Ryan
Tucker showed up right at 11 o’clock. I grabbed Bessie’s car harness, picked up her leash and a picnic basket, walked her outside, then locked the door.
We walked to Tucker’s SUV and I opened the back door. I leaned my head inside and made eye contact with Tucker. “Good morning.”
Tucker was in a good mood. “Well, good morning to you too!”
I placed the picnic basket on the bench seat by Morgan and settled Bessie in the seat opposite her. Then I shut the door and entered the passenger side. I leaned over and kissed Tucker on the cheek.
“I missed you,” I told him softly.
Tucker reached for my hand and squeezed it. “It’s been almost twenty-four hours and yet it feels like years. I missed you too.”
We pulled into the driveway of the restaurant fifteen minutes later. I noted, “I called ahead this morning and put in our order so it would be ready. I hope you don’t mind. I’ll go pick it up.”
“Sounds great.” Tucker smiled.
I was back in a few minutes with a bag of food and a tray holding our drinks.
“I remembered you like sweet tea, so I ordered two. And I ordered two plain burgers for our dogs.”
A few minutes later we arrived at the dog park. It was empty, so we had the place to ourselves for the time being.
I got out and grabbed the food while Tucker took care of the dogs. As we locked up the car, I noticed Tucker didn’t have his cane.
“What about your cane?” I called out to him.
“Don’t need it, Ry. Come on. I’m hungry.”
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” I replied hastily.
He smirked at me. “Not yet, but you will be.”
I rolled my eyes incredulously. “Seriously? My god.” But I was blushing and smiling just the same.
After we went through the gates, we let the girls loose. They immediately took off barking and yipping, playfully taking turns chasing each other.
Tucker and I kept walking and ended up at the same bench under a tree that we had used the other day. I put the drinks carefully on the ground along with the basket.
“I’ll serve the food so you don’t have to bend or anything,” I said as Tucker sat beside me. Then I leaned down and took out the bag, handing him two burgers. “One for you and Morgan, and one for me and Bessie.”
“Thank you. You thought of everything.”
I smiled. Then I leaned down and grabbed his drink and handed it to him before grabbing mine.
We both sat back, eating and drinking while watching the dogs play. It was peaceful.
The dogs eventually returned, panting hard. I put my burger in my lap, leaned over and searched inside the picnic basket for the collapsible dog bowl and water bottle, which I served to the dogs. They immediately started lapping up the water, both in harmony. I chucked the water bottle back into the basket.
Tucker asked them, “Are you two hungry?”
Morgan lifted her head from the water bowl and looked at us expectantly. She gave us a head tilt as Tucker unwrapped her hamburger. He paused and slowly lifted it from the wrapper, teasing poor Morgan. By this point, Bessie had also stopped drinking, and both dogs were patiently drooling, waiting for Tucker to end their torment.
“Tucker, stop teasing them,” I chided him softly.
“Aw, fine. Here ya go.” He gave a piece of burger to Bessie and then another to Morgan. He kept repeating this action until the burger was gone.
He then showed them his empty hands. “I’m all out, but…” He glanced at me then back at the dogs. “Ry here just might have another burger for you.”
Morgan gave us the best dog sneeze I had ever heard, and Bessie whimpered hungrily. Both of their attentions now rested solely on me.
Tucker returned to eating his crab burger and fishing french fries out of his bag. He had an innocent look on his face.
I soaked up the attention. “Well, girls, it just so happens that I, too, have a special burger in my bag with your name on it. Whoever speaks first, goes first. Who’s going to speak for me?” I knew the answer before I asked.
Morgan answered with an ‘ar-roo-roo’ and then sneezed again.
Bessie looked over at Morgan briefly, then tried her paw at talking: “Wrope!” she demanded.
“Okay, Morgan gets first dibs. But Bessie, that was very good speaking.” I tore a piece of the burger and gave Morgan her cut, then gave another piece to Bessie.
It was all gone within seconds. It made me wonder if dogs ever bothered tasting anything.
When they realized their lunch was gone, they laid down at our feet, clearly spent. Tucker and I laughed together, enjoying the two dogs’ antics.
“This was nice,” Tucker said as he tossed his empty bag into the basket.
I followed suit with my bag and nodded. “It sure was.”
He then took my hand, gave it a squeeze, and leaned over to kiss my cheek. I turned and kissed him square on the lips. We ended up kissing deeply and with way too much passion for a public park. “Jesus, you taste good,” he whispered under his breath.
“We should probably stop before we’re arrested for indecent exposure, because I’m about to take your pants off.”
He slowly backed away. “Good point.” Then he thought for a moment before saying, “So you remember our final goodbye at the high school park?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry for that.”
“For what?”
“For ever saying goodbye to you. That was the wrong decision. I have regretted it ever since.”
I squeezed his hand. “Tucker, we made the best decision we could at that time. We were kids, and you got the opportunity of a lifetime. I’m glad we did what we did. I needed to find myself and grow up. I was too obsessed with you. And I needed to let you go so you could spread your wings. Besides, it all worked out.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Tucker didn’t look too convinced. “But I hurt you.”
“That doesn’t matter, because here we are.” I kissed him on the cheek. “Please Tucker, no regrets. Now is what we have, and tomorrow.”
“You’re really great, you know that, Ry?”
I smiled. “Yeah. I am.” I winked at him, then asked, “And what’s up with this ‘Ry’ thing? When did that happen?”
“My little nickname for you. You like?”
“I do. You’re the only one who’s ever called me that, so it’s yours. And to even it out, I’m gonna start calling you ‘Tuck’!”
Tucker moaned. “I don’t know. It sounds like something you’d do to a kid who’s going to bed.”
I grinned. “Perhaps. But if I’m whispering that in your ear while you come, I think you might get used to it.”
“If you do that, then yeah. I’m pretty sure I’ll like it then. Speaking of which, when are we going to do that next?” He smirked at me devilishly.
“Pretty soon, I think.”
We both laughed then called the dogs over so we could leash them and leave.
Was it always going to be so hot between us? All we could think about was sex, it seemed.
I noticed Tucker was walking at the fastest pace yet, and without his cane. I was impressed, but wondered if it was at a cost. I asked, “How are you able to go without your cane? Are you in pain? We’ve been doing a bit of walking.”
As we approached his car, Tucker replied, “I don’t seem to need it as much, nor do I need Morgan as much to lean on. It would seem my initial prognosis was incorrect. Or my new attitude and happiness has helped heal me.”
“That’s remarkable, Tucker. I mean, what a night and day difference a few weeks makes!”
We loaded up the car with the basket and dogs. As we climbed into our respective sides of the car, Tucker commented, “Don’t get me wrong, Ry. I’m still in a lot of pain, but I’m now stronger and more capable. The therapist believes the pain will get better in time. I sometimes need the pain pills at night to help me sleep, but I still try hard to go without.”
“I’m so happy for you, Tucker.”
“I owe it all to you.” He then turned to ruffle Morgan’s head. “And to this amazing dog you helped me to find. The funny thing is, before you showed up in my life again, I was making my condition and pain worse by being idle and wallowing in self-pity. You helped me fight again. You’re my motivator, and you got me caring again.”
I sat there, listening. He seemed to need that more than my interrupting with any trite comment. So I sat and he drove.