by Renee Dyer
Dinner makes me fall for Tucker even more. He went to a local grocery store and picked up a rotisserie chicken, but decided to dress it up with veggies and potatoes. He has a salad made and wine that he had shipped from his family’s vineyard in Greece. Chocolate caramel truffles end the meal and he hand feeds them to me. He took something so simple and made it romantic. He lights candles and stares into my eyes while we talk. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the only place in the world he wants to be.
Over dinner, we talk about my work and how busy things have been. I tell him how big Jesse has gotten since I last saw him. I love how he perked up at hearing about this little boy. I know losing his mom to cancer scarred him and I can tell anything to do with cancer affects him now. Thanks to him, Jesse is now a member of Cancer Forward, the foundation that Tucker is a part of and his college will be taken care of. I wish he could have seen Stacy’s face when the letter came in that Jesse was accepted into the foundation. She wouldn’t open the letter until Alahna and I got to her apartment.
“Come in,” Stacy says as she moves away from the door. I walk by her with Alahna trailing behind me. I can feel her nervousness. The letter she received is in her hand. I wonder if she’s been holding onto it since she got her mail today. Jesse comes running from his room the moment he hears us and launches into my arms. I hug him a minute longer than he thinks I should because he starts to squirm and I laugh. He runs to Alahna next and gets the same too long hug from her before returning to his room.
We all sit on the couch and Alahna and I wrap our arms around Stacy’s shoulders as she keeps folding and unfolding the envelope. I place my hand on top of hers and she looks at me, her brown eyes, so like Jesse’s, are full of apprehension. “Do you want one of us to open it for you?” I offer. She gives me a small smile and hands me the envelope with shaking hands.
I open the envelope and pull the letter out, my nerves skyrocketing as I unfold the paper. I can feel how uneasy Stacy is. She’s twirling her brown hair around her finger as she leans into Alahna for support. I offer her a friendly smile before I look at the paper and start to read.
“Dear Ms. Hart,
The family of Cancer Forward would like to welcome you and Jesse with open arms.”
That’s as far as I get before Stacy launches herself into my arms. “They accepted him!” she squeals. “Oh my God, they accepted him!” Tears stream down her cheeks, but she’s radiating joy. Alahna and I both wrap our arms around her and celebrate with a group hug. I had skimmed the letter before reading it and she’s right. They did accept him. His college will be covered and I can’t be happier for my friend.
Tucker beams when I tell him about Jesse being accepted. I wonder if he had anything to do with it. He assures me he didn’t and that he never has anything to do with the decision process. He tells me about a benefit that Cancer Forward is planning in the spring and that he would love for me to come to L.A. for the event. I feel my insides turn to mush that he’d want me there and that he’s thinking we’ll be together in the spring.
He tells me about the show and his new leading lady. At first, I feel jealous of her and the friendship he tells me he’s forming with her, but then I think of the fact that he hasn’t been able to form friendships in his life and try to keep my feelings in check. I hate that she’s there with him when I can’t be, but I have to trust that he’s a good man. A lesser man wouldn’t be sitting here telling me about the friendship at all. He would hide it. I need to remember that when jealousy rears its ugly head and I start to miss him.
I listen as he tells me that Grant is harassing Victoria. I don’t fully understand why this is his problem or why it’s bothering him, but I try to. He tells me there was a time that he and she were friends and because of that, he can’t stand to know that bastard is hurting her. He understands they weren’t truly a couple and he despises what she did to him, but watching him torment her, makes him angry. I’m not sure how to feel about that so I stay quiet. I don’t think anything I say will help his feelings.
