Chapter Twelve
CHARLIE
“At least we’ll be able to spot him easily since he’s so big,” Tucker says with his upper body basically hanging out of the window. I reach out and grab the back of his shirt just in case, and he sends me a devious look over his shoulder. “I’m not going to fall out.”
“This is to stop you from biting people,” I deadpan.
Tucker howls, which attracts just the right attention to us in the arrivals lane of the airport.
The crowd parts and there Courtney is, all six-foot-five blond glory of him.
Tucker puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles, making Courtney’s head jerk toward us.
He smiles and waves, eagerly making his way toward us before one of the angry airport cops can whistle my way.
“Nice to meet you,” Tucker says pleasantly, as if he’s a well-trained boy.
Courtney raises one eyebrow. “Back at you.”
After Courtney has tossed his suitcase into the truck bed and climbed into the back seat, we’re off and headed toward Hope Island. Since it’s a gorgeous day outside, we put the windows down, and all three of us have our arms hanging out the window as we make the slow drive back home.
“How was your flight?” I ask over the wind blowing through our hair.
“Unremarkable.”
“Better than a crash,” Tucker points out.
Courtney laughs, because as I suspected, he and Tucker are going to get along just fine. “I do agree. Although, I’m a little nervous being expected to sign autographs at an event I’ve never participated in.”
“We light lanterns, make a wish, and watch them float away. We’re not making ritual sacrifices,” Tucker says with just enough sarcasm to have Courtney grinning at me in the rearview mirror.
It hadn’t taken much to get Courtney to agree for a visit, especially after Cupcake’s random illness a few weeks back.
“Well, as long as there are no ritual sacrifices.”
“I said at the lantern festival. I didn’t say you weren’t going to be sacrificed another time.”
All Courtney does is chuckle in reply. When Tucker reaches over to take my hand in his, then pulls it into his lap to hold on to, I feel like a million bucks. The drive home is short and sweet. I can’t help but puff out my chest when Courtney whistles at the sight of my house.
“It really is perfect for you,” Courtney says while grabbing his suitcase. He lifts one hand to shield his eyes despite his sunglasses. “But where’s Cupcake?”
I snort and shove him a little before slinging my arm over his shoulder to lead him into the house.
The place is quiet, which still scares me sometimes after Cupcake’s illness, but all Courtney has to do is softly yell Cupcake and the old girl comes running like she’s a puppy all over again.
Courtney easily scoops her up into his arms and walks her to the couch, then sits and tugs her close.
“Is Daddy being good to you?”
Cupcake yips and wiggles in what I hope is dog language for yes.
“Wow, she really loves him,” Tucker says in amazement.
“Because he is basically a Saint Bernard himself.”
“Hey!” Courtney shouts, but the smile on his face betrays him.
We settle into the house for the afternoon, since in just a few hours, we’ll need to head to the beachside park to prepare for tomorrow’s festival.
At some point Courtney wandered over to the puzzle we started on last week’s video call.
All three of us end up seated at the table, picking at pieces for the holographic hell puzzle Courtney thought was funny.
“Listen… it looked fun online,” Courtney says while Tucker gives him a death glare from across the table.
“This is absolutely atrociously hard.”
“It’s good for Charles’ brain.”
“It’s good for your brain, old man,” I say with a teasing laugh.
Courtney and Tucker both grin at me as we continue working on the puzzle.
The comfort of having my best friend and boyfriend in the same room, doing the same activity, settles inside me like a fine-blown glass paperweight.
Before now, I’ve never had the feeling that I’m meant to be exactly right here, but I let it wash over me.
Which makes me turn sort of mushy, and it must show on my face because Courtney sends me a confused look as I stare at him.
“Do I have a booger?” Courtney asks while wiping his nose.
“Nah, I just love you.”
“Blargh.” Courtney returns to the puzzle, but the flush on his rugged cheeks made saying I love him worth it. He’s always shy when it comes to any sort of emotional intimacy. “Tucker, do you have any single friends?”
Tucker raises one eyebrow. “A few, maybe.”
“What’s maybe mean?” Courtney shoves a puzzle piece in with a little too much attitude. “None that might want a washed-up wealthy former Super Bowl winner?”
