The next day, the guys all wanted to go four wheeling, but I decided to stay back. Space from Tucker was my number one priority. I was falling too deep into a fantasy about him, and I needed to clear my head.
Tucker teased me about being too scared to go riding with them, and I let him. I would much prefer him to think I was scared rather than the truth.
Sorry, Tucker. I really don’t want to go because just the thought of having my body pressed against your back all day has me about to combust.
That would have gone well. I can’t even imagine what his reaction would have been. Instead of worrying about it, I decided to distract myself. First, I cleaned and tidied up the place. Those four men were messy. It was like living with a bunch of teenagers. After that, I decided to relax on the porch with my Kindle.
I had just gotten to a good part when I heard a voice.
“Hello?” It was definitely a woman, and instantly, I felt my hackles go up. I had no clue who she was here to see, but just the thought of someone stopping by for Tucker was making my jealousy sky rocket.
I walked around the porch to the front of the house and by the front door stood a gorgeous woman. She had chocolate brown hair that fell to her shoulders in soft curls. Her eyes were the same dark color and had small lines surrounding them from years of smiling.
When she spotted me walking around the porch, her warm smile lit up her face.
“Hi,” I said awkwardly.
“Hello.”
“All the guys have gone out on the four wheelers.”
“Oh. That’s all right.” She was still smiling, and I got the feeling that it was a look she wore a lot. “I’m Josephine, but most people call me JoJo.”
“Hi, JoJo. I’m Kennedy.” I waved, and when I realized how ridiculous I looked, I put my arm down.
“Kennedy! It’s so nice to meet you. Tucker has told me a lot about you.”
“Oh.” I tucked a stray hair behind my ear.
“I’m Tucker’s mom.”
“Oh…” Realization hit me along with butterflies. “It’s really nice to meet you as well. Do you want to come inside?”
I felt like an idiot. I hadn’t even thought about the possibility that I would meet Tucker’s parents while we were here, yet there I was all alone at the cabin with Tucker’s mom.
“I actually brought some food over for dinner tonight. Do you mind helping me carry it in?”
“Of course not.” I set my Kindle down on the porch railing and walked down the stairs with her toward her car.
She pointed up at my Kindle. “You a big reader?”
“Yes. I’m a self-proclaimed book worm.”
“Me too. I don’t go anywhere without my Kindle.”
“Same here.” My voice was a little bit higher than a moment ago, but I loved when I could talk about books with someone.
She opened the hatch on the back of her SUV and the back was packed down with food.
“You feeding an army?” I laughed.
“Have you seen the boys eat? They used to eat me out of house and home when they were teens.”
“I see your point.”
We both filled our arms with the delicious smelling food that I was dying to eat and carried it into the house.
“The cabin is much cleaner than I expected. They must be on their best behavior with you here.”
“No,” I shook my head. “I just cleaned.”
“Figures.” She laughed.
“Did you have a friend that came with you as well?” She looked around the space as if she would appear.
“Yes. Brooke came with us. She’s my roommate and best friend. She went four wheeling with the guys.”
“Why didn’t you go?” She didn’t seem nosy. Just curious.
“I just wasn’t up for it. I wanted to stay home and read.”
She smiled knowingly. “Speaking of, how about I make us a couple glasses of sweet tea then we go out on the porch and talk books.”
“That sounds amazing.”
…
It had probably been around three hours since Tucker’s mom arrived at the cabin. It felt weird to call her JoJo even though the name totally fit her. I was in love with her. She was funny, kind of a smart ass, and so nice. We also had similar taste in books, and we fangirled together as we talked about books and authors that we loved. She also told me stories about Tucker and his friends from their teen years, and I had laughed hysterically. She didn’t ask me about Tucker and me though, and for that, I was thankful. It wasn’t a subject that I really wanted to dive into right then.
The sound of four wheelers pulling into the driveway pulled my attention away from JoJo who was telling a story about a time when Tucker was trying to sneak out of the house at two in the morning and didn’t think her and her husband had a clue. Laughter and heavy footsteps made their way onto the porch, and JoJo smiled when Tucker and the boys came into view.
“Mrs. Moore,” Liam called out before pushing Tucker out of the way to get to her.
“Hey, Liam.” She stood, and he pulled her into a hug. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too.”
Tucker looked over at me, and I smiled at him before he went to his mother. He was covered in mud. Speckles of it were all over his handsome face, and when he smiled at his mother, he looked like a much younger version of himself.
Watching Tucker interact with his mother did absolutely nothing to help me want to stay away from him. It was obvious that he loved his mom dearly. He wrapped her up in his arms as soon as he made his way over to her, and the way her face lit up showed how much she missed him.
She wiped his sweaty chocolate brown hair off his forehead and spoke to him in a low voice that the rest of us couldn’t hear. He put his arm around her shoulders, which only went up to his chest.
“What have you two been up to?” he asked while looking over at me.
“We were talking about books, life, and…” She hesitated so I finished for her.
“Stories about you,” I smirked.
