Twenty-Four
Tuck winced as Piper drove over a pothole. His shoulder hit the seat, and hot, searing pain vibrated through his whole right side. He should probably be at home on the couch with his mom standing over him and offering homemade chicken noodle soup. Instead, they were making the two-hour drive to the racetrack for their first April race.
“Did you take some pain meds before we left?” Piper asked.
Of course he didn’t. Those narcotics made him feel fuzzy. But he’d taken some over-the-counter pain reliever. He was done with the prescription meds. “Yep.”
Piper glanced at him. “Prescribed or over-the-counter?”
“Um...” He struggled not to shift in his seat. “Over-the-counter,” he mumbled.
“Tucker Hale.” Exasperation coated every syllable and sounded a lot like how his mom used to say his name when he did something she thought unbelievably foolish. She’d just had the grace not to come right out and say so.
Piper’s so cute.He wanted to tell her that, but remembering the secret about his dad had him clammed up and more than a little awkward.
“I’m okay,” he said.
“Sure. That’s why you’re wincing every time the truck jostles you. Glad those OTC meds are helping you out.”
He smirked. “You’re so adorable when you’re irritated.” There, he let it out. He’d just have to make sure he stuck to talking to her. If he leaned over and pressed his mouth to her beautiful lips, his dad’s secret would tumble out.
Or the guilt would compound further.
“I can’t even with you.” She shook her head, but a smile flitted across those sexy lips.
“I think we should go on a date tonight,” Tuck said. He grimaced inwardly. Not what you were supposed to say. Dating a woman whose dad has been arrested because your dad’s a whistleblower is beyond complicated.
Piper glanced at him, surprise coating those ebony eyes, then faced forward. “You do, do you?”
Could he backtrack, or should he use the opportunity to come clean? “Yes. What do you think?”
“I think when a girl gets asked out, she likes to hear it all proper-like.” She slowed to a stop as the light went from yellow to red.
“Darlin’”—Tuck reached for her right hand—“would you do me the immense pleasure of going out with me tonight?”
“Of course I will, Tuck.” She placed a quick kiss on his lips, then tugged her hand back. “I need that to drive.”
She’d kissed him. He loved it. But yep, there was that guilt growing by the second.
She stepped on the gas, and Tuck sighed.
“You miss driving?” Piper asked.
“Being an invalid is a pain.”
“You make a cute one, though.”
Tuck scoffed. “No man wants to be called cute.”
“And no woman either. Remember that.”
He laughed.
“How’s your mom handling your recovery?”
Tuck winced for a different reason this time. “Still hovering. I thought after she returned to her own house and had a break, she’d be okay.” Dad had convinced her to return home for good. Only now she’d taken to helicoptering via text.
“And she’s not?”
“Calls me every morning to remind me to take my meds. Then every four hours on the dot to remind me to take the next dose.” He sighed. “Plus she’s still bringing me suppers. I mean, they’re good and all, but I don’t need her spoon-feeding me. I thought Dad would’ve nipped that in the bud for me.”
Laughter burst out of Piper. She covered her mouth trying to muffle her delight, but it was too late.
“Glad my girlfriend is on my side.”
Her smile dropped as quickly as the temperature on a winter night.
“What did I say?”
“Just reminded me of my folks and their situation.”
Tuck hated that for her. When the news of her dad’s arrest hit the headlines, she’d been distraught. On the other hand, her mom seemed to have grown increasingly bitter. “How’s your mom doing with it all now?”
“Still not very well. She spends most of the day streaming romance movies and crying through them all.”
“Ouch. Have the reporters multiplied in front of your place?”
“They have, but honestly, I doubt we’ll escape them anytime soon. Not with the world wanting everyone and anyone at Bolt Brook held responsible.”
She wasn’t wrong. The clamoring need for justice was why Tuck had turned off his ringer and told people he needed to do business through text or email. He was tempted to change his number, but that would be a bigger hassle.
“Did I make the wrong choice offering my guest room to her, Tuck?”
“What else could you have done?”
“My thoughts exactly.” Her lips pursed. “Still...”
Tuck’s phone vibrated in the cup holder. He reached for it with his left hand—his non-dominate hand. Using his weaker hand for everything was annoying, but the sling holding his right arm was worse. He wished he could rip it off and be instantly healed. Where had his patience gone?
A few texts popped up in quick succession.
Lamont
Hey, where should we stay for the Derby?
Chris
So you’re going?
Lamont
Yes, and you should too. If you don’t, how will you be the official fifth wheel?
Chris
??
Lamont
??
Lamont
I think I saw a Hilton and Crowne Plaza.
Chris
If I’m coming, I need something in my price range. We’re not all rolling around in movie-star dough.
Tuck
We booked a few rooms ahead of time when we attended last year. The hotels fill up pretty far in advance.
Chris
He lives! How’s the arm?
Tuck
Hurts.
Lamont
Praying for you. How much do we owe for the rooms?
Tuck
No charge. My treat.
