12. Tucker #2
“Hey, man! Beautiful day out,” I greet him.
“Can’t beat it,” he says, smiling from ear to ear. It’s hard to find Hunter in a bad mood.
He’s got his hat on backwards and no shirt, with his tattoos on full display. His basketball shorts are a bright blue today and his shoes match.
“Do you have shoes that match all your shorts?” I laugh .
“Yeah, pretty much,” he responds. “Sponsors send me all sorts of stuff. You have no idea the random things I have sent my way.”
“Have you ever thought of doing your workouts outside the firehouse?” I ask him.
“Huh, I haven’t, actually. You think chief would be okay with that?” He looks over at me hesitantly.
“It can’t hurt to ask. Start with the lieutenant and he’ll go up from there. I mean, if it looks good for the firehouse, it might go over well overall.” Anything that shines a good light on the house as a whole, I don’t see the harm.
“Yeah, I might do that. Plus, my sponsors might actually send some good stuff to the house. I’ll see what I can do,” he says. “Thanks, man.” He slaps my shoulder. “You want to go for a run?”
“Sounds good,” I tell him.
We set a good pace, and I get lost in my thoughts. Soon, I look down and realize we’ve been running for forty-five minutes. Something about running by the water is relaxing and makes me forget about all the craziness in my life.
Before we know it, our run around the harbor is finished and we’re both covered in sweat. The humidity is at a record high today, so I had to forgo my shirt early on during the run. While we stretch, I enjoy shade under the tree as people walk past us.
“You adjusting well to Boston?” I ask as I stretch my calf.
“Yeah. Still acclimating to everything, but I like it so far. Nothing like Vegas, though,” he says as he takes in the harbor.
“No shit? I had no idea you were from Vegas.”
“Yeah, I don’t talk about it much.”
“You have any family back there still?” I ask.
“My parents are there as far as I know. I honestly don’t keep up with them. Haven’t seen them since I left.” Discomfort is evident in his tone .
“Damn, sorry man.” I can tell this isn’t something he’s comfortable sharing.
“My old man isn’t the best guy, and my mom didn’t win any awards either. The minute I could leave, I did. Let’s just say, they were just as happy to see me go and I never put much effort into keeping in touch,” he says as we both make our way toward my truck.
“And you joined the military after high school?” I feel compelled to learn more about him even though I know he isn’t really wanting to talk about his past.
“Yep. I just wanted out of Vegas, and to see the world. Getting an education was secondary. The military was my ticket to all of that. So, I took it, and the rest is history. Luckily, I was good at it. I met some really great guys too.” He sighs.
“You didn’t want to continue on in the military?” I hope he doesn’t mind me asking.
“Nah, I was done. I got to a point where I knew I was done. I saw a lot, and it was time to come back to start my civilian life here,” he says, a sad smile moving across his face.
“Did you have someone to come back to here?” I’m prying now.
“I had the idea of someone,” he says.
“That sounds ominous,” I say, nudging his shoulder.
“It does, doesn’t it?” He chuckles as he looks off at the water, apparently lost in thought. “Alright, sharing time is over for today, Malloy.” He turns toward me. “I know you’re avoiding being home.”
“Ha! I’d never do such a thing.” I laugh.
“You’re a shit liar, man,” he tells me.
“You don’t know me that well, Hunter,” I throw back.
“You’re not that hard to read. Plus, aren’t you shacking up with Rios’s sister? That sounds complicated.” He crosses his arms over his chest.
“Understatement of the century,” I confess. Something about Hunter tells me he understands complicated. “There’s a lot to unpack between us and I just don’t know where to start with it. And she sorta unloaded a ton of shit on me last night.”
“Maybe you should go talk to her about it then,” he says.
“I sort of froze when she did.” I wince.
“Amateur,” he says. “Women do not like that. How did she react to that?”
“Aside from walking off and slamming her door?” I confess.
“Ouch.”
“I know. Beyond that, I wouldn’t know. She had already left for class this morning.” I look over to see him giving me an apologetic look. “Not good, huh?”
“I predict a lot of groveling is in your future,” he says.
“You’re probably right.” I scratch at the back of my neck.
“And don’t worry about any of this getting back to Rios. I take it from the seething looks he gives you at the station that he’s not too keen on his sister hanging out at your place?”
I nod.
“I won’t say anything,” Hunter says.
“I appreciate it, although it seems we aren’t on speaking terms anymore since she moved in. But she needed me, so I chose her over him and he’s just going to have to deal with it at this point. I won’t apologize for it,” I tell him.
“I get that. Rios will get over it eventually,” he says.
“I hope so. But I won’t hold my breath. He’s a stubborn ass about many things,” I explain. “Also, if it’s any consolation, you’ve got a family here with us,” I say, putting my fist out.
He looks down, and for a moment, he just stares. Then he bumps it. I hope he knows he can count on me and the guys now that he’s here.
“Thanks for the run today, man,” he says as we both make our way through the park to the street.
“I needed it,” I say, as I reach my truck .
Hunter walks toward a black motorcycle.
“I didn’t know you had a bike, man.” I wave a hand in its direction.
“It was in the shop and I just got it back.” His smile doubles in size as he looks down, moving his hand along the leather seat of his motorcycle.
“I seem to be learning quite a bit about you today.” I laugh.
“Yeah, I guess so. Have to enjoy it”—he gestures to the bike—“while I can. The winters here are a beast. I have the truck once the cold hits.”
He pulls his helmet over his head, then waves at me and hops on, starting the engine. Soon he pulls into traffic, and I watch him ride off. It seems Tyler Hunter is full of surprises.
The moment I’m back in my truck, my mind is consumed by thoughts of Baylee and the look on her face during her confession last night. I was such a prick. My silence was a cowardly move, but I wasn’t prepared to hear what she said. It’s no excuse though. I should’ve said something back.
Before, when these feelings started to creep in months ago, I let the excuse of my friendship with Rios be the reason for me not to cross the line.
But I obviously walked away from anything with Rios being mended now.
That’s no longer a possibility now that Baylee is living with me.
He made that blatantly clear that night I told him to shove it when I told Baylee she could stay with me.
I have no regrets with my decision. So why did I hold back last night?
I pull out of my spot and make my way back to the apartment. Maybe Baylee had a plan to pour her heart out to me last night and I was unprepared. But today I won’t stand in silence. I’ll finally pour everything out for her so she knows where I stand.