Thirty-Six
Tuck
Right now I kind of think Bucky was lucky.
Chris
Who?
Lamont
You don’t know who James Buchanan Barnes is?
Chris
??
Tuck
White Wolf?
Lamont
Winter Soldier?
Chris
??
Tuck
Captain America’s best friend
Chris
A Marvel reference?
Lamont
Yes!
Tuck
Yes!
Chris
Is he that dude with the metal arm?
Tuck
Something like that.
Chris
Man up. Your arm will heal in no time.
Lamont
Don’t be afraid to cry. We’re here for you.
Chris
Make sure you get it on video for future blackmailing evidence.
Tuck
Blackmailing me for what?
Chris
Whatever is necessary
Tuck shook his head and slid his phone into his pocket. Now that he was in front of Piper’s door, the distraction of walking up to her front stoop was no longer needed. He smoothed a hand down his shirt. The solid navy color looked good with his complexion and eyes—or so Piper had told him once upon a time. He could only hope she’d been attracted by the image and that’s why she’d urged him to purchase the shirt.
He rapped his knuckles on the door.
A shuffling noise sounded before the door opened. Piper’s eyes gleamed, then a slow smile lit her face.
Man, she’s beautiful.
“Don’t you look handsome.” She rose up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Mm. And you smell good too.”
He snaked his good arm around her waist and angled his lips to meet hers. After his greeting, he pulled back. “You look magnificent.” Then he held out his arm, giving her a twirl.
Her giddy laughter made his chest puff out.
She came to a stop and put her hands against her cheeks. “Goodness. It’s a good thing I’m so brown you can’t tell when you make me blush.”
“Oh, I can.”
“How?” She held out her arm as if assessing its shade and wondering how he could possibly see a rose tint.
Tuck laughed. “Because you always glance down, and your cheeks bunch just a little higher than usual. I figured you were blushing just now.”
“Huh. So if I’d never done that, you wouldn’t have been able to tell?”
“Probably not. I’ve always explained away the blush when it came to me, after all.”
She chuckled. “True. So where are we going on our date?”
“Come out and I’ll show you.”
She slipped on her brown boots that somehow made her yellow dress shine all the brighter.
Tuck threaded his fingers with hers and headed toward the back of her property.
“We’re walking to your house?”
“Sort of. You’ll see. Just be patient.” He winked at her, then grinned when she made that telltale move.
“You know you don’t have to take me on a date just to prove your love, right?” She looked up at him. “I figure as long as we’ve known each other and as many times as we’ve hung out, we’ve been dating and didn’t realize it.”
If she felt that way, maybe proposing wouldn’t come as a shock. “You think so?”
“Yeah.” She nodded.
“Good.” He stopped and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Because it feels like we slid right into a relationship like putting on a favorite tee.”
“Or that perfect pair of jeans that bends when you need to bend.”
He chuckled. “Bending’s a problem for you?”
“Hey, every girl has bloat days.”
“Don’t I know it.” Tuck shook his head. “There was that whole year in middle school when all you did was eat chocolate and lament the wiles of Eve. Pretty sure you wore sweats that whole year.”
“You try going through puberty.”
“Right,” he drawled. “Because I didn’t have to live through the embarrassment of my voice cracking every time I tried to talk to my best friend, who was also my crush. The one who just happened to die laughing each time it happened.”
“Aw, Tuck. You were so cute.”
He groaned. “Not what a man wants to hear, darlin’.”
“What do you want to hear?”
“That I’m yours.” He winked at her.
“Smooth talker. Did you learn that from your dad?”
“I hope I have better skills than his.”
“Ha!”
Who was he kidding? His dad was great. “Nah. If I have a future like him—right woman, wonderful job—then I’ll know I’ve done something right.”
She sighed. “I love your folks. That’s marriage goals right there.”
“What? Canoodling in front of your children to gross them out?”
Piper bent at the waist, laughter floating in the air. “Canoodling? Who says that, Tuck?”
He only said it because he knew certain words caught her attention. Canoodling seemed like a good one to insert and see how she reacted. The uninhibited laughter did something to his insides. He loved Piper so much.
“Quit your laughing, and let’s go.”
“So bossy.” But the grin she threw his way made up for any censure.
“Not bossy. Eager.”
“Is your date-night plan that epic?”
“Well ... it’s not really a plan, per se. Just an idea of how it’ll go.” He looked at her. “I’m trying really hard not to plan everything so much.”
“I like that about you. Always have. Don’t let it go, but don’t let it rule you either.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He placed another kiss on her cheek. “How often can I kiss you and get away with it?”
