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“Hey, Chloe,” he says when we step out of the car. He looks at me with a grim nod. “Why don’t you come hang out with me for a while so Scarlett can go chat with your dad?”
“Cool,” Chloe says.
“Go share some of that food with Rick,” I say with a smile. “But save some fries for me.”
“Okay,” she says as she hurries up to the house and they disappear inside. I walk over to Tuck’s and knock on the door.
“Where’s Chloe?” he asks when he opens the door.
“She’s with my dad, eating my lunch.”
He nods. “Okay, just send her over when she’s done.”
“Hey, Tuck, I’d like to chat with you, if that’s okay.”
“Now she wants to chat,” he mutters as he steps back, letting me inside. “It’s about damn time because I’ve had half of the town filling me in on what you’re doing, and I’m at a complete loss.”
I frown. “Damn small towns.”
He just watches me with hurt eyes, and I know without a doubt that I have to fix this. Right now.
“So, I came up with a plan.” I have to pace his living room. I can’t stand still. “After we spoke last week, I was just so sad, so heartsick. Because I don’t want to be without you, Tuck. I just love you and Chloe so much, I figured there has to be a way to work it out. And then Dad’s house started crumbling around me, and I was like…you need a new house.”
“Rick’s house is crumbling?”
“Let me get this out.”
Tucker holds up his hands in surrender, and I keep going.
“So, I thought, what if I build a house here in New Hope? Because I love it here so much, and I didn’t know how much I missed it until I was back again. And if I build a house, I could build Dad a guest house on the property. And if I’m gonna do all that, I might as well build Lexi and Jason a house, too.”
“That’s a lot of houses.”
I give him the stink-eye, and he stops talking, but the corners of his lips turn up, which is encouraging.
“I couldn’t just march over here and say, ‘never mind everything I said the other day. I’ll move home, and we’ll be together.’”
“Why? That actually sounds really good. I would’ve liked that a lot.”
“Because they’re just words, Tuck. I’ve made you too many promises that I had to break. Words don’t mean anything. Actions do. So, I decided to build the house, and show you that I’m serious about planting roots in New Hope. I know we’ll still have to work out how touring works, and all of the other craziness that is my career, but I can be based out of South Carolina. There’s no rule that says I have to live in Nashville if I’m a country star.”
“You do realize that the house can take up to two years to be built?” he says. “So, were you going to just wait around for two years to fill me in on your plan?”
“I hadn’t gotten that far yet,” I confess and bite my lip. “I mean, probably not, because I really miss you and I think about you every second of every day, but I had to have something in place to prove to you that I’m willing to do my part to bend to make this work. I can compromise. I love you, Tuck. I don’t want to just throw that away.”
Finally, finally, he sweeps me up in his arms and kisses me like his life depends on it. And for the first time in weeks, the knot in my belly loosens.
“I’ve been a wreck,” he confesses when he comes up for air. “I almost beat the shit out of Dawson because I thought he took you out on a date.”
“What? No, I’m not dating him. He’s going to build the houses.”
“I know that now. It was just making me crazy that you were planning to move here but not be in my life. How was I supposed to see you all the time and not touch you? Not love you?”
“So, my plan had holes.”
“A few, yeah.”
“Chloe knows,” I confess with a smile.
“My own daughter was in on the plan?”
“Only as of about an hour ago,” I reply. “And she’s kind of excited at the thought of decorating her own room. If you forgive me, that is.”
“I thought the kissing thing kind of implied that I forgave you.”
I cup his face in my hands. “I love you, Tucker Andrews.”
“I love you, even though you make me crazy. Being married to you won’t be boring.”
I freeze. “Married?”
“Oh, babe. If you think I’m not putting a rock on that finger, you’re the crazy one. You’re mine, from now until the end of time. And, frankly, I don’t give two fucks if we live in New Hope or Nashville, as long as we’re together.”
