Grace
It’s never felt so good to not be on a flight.
Mine departed fifteen minutes ago—without me.
I went straight to the rodeo school when I woke up this morning, feeling eerily hungover from all the crying.
Given the time, I figured I’d find Tucker here rather than at his place.
So, I’m surprised when I barrel through the barn doors and run into Rhett instead.
“Where is he?” I ask frantically.
“He’s on his way to the airport to stop you leaving.”
My jaw drops. “He’s what?”
“He was coming after you, Grace.” He gives me a small smile. “But it seems like you were one step ahead of him.”
“I need to go to him,” I say, turning to leave, but Rhett’s hand wrapping around my wrist stops me.
“No, you stay put. I’ll get him.”
“What if he’s done something stupid, like hopped on the plane? Or—”
“Grace,” Rhett says with the level of authority he’d use on the kids he teaches. “I will get him. Come on, let’s get you upstairs so you can sit down and breathe, and I’ll get him. Okay?”
“Okay,” I mutter, feeling far too many things at once.
Rhett pulls out his phone as we make our way up to the office loft.
I can hear the dial tone as he grabs a bottle of water from the mini fridge and cracks it open before handing it to me.
“Here,” he says, pulling the phone from his ear with a frustrated grunt.
He hits a button and holds it to his ear once more.
Taking a sip of water, I strain to hear Tucker pick up.
“I’d suggest getting your ass to the school, fast. Grace is here,” is all he says before he hangs up and turns to me, placing a comforting hand on my arm. “Will you be okay up here on your own for twenty?”
I don’t trust my voice not to betray me right now, so I just nod.
“I’ll send him up when he gets here.” He gives my shoulder a squeeze before heading back downstairs.
I try to do as Rhett instructs and take a seat on one of the couches, but my legs bounce up and down almost immediately.
Less than ten seconds later, I’m back on my feet and pacing.
I’m too on edge to sit still right now. My brain has been in complete disarray since I ran out on Tucker last night.
My sleep was fitful to say the least, and I was kept awake by swirling thoughts of what today would bring.
With a deep inhale, I try to calm my heart rate and get my breathing under control.
Tucker was coming to stop me.
Somehow, it never even crossed my mind that he might come after me. I was too focused on coming back to him and fixing my mistake of running away from him, that I didn’t take a second to wonder if he might run toward me.
The framed pictures are a good distraction. I focus on trying to guess the ages of each Beaumont sibling in each picture, instead of trying to determine exactly how many seconds have passed since Rhett hung up the phone.
Voices float up the stairway. I recognize Tucker’s immediately.
I’m at the office door in a flash, and I’m met with the beautiful face of the man I love.
Careful not to knock us both down the stairs, I wait until he takes two steps into the office before I all but jump into his arms. Tears stream down my face as I cling to him, unable to believe I ever thought I could belong anywhere other than in his arms.
I breathe him in like oxygen, savoring his distinct scent until it’s burned into my brain. With any luck, I’ll get to smell it every day for the rest of my life.
“I’m sorry, Tucker, I-I’m so sorry,” I mumble into his chest through my tears.
“Shh,” he consoles me, rubbing a comforting hand up and down the length of my back. “It’s okay, Gracie. I’m here. I’m not letting you go.”
The tears turn into sobs. This man loves me so dearly. I don’t know what I did to deserve his love, but I won’t spend another second taking it—or him—for granted.
Tucker doesn’t say anything, he just continues to rub my back and holds me while I cry. Eventually the tears subside and I take a deep breath. Tucker loosens his hold on my body, letting me step slightly back from his embrace. But his hands remain on my upper arms, anchoring me.
“God,” I say with a wet laugh. “I probably look ridiculous right now.”
I bring my hands to my face, but Tucker wraps his fingers around my wrists and gently lowers them. He places his fingers on my cheeks and his thumbs beneath the corners of my eyes, and wipes away my tears with a featherlight touch.
“On the contrary, you’ve never looked better.”
I look up at him through wet lashes and his lips curve up in a half smile. A stray tear rolls down my cheek at the memory of the last time he said those words to me at the lake, but he swipes it away before it gets too far.
“I love you, Tucker Beaumont. I’m so sorry I left you—last night, and all those years ago.”
His eyes are glassy as he smiles at me, his own tears threatening to spill over. He slides his hands further down my face to cup my jaw. My own hands find their way to his waist, gripping as though he might slip away if I were to let go.
“I think I might love you until the day I die, Grace Clark.” His thumbs run back and forth across my jaw. “And if there’s a place after that, then I’ll love you until the very end.”
There aren’t enough words in the dictionary to put together a response worthy of what he’s just said.
So instead of telling him, I show him. Throwing my arms around his neck, I crash my lips into his.
Our lips move over one another in a dance we’ve done many times before.
The kiss itself is simple, almost sweet.
But it feels more intimate than any kiss that’s come before.
It’s our first kiss as an us again, after all this time.
And it’s one that’ll stay with me for the rest of my life.
With a sigh, Tucker breaks the kiss and leans his forehead against mine. “You have no idea the number of nights I spent lying awake just wishing I could hold you again, kiss you, see you. Damn it, Gracie, you never left my mind.”
“Four thousand, three hundred and eighty.” The number slips from between my lips without a second thought.
His head lifts, his dark eyes searching mine. “What?” The single word falls softly from his mouth.
“That’s how many nights—four thousand, three hundred and eighty.
You want to know how I know that? Because I spent every one of those days with you on my mind, but always just out of reach.
The presence of you in my thoughts was a haunting I couldn’t escape.
I have loved you for every single one of those nights, Tucker.
No one else.” The emotion claws at my throat, desperate to rip its way out.
His eyes are bright and glossy as they remain locked on mine, his expression soft. “There was never anyone else for me, either. There was never going to be anyone else. You’re it for me, Gracie. Always have been.” His voice cracks with emotion and it hits me square in the chest.
“You’ve always been it for me too, Tucker.” I sniffle, and he wipes a stray tear from my cheek. “I’m just sorry that it took me a little while to admit that to myself.”
He lets out a relieved sigh and smiles. “Thank God, because I’m yours, Grace. I was only ever meant to be yours.”
A wet laugh escapes me, and Tucker quirks a brow. “I just can’t believe we’ve spent the last twelve years apart when we could’ve been together. There ain’t many guarantees in this life, cowboy, but you and me? We’re one of ‘em.”
Tucker’s hand once again finds its way to my cheek. His thumb strokes back and forth, and I watch as his pupils dilate.
“Not a single damn day has passed where I haven’t regretted ruining our future together.
But if I had my time over? I wouldn’t change a damn thing.
” My lips part in an almost gape, my heart in my throat, but Tucker continues.
“I know it might sound insane, but everything we went through made us the people we are today. We might not have survived if we stayed together back then. Our experiences, the emotional turmoil we went through, made us who we are, here and now. We’re stronger because of it, and it’s our strength that’s brought us back together. ”
My throat grows thick with emotion. “I don’t think we’re ruined, for what it’s worth. I think we’ve just detoured on adjacent lines, never quite meeting until now. Now, though? Now we’re coming home.”