Amusement danced in her ebony eyes. “I wasn’t aware you were getting away with something. Are you stealing kisses, or am I simply handing them out freely?”
“Hopefully that last one, because I feel another itch to kiss you.”
Piper placed her lips against his. “There. Now I’m doing the stealing.”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “I’m giving them out freely as well.”
“Then it sounds like there’s not a—” Her gaze widened at the scene before her.
Tuck swallowed, nerves suddenly present where they’d been miraculously absent before.
“Tucker Hale, what is this?”
“Um, our date.”
He stared at the red-and-white checkered picnic blanket he’d borrowed from his mom. Fortunately for Tuck, she’d also had a literal picnic basket, and he’d stuffed it with items for their very own charcuterie board. He’d bought Piper’s favorite red seedless grapes and all the cheeses, crackers, and meats the lady at the grocery store recommended. His neck heated up remembering the exchange.
“Um, excuse me, but is this the kind of cheese you’d use in one of those board thingies?”
The woman blinked at him. “A charcuterie board?”
“Yes.” He snapped his fingers. “I’m taking my girlfriend on a picnic.”
“How romantic.”
After that, the stranger got serious and loaded Tuck’s cart with all the items she claimed would make the best pairings. Had even shown him where he could find a cheese knife and board to lay everything on.
“You packed us a picnic by the watering hole?”
When Tuck bought this place, the watering hole at the back of his property had piqued his interest. It reminded him of the time he and Piper spent at the one at Bolt Brook. Though this pond happened to be on a smaller scale, it was no less special, considering it bordered her property as well as his. A gate opened on her side leading to his with no problem.
He lifted the latch and gestured for her to go ahead. “Hope everything’s to your liking.”
“I don’t see how it won’t be.” She beamed. “I love this.”
They sat down, and Tuck started unloading the basket with one arm. “We’ve got some sparkling lemonade.”
“My favorite,” she breathed.
He stared into her eyes. “I know.”
Piper fanned her face. “I’m not sure if you meant that to be a Star Wars reference, but I’m over here with my heart dropping to my toes.”
He grinned, then pulled out the wooden board in the shape of a circle. Piper’s forehead scrunched when he pulled out the cheese knife next. Once he placed the package of crackers on the blanket, understanding lit her eyes.
“Is this for a charcuterie board?”
“It is.”
“How do you even know what those are?”
“Adult Lunchables? Not too difficult to figure out they’re your favorite. All that’s missing is the Capri-Sun.”
She laughed. “The sparkling lemonade is an upgrade.”
“I’ll say.”
“Can I help you unpack? You look like your shoulder is bothering you.”
It was, but nothing some pain reliever wouldn’t fix. He’d taken some before leaving the house so the throbbing wouldn’t worsen. “I’m fine. Since this date is my idea, I’ll put it all together.”
“What if I starve before then, Tuck?” she whined.
He grabbed a grape and popped it into her mouth. “There.”
“Mm. These are the best.”
While he continued unloading the basket, he also continued feeding her grapes. Some part of him thought to feed her grapes one by one meant he was completely gone over her, but watching the delight in her eyes kept him at it.
“Piper, if you eat all the fruit, I’ll have nothing for the board.”
“With all that meat and cheese, I doubt that.” Piper looked at him. “What gave you the idea of a picnic?”
“In high school, I almost got up the courage to take you on one. It was after Bobby Deter asked you to homecoming. When you told me you turned him down, I was so relieved I almost asked you out.”
“Almost? What stopped you?” She tilted her head, studying him.
“Your mom said she was planning a family dinner the same night as homecoming. I kept quiet after that.”
“I remember that. She was trying to keep me from being sad about not going.”
“Did it work?”
“It did.” She grinned. “We had a fancy dinner, and I still got to wear a pretty dress.”
Tuck leaned on his left arm. “Why did you say no?”
“I overheard Bobby tell his friend he’d never kissed a Black girl and wanted to see if it was any different.”
Tuck growled. “If he wasn’t married and a dad now, I’d go to his house and...” He blew out a breath.
“And what?”
“Tell him thank you?”
She laughed. “Sure. We’ll go with that.”
They laughed and talked until it grew too dark. A few times Tuck felt the little ring box in his pocket. But it just didn’t feel like the right time, so he never brought it out to ask the question that now burned brighter than the strength of Piper’s smile.
He’d asked God for wisdom and knowledge to know when it was okay to propose. Judging by the feeling in his gut, it wasn’t today. But that was fine. Being around Piper was enough for Tuck, because he had no doubt that one day God would say “Now.”