Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
TUCKER
“ S tay together,” I tell Chloe and her friend Jenny as they disappear into the crowd. Springfest is New Hope’s annual music and art festival and always brings a ton of visitors.
People from all over mill about, laughing and dancing. Artists paint giant chalk murals on the roads, and various bands are scattered about, playing anything from country to jazz to rock.
For the first time in I don’t know how long, I’m off work and looking forward to enjoying the festival with my two girls and Rick.
“I’m not sure they heard you.”
I smile down at Scarlett and take her hand in mine. “You think?”
Scarlett chuckles and slows our pace so her dad can keep up. When she reaches for his elbow, he scoffs and swats her hand away.
“Stop fussing over me, I’m fine.”
“Grandpa! Aunt Scarlett!”
We all turn at the sound of Lucy’s and Declan’s voices. They’re running toward us at warp speed with Lexi and Jason not too far behind. Lucy launches herself into Scarlett’s arms and goes on and on about some new game she downloaded onto her iPad.
Jason reaches out a hand for me to shake. “How’s it going, Tucker?”
“Not too bad,” I reply. “Yourself?”
“Well, I’m here and not at the hospital, so that’s always a plus.” We both laugh, and he turns a kind eye to Scarlett. “Hey, Scar. It’s good to see you.”
She untangles from her niece and pulls Jason in for a hug. “It’s good to see you, too.”
“Daddy, where is your walker?” Lexi chides, wrapping an arm around Rick’s back as though she can actually keep him from falling.
“Don’t need it.”
Lexi’s eyes widen. She looks from Rick to Scarlett. “What’s he talking about?”
“The physical therapist says he’s doing great, healing much faster than they anticipated. He’s been moving around without his walker or cane for four days now.”
“And no one thought to tell me?”
“Pull the stick out of your butt,” Rick says, causing Declan and Lucy to snicker. “Can’t you just be happy for me?”
Lexi’s face softens. “Of course, I’m happy for you, but you’re still my daddy, and I worry about you.”
“How about you worry about getting me a lemon shake-up and a funnel cake?”
“Yeah!” Declan shouts, jumping into the air.
Scarlett laughs and ruffles Declan’s hair. “Come on. Lemon shake-ups and funnel cakes for everyone. My treat.”
“We’ll get some tables,” Lexi says, veering her family to the left while Scarlett and I go in search of the snacks.
“Hey, lovebirds.” Scooter sidles up on the opposite side of Scarlett and puts an arm around her shoulders.
“Get your hands off my girl.”
“What girl? This girl?” He looks at Scarlett and feigns shock. “Is she your girl? I didn’t know, because no one tells me anything.”
Scarlett loves the banter and the attention. “Hey, Scooter?” she says.
“Yes, darlin’.”
“I’m Tucker’s girl.”
Damn, that sounds good .
“’Bout damn time.” Scooter drops a kiss to her head and squeezes my shoulder. “Stop by the beer tent later, and we’ll celebrate.”
“Not tonight. I’ve got Chloe.”
“And I’ve got dad,” Scarlett adds.
Scooter stops in his tracks and blinks at us. “Is this how it’s going to be from now on? What are you two, seventy?”
I shrug. “Sorry.”
It’s a halfhearted apology, mostly because I’m not sorry. There’s really nothing I love more than being here with Scarlett and our families, enjoying the time together.
“Whatever.” Scooter waves us off, walking backward through the crowd. “Just come into the bar sometime and have dinner. I miss your ugly mug.”
“Will do.”
We wave goodbye to Scooter and turn toward the food cart, only to be stopped by a little girl clutching a pad of paper in her hand and wearing a giant smile.
“Can I have your autograph?” The little girl thrusts the paper toward Scarlett, only to be pulled away by her mother.
“Ari, what did I tell you? You can’t just go up and ask Miss Scarlett for her autograph. She’s here spending time with her family. It’s rude.”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind.” Scarlett takes the notepad and pen from the little girl.
“Are you sure?” the woman says, looking apologetic.
“Absolutely.” Scarlett squats down in front of the little girl. “What’s your name?”
“Arianna. My friends call me Ari. I’m a big, big fan of yours. I really wanna go to one of your concerts, but Mom says they’re all too far away. Maybe someday if you have a concert here, she’ll take me.”
Scarlett’s head snaps up. She looks at the girl with a furrowed brow. “I will mention it to my manager. I promise that my next tour will include somewhere close by, and if you write down your address for me, I’ll send you three tickets.”
“Really?” Ari’s eyes light up. “That’s so awesome. Thank you so much.”
“You don’t have to do that,” the mom says, shaking her head when her daughter squeals in delight.
“I want to.” Scarlett signs the top sheet of paper on the pad and hands it back to the little girl, who scribbles her address on another page. She tears it off and gives it to Scarlett.
“I don’t need three tickets. I only need two. One for me, and one for my mom.”
“I thought maybe you’d want to bring a friend,” Scarlett suggests.
Once again, the girl screams, and I have to take a small step back before she blows my eardrums. Scarlett is completely unaffected. I guess she’s gotten used to this over the years. She’ll probably be deaf before we’re fifty. I picture us in rocking chairs on the front porch forty years from now, and me having to scream to get her to hear me. I smile at the thought.
