccer. That’s what interests me!”

Sav couldn’t help but laugh. That’s all he thought about at that age – and…music. Which reminded him….

“Aye, were you playing the guitar late last night?”

“Um, yeah I was. I couldn’t sleep. I was tossing and turning a lot so I just picked it up and started strumming till I got tired.”

“I heard you. Sounded pretty good. You haven’t picked that up in a long time.”

“I know. I just saw it standing in the corner and I guess it called out to me.”

“That happens,” Sav said. “It gets worse once you start writing. You wind up waking up from a deep sleep with an idea that you just have to get down, else you’ll forget it. Needless to say, I rarely had a good nights sleep when we were writing an album.”

“Well, I got this tune in my head that I had to get down,” Ty said. “I put down some rough notes you taught me. Just a stupid little tune, nothing much. But, it sounded nice.”

“Yeah?” Sav was suddenly interested in what his son conjured up. “I’d like to hear it sometime.”

“Maybe. Nothing I’d like critiqued, anyway. I’ll think about it.”

Sav respected his son’s privacy and didn’t push him to show him anything. He already had enough on his mind with deciding on his future.

As Sav walked back downstairs, he thought how wonderful it would be if one of his son’s followed in his footsteps!

24

The following week was crazy. School had officially begun the same day Sav and Joe headed to London for a few days to meet with a new band and its management at their recording studio.

Both households were swimming with activity between kids going through fashion crisis with their wardrobes and husbands yelping for their wives to locate their overnight luggage.

Thank God for the women of the house!

“For Pete’s sake, Rick,” Paige said with a roll of her eyes. “All those years you toured all over the world and now you can’t even find one little overnight bag.”

Sav turned bewildered eyes towards his wife who was standing on the other side of the bed, chastising him.

“Well, I never worried about anything back then. That’s what we paid Malvin for. He practically babysat us.”

Paige folded her arms and regarded him. “Yep, baby sure is the word!”

Sav pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at her. With lightening speed, he jumped across the bed, grabbed her arm and dragged her across it, pinning her under him.

Paige squealed at the sudden move and being held motionless under him.

“That’s right, luv. I’m a big baby. And now..baby’s going ‘bye-bye’ for a few days. How’s about a quick little send-off?”

Sav leaned down and began to nibble her neck, causing laughter to escape her lips at the tickling sensation.

“Rick…are you nuts? Now?”

“No, I’m not nuts. I’m horny. And, yes…now! I won’t be here later, or the day after that, or the day after that. C’mon, don’t make me wait three days, Paige.”

“I can’t believe you’re like this!”

Sav sat up, his body still straddling hers. “What do you mean? Aye, I may almost be 57, but I still can function, ya know. And…its supposed to last a lot longer when you get older.”

“No, that’s not it,” Paige countered. “Its supposed to be more difficult um…getting it up..when you’re older.”

Sav’s mouth dropped at her sassy comment. He immediately took her hand and rubbed it over the fly of his trousers.

“Any doubts, luv?”

Paige flustered when her hand came in contact with his hardness before shaking her head ‘no’ before pulling him down on top of her, unaware that their bedroom door was slightly ajar, or that Scott couldn’t find his clean soccer jersey.

“Mum…do you have my……….oh crikey!”

Sav jumped off Paige when he heard his son come in. “Hows about knocking next time,” Sav said with a little frustration.

“Dad! The door was open. If you were gonna…..you know…you should’ve shut it and locked it. Bloody hell, now I’m gonna have this image in my mind all day!”

“Aye, watch your mouth, lad,” Sav scolded as he helped Paige off the bed. “And, don’t make your mum and I feel like friggin’ fossils! I still have it, you know!”

“Yeah, but do I have time to get it?” Paige asked.

“Uggghhhh,” Scott groaned as he got out of their bedroom fast, but not before Paige called after him.

“Check the dryer for your jersey Scott,” she yelled out before shutting and locking the bedroom door.

“Okay, stud….you’ve got ten minutes,” Paige announced.

Sav took her by the hand and pushed her back on the bed. “Well, I may not be the randy lad I used to, but I think I can manage!”

25

The next day at soccer practice, Grace sat in the bleachers after school with Beth and Allison. She barely had time since getting home from California to fill her two best friends in on all that had occurred.

In between watching Ty with the varsity team and Scott with the juniors, Grace and her friends chatted incessently.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe that you let him get that far,” Beth exclaimed.

“Beth, touching is not ‘too far’,” Allison added. “Now…touching ‘it’ with your mouth is too far!”

Grace was aghast. “Allison! Stop!”

“Sorry sweetie, but that’s the next step. Unless you plan on giving him handjobs for the rest of the school year.”

“I..I haven’t even given him that,” Grace stammered. “Well, I think it may have happened in the garden at the wedding if I didn’t stop him in time.”

