Chapter 5
Tucker
“You’re going to get stuck.” Ruth calls up at me as I follow Birdie across the swinging bridge connecting one climbing tower to the other. “This thing isn’t made for someone your size.”
I pause at the end of the swaying path, leaning against the rope railing to give her a grin. “You don’t have to flatter me, sweetheart. We’ve already got a deal.”
And thank fucking God for that.
Ruth rolls her eyes at me and I grin wider. I like that she’s not returning my flirtations or falling on my cock. It’s going to make all this so much simpler. Will make it easy peasy to keep things nice and neat between us.
Birdie races behind me, running back the way we just came, her high-pitched giggles just as adorable as her momma’s continuous eye-rolling.
I give Ruth a wink before stepping heavily on the flexible planks, making them bounce and Birdie cackle. “I’m gonna get you.”
The toddler squeals, turning to wobble her way to the next platform.
I follow her path, offering boosts and encouragement as she slowly climbs her way to the top of the equipment. Once we’re there, we’ve only got one way down. And I’m pretty confident Birdie can’t go down the enclosed, twisting slide on her own.
I hold her hand to make sure she doesn’t attempt it, and lean over the rail to find Ruth. “Hey, momma?”
She steps into view, hands on her very appealing hips. “I’m not coming up there to save you. If you’re stuck, I’m calling the fire department.”
“First off, if I get stuck, we’re calling my brother to come get me out. Second, is it okay if I take Little Bird down the slide with me?”
Ruth doesn’t know me. She knows of me—and obviously of my reputation—but she doesn’t really know what kind of man I am. Putting her daughter on my lap isn’t something I’m going to do without permission.
“Well, she can’t come down alone.” Ruth narrows her eyes at me. “But I want to be very clear that if you turn out to be a creep, you’re going to have to find a new hobby. Because I will divest you of the appendage required for your current one.”
“Understood.” If I didn’t already think Ruth was a good mom, her willingness to commit acts of violence to keep her daughter safe would have done it.
I know another mother willing to do the same. And while I might not be thrilled with her current hobby of getting me and my brothers hitched, my mom is the best there is.
“Get ready for us, momma.” I wedge both legs into the opening, managing to get on my ass before helping Birdie into the spot in front of me. “You ready, Little Bird?”
She claps and I take it as a yes.
It’s not as easy to get going as I expected, but after a few seconds of wiggling from one ass cheek to the other, we finally start to slide, the static our bodies create snapping at my skin as we twirl toward the ground.
As soon as we reach the bottom, Ruth reaches for Birdie.
“Wait.” I stretch one hand out. “Touch me first so you don’t shock her.”
Ruth hesitates, looking at me like I’ve lost my mind, before slowly bringing her fingers to mine. The second we touch, electricity zings between us, crawling over the back of my hand and up my forearm. Her eyes jump to mine, like the sensation surprised her, and our gazes lock for just a second.
I’m so focused on her expression, I don’t notice she’s still touching me until she yanks her hand away, clenching it into a fist before reaching for her daughter.
She scoops Birdie up, swinging her into the air, both their faces lighting up as she spins them around. I find myself smiling along with them. Not just because their happiness is contagious, but also because I’m feeling a little smug.
My mother is going to eat this shit up. She’s going to be thrilled to have another grandbaby to spoil and dote on. The kid will probably have so much shit Ruth’ll have to get a bigger place to accommodate all of—
Well, fuck. In all our fun at the park, I almost forgot about the state of Ruth’s apartment.
Now, thinking about how much my mother is going to spoil Birdie, my brain is circling back to the nearly empty space and the mattress on the floor.
I thought the outside of the building was bad, but seeing how little Ruth and her daughter have hit me harder than any leaking roof or crumbling foundation ever could.
I stand from the slide, wiping my still tingling hand against the leg of my jeans as I follow Ruth to the picnic table where she left their gear.
Straddling the bench, she situates Birdie next to her, keeping a hand on the little girl's back as she digs into the front zippered compartment of the bag.
Pulling out a pouch of applesauce, she twists off the cap and hands it to her daughter.
