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“All right, after breakfast, we’ll all pack and head out,” Tucker says as he helps Kingston get some more bacon from the plate on the counter.
“Then I’ll save the champagne for the cabin,” Dalton replies, catching my eye. “Unless you want some?”
“I’m good for now,” I assure him with a smile, and he puts the glasses back in the cabinet while I get a plate.
It doesn’t take long for everyone to settle in, and as we eat, the conversation turns to work for the guys, while Willow, Hazel, and I talk about kids and life. It’s everything I didn’t know I was missing while I was with Bowie. And although I didn’t need my friends or family to like him in order for me to be with him, I can see now that it would have made a huge difference in our relationship if they had.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
tucker
“Walker, calm down.” Miranda sighs for the fifth time in two minutes, and it takes all my willpower not to take her phone and toss it out the fucking window. The call from her brother started out with her audibly happy to hear from him, but after she told him about me, her tone quickly shifted to one filled with defensiveness and frustration. “Like I told you already, he’s a detective, and—” He obviously cuts her off. “He’s nothing like Bowie, Walker.”
She drags in a deep breath, and I glance in the rearview mirror to check on Kingston, who’s still asleep and has been since we started driving two hours ago. “Well, I don’t need your permission or approval to date anyone.” I see her glance over at me out the corner of her eye before she whispers, “I’m going to hang up on you if you keep being a jerk.” She pauses again. “I can understand you have questions, but you’re not here, Walker. And with how you’re responding to me telling you that I’ve met someone, there is no way I’m going to put him on the phone with you.”
She pauses, then groans, “If you come for a visit, you’ll get to know him then.” She goes quiet again, then whispers, “I love you, but there is nothing you can say that will make me question my decision, so you should stop trying.” I glance over to see her looking out the window. “I get that you’re worried after what happened with Bowie, but Tucker is nothing like him. He’s kind and honest and so sweet with Kingston, who absolutely adores him. He makes me happy and hopeful, and you’re just going to trust me, because I don’t want to hang up the phone being angry with you, but I will if you say anything else except ‘I support you and trust that you’re smart enough not to choose another man who will mistreat you.’”
She inhales deeply after that, then lets out a long breath as she listens to her brother speak. “Okay, well, I hope you’re able to do that. I miss you, and it would be nice for your nephew to know that you exist in real life and not just on the screen of a phone. Plus, I’d like to meet this girl you’re seeing.” A minute passes before she whispers, “I love you too. Please be safe.” She hangs up and places her phone in the cup holder next to mine. “Sorry about that.”
“You okay?” I reach over for her hand, and she wraps her fingers around mine.
“Yeah, he’s worried and being an annoying big brother.”
“He loves you.”
“I know. That’s the only reason I didn’t toss my phone out the window.”
I chuckle, and she squeezes my fingers. “He’s going to try to come visit this summer when our parents are here.”
“That will be good.”
“When he meets you, he’ll understand, but right now—”
“Baby,” I cut her off, “I’m not worried about your brother’s opinion of me.”
“I know, but I want you two to get along. He didn’t like Bowie, and I know that’s part of the reason why he never wanted to visit.”
“What’s the other part?”
She goes quiet for a moment. “Honestly, I think he stayed away, because if he came to the States, he’d feel obligated to see our parents.”
“They don’t get along?”
“They do, but there’s always been animosity between my dad and him, maybe even between my mom and him too.”
I glance over at her. “Explain that.”
“Our dad cheated on our mom while we were growing up.” She fiddles with my fingers. “I don’t just mean he had an affair and realized he messed up, then worked to repair things. He would cheat, get caught, apologize, and beg forgiveness, then do it again with someone else.”
“Baby.” I flip my hand over and squeeze her thigh. Even if her trauma wasn’t the same as mine, it’s obvious from her tone that it still left scars behind.
