The Unexpected Bride-Book One in Taming of the Shrew

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Six

Conversation of the olden days soon came up between the three, Helena's eyes crinkling after Victor made a silly joke. And she was not the only one entertained.

Tyrone, sitting opposite Sharlene, was animatedly telling stories of his three favorite grandchildren's embarrassing childhood moments.

Sharlene glanced in Nick's direction, earning her a smile when Tyrone mentioned him.

Currently, his grandfather was speaking of the time he hid underneath his parents' bed with a bedcover over his head. He this after discovering a spider strolling on the floor in front of the staircase when he was five.

"Can you believe how fast that little five-year-old boy ran? I remember coming down the stairs two at a time after hearing his scream. I thought something bad had happened to him, but before my feet touched the last step, that little boy had zipped past me like a lightning strike. I wanted to follow him, but the spider had captured my attention. If you had to see the size of that thing, you would also have run to the hills, Shar. It was this wide and tall, taller than a small glass and as wide as two balls combined."
Tyrone said with an energetic expression and excessive gestures.

Sharlene's eyes widened at the thought.
She had witnessed several spiders in her twenty-three years of life but never one that size. She was intrigued by what came next.

"You are exaggerating, Tito."
Nick murmured with a hand on his forehead, most likely shielding his flush from Sharlene's eyes, but the girl was more interested in his grandfather's story than his embarrassment.

Brushing Nick's comment aside, Tyrone resumed.

"Oh, don't listen to Nick. He was too busy hiding while I was battling the insect."

Nick rolled his eyes while Sharlene giggled.

"The first thing I did was grab the nearest weapon, which was my sleeping slippers. You know how soft they make those comfy shoes, right?"

Sharlene's nod of confirmation enabled Tyrone to continue.

"You can imagine my struggle in vanquishing that insect. I tell you, it took me half the day, with the help of the employers, of course, to get that creature outside the house. Though it had scared my grandson away, I did not have the heart to kill the animal. It was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"So, what happened after that?"

"Mmm, let me think. Ah, yes. After I sent it on its merry way, I spent another two hours convincing Nick to come from under the bed and another two answering all his curious questions. However, that little prep talk did not help the little one from the fear of spiders. It took a while, but eventually, he did. Maybe because I told him that if he ever encounters another giant enemy like that, he should consult his grandfather's help."

"He must have liked that idea."

"Indeed he did. He was so cute back then."
Smugly, Tyrone boasted.

Chuckling, Sharlene shared another glance with Nick, but the latter quickly looked away, flushed. She smiled.

"He was? I wished I could see it."

"Oh, of course, you can!"
Exclaiming, Tyrone quickly fished his phone from the pocket of his pants. He was waiting to share the pictures with Sharlene.
"I made it my duty to snap every picture of that cute little boy. Here, take a look."
Stretching the phone to her, Tyrone smiled when she cooed.

Bouncing his grandson's shoulder, Tyrone wiggled his eyebrows, but Nick ignored him with a huff.

Standing, he walked to sit in the empty spot next to Sharlene.