20. Tucker
Chapter 20
Tucker
“Spin me, Tucker!” Aubree cried, her tiny feet standing atop mine as we danced on the polished wood surface set up on the lawn.
Crouching, I grabbed her beneath the armpits and obliged her request, spinning in place so fast that her little legs swung out, narrowly missing a couple swaying together as if the up-tempo song were a slow one instead.
The little girl’s pure joy was infectious, her squeals causing laughter to roll up from my chest.
Stopping before I made her too dizzy, I propped her on my hip instead of setting her on her feet. My heart melted when she dropped her head onto my shoulder, letting out a sigh of contentment.
The weight of her felt perfect, and I squeezed her tighter, imagining what it might be like to someday have my own daughter take the place of Colt’s in my arms. I rocked us gently, savoring the moment, knowing that all too soon, she’d be wiggling, begging to be let down.
A hand slid between my shoulder blades, and I peeked back to find Bex with her eyes fixed on Aubree.
“She’s out like a light. ”
I tried to maneuver my head to catch a glimpse of Aubree’s face, but it was turned away from me. “Seriously? She was jumping around like a lunatic five minutes ago.”
“Don’t tell her mama, but I saw her and Barrett sneaking more than their fair share from the candy bar. Looks like the crash after the sugar high finally caught up with her.”
“That tracks. I was wondering how she had so much energy this late at night.”
I shifted my hold on the sleeping beauty in my arms and turned to face Bex.
She squeezed my elbow. “Harper’s inside the house feeding the baby, but Colt’s got this one’s partner in crime passed out on his chest at the head table.”
We began walking in that direction, but Daisy intercepted us. “I’ll take her.”
I raised a doubtful eyebrow. “You sure? Her dead weight’s heavier than a sack of potatoes.”
Daisy placed both hands on her hips. “I may not be a spring chicken anymore, young man, but I carried Tripp to bed until he was nine. I think I can handle it.”
I bit back a chuckle at learning that little tidbit about Tripp. Not that I could say anything, seeing as I’d favored my mother over my father growing up too. Country boys loved their mamas.
Gently, I eased Aubree into Daisy’s arms. The mother of the bride smoothed a hand over the girl’s dark hair, and the softest smile graced her face. She was a natural-born caretaker, which had made her an excellent teacher before she transitioned into the role of principal at Rust Canyon’s one and only school .
“She’s itching for grandbabies,” Bex mused as we watched Daisy walk away.
“I’m sure it’ll happen soon enough.”
Her head dropped onto my shoulder. “You’re probably right. Mac was born to be the ‘fun dad’.”
“Yeah. It’s gonna drive Aspen nuts.”
Bex sighed. “Maybe, but I think she secretly loves his particular brand of ridiculous.”
“I should hope so.” I chuckled. “Considering she just married the guy.”
The band shifted gears, slowing it down and causing the older couples in attendance to leave their seats since this was more their speed for dancing.
My arm automatically curled around Bex’s waist, and I spoke against her temple. “We never got to finish that dance the other night.”
She leaned into my side. “No, we didn’t. Suppose that means I owe you.”
“Seems like the perfect time to collect that debt, don’t you think?”
Craning her neck, she peeked up at me. “Would you dance with me, Tucker Grant?”
The smile that stretched across my face couldn’t be contained. “Thought you’d never ask.”
Bex linked our fingers together, and we walked side by side onto the dance floor. Weaving between pairs of swaying bodies, we found an empty space right in the center, not too far from the bride and groom.
Over the top of Aspen’s head tucked to his chest, Mac’s eyes found mine. He dipped his chin in acknowledgment, and I did the same.
Longing filled my chest, desperate for someday to have these positions reversed, with Bex being the one dressed in white and Mac the man standing by my side. Flashes of a new future in which two sets of best friends married each other danced before my eyes. It was even more beautiful than the original dream, made better by the inclusion of those closest to us .
