Thirty
Tuck wished he could text Lamont and Chris to pray for his conversation with Piper right this moment. He could use some courage.
But you already told them about this. You already know they’ve been praying.
It was time to come clean.
He met Piper’s gaze. “I’m sorry. Can I just start by saying how sorry I am for keeping a secret?”
“What secret have you kept?” she whispered.
Tears were already welling in her eyes. Tuck slid across the couch and wrapped his hand around hers. “I haven’t told you I found out something about your dad’s situation. Aaron Wellington called and told me he knew who tipped off the RMTC.”
“Aaron?” She scoffed. “You can’t believe everything he says, Tuck.”
“I completely agree.” He ran a hand over his bearded chin. “But I, uh, know the person he accused of being the snitch.” He squeezed his eyes shut. Great, he was calling his dad a snitch for doing the right thing.
Tuck shook his head. “I’m sorry. I need a moment to gather my words.”
Piper placed a hand on his cheek. “Whatever it is, I can handle it. Just don’t keep secrets.”
Easier said than done, but she was right. She deserved the truth. Deserved the chance to operate with all the knowledge. “My dad tipped off the RMTC, Piper. It was my dad who got your dad in trouble.” His throat was raw. He wanted to back away yet simultaneously wrap her in his arms and never let go.
Piper blinked. Then her mouth parted, yet no words came out.
Great, he’d shorted her brain. “Please say something,” he rasped.
“No.”
The stark reply seemed to echo around his living room.
Tuck reached for her, only for Piper to immediately slide backward, widening the space between them.
“No, Tuck. He didn’t. Right?” Her voice cracked, and a tear spilled over.
“I didn’t want to believe it, but I asked him.”
Her luminous gaze locked onto his. “When did you find out?”
“I...”
“How long have you known?”
“Aaron called me the day I broke my shoulder.”
She reared back, and the joy that had seemed to be a permanent fixture in her evaporated in the blink of an eye. “That long ago?”
“I didn’t know if he was right. I was on my way to talk to my dad when I fell. Then, of course, I was in the hospital. When I was finally able to ask Dad, he confirmed it.”
“Then why wasn’t I the next person you talked to?” She held up a hand. “Please tell me just you, Aaron, and your dad know this. Please, Tuck.”
He licked his lips. “Piper...”
“Oh. My. Word.” She stood and started pacing from the couch to the foyer and back. “Chris and Lamont know?”
“Yes.”
“Nevaeh?”
“I don’t think Lamont told her.”
“So you told Chris and Lamont before you told me?” She pointed at her chest, coming to a stop before him.
“Darlin’, there was so much going on in your life. I didn’t want to drop one more bomb when you were still recovering from the shrapnel of the last one.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re telling me when I was in the hospital waiting for surgery, I should have said, ‘Oh, hey, my dad might have outed your dad’?”
She rubbed her cheeks, eyes closed.
“Or maybe when your mama showed up on your front step with suitcases because your dad had been arrested. Or how about on our first date? Maybe when we were at Mountain Laurel waiting to race and all the paparazzi drama that followed you there.” Tuck snapped his fingers. “Better yet, when we discovered the abscess.”
Tuck knew he should shut up. The hole he’d dug was growing larger with each word out of his mouth. But he wanted—no, needed—Piper to see there had simply never been a good time to tell her.
“Are you trying to manage me?”
If her question hadn’t felt like an ice bath, the broken look on her face would’ve done the trick. “No. No. How could you even ask me that?”
“Because you made a decision that concerned me without my input. Instead of asking me what we should do with that information, you just made choice after choice, all without asking me what to do. The very person it affects!” Her voice ended in a shout.
Tuck sat there, too stunned to refute her claim. Piper had never yelled at him. Sure, they’d had arguments, but they always ended with them laughing and moving on good-naturedly.
“I didn’t want to cause you more pain. You’ve been through so much these last few months.”
“Tuck, you’re not God. You can’t just make a plan with your limited view and think it’ll succeed.”
Ow.That arrow sure met its mark. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to manage you. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” He dropped his chin to his chest. “I’m plain ol’ sorry.”
“Yeah, well, so am I.” She shuffled to the door.
He shot up, wincing at the twinge in his shoulder. “Where are you going?”
“Somewhere you aren’t.”
“Can we talk about this?”
She shook her head. “I’m done talking about it. I’m done talking to you.”
Just like that, she turned and walked right out of his house. He winced as the door slammed, the picture frames on the wall rattling from the force.
Lord God, what did I do? Why did I wait so long? Why did I ignore those warnings and opportunities to just come clean?
He groaned. “Tucker Hale, you’ve got to be the most senseless man alive.”
Twenty plus years of friendship with Piper, and he’d never screwed up this badly.
“I’m done talking about it. I’m done talking to you.”
Did that mean they were done done, or did Piper just need to process everything he’d said?
His phone rang, and he groaned again when he saw Lamont flashing on the caller ID.
“What?”
“Whoa. What’s wrong with you?” Then just as quickly Lamont said, “Oh man, she knows?”
“Yep.” Tuck smacked his lips together.
“And you’ve just now told her?”
“Throw a little more salt on it. I don’t think that burned enough.”
Lamont chuckled. “Glad you can crack jokes at least.”
“I’m not. That burned, but I was already suffering from the gaping wound Piper left me. Should we get Chris in the conversation to see if he can throw a flaming dart at me?”
“Bro, I’m sorry the conversation didn’t go well, but maybe it would’ve if you’d talked to her when you first found out.”
“I’m pretty sure I didn’t throw I told you so at you when you were going through your fake dating fiasco. You know, the one with the whole lying.”
“Wow, so when you’re wounded, you get mean. Good to know.”
The wind left Tuck’s sails. He closed his eyes, asking for God’s forgiveness before speaking. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. Please forgive me.”
“Nothing to ask forgiveness for. I was gonna let love cover up that sin.”
Tuck’s lips twitched. “You’re in rare form today.”
“Nevaeh and I set a date.”
“For real?”
“Yep. I was calling to ask you to be my best man.”
“Ouch. Did I just remove myself from the running?”
Lamont snorted. “Please. We all have our bad moments. You’re lucky I love you like a brother and remember I was once a jerk.”
Tuck laughed.
“So will you?”
“I’d be honored.”
“Good. Make sure you make up with your lady before the wedding so we don’t have any awkward moments or longing looks across the aisle.”
“You get overbearing when you’re happy, huh?”
“You know it.”
“Shoot me the details about the wedding. I’ll make sure it’s on my calendar.”
“And I’ll be praying for you. I’m sure Piper will come around.”
Tuck hoped so. He didn’t know what would happen if this was a breakup. “Thanks.”
“Keep your head up.”