I ask how his friend Eddie is doing and he tells me that he’s a damn slave driver. He always tells me that, but I can see there’s something else he isn’t saying so I ask. He’s honest and tells me that Eddie isn’t one hundred percent on board with our relationship after how I left him over the summer. I take that news in and I accept it. How I left Tucker was horrible. It was deplorable, actually, and I intend to spend every day, for as long as he’ll have me, making it up to him. I’ll tell Eddie that if I ever get the chance to meet him. I tell this to Tucker. The smile that graces his face has me melting in my seat. I want him to know that I understand the mistake I made. I can’t say that I won’t make more or that things will be perfect with us, but I plan to work hard at keeping us an us. I want this to work. I only hope I can show his friend. I don’t want Tucker to feel like he has to go between Eddie and me. That’s not fair to him.
It’s such a relaxing night. We clean up dinner. He washes the dishes and I dry and put them away. We snuggle on the couch and talk more about Blake and Mickayla’s wedding and the upcoming holidays. A little after ten, Tucker tells me he wants to take me to bed because we need our rest. He doesn’t want me tired on the trails in the morning. He takes me by the hand and leads me to the room where we’re reminded that I hadn’t finished unpacking.
He helps me finish putting my stuff away and we get ourselves ready for bed. I slide in beside him and enjoy the way his naked skin feels against mine. I snuggle into his side and breathe out a contented sigh. It’s been too long since I could simply relax into him. His hand runs through my hair and I feel myself light up at his touch.
“I thought you said we needed our rest?” I ask, looking at him with a raised brow and a smirk on my face.
“Sweetness, do you think I can ever be in a bed with your naked body and not take advantage of it?”
And, take advantage he does. He has me screaming his name so loudly, I’m sure we’ve woken every animal in the woods around us. A while later, I’m sated and my eyes are heavy. I lay in his arms, the heat of his body lulling me to sleep. Tucker kisses my neck lightly and whispers, “Sweet dreams, Adriana.”
Chapter Thirty Two
Tucker
Adriana is up before the sun and has us stretching for our hike. She’s beyond excited and I find her adorable and sexy as hell. I love that she doesn’t care about going without make-up and has her hair in a ponytail at the base of her neck. She still looks stunning to me. Her ass-hugging yoga pants are screaming at me to tear them off every time she bends over in a stretch. I know she said we need to get the blood flowing and our muscles working, but the only muscle working on me right now is my dick. It’s ready to jump out of my pants and tear through her clothes to get to her soft, wet center that it knows is waiting there for him. Having her twice yesterday wasn’t even close to enough.
“Tucker, stop staring at my ass and stretch,” she commands. “You don’t want to cramp up heading up the mountain and I don’t want you sore as hell tomorrow.” I give her a, “Please?” look that she returns with a, “I know what the fuck I’m talking about” look. I want to laugh at her because she’s so serious. I don’t know why I’m giving her such a hard time. I stretch before working out every day. I know the importance of it. I think I just like to see her fiery side come out.
I watch her pack her gear and I sit in awe. She’s a pro. She rambles about how she, Alex, and Adrian used to hike all the time. She thanks me for this because she hasn’t been on a hike since Alex passed even though Adrian has asked her to go. She couldn’t find the strength within herself to be okay with doing this without Alex by her side, but now she realizes that he would want her to move on and do the things that she loves. I watch her face to see if she’s going to go vacant and she never does. I don’t see sadness sweep across her face like it did when I first met her back in June. Things are changing with Adriana and I smile. I’m happy that she seems to be accepting that Alex is gone.
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br /> She packs snacks, water, a first aid kit… I stop watching after that and go get my gear that I already had packed. When I come back, I can feel the excitement wafting off her. She has a smile that is stretching from ear to ear and I want to hug Mickayla for telling me how much Adriana loves hiking. I give her a smack on the ass as we walk out the door and the yelp she gives makes me smile almost as big as she was. I can’t wait to see her in her element.
It’s a brisk morning, the sun barely up as we head to the car. I got directions to the trails yesterday. We have to drive to a small parking area by Nash Stream. I already scoped it out so I know where to go. I know Adriana will love it. The foliage over the river is beautiful. She told me she was bringing her camera and she showed me how her tripod folded up so it could attach to the bottom of her backpack. I have a feeling we’ll be making a few stops along the way for her to snap shots.
