Chapter 13PATIENCE
Chapter 13
PATIENCE
The smell of coffee and bacon woke me up the next morning. I stretched hard as memories of the night before came flooding back, and I relished in the delicious ache between my legs.
“Morning, sleepyhead.”
“Morning, my prince,” I teased him, sitting up in bed. The sheet that was covering me fell forward, revealing my breasts to his hungry gaze. When I reached to pull it back up for modesty’s sake, he stopped me.
“I had my hands and mouth all over them last night. You stomped and paced naked as the day you were born in front of me, and you’re going to be shy now?” He smirked at me with amusement in his voice.
“It’s daylight,” I said, blushing, and he laughed.
“You don’t think people have sex during the day?”
I shrugged. “I wouldn’t really know what people do and don’t do. I’m a virgin, remember?” I said saucily back at him, even if it wasn’t the full truth.
“Not after last night, you’re not.” He smiled and pulled me up and into his arms, kissing me hard and deep.
You wouldn’t think I would be raring to go again after last night, that the craving for his touch and the way he made me feel would have worn off some, but it didn’t. I wanted him just as desperately, if not more, because I knew what it felt like to be with him. I was addicted to his laugh, his touch, his kiss… everything.
“No, I’m not,” I whispered on a sigh when he pulled away.
“Go take a shower and get dressed. We have somewhere to be in a bit.” He gave me a light slap on the ass and walked away, back into the kitchen.
“Where?” I picked up the discarded sheet and wrapped it around me like a toga, again.
“We have a few errands to run today, then we will come back here and hang out. Netflix and chill.” He gave me a wink to let me know that we wouldn’t be watching movies or chilling—more like fucking and sweating, both of which I was all on board for.
“I’ve got to run to the house to shower and change.”
“No worries. I had your mom gather some stuff so you could get ready here. She packed you a few days’ worth of clothes and told me that we were expected at dinner tonight.”
I paused and slowly turned to look at the man I’d spent last night with. He popped a piece of bacon into his mouth, and I slowly lowered myself back onto the couch. I could feel the heat in my cheeks. My mom knew where I stayed last night. She knew what I did, and she packed my bag so I could do it again tonight.
“You told my mom?” My voice was feathery and almost hysterical. I mean, it was one thing to be an adult and start actually having sex, but another thing completely to have your mom know about it.
“Well, I didn’t go into graphic detail, but I told her that Grant was bothering you at the bar again last night, so you spent the night on my couch. I also thought it best if you didn’t spend the night in the big house for a while, in case he tries anything. It’s better for you to be here. She agreed.”
“So, she doesn’t know that we—”
He laughed and crossed the room, squatting in front of me. “She knows, baby, but you’re an adult and a big girl. You can make your own decisions about who you want to sleep with.”
“I just never imagined one of those someone’s going over to ask my mom for my clothes, so I didn’t have to do the walk of shame.” I couldn’t help the nervous giggle that followed. “Oh god, was Dad there?”
“Yeah. Your dad was having his morning coffee. We talked while your mom was packing your bag.”
I groaned. “I’m never going to be able to look at them again.” I fell back on the couch and buried my head under the pillow. “Talked. You said talked.” I sat up quickly, wanting to know what the heck happened while I was passed out on the couch.
“I did. I’ll tell you about it later, but right now—you need to get up, shower, and get dressed. Your bag is in the bedroom and breakfast is almost done.” With that, he stood up and gave me another hard, quick kiss before walking away.
My head was spinning as I walked into the bedroom. There on the bed was my purple duffle bag. I opened it to find a couple of days’ worth of clothes and everything I would need for a shower. I had so many questions, and I knew I wasn’t going to get answers until I showered and dressed.
I rushed through my shower routine and dried off. Tucker was still working in the kitchen. I heard the clanging of dishes, so I threw on some panties and a camisole, then put on jeans and a T-shirt. My hair was still damp, so I gently brushed through it with my fingers, then left it down to air dry.
When I walked into the kitchen, I saw he made me a full breakfast of bacon, eggs, and pancakes. “Coffee or juice?”