“Poor Ty,” Beth said. “His ballock’s must’ve been purple, poor lad! Don’t worry, Grace. A handjob is nothing. I mean…its not sex! I’ve given Chad a few.”

“You….you what? The two of you are going out?”

“Yep,” Beth replied. “And…I believe Allison here is pretty cozy with Jack, hmmm?”

“No comment,” Allison said.

“Aye, you better comment,” Grace said. “We’re both spilling our guts here.”

Allison bit her lip and looked a bit leery. “Um…well…okay. I..I guess I can tell you guys. You are my best friends, after all.”

“Tell us what?” Grace and Beth both asked.

“Well………Jack and I….you know…..did it.”

Four sets of eyes almost fell out. “You did? Oh my God…when?”

“About a week ago. His parents went out and his sister was out on a date so my mum dropped me off to watch telly with him. We started getting hot and heavy on the couch and, well, before I knew it, our clothes were practically off. We got on the floor so no one would peek in the window. He asked me if I was ready and I said yes. He smiled, and got up and ran quickly to get his prized condom that he probably had forever. And…well…that was that.”

“Well…what was it like?” Grace asked.

Allison smiled. “It was nice. The closeness was really special. I had feelings that……that I never got just from kissing. Real intense ones. I think my eyeballs rolled back.”

“That means you had an orgasm,” Beth proudly stated.

Grace covered her face with her hands. “Oh God, I can’t believe we’re talking about this!”

“Get used to it missy, cuz you may be next,” Allison promised. “I mean, look at Ty? He’s friggin’ gorgeous! And…look about you at all the lasses here in the bleachers. Soccer practice has turned into a lad-hunt. You better make your mark on him to let them know that he’s taken. Crikey, even Scott’s getting admirers already. Hell, if things didn’t work out with Ty, I bet you wouldn’t have a problem convincing him.”

Grace looked over at Scott practicing with the junior team. She then noticed a group of three girls standing by the sidelines, pointing to him and whispering. One of the girls was the pretty blonde from her party that Scott spent most of the night with. No doubt, he’d set his sights on her. For some reason, that made her a little envious.

Not knowing where that thought came from, Grace quickly shook it from her head and looked back over at Ty. Practice was wrapping up and he was wiping himself down with a towel. As he walked over to the sidelines, he looked up at her and flashed the infamous smile that his father used to melt the hearts of women in his hey day.

Just as he did, a couple of senior girls walked over to him to flirt. Grace’s eyes narrowed a bit.

“Better get on down there lassie,” Beth warned. “Those girls are eyeing your Ty like a sweet. But, I must say, I don’t blame them. Something about the lads after practice when they’re shirtless and sweaty…….”

Beth was cut off when Grace abrubtly got up and marched down the bleachers towards Ty. She was glad to have worn her new low rider jeans and a white, short sleeved crop top that exposed a dangerous bit of her taut mid-riff and navel.

As she approached Ty, his gaze turned to her and his mouth fell open a bit. He excused himself from the two fawning girls and went over to Grace.

“Aye luv. Did you enjoy watching practice?”

Grace took a deep breath, put her arms around Ty and drew his damp, half naked body up against hers for a very lusty kiss.

Several whoops and whistles were heard, mostly Ty’s team mates, along with some very lewd comments. Ty pulled away first, not wanting Grace to be subjected to his mates raucious behavior. He turned around towards.

“Aye, stuff it, mates.’

“Nah, more like you’re gonna stuff it – to her,” one of his mates said.

Ty gave him a warning look, which caused Grace to giggle. He then turned back to her. “Luv, you know better than doing that around these blokes.”

“Did you mind?”

Ty couldn’t hold back a smug look. “Not one bit! That was an awfully hot kiss. And speaking of hot….I love that top. I can tell your dad is still away, else he probably wouldn’t let you out of the house in that.”

“Ty, listen. Since your dad and mine are still away, my mom and yours are going out to dinner tonight. They asked me to come, but I’d rather stay home. Why don’t you have your mum bring you over our house when she comes to pick mine up. You can stay and we can watch the telly or play some games until they come home.”

Ty smiled wickedly at the thought of being alone with Grace for the night. Well, almost.

“Um, what about J.T.?”

Grace frowned. “I gotta watch him since I’m staying home. Hopefully, he won’t be a pest.”

“Well, sounds good to me, luv. I don’t have much homework, so I guess mum won’t mind. This way here…you won’t be all alone.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be alone. J.T. would be with me.”

“Yes, but now you’ll have a man around,” Ty said with confidence.

Grace widened her eyes at that remark, wondering what kind tonight would hold. She had thought long and hard about her relationship with Ty and how far she decided to go. She finally came to the decision that, if she was going to trust her body to a lad, it may as well be someone she’s known all her life. She decided it was time to venture a bit further with him, although, how far they’d get with J.T. nosing about tonight, was yet to be seen!