As we drive, I watch her a few times and see how she checks out all the houses and the scenery as we pass by. “It’s so peaceful here,” she says. “You must love the quiet.” I see how she visibly flinches from her own words and I hate that she worries she upset me. It’s true. I love the quiet and that this is the last place the paparazzi would want to come. It’s too off the grid for them, not exotic enough.
“I do love it. That’s why I bought the cabin we’re staying in.” I see her face whip around to stare at me and I focus hard on the road in front of me. This was not how I planned to tell her. I wanted to wait until we were at the top of the mountain and we were looking at it through binoculars. I wanted to have a talk with her about how great the place was. So much for how I planned things.
“Y-you bought it? When? Why? Have you wanted a place in the mountains for a long time?” She starts firing questions at me and I can’t stop the laugh that barrels out of me.
“Slow down, sweetness. When I was planning this weekend, I looked at several mountains we could stay at. I had actually booked a different place in North Conway at first, but then I came across this cabin and it was for sale. I looked at the pictures of it and fell in love with it. All I could think was, ‘I can see myself relaxing with Adriana there. It can be where we go to get away when we have time. That can be our place.’ So, I bought it. That’s it.”
“Just like that? You saw it, thought of relaxing with me, and bought it?” Her voice is skeptical.
“Just like that. You have no idea how much I enjoy your company.”
She’s quiet during the remaining few minutes of the ride and I let her be. I’m not sure if she thinks buying the cabin is an over-the-top decision or if she thinks it’s a romantic gesture and I’m afraid to ask. I find a spot to park and grab our gear from the back. She quickly does a couple more stretches and asks if I mind if she checks out the stream before we start our hike. I shake my head no. There’s not much I mind with her, but I don’t think she understands that. Hand in hand, we walk over to the stream and I watch as wonder fills her eyes. I see the moment her artist eye takes over. The moment where she’s not just looking at a stream and the colors of autumn reflecting off the water, but she sees a painting staring back at her.
She puts her pack down and takes her camera out. I watch as she snaps shots from different angles. She walks around me, getting different views and heights. I see how she zooms in and out and I wish I were looking through the lens to see what she sees. She snaps a few shots of me, then puts the timer on, and gets a couple of the two of us. I have a feeling those will be my favorite. She doesn’t put her camera away, but puts her backpack on. I nod to her and she shrugs. She has something planned, but I don’t know what.
We head to the trail and she points. I look up and see a sign for the entrance to Percy Peaks Trails. “Photo op?” She holds her camera up at me and smiles.
“Only if you’re in it with me.”
“Okay, but there are no rocks here. I just need a minute to put my tripod up.” One minute is an exaggeration. I think it takes her about thirty seconds to have it set up and the timer ready to go. She knows her way around her camera. We decide on a second picture and then a third one just to act goofy.
Camera and tripod put away, we start our trek up the mountain. I let her take the lead. I’ve never hiked a mountain before and I’m enjoying the view of her delectable ass. If she starts to slide or fall, I won’t mind giving her a hand to stabilize. The trail is well marked so it’s easy to know where we’re going. She tells me this is normal and that the New Hampshire mountains are well maintained. I have to take her word for this.
Conversation comes naturally, as we go back to talking about my show. She wants to know more about Cammie. This is where I wonder how much to say. I saw that she was uneasy last night when I mentioned the friendship I have with her, but Cammie is like the little sister I never had. What I want to tell her is how worried I am about Cammie right now. Grant has been eyeing her down. He smiles at her a lot and tries to make eye contact with her. I tried warning Cammie about him, but she told me when she looks at him, all she sees is a man with a lot of hurt in his heart. Cammie is a lot like Adriana. She sees the good in everyone and wants to help. She doesn’t see how much of an asshole Grant is. I’m worried that he’ll go after her just because he sees she’s become friends with me and break the kind spirit she is.
Can I say that to Adriana?