“Coffee, of course.” He smiled and poured me a cup. I laughed when I saw my ‘Shut up it’s morning’ mug.
“I believe this is yours.” He slid it in front of me.
“It is. And I was about to kick your ass the other morning for stealing it.”
“I would have loved to see you try, Princess. Now eat up, we have places to go, people to see, and things to do.”
I sighed and took a sip of the coffee. It was strong and had just the right amount of creamer to make me happy. He’s so fucking perfect for me. There wasn’t a thing about him I didn’t like or want in my life, and he was acting like nothing had happened and that he wasn’t leaving tomorrow.
My heart was breaking at the thought of him going away, and that he was going somewhere where people wanted him dead and buried. All I wanted to do was to put him under lock and key to keep him safe. Fuck Grant. He was small potatoes compared to the danger Tucker was in, and Tucker was acting like everything was fine when it wasn’t—not even close.
“Are we going to talk about last night, Tucker?” I finally gathered the courage to ask after a few sips of coffee and a few bites of food that I could hardly taste.
“About which part?” He lifted his coffee to his lips and took a sip.
“You’re leaving and possible demise seems like a good place to start,” I said sarcastically, hating the fear that was churning in my gut.
“There’s a lot of people who would gain something from my death, and I’m going right back into the lion’s den. I’m going to do everything I can to stay under the radar and get back out without getting killed.”
“Do you think they could do it that easily and get away with it?”
“Yes. I do.”
“THEN WHY ARE YOU GOING?” I shouted. The food tasted like dust in my mouth, anyway. I pushed up from the table and moved over to where he was standing. His hip was leaning against the counter behind him. I gripped his shirt and clutched it in my fists. “You don’t have to do this.”
“I do, Patience. I’m sorry, but I do.”
“Taking these people down won’t bring your mother back. It won’t change anything that happened to you.”
“No, it won’t, but it will help keep it from happening to some other kid somewhere else. It will maybe keep one more family together. It can help make every life that was taken from the drugs themselves or from seeing something they shouldn’t have mean something.”
I closed my eyes and bit my lip in frustration. He was so damn honorable. It was one of the many things I loved about him. “I just don’t want anything to happen to you.” My voice cracked on a sob.
“I know, Baby, and I promise. I’ll take every bit of care I can to make sure that it doesn’t.”
I nodded. “I’m not hungry. We can go do our errands, then come home.” I couldn’t eat. If he didn’t have errands that he needed to run, then I wouldn’t want to leave the apartment. I just wanted to spend what time I had left with him.
Together, we cleaned up the dishes and stored the food for later. Tucker grabbed the keys and his jacket, then held up my jacket as I slipped into it. His dad was a dick that didn’t deserve the family he got, and Tucker was the kindest, most generous man. He learned what not to do from the man who raised him.
“Where are we going?” I asked once we were in the truck and buckled up.
“To see a man about a dog,” Tucker answered with a grin and popped the truck in reverse.
***
“I want to keep them all,” I crooned as I hugged and loved on each of the dogs I was introduced to.
“Sorry, Patience, only one for now. When I get back, we’ll get you another one.”
“Okay.” I smiled and greeted another one of the dogs as we walked by the kennels. They were all older, fully house trained, and they had other special training as well, Tucker had explained to me. He wanted me to pick which one I wanted. “What breed are these? They kinda look like pit bulls.”
“They are. Pit bulls mixed with German Shepherd. That means they are smart and very protective of their people.”
“I bet they are.” I smiled at the older man. He was definitely ex-military or law enforcement based on the way he stood. I recognized some of his mannerisms that must come with time in the military or as a cop because Tucker had them too. He was almost as tall as Tucker, but not quite. That was about where the similarities ended. Whoever this guy was, he was not related to Tucker by blood, but from the way they talked to each other, I knew they had worked together in the past. There was a kinship and respect between the two men. “What kind of training do they have?”
“They are protection dogs. Trained to protect people.”
