Chapter 28 #2
“I mean, you could do both,” Alex offers, and I look up at the ceiling, as if asking a higher power for strength.
“Oh, stop it, as if you haven’t had your lips all over some guy’s—”
“Okay,” I interrupt, stopping Charlie’s train of thought. “We’re in a public place. I can’t take you three anywhere.”
“It’s Tucker, isn’t it?” Dani asks with a knowing smile.
“How do you know that?”
“I mean, you’re living at his ranch. And he’s hot. And he used to be single,” she says, and the other two nod.
“He’s really nice. I’ve met him,” Alex adds, and suddenly I feel bad that I haven’t asked Tucker if he’d like to meet my family. I hang out with his all the time when Xander has games, which is almost every other day, if I’m not out on call. “It’s him, right?”
“Yeah, it’s Tucker.” I nibble my lip and stare at my tacos. I love tacos. And my sisters know it.
“You don’t look excited about it.” Dani says.
“I am excited,” I counter. “He’s so great. And he’s . . . he’s seen everything there is to see, and he hasn’t run away yet.”
“Why would he run away?” Alex scoffs. “You’re awesome, and he knows it.”
Because I have so many issues, I could fill a notebook with them.
“He used the L-word.” Now I take a bite of my taco, and watch as all three of them stare at me with wide blue eyes, so much like my own.
God, I love them. They’re all smart, successful, happy women, and I like to think that I had something to do with that.
I know that I’m not their mother, but I’m the closest thing that they ever had to it. “And I’m not exactly used to that.”
No one but my siblings and Millie, Holden’s wife, has ever told me that they love me.
So when Tucker said it, it both lit me up inside and made me feel nauseated.
“That’s fucking awesome,” Alex says, kicking her feet. “Hell yes. It’s about time someone saw you for the fucking badass woman that you are.”
“I really failed in the whole don’t swear so much category with you, didn’t I?”
“Dani has a clean enough mouth for all of us,” Alex says, shrugging my statement off. “I have to use her swear words, too, just to keep the world in balance.”
“Just not in front of your niece and nephew, please,” Dani says. “You almost slipped up last week when you called your boss a witch.”
“But I caught myself,” Alex reminds her and then turns back to me. “I’m happy for you. I hope it works out with Tucker and you have forty kids out on that ranch, just don’t make me come help with the animals.”
I know she’s trying to be funny, but I also know that asking Alex to help with animals would only traumatize her.
She tries to hide it behind being funny, but I know the truth, and it always tears me apart inside.
“Who said anything about kids?”
No one answers me. Charlie dives right in with “If you get married, I get to plan the wedding. Oh, I bet there’s a gorgeous spot out on the Hendrix Ranch for it.”
“I’m not getting married.”
I never thought I wanted marriage and children. But I’d never met Tucker before, and now I’m not so sure.
“I want to know what you love about him,” Dani puts in. “In all seriousness. Because sure, it’s fun to tease you a bit and be silly, but I see in your eyes that this is different, and I want to know why.”
Dani was always the most observant one. The one that asks questions.
“He bought me a greenhouse and built huge planters to grow things, just because I said that I would like them.”
I bite my lip because I’m suddenly swamped with emotions.
“He doesn’t think that it’s weird that I make salves and lotions.”
“It’s not weird,” Charlie insists.
“And he’s seen every scar on my body, and I told him everything that happened, and he didn’t even flinch.
Sure, he was pissed for me, but he didn’t run away.
And he’s so fucking patient. The man is the most laid-back, easygoing person I’ve ever met in my life.
He came into Kay’s Diner every Tuesday for a whole year for lunch because he wanted to see me, and it wasn’t until the week after I quit that he’d gotten up the nerve to ask me out. But I was already gone.”
“Holy shit, that might be the saddest thing I’ve ever heard,” Alex murmurs.
“And it’s all my fault because you started helping me with weddings,” Charlie adds, nibbling on her lower lip. “I’m so sorry.”
“I wasn’t ready for him then.” I shake my head. “I was still figuring so much out. It was the right person at the wrong time, you know? But I found him again, and I’m only supposed to be at the ranch for a year, but I don’t think that I’m going to want to leave.”
“You can’t leave,” Dani says and wipes a tear from her eye. “You found your person. You can’t leave him after a year.”
“I’m so happy for you,” Charlie says, and even Alex has lost that sparkle that tells me she’s going to tease me. “You deserve nothing but the most happiness, the best man. The best sex. You sacrificed so much for us, and I know that you think we don’t know, but we do. We saw it all, Darby.”
Stunned, I look between them, and they all nod in confirmation, and I want to weep. I want to ball up somewhere and sob because I didn’t shield them from everything like I thought I did. I never wanted them to see everything that went on in our house.
“If he ever tries to hurt you, we’ll kill him,” Alex says softly.
“And that’s not a funny threat. That’s the truth.
Because if there’s anyone in this world that should never be hurt again, it’s you.
So, you enjoy that man. You enjoy every damn minute with him, for as long as you want him, whether that’s for a year or for the rest of your life. Soak in every good thing.”
“I love you guys so much.”
“We love you too,” Dani says, leaning her head on my shoulder.
“But just to be clear, the sex is really good, right?” Alex asks.
“It might break world records,” I finally reply, and the three of them cackle away, slapping the table and kicking their feet.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Charlie says.
I glance up and notice that Noah has looked our way, and he’s got his eye on my sister. Then, he goes back to whatever he was doing.
After finishing our lunch, the four of us make our way over to Billie’s Books, the local romance bookshop, and load up on all the goodies before we grab coffee from the shop next door, which happens to be owned by our sister-in-law.
It’s been the perfect afternoon with my girls.
And when I get in my car and check my phone, I’m stunned to see that I’ve missed four calls and six texts, all from Tucker.
Tucker: Hey, baby, I just got the call that Harper’s in labor. Headed to the hospital.
Tucker: We’re in the waiting room at BVRH.
Tucker: I hope you’re having fun, but shoot me a text when you can, please.
All his messages are similar in tone, but I can tell he’s getting more and more agitated with each one, so I call him as I start the car and head toward the hospital.
“Thank God,” he answers.
“I’m so sorry, I turned my phone off when I was with the girls. Is everything okay? Are Harper and the baby okay?”
“So far, everyone’s fine, but it’s a little early, and she’s nervous. Fuck, we’re all nervous.”
“I’ll be there in just a few minutes. Do you need me to bring anything?”
“Just you. I just need you.”
“I’m on my way. I promise.”
I hang up and feel my chest warm at his words. His family is in a bit of a crisis, even though a baby is a good crisis, and he needs me with him.
I like that more than I expected.
I know exactly where the maternity waiting room is because I was there last year when Dani was having Bryce, so I park and hurry inside and find the entire Hendrix clan, minus Xander, along with most of the Blackwell family, in the waiting room.
The place is packed. We’re talking standing room only. I love that I know everyone here and that they’re all gathered to support each other. To support Harper and Blake and their new little baby.
I’m just a big bundle of emotions today.
Suddenly, Tucker sees me and heads right for me, scooping me up into his arms in front of all these people and covering my mouth with his in a hard kiss that has my toes curling in my shoes.
“Hello to you too,” I murmur against his lips.