Our relationship is so new and it’s gone bad fast before. Would telling her all of this truth push her away from me again? I’ve talked to Grams about it and she says that in a good relationship you should be able to talk about anything. I want to believe that what Adriana and I are trying to build is a good relationship, but I’m scared. Things with us are still new. We’re feeling out the waters and seeing where we fit. Will talking about my concerns for another woman make waves?
She senses my unease and calls me on it. She actually asks me if there’s something she should know about Cammie and me. I give my girl credit—she has gumption. I make her stop and turn to look at me while I tell her there is no other woman I want. She’s the only one who has my attention. We start walking again and I decide to be completely honest. I tell her exactly how I feel about Cammie. How I feel protective of her like a big brother would feel of his younger sister. I tell her I’m worried about what Grant is going to do and that I think he’s going to do it to get at me. And, I tell her that I have no idea why Grant hates me so much, but I can tell he does. I feel it every time he looks at me.
She listens and her words astound me. She tells me she’s proud of me that I let down my walls enough to make a friend. That, from what she’s learned about me, she knows that’s not easy for me. She wants to meet Cammie because she must be an incredible person if she got through my thick head and wanting to talk in the first place. All my worry over her being jealous melts away. If she is jealous, she’s doing a damn good job of hiding it.
We stop several times for her to take pictures if the sun filters through the trees just right or the dew from the morning creates the right effect on a leaf; little things that, to her, create grand levels of beauty. She sets up the tripod so there will be pictures of us at different levels of the mountain. The most amazing thing we see along the way is this rock, and I can’t just call it a rock. It’s a boulder jutting out from the mountain. It has to be at a hundred feet long and close to half that high. There are trees growing from the top of it. It’s one of the most incredible sites I’ve ever seen. There are several other boulders around it and I make my way to the top. Adriana wastes no time snapping pictures and teasing me about how tiny I look up there. Of course, I make her climb up so I can take her picture and tease her that she’s even tinier while grabbing a few kisses as I help her climb down.
Even with all of my working out, I can tell I’m going to feel this tomorrow. Hiking is a completely different training regimen and I can feel the burn in my legs. I won’t complain because I love getting to be out here with Adriana and she hasn’t stopped smiling. I hope she’s feeling okay. I know she used to hike
, but she hasn’t for a while and I don’t know if the workout routine she does now keeps her fit enough for this. I should have thought of this before planning this outing.
The slope starts getting steeper and I find I‘m out of breath, but Adriana just powers through. It’s fucking hot watching her lead me. Here, on the mountain, there is no shy Adriana. She takes charge and pushes me to my limits.
About two hours into our hike, we come to a place of pure flat rock. I’m not sure how we’re supposed to continue climbing. Adriana walks over to a nearby tree and I see her shuffling around with something before she turns back to me. “You coming?”
I look at her, look up at the flat rock, and down to where the rock continues out of my line of vision. “Coming where, sweetness? I don’t see a trail anymore and that rock doesn’t look climbable.”
“It’s granite.”
“Huh?”
“The rock—it’s granite. You are in the granite state, you know. Now come on, you cry baby.” I watch as she starts scaling the rock using a rope that I hadn’t seen. I’m not a crybaby, but I also don’t see where that’s a sturdy rope either. I watch her, wringing my hands the entire time. When she gets to the top she, jumps up and down with her hands in the air, yelling, “I’m the champ.” I laugh at her.
“What happens if the rope breaks?”
“You fall to your death, I suppose,” she says, crinkling her nose at me. “That’s a huge rope though, Tucker. It’s sturdy. Now, get your ass up here. I can see the peak from here. We’re almost to the top.” She starts clapping like a little kid excited to get an ice cream. Refusing to let my tiny girlfriend show me up, I grab onto the rope. With an uneasy stomach, I scale the granite slab. I don’t particularly like heights, but I wouldn’t say I have a fear of them either. At least, I didn’t think I did. They’ve never been a hindrance before now, but I’m sweating buckets as she stands above me, looking down in amusement. I keep telling myself, if she can do this, so can I.