“Hey, darlin’, how many rooms did we reserve at the Galt for the Derby?”
Piper frowned. “Quite a few. You were standing right next to me when I did it. Don’t you remember?”
“I don’t have a head for details like you.” He winked.
Seeing her blush was heady to his senses. And damaging to your soul! How long are you gonna wait to tell her what your dad did?
He drew in a breath. He’d tell her on their date. Surely that was the best time to do it.
“Charmer,” she muttered.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
Piper gripped the wheel. “It’s not. I actually need the distraction. Knowing Dream will race next week has me nervous. I know he has enough points to advance, but I still want him to win regardless.”
“He’ll do great.” Tuck smiled.
“Why did you ask about the Derby rooms?”
What could he say that wouldn’t give away the surprise? “We need to finalize the guest list, right? I couldn’t remember if we were booking for my folks and yours plus us and Gabe or...”
“That was our thought initially.” She frowned. “Though now who knows if my folks will go.”
“I’ll handle the rooms. You have enough to worry about.”
That would allow him to secure a spot for the guys. He’d already talked to his folks about the Derby. They apparently had booked a room the moment Tuck started training for Piper, though, which meant the guys could definitely stay in one Piper had already booked. And there should be enough rooms in the block for Nevaeh to have her own, but if she had to, she could stay with Piper after they surprised her.
Maybe one day he’d show up to the Derby with Piper as his wife and no need for them to have different rooms.
“What are you thinking about? You’re wearing a grin a mile wide.”
Tuck startled. “Uh ... just thinking of the future.”
“Yeah? Future of horse racing? Or something else?”
“Us. Me and you.” He didn’t mention the twisting of his insides or the intense feeling of trepidation going through him.
Lord, please don’t let her hate me when she finds out what Dad did.
“Us is a beautiful word,” she breathed.
Marry me.
Fortunately, he kept that thought to himself. He’d almost said it aloud. Almost. But first he needed to take Piper on a proper date, drop a bombshell, and pray the collateral damage was survivable. If God willed it, Tuck would take her on another date, and another, until an appropriate length of time had passed for him to share how his feelings were more of a lifetime-attachment deal.
There you go planning everything again. Haven’t you learned anything?
Apparently not. Yet the idea of dating her filled him with a calm that had been absent since talking with his dad.
“You zoned out on me again,” Piper said softly.
“Sorry. Just thinking.”
“Well, now’s the time to switch gears. We’re here.” She pointed ahead.
Soon a groom was unloading Dream and then leading the horse around the paddock. He’d let the Thoroughbred stretch his legs before putting him in the racetrack stables. Tuck would text Gabe and make sure he arrived on time. They needed one good work to acclimate Dream and hopefully jog muscle memory as well. Then again, this wasn’t their first time at Mountain Laurel Grounds.
As soon as Tuck checked into his hotel room, he reached for his toiletry bag and grabbed some pain relievers. The generic store brands would hopefully dull the pain enough for him to tolerate it. The throbbing heat in his shoulder was the worst. For the past couple of weeks, he’d attended physical therapy and performed the prescribed exercises, but that didn’t make the pain go away.
A quick look around the room showed nothing to drink—not even a bottle of water. He huffed.
A knock sounded on his door, so Tuck shuffled across the carpet. Piper stood on the other side with a tote in hand.
“What’s all that?”
“I brought you gifts.”
“How? You were supposed to be checking in.”
She smirked. “Yeah, because it takes so long to drop a suitcase in a room.”
“It does when you’re you. What happened to unwinding with a book, taking a shower, or just deciding on what you’re wearing for our date?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll knock your socks off tonight.” Her grin said checkmate.
Tuck’s mouth parted. Using one hand was making time crawl by while it apparently sped up for two-handed people. “I’ve got nothing.”
Piper laughed, then motioned to the chair at the desk in front of his bed. “Come sit.”
He ambled over as she began pulling stuff out of the bag. First she held up some weird wrap concoction.
“What’s that?”
“One of those instant ice packs. It’ll feel good on that shoulder.” She placed it softly against his body. “How’s that?”
He groaned. “Perfect.”
“I also brought you a shoulder pillow.”
“From the hotel gift shop?”
“No, silly.” She grinned. “I ordered it from Amazon, and it arrived yesterday.” She slid the pillow under his slinged arm. “There. Now you can rest in comfort, let the ice pack do its thing, and...”
She searched his room, then saw the pain meds. With a quick pop of the bottle’s top, she handed him two pills. “I got you a sports drink to wash it down.”
“Thanks darlin’. I really appreciate you.” Which made the news he had to tell her all the more difficult.
“Of course.” She kissed his cheek. “Do you feel a little better, at least? I know it won’t take the pain completely away—”
He grabbed her arm. “With you this close, I feel nothing but the beauty of your presence.”
“Tuck...” She grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him.
Thank goodness he didn’t need two arms for this. He could still pull her close with his left arm and let his lips do the rest.
And later, much later, he’d tell her what his dad had done.