“Thank you so much.” Ari bounces on her toes as though she’s about to shoot off like a rocket. “Can I hug you?”
Scarlett answers the girl by wrapping her in a tight hug. When she lets go, Ari smiles, gives us one last wave, and walks away with her mother.
We’re stopped once more on our way to the food vendor, by a group of girls begging for a selfie. Scarlett takes it all in stride, talking to the girls and smiling for the camera. She even signs a couple of shirts and records a short video for one of the girls’ friends who is in the hospital recovering from surgery.
“Have fun!” Scarlett waves goodbye to the girls and tucks herself back under my arm.
“You’re good with your fans,” I tell her.
“They’re good to me. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be doing what I love.”
“I disagree. You’re famous because you have an amazing voice. You’re damn good at what you do.”
“I appreciate the compliment, but it’s more than that. I’ve met several people along the way who have voices better than mine, but they didn’t make it anywhere. I got lucky. Right place, right time, loyal fans.”
“Do you ever get tired of it?” I ask.
Scarlett and I haven’t talked much about her career since she returned home, but it’s a huge part of her life, which means I want to know more about it.
“Being famous?”
“All of it. Touring, performing night after night, award shows, premieres, interviews, fans. It has to get exhausting.”
“It does, but when I start to get overwhelmed, I remind myself that this is all fleeting. One of these days, it’ll slow way down or come to an end, and all I’ll have left are the memories.”
“And what happens when it comes to an end? What then?” I ask, stepping in at the end of the food cart line.
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far.”
“Come on, surely you picture something. Marriage? Kids? A big house with a white picket fence and a golden retriever?”
“I honestly haven’t thought about it. I’ve always just lived day to day.” Scarlett props her chin on my chest and gazes up at me. “This is a pretty deep conversation for a music festival.”
Okay, maybe I shot too far, too fast with the marriage and kids thing, but I’m genuinely curious as to where she sees herself. I was also a little hopeful that she’d say that wherever she is and whatever she’s doing, she pictures Chloe and me right there with her.
“What about you?” she asks. “Where do you see yourself?”
With you. Maybe another kid—or two . But I can’t tell her that. I can’t put my dreams and my heart on the line when I don’t know where she stands.
“Probably in prison for killing Chloe’s first boyfriend.”
Scarlett tips her head back and laughs as we move to the counter. All conversation about the future is set aside when the worker asks for our order.
“Can I go home with Jenny? Please, please, please.” Chloe lays it on thick, hugging me and blinking up at me with those big eyes of hers.
“Let her go,” Rick says from his spot across the table. “She’s only young once.”
“You heard the man. Go,” I concede, earning a wet kiss to the cheek from my daughter. “Wait, what about clothes and a toothbrush.”
“She can wear some of my clothes, Mr. Andrews,” Jenny says. “And we have an extra toothbrush she can use.”
“Sounds like you girls have thought of everything.” I look at Jenny’s mom, who is standing behind the girls. “Are you sure you don’t mind her going home with you?”
“Positive. I can drop her off in the morning on my way to work.”
“I work tomorrow. I’ll have to call Grandma and see if?—”
“She can come hang with me,” Scarlett says.
“Really?” Scarlett throws her arms around Scarlett. “Thank you, Scarlett. I’d love to spend the day with you and Rick.”
Scarlett pats Chloe’s arm. “We have to get the okay from your dad first.”
“I’m okay with it if you are.”
Scarlett nods, and Chloe high-fives her friend. “Thanks, Dad. See you tomorrow, Scarlett.”
We all wave goodbye, even Alexis, who doesn’t seem as stiff as she was earlier when we came back with the food.
A band starts playing an old rock song, and Rick stands up. He taps Lucy on the shoulder. “I love this song. Let’s go dance.”
“Okay,” Lucy giggles, getting up and taking her grandpa’s hand.
“What about me?” Declan frowns.
“You can come, too.”
Rick and the kids boogie their way onto the dance floor, and a second later, Jason excuses himself to talk to someone he knows.
Scarlett claps and smiles as she laughs at her dad. I notice Lexi watching her sister and, eventually, she slides down the bench and puts herself across from Scarlett.
“Hey.”
Scarlett pulls her eyes from the dance floor and looks at Lexi. I hate that her smile falters. “Hey.”
“So, Dad is really doing better?”
“Yeah. The physical therapist said that he’s regained ninety percent of his strength and full use of his hand. Occupational therapy only has two more visits, and then they’re done.”
“I guess he won’t be needing you anymore.”
Oh, shit.
Scarlett’s face hardens. “I guess not.”
Alexis looks taken aback by the harsh tone of Scarlett’s voice. “I—I didn’t mean that in a bad way. I wasn’t trying to be rude. I meant it very literally.”
Scarlett doesn’t look convinced, and after a long, awkward pause, Lexi clears her throat. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have jumped down your throat.”
“I don’t mean about what I just said,” Lexi clarifies. “I mean for the way I’ve treated you since you arrived.”
I clear my throat, and Lexi rolls her eyes.