My gaze locked with Tucker as he spoke. “You said the guys and I can’t be there all the time, but one of these dogs can.”
“But I have to work still?”
“They are service dogs, Patience. Their service is protection. And before you ask, I’ve already cleared it with your boss.”
I picked the sweet shy dog, Laylah as soon as I saw her. She was reserved and was acting meek, so I wasn’t sure how much protection she would be, but the guy assured both Tucker and me that she was well trained and would do her job of taking care of me.
Laylah and I spent the next few hours training together and bonding. She was so sweet, and he was right, very well trained. I’d already lost my heart to her, just like I lost it to the man who bought her for me.
The next stop on the agenda was the pet store to get staple items for her. Tucker wanted me to practice the commands and having her with me in a public setting, so we went to the store to grab what we needed. I was excited to have a dog again. The last dog we had died a few years back, and Mom and Dad hadn’t gotten around to buying another one.
Tucker and I walked hand in hand through the aisles of the pet store, putting the necessities into the cart. Laylah was on her leash, ever observant of what was going on around us, and following every command I gave her. She didn’t go crazy when she saw dogs, cats, or other people. When she was wearing her vest and harness, she knew it was time to work and protect.
“Thank you for Laylah. You didn’t have to do that, but I’m glad you did. She will be able to keep me company while you’re gone.”
“You’re welcome.” He pulled my hand to his lips and kissed the back of my knuckles. “I’ll feel better knowing she’s with you when I can’t be.”
The cashier scanned everything, and my mouth dropped open at the amount of money it all cost. Tucker didn’t flinch and handed over a debit card. “That has to be it for today, right?” I had no idea how much a dog like Laylah cost, but I knew it couldn’t have been cheap.
“For now.” He shrugged. “But we do have to go to the bank really quick.”
“What for?” I shot him a sideways glance. The man was up to something. I could feel it. It was like he was saying goodbye already.
“To add you as my beneficiary, just in case.”
I recoiled at the idea and shook my head. “No. I’m not doing that. We aren’t doing that,” I grumbled stressing that it wasn’t going to happen before I stomped off with Laylah by my side.
I was halfway to the truck when Tucker caught up to me. “Patience, listen to me.”
“No, dammit. I don’t want to talk about this,” I gritted out. Anger and fear warred within me, grappling over which emotion could run deeper and hotter.
We walked the rest of the way in silence. Tucker was unloading the cart while I loaded Laylah into the cab of his truck. It wasn’t until we were both in the vehicle that he tried to talk to me again.
“Sweetheart, my only living relative is a man who abandoned me, which is the least of his sins. If something should happen to me, everything I’ve worked so hard for will go to him. I don’t want that. I want it to go to someone I care about. Someone I wish I could be with when all is said and done. I want it to go to you.”
“This isn’t supposed to happen this way.” I sniffled softly. I was on the verge of a complete and total meltdown again.
“I know, but it’s the only way—unless...”
“Unless what?” I asked, swiping the tears from my cheek and turning to look at him.
His gaze was strong, sure, and serious as he looked at me. “Unless we got married.”
That’s the thing that pushed me over the edge. I launched myself into his arms as I let out gut wrenching sobs. He held me in his arms for what seemed like ages as I cried my heart out. When my tears finally subsided, I felt like a rag doll and his shirt was soaked through from my tears.
“Was that a yes?” he finally asked, pushing my hair behind my ear so he could see my face.
“On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You tell me you love me,” I whispered. I needed to hear those words. He’d shown it with his actions, but I needed the words before I said, ‘I do’.
“Patience, I’ve been a lot of people over the years. I’ve lied to a lot of people, changed my name, who I am, my past, and my present. One thing I’ve never told anyone, not since before I lost my family, is I love you. And I do Patience, I do love you. The thought of losing you makes me sick. Leaving you unprotected and alone scares the shit out of me, but knowing when I come home—that I’ll come home to you—keeps me going. I love you, Patience. Will you marry me?”
“Yes.” I smiled and kissed him, putting all the love I felt for him into it. “I love you, too, Tucker. So much it hurts.”