While Birdie eats her snack, I take the spot on her other side, offering a barrier in case she loses her balance and starts to tip.
At first, I was thrilled to see how mobile a kid her age is.
The twins will be visiting my house sooner than I thought, and I’ll be the favorite uncle sooner than anyone else will expect.
But my focus on beating my brothers in the favorite uncle race has taken second priority for a minute.
First, I want to know why Ruth and Birdie are living the way they are, and what I need to do to fix it.
Not only because my mother would be appalled I’d let my girlfriend and her daughter live like that, but also because Ruth is helping me and I want to help her back.
Unfortunately, we don’t know each other well enough for me to get a good read on how to make that happen, so I decide to start asking what I hope are benign questions.
“Did you just move into your place?”
Ruth’s dark brows pinch together as she shakes her head. “No. Why?”
“I just noticed it was pretty empty. Thought maybe your furniture hadn’t been delivered yet.” I hope that’s the case, anyway.
Rubbing her lips together, I watch as she decides how much to tell me. It’s obvious she’s holding a lot back—I don’t blame her, I am too—but I need to know at least a little bit about her if we’re going to pull this off.
And if I’m going to make sure these two are comfortable and happy while we do it.
“I’m actually in the process of moving.” She won’t look at me as she goes back to digging through the bag, this time pulling out a cup filled with water.
That’s good news. It’s not that she doesn’t have furniture, it’s probably just been packed up into one of those storage cubes you can have delivered to your new place. “Where to?”
Ruth’s lower lip pinches between her teeth as she twists the lid of Birdie’s cup, revealing a pop up drinking spout. “Maryland.”
“Maryland?” It turns out the move isn’t good news at all. “When?”
Now I know why Ruth was worried about my timetable. She’s got one of her own. And it’s limited as hell.
She takes a breath so deep it lifts her shoulders before admitting, “I’m supposed to start my new job in three weeks.”
That doesn’t give me much to work with. Three weeks won’t offer me much time to convince my mother I’m desperately in love. If anything, it could actually make my situation worse. Give my mom hope I’ve changed my ways and encourage her to strike while the iron’s hot after Ruth leaves.
“So you need money for the move.” It’s not a difficult deduction to make.
Ruth’s eyes drop to her daughter. “I’m technically breaking my lease, so they aren’t going to give me my deposit back. And it is surprisingly expensive to move across the country, even without the expense of hiring movers.”
So what I saw is what she’s got. Don’t like that. Not one bit.
I have a lot more questions for Ruth, but I feel like I've probably pushed my luck about as far as it’ll go today. So I turn my attention to Birdie, giving the little girl a smile. "Are you ready to go back home, Little Bird?"
She shakes her head, curls bouncing around her face. "No."
"You can't ask her that question. She would live here if I let her." Ruth stands, packing up the items she pulled out of the bag. "This kid has energy levels like I've never seen before."
I chuckle. "That's because you didn't see me and my brothers growing up."
Remembering my own childhood was a huge factor in deciding to build a play area in my basement. Outdoor playgrounds like this are great in the warm weather, but the minute it's cold or rainy, kids are stuck in the house. And I know firsthand, when kids are stuck in the house, shit gets broken.
And it's usually expensive shit.
Ruth shakes her head, huffing out a laugh. "I can only imagine the torture you guys put your mother through."
“I bet you can.” I keep my smile easy so she knows I’m not upset. “It seems like you’ve done your homework on me.”
“I didn’t mean to do homework on you.” She gives me an almost sheepish smile. “It’s more like gossip about the Bradshaw brothers is pretty hard to avoid around here.”
That’s probably more accurate than I want to think about. It’s strange when everyone knows who you are. Handy at times, but strange. “I’ve been told I’ve got a little bit of a reputation.”
Ruth snorts. “A little bit?”
Helping Birdie down off her seat at the picnic table, I decide to rip off the Band-Aid and address the elephant in the room. “Is that why you thought you’d be able to convince me we slept together?”
Ruth looks away, seeming a little embarrassed.
Or maybe even ashamed.
“I’m not a bad person.” She snaps it out, tone defensive.