“And also for the way I treated you before…over the last several years.”
“I forgive you.”
“Just like that? I’ve been a complete bitch. I’m probably still going to be unbearable at times.”
Scarlett laughs, then reaches across the table and rests a hand on Lexi’s. “We’re sisters. Of course, I forgive you. I still think we need to have a serious talk about our issues with each other, but this is a good start.”
Lexi takes a deep breath and blows it out. She looks as though the weight of the world has been lifted from her shoulders. “What now?”
“Now, I need to get Dad home before he breaks a hip on the dance floor.”
“I meant in your life.”
Scarlett reaches for my hand under the table. She’s as surprised at Lexi’s change in behavior as I am, but I know by the gentle squeeze she gives me that she’s happy. And if my girl is content, then so am I.
“Well, I’ll be here until Dad gets officially released”—she looks up, her eyes finding mine—“and then…I don’t know what. I guess that’s something I need to figure out.”
“As much as I love seeing my girls smiling at each other, I’m ready to go home.” Rick is panting and out of breath from his spin around the dance floor as he approaches the table. “This body can’t move like it used to.”
“Do you need me to go to the car and grab your walker?” I ask, standing up.
“Nah, I’m good. Just a little winded.”
Scarlett stands up. We all say our goodbyes and make our way to the car. It’s dark by the time we get back to Rick’s house. He retreats to his room with a murmured “goodnight.”
“Do you mind if I take a quick shower?” Scarlett asks. “I’d ask you to join me, but that’s probably not very appropriate with my dad down the hall.”
“You’re killing me.” I groan and pull her into my arms. I kiss her hard, showing her with my lips just how badly I want to be in the shower with her. When we break apart, I slap her ass. “Go, while I still have the strength to step away.”
“I’ll be quick.”
With Chloe at a friend’s house, there’s no rush for me to leave, so I kick my shoes off by the door and sit on the couch. Rather than turn on the TV because I don’t want it to be too loud for Rick if he’s trying to go to sleep, I lean my head back and close my eyes.
I must doze off because I wake up sometime later with a warm woman in my lap, kissing her way up the side of my neck. She nibbles my ear, and my cock stirs to life.
“Wake up, sleepyhead,” she breathes.
I blink my eyelids open. Scarlett is indeed sitting on my lap. She’s wearing nothing but a towel and a smile. I slide my hands up her thigh and under the terrycloth. I’m met with soft, warm flesh, and her lips part when I drag a finger down her core.
“Baby, we can’t do this here.” My body disobeys my words when my hand slides to the small of her back and pulls her to me. Scarlett answers by grinding her bare pussy against my jeans. I’m hard as a rock and ready to pound into her, but this isn’t exactly the place for that to happen.
“Daddy is asleep. I checked on him.”
“You’re a minx.”
“I’m horny, and I want you inside of me.” Scarlett releases her towel. It falls, exposing her breasts. Her nipples are puckered tight, begging for my mouth, and who am I not to give them what they want?
I lean forward and capture a tight bud in my mouth. I suck and lick and bite until Scarlett’s writhing against me. With my hands on her waist, I guide her over my rigid cock, which is pushing uncomfortably against the seam and zipper of my jeans. Her body draws tight, her breaths coming in short little pants, and then I slip two fingers inside of her. Three strokes and she’s falling apart in my arms. Her pussy spasms against my fingers, sucking them deep.
Her soft body collapses against mine, and when she catches her breath, she sits up. Her eyes are glazed over, her bottom lip plump from her biting on it. Without a word, she reaches for my jeans. I watch her pop the button, lower the zipper, and ease me out of my boxers.
Scarlett lifts onto her knees, positions my cock at her entrance, and slowly lowers herself on top of me.
What we’re doing is damn risky with Rick asleep in the other room, but right now, I can’t bring myself to care.
I start to move my hips, but Scarlett shakes her head and stills me with a hand to my chest. “It’s my turn. Let me make you feel good.”
I lean back against the couch. “You always make me feel good,” I say, my hands roaming every inch of her delicious, naked body.
My beautiful girl moves on top of me, rotating her hips, lifting herself up and then dropping back down. Her hands are everywhere. I feel her start to tighten around me. She’s close and, fuck, so am I.
There’s nothing I want more than for us to fall over the edge together.
“Look at me,” I command gently.
Scarlett blinks her eyes open. They bob heavily, but she manages to keep her eyes on mine.
“I love you.” I push my hands into her hair, pull her down for an achingly sweet kiss, and breathe her in. “I love you so much.”
Tears build in her soulful brown eyes. “I love you, too.”
Four words are all it takes, and I’m spiraling out of control. My body stiffens beneath hers, and a zap of electricity works its way up my spine before scattering down my arms and legs. My balls tighten, and when I feel a moan working its way up my throat, I seal my lips to hers in an attempt to keep us both quiet.
Scarlett falls with me. Our bodies spasm and jerk against each other as we float down from our high. There aren’t words for what just happened. It was love at its finest; two bodies coming together in the purest form. And when Scarlett tilts her head to the side and smiles at me, I know without a doubt that she’s it.
This girl is my forever.