Those mental images were so vivid, so real, it almost felt like I could reach out and touch them.
More than anything, I wanted to bring them to life.
Baby steps, remember?
Instead of talking me down, all that did was have me picturing walking behind a miniature version of Bex, my fingers clutched by her tiny fists as she took tentative first steps. Though that baby girl was imaginary, pride filled my chest over her reaching a major milestone in her development, and my throat began to close up.
My brain was jumping too far ahead, and I needed to be brought back to the present stat.
“What are you thinking about?”
Heat rose up my neck when I realized I’d been caught daydreaming when I should have been enjoying holding the woman I loved in my arms.
“You.” It wasn’t a lie; I simply elected to omit how far my imagination had drifted.
Bex’s eyes narrowed slightly. She knew me too well and could sense there was more I wasn’t saying. But when her mouth opened to call me out, a question poised on the tip of her tongue, I took the opportunity presented to me and softly pressed my lips to hers.
Fingers curled into the fabric of my dress shirt, and she clung to me as the sweetest whimper sounded. One of the hands that had been anchored on her waist slid up to cup the side of her neck, holding her in place as I deepened the kiss, my tongue tracing along the seam of her lips, begging for entry.
She parted without hesitation, allowing me to dive in deep as I staked my claim. I wanted to collect every piece of her she was willing to give me until, eventually, I earned the whole, making her fully mine again .
I swallowed her moans, each one sending a bolt of lust straight to my cock; the hardness of it pressed painfully against my zipper, demanding to be freed.
Fuck. If we didn’t stop soon, I’d need to use Bex as a shield in order to make it off this dance floor.
I stole one more kiss before easing back.
Bex was flushed and breathless, her eyes glassy as I dragged my thumb over the swollen pillow of her lower lip.
“These lips give me life.” My voice came out husky. “I could drink from them forever.”
Her black lashes lowered to fan her cheeks. “People are gonna talk.”
“Let ’em.”
Those beautiful brown eyes snapped open, and she sighed. “Tuck.”
I was done playing games, done hiding how I felt.
She was leaving tomorrow. If I didn’t lay it all on the line now, I might not get another chance.
“What are they gonna say, Bex? That I’m in love with you? That I always have been?” Her breathing hitched, but I pressed on. “That I’ve been walking around with a giant hole in my chest for the past ten years, and having you back in my arms these last few days has made me remember what it’s like to live again, to breathe again?”
A shaky exhale rushed past Bex’s parted lips.
With both hands cupping her face, I pressed my forehead to hers. “I don’t give a damn what anyone else has to say about me kissing you in the middle of a crowded dance floor. Because all they’ll see is a pair of soulmates coming back together after too much time spent apart.”
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and confessed, “It’s always been you, Bex. You’ve owned my heart from the very minute you sat down beside me in that classroom what feels like a million years ago now. Even when I lost hope of ever seeing your face again, I never stopped loving you. You’re what my whole world spins around.”
Wetness splashed over my thumbs, resting beneath her eyes, and a vise tightened around my heart.
“Fuck, baby,” I croaked. “Please don’t cry.”
“Tucker.” My name came out broken.
Preparing for my heart to shatter once I got a look at her, I pulled back.
But instead of sadness filling her eyes, they shone bright with an emotion that I was too scared to name for fear of being crushed if I was wrong.
Swallowing hard, I silently prayed for her to put me out of my misery. Because there was nothing left to say on my part—I’d already poured my heart out. All that was left to do was wait for her response.
Bex lifted onto her toes, put her mouth beside my ear, and whispered, “The offer of that clean slate still on the table?”
My knees nearly gave out.
With those words, every dream, every wish that had crossed my mind over the past ten years, suddenly became possible.
I didn’t care that she had a flight to catch tomorrow that would put a thousand miles between us. We’d figure it out. We had to.
Failure was not an option this time around.
Bex was mine, and nothing was going to keep us apart ever again.