Chapter 28 #3
Heavy silence stretches between us for a moment. “My boys…” I start.
“Yeah,” he says, meeting my eyes.
We don’t need to say it. We both know. He was terrified. And he loved us anyway.
“Loving you all scared the hell out of me,” he admits, taking my hand in his.
“But I did it anyway. And then that picture of Ben…it brought everything back. The loss. The fear.” He swallows hard.
“That night…I failed Josh. I promised I’d be there, and I wasn’t.
Marbles got out, and for a second, I thought I lost him too. ”
“Tuck…” I whisper, my palm rising to cup his cheek.
“When I asked you to leave…” His eyes close briefly. “I was hurting. And instead of fighting for you, I pushed you away.”
“I’m so sorry,” I breathe.
“I’m the one who’s sorry, Maria.” He glances up, and I follow his gaze to the box, to my boys, who are watching, smiling, hopeful.
“Nicklas, and your boys, they helped me get you here tonight.”
A soft laugh slips out of me. “I had a feeling they were in on this.”
“I talked to Josh,” he says. “I told him I was sorry for missing his game. His winning goal.” His voice thickens. “I told him I’d show up whenever I could. Asked if I could stay in his life.”
“And?” I ask, my heart in my throat.
“He said yes.”
Emotion swells so big in my chest I can barely breathe. “He’s a good kid,” I whisper.
“He is.” Tuck squeezes my hand, anchoring himself to me. Then his voice drops. “I love you, Maria. I was so afraid of loving and losing…but when you walked out that door, I realized something.”
His eyes lock onto mine, and there’s nowhere to hide from the truth in them.
“It happened anyway,” he says, his voice breaking. “Everything I was terrified of—it all came true. I lost you.” He swallows hard. “But you didn’t walk away from me…I pushed you out. I let my fear win.”
My breath catches, my chest tightening at the raw honesty in his words. “Because you were scared,” I whisper gently.
“Yeah.” His thumb brushes over my knuckles, like he needs the contact as much as I do.
“I was terrified. Of loving you. Of loving the boys. Of building something real and then watching it disappear again.” His voice softens, steadier now, but no less emotional.
“But losing you showed me something I can’t ignore. ”
I lean in slightly, my heart pounding.
“That living without you is worse than anything I was afraid of.”
Tears sting my eyes.
“I don’t want to be scared anymore,” he continues, his grip tightening just enough to say everything he can’t. “And I don’t ever want to lose you again.”
“Tuck…” Tears spill over now, unstoppable. “I love you too. I never wanted to hurt you. But you have to trust us. Trust what we’re building. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I know,” he says softly. “And I want to keep Ben’s picture up.”
A small, watery smile lifts my lips. His heart isn’t just healing, he’s choosing to keep it open. “I think that’s exactly what you should do.”
He nods once, then inhales like he’s gathering every ounce of courage he has left.
“Josh said yes to me when I asked to stay in his life,” he says. “And I would really, really like it if you said yes, too.”
My brows knit. “What do you—”
He drops to one knee and the world tilts. “Oh my God,” I gasp, my hands flying to my mouth.
He holds out a ring, his hand trembling, but his eyes steady. “Will you marry me?” His voice is thick, emotional. “Make me the happiest husband…” He glances up toward the boys, a small smile breaking through. “Father…and cat dad…alive?”
A sob-laugh bursts out of me. “Yes,” I cry. “Yes!”
He slides the ring onto my finger, and the second he stands, I throw myself into his arms. The arena erupts around us—cheers, whistles, applause—but it all fades beneath the way he kisses me.
Like I’m everything. Like I’m home. When he pulls back, tears stream down my face as I stare at the ring, then at him.
“I love you so much, Maria.”
“I love you too.” I laugh shakily. “I need to tell Mom and Grant—”
He turns me gently and there they are. My mom. Grant. Both waving, beaming.
“My God,” I breathe. “Was everyone in on this?”
“Everyone,” he says with a grin. “Even Jaxon. He stopped by today to make sure you’d come. He had backup plans if the twenty-four-hour flu didn’t work.”
I laugh, shaking my head, overwhelmed, full. I glance up at the box—my boys, the WAGs—and hold up my hand. The second they see the ring, they explode into cheers, jumping and clapping, pure joy lighting their faces. My heart feels too big for my chest.
“What am I going to do with you?” I ask, turning back to him.
His grin turns wicked, playful, familiar. “Let’s go home,” he murmurs. “And I’ll show you.”
Home.
That one word has never sounded sweeter.
***
Thank you so much for reading, STICK LEGEND in my Boston Bucks series. I hope you loved this story as much as I loved writing it. Stayed tuned for more!!
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Happy Reading,
Cathryn