“You did perfectly.” Tucker’s eyes move over me, this time straying from my face to trace a quick path down my body before bouncing back up. “Two down, six to go.”
“Six?” The single word is strangled as it wrenches free.
Tucker saunters toward me, lifting one hand to count off on his fingers. “My mom and dad, Toby and Brooke, Trevor and Walker.”
That’s a lot. So many people I have to fool. Not only into thinking I’m blissfully in love with Tucker, but also that I’m the sweet, friendly, outgoing person they would likely expect to be at his side.
And that’s a problem. Because I’m not sweet. Not really friendly. Definitely not outgoing.
All I bring to the table is sarcasm and a great set of tits.
I guess my ass isn’t bad either, but I doubt any of those things will impress Deidre Bradshaw.
“Hey.” Tucker comes to a stop right in front of me, bringing both his hands to cradle my face. “It’s going to be okay.”
“How is it going to be okay?” I can’t hide the outrage in my voice. “You told your brother you were thinking of proposing.”
Tucker winces a little at the sharpness of my tone. “That was sort of unavoidable.” He shakes his head. “Right when he brought you up it hit me that there’s no way I would move in with a woman I wasn’t fully committed to.”
“Except you would never fully commit to a woman, so there’s still a major flaw in your plan.” I also can’t imagine if Tucker Bradshaw were to decide to fully commit to a woman, she would be jobless, homeless, a single mother, and sort of mean.
Technically, I have a job offer, so I’m not entirely shit show material. Just mostly.
Especially when you factor in the early morning visits from yes-men out to do their boss’s bidding by threatening women and children.
“That flaw isn’t as glaring as you believe it is.” Tucker shakes his head. “I don’t think my mother has ever believed I sincerely don’t want to be in a relationship.”
It’s really starting to get to me that I don’t have any clue why Tucker is so committed to being single. But I know if I start asking him questions, he’s going to start asking me questions. And as much as I want his answers, I absolutely do not want to have to give him any of mine.
My past is yet another thing I do my best to ignore.
“I guess we’ll find out on Thursday.” I try to take a deep breath and fail. “Unless your mom shows up here before then.” One hand flies to my head, resting against my brow. “What if she comes when you’re not here?” My other hand goes to my stomach. “I can’t face her by myself.”
“Then I guess you’ll have to come to work with me.” Tucker flashes a grin. “Because I’ve got to be there the rest of theweek.”
Going to work with Tucker sounds like a terrible idea, but still better than risking facing his mother on my own. “What about Birdie?”
“Birdie’s coming too.” Tucker brings one finger to rest under my chin. “She’ll have everyone there wrapped around her little finger by lunchtime.”
Before I can fully prepare, Tucker leans in and presses his lips against mine exactly the way I did to him earlier. Thank God I was the one on the giving end, because I react in exactly the way I was scared he would, my spine going stiff, a gasp sucking through my nose, and my hands flying out at a weird angle.
Pulling back, Tucker gives me a smirk. “You might want to practice acting like you enjoy kissing me back, because that sort of reaction isn’t going to help our cause.”
“I know.” I can’t even keep the snark out of my voice. I’m frustrated. Aggravated I’m now a potential fiancée instead of a girlfriend. Annoyed that I can’t even kiss him right. Worried his mother is going to take one look at me, curl her lip, and announce I’m a fraud. And then Tucker will send me back to my apartment with nothing.
It wouldn’t be the first time a man went back on the promises he made me.
“Hey.” Tucker’s hands run up and down my arms, smoothing a path of warmth over my skin. “Don’t wor?—”
My phone starts to vibrate in my pocket, cutting him off. I want him to keep comforting me, which is why I make myself step away, digging the cell from my pocket.
But instead of answering it, I stare at the screen, panic flaring through me—way stronger than any I’ve felt about meeting Deidre Bradshaw—when I see the name flashing across the display.
WilliamSheppard
I start to shake, the fear of what will happen if I can’t get Birdie safely away from him making me spiral as the world spins out around me.
“Ruth?” I barely register Tucker saying my name. It’s like he’s far away. Out of reach.