“I didn’t say you were.” I don’t get that vibe from her at all. All I see is a mother willing to do whatever it takes to provide for her child. It’s what every kid deserves, but doesn’t always get.
Ruth huffs out a breath, like she’s annoyed by the conversation. “I honestly never expected you to know I was lying. I assumed you wouldn’t remember every single interaction you’ve ever had.”
Now, that hurts my feelings a little. Bothers me way more than her trying to use me for money ever could. “So I’m not supposed to think you’re a bad person, but you aren’t going to offer me the same benefit?”
“It’s not about being a bad person. You’re just—” She waves one hand around where I stand. “You. Everyone knows you’re just out to have fun, so I assumed—”
I scoff. “You assumed I’m an asshole who doesn’t give a shit about the women he takes to bed.” Not wanting a relationship and using women for sex are two totally different things, and I only partake in one of them.
“Ash ho.” Birdie grins up at me, clearly proud of her mimicking skills.
Ruth holds both hands out, eyes widening on my face, giving me a see what you’ve done? look.
I knew I was going to struggle with watching my mouth around the twins. But like so much else, I believed I had time to work on it. It’s yet another timetable I’m going to have to move up.
If Ruth and I can find a way to make this plan work.
And I want it to work. I still believe Ruth is the perfect person for the job. She clearly isn’t a huge fan of mine, and definitely doesn’t think the best of me, so it’s not like she’s going to want anything more. Plus, she’s leaving town soon, putting a limit on how long this can drag out.
All I have to do is convince my mother I’m desperately in love so she’ll believe I’m heartbroken enough to leave me alone once Ruth and Birdie move to Maryland.
“Let’s get you girls back home.” Reaching one hand out, I let Birdie grip my fingers for balance as we slowly walk our way back to their building. The trip is nearly silent, and by the time we arrive, I’m pretty sure Ruth has decided against helping me out.
If she has, so be it. I’ve already decided I’ll be giving her what she needs to move regardless. There’s not a lot of opportunity around here, and I want to help her move up and move on.
After a painfully long trip to the third floor—since Birdie refused to be carried—I linger just inside the door, waiting for Ruth to tell me she’s changed her mind so I can write her a check and figure something else out.
I watch as she helps Birdie wash her hands and face, then takes off her shoes and snuggles the toddler into bed, switching on a toy that plays music while illuminating with a soft glow.
After flipping off the lights, she comes to where I’ve been hovering, smoothing both hands down the front of her shirt before lifting her eyes to mine. “So how do you want to do this? Do I just need to meet your family and hang out at your house a couple times?”
I can’t hide my surprise. “You’re still in?”
“Of course I’m still in.” Her eyes move around her empty apartment. “In case you haven’t noticed, I really need the money.”
I know it’s a terrible idea, but I can’t stop myself from admitting, “I’ll give you the money anyway, Ruth. You don’t have to do anything to earn it.”
Ruth’s gaze jumps to my face, eyes so wide her long lashes nearly touch her brows. “What? Why would you do that?”
“Because you need it. Because you’re a good mom. And because I want to help you and Birdie live a better life.” The explanation is pretty simple to me, but it only seems to confuse Ruth more.
“No.” She frowns. “That wouldn’t be fair. I said I would help you, so I’m going to help you.”
I chuckle a little at the about-face she’s made. “That’s a pretty big change coming from somebody who showed up on my doorstep twenty-four hours ago planning to trick me into believing I had a secret love child.”
Like she has so many times before, Ruth rolls her eyes at me. “That was before.”
I wait for her to elaborate, but she doesn’t, forcing me to ask, “Before, what?”
Ruth sighs. “Before I found out you weren’t a total jerkface.” She fishes her phone from the back pocket of her jeans, waking it up. “Now give me your number and tell me what I have to do, so I can mentally prepare.”
I wish I could tell her she didn’t need to prepare, but this probably isn’t going to be anything like the walk we just took to the park.
We’re pretty much going to have to fly by the seat of our pants and go with the flow.
There’s only one direction I can really give her, and it feels fucking weird coming out of my mouth.
“The only thing you really have to do is pretend you love me.”