“Uhm, I meant more like they don’t always tell me if they’re single or not, so the ones I think might be single actually might be in a sort of secret relationship.”
Courtney and I both stare at Tucker.
Tucker sighs. “I think two of my best friends are dating but I can’t prove it.”
“Well, if they’re dating but no one knows, did the dating even make a sound?” Courtney asks with so much seriousness that we all end up in a laughing fit.
Later that evening has me, Tucker, and all of Tucker’s friends, his parents, and Courtney working at the beachside park to ensure everything is set for the next day.
Tucker hasn’t left my house since the night of the sunset cruise, and I’m not sure I ever want him to go back home.
But I also recognize that it might be a problem, considering his last relationship went similarly.
So, he needs to go back to his parents’ and maybe only spend a few nights at my house until we’ve been together at least six months.
I don’t know how to say that to him without breaking his heart though. I don’t want him to feel like I’m pushing him away or that I don’t want him there, because I do more than I can ever put into words, but the last thing I want is for him to feel forced or regret anything about us.
“You’re staring into space,” Scott points out while we’re hanging fairy lights in the trees. “Don’t want you to miss and fall. I think Tucker would kill me.”
I snort. “Tucker wouldn’t kill you.”
When I look over, Scott is giving me a look that says you’re pathetically stupid. “Tucker would one hundred percent kill me if you fell to your death on my watch.”
“Well, there’s a difference between getting hurt and dying.”
“Not to Tucker!”
“What?” Tucker calls out from a few trees down. His head peeks between the branches so all I see is a flash of pink, and River stares daggers at me when Tucker almost misses a rung on the ladder. God, everyone’s worried about me, but they should be worried about him.
“Nothing!” I shout back.
“You know,” Scott says in the way someone says something that’s going to alter the trajectory of your life forever.
I pause in hanging the lights and peer over at him, giving him my full attention, which Scott flourishes under, if his smile is anything to go by.
“Tucker is really special to all of us.”
“I don’t need a shovel talk. I love him.”
Scott grins broadly. “Really?”
“Mhmm.”
“Oh, well, in that case, stay that way. If you hurt him like that last asshole, a bunch of us will want to kill you.”
“Noted.”
“Also…” Scott trails off thoughtfully, as if weighing his words. “I think he loves you too, but he might take a while to say it. It’s hard for him to say what he feels, first because of his mother and then the situation with Anthony.”
“You know him really well.”
Scott shrugs and hangs one of the strands of lights I hand him. “We grew up together. I remember when he started at our school in first grade, how he’d jump at every loud noise, how he’d eat his food fast, like someone might take it.”
My heart aches at Scott’s words. God. Tucker says so much but so little at the same time. I want to make sure he never goes without for the rest of his life. I want to keep him safe, fed, and happy, until he either gets tired of me or we die together of old age. I just want him.
“He’s special,” I say quietly, in case someone else is listening.
Scott smiles, eyes crinkled at the corners. “I agree. But don’t be surprised if he runs when you finally tell him you love him. He’s a runner.”
“I’m aware,” I deadpan.
Scott hums and makes a thoughtful noise, clearly thinking over his next words carefully. “Just make sure he runs toward you, and you’ll be just fine.”
Well, shit.
Scott finishes hanging his strand, and we shimmy down our respective ladders.
With a flip of the switch, the lights turn on.
A few people clap from the lantern area, where everyone’s unpacking and putting together the lanterns for tomorrow’s festival.
I look over to see Courtney, along with island locals—people who dropped everything for a lantern festival on a random small South Carolina island.
To be loved is to be seen and heard. I slap Scott’s shoulder, then make my way over to River and Tucker.
They’re both swearing up a storm, arguing with each other over God knows what.
“You’re missing an entire branch!” River screeches. He’s wearing sunglasses still despite the sunset, but his eyes are undoubtedly angry behind the dark lenses. “Tucker!”
“Oh my God! I’m going to KILL you, River.”
“Hey,” I say quietly, knowing it’ll get Tucker’s attention.
Tucker pauses and looks down at me, his smile frustrated. “Hello. You’re done with your tree already?”
“Mhmm. Want help?”
“Yes, because all River does is say what I’m doing wrong but doesn’t tell me what to do to fix it.”
“River, why don’t you go help with the lanterns?”