“Which story?” His eyes crinkled at the corners.
“Oh. Don’t worry yourself about that.” JoJo patted him on the chest.
“Great,” he muttered under his breath.
My phone rang in my hand, interrupting us. When I looked down at the screen, I clicked ignore as soon as I saw my mom’s name. It wasn’t quick enough though. Tucker saw it too.
“You can take that.”
“No. I’m good.” He looked at me with an odd expression, but I started talking to his mom again before he could ask any questions.
I didn’t care about telling him about my parents, but I didn’t want to do it in front of his mother. She was so nice and it was easy to see that she was an amazing mother. And my mom, well, she wasn’t. I was a little bit ashamed to even talk about her in front of JoJo.
I liked to think that I would be a good mother one day. I hoped I would be at least. I would rather not have kids at all than to resemble my mother even a small amount. My children would never be told that they weren’t good enough. They will never be ashamed of their own bodies; of the decisions they made in life.
My phone rang again, but this time, it was my brother calling. I knew he was only calling because my mother put him up to it, but I also knew they wouldn’t stop until I answered. I never spoke to my brother unless we were forced.
I smiled up at JoJo and Tucker. “Excuse me. I am going to take this.”
My flip-flops slapped against the deck as I walked around the house and put the phone to my ear.
“Hello.”
“Kennedy. It’s Justin.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Yeah. I have caller id. What’s up?”
“Mom has been trying to reach you. Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
“Maybe because I didn’t want to talk to her. Is that all you’re calling about?”
“No. It’s not. I’m calling to invite you to a family dinner on Monday. I’ve got news to share with the family and I would like for you to attend.”
Oh, dear God. I felt like I was being invited to tea with the queen.
“What kind of news?” I asked, but deep down I already knew the answer. He had always been one hundred percent in sync with my parents’ plan.
Prom king. Check.
Ivy League college directly after high school. Check.
Choosing one of the approved professions. Check.
And now. Marriage before thirty. Check.
I was sure she was a real debutant too. Her hair would probably be perfectly quaffed; her nails were probably in a constant perfect French manicure. I would bet that the majority of her clothes were pastel, and she probably considered it a sin to wear ripped jeans.
My mother’s idea of a perfect daughter.
“Can’t you just do as you’re told for once?”
It took everything inside me not to ask him why, but I knew that would only start an argument. It wasn’t exactly something that I wanted Tucker or anyone else at this cabin to see.
“Okay. When and where?”
“Monday at six. At our parents’. Please dress appropriately.”
And there it was.
Every time I spoke to Justin, he reminded me more and more of my parents. It made our already strained relationship even more so.
“Noted,” I said in a short, clipped tone.
“Okay. We will see you then.” He didn’t give me time to respond. Instead, he hung up the phone and the line went dead in my ear.
I stared down at my phone in annoyance and took a deep breath.
“Everything okay?”
Tucker’s voice made me jump.
I looked over my shoulder as I tucked my phone into the back pocket of my jeans.
“Yeah. It’s fine.”
“Who was that?”
His eyes were narrowed and anger burned in them.
“It was my brother. Why?”
His eyes narrowed even further. “You look upset.”
“I’m not really a fan of my brother. Or of my whole family, actually.”
“Did they hurt you?”
“Not in the way you’re thinking. They are just different than me. I’ve never been good enough for them.”
“That’s bullshit. You’re one of the best people I know. They aren’t good enough for you.”
My heart ached and fluttered at the same time.
“I don’t speak to them much. My brother was just calling to ask me to meet them for dinner so he can share news.”
“Okay. But if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.”
“I do.”
“No. You don’t.” He moved closer to me and gripped my chin in his mud-covered hand. Tilting my face up to look at him, he said, “Whether you go or not is your choice, but I don’t like you being around anyone who puts this look on your face.” His thumb rubbed back and forth against my cheek. “They don’t deserve you.” His voice was low but it hit me harder than anything that had ever been screamed at me.
“Tucker.” My voice was hoarse, and I tried to fight back the tears that clogged my throat. It pissed me off that I was letting my family get to me once again, but every time I spoke to one of them or about one of them, I was left emotionally raw.
“It’s okay, Kennedy.”
I could feel myself breaking. Falling too deep into him. I dropped my head to his chest and wiped at the tears that had managed to escape.
He held me close to his body, and I felt his lips touch the top of my head. His warmth was surrounding me. I felt safe. I felt something that I shouldn’t have been feeling.
I desperately wanted to lift my head and touch my lips to him, but I couldn’t handle his rejection. Especially not at that moment.
“Are you okay?” Brooke’s voice broke through my Tucker fog, and I took a step back out of his embrace.
I wiped under my eyes and tried to school my features before I turned to her.
“I’m good.” I smiled at her, but I knew it was weak and I knew she would see right through me.
She narrowed her eyes at me, but she didn’t say anything. I knew she was sparing me in front of Tucker, and I appreciated it, but I also knew that I would get the fifth degree later.
“JoJo is cooking dinner. Do you want to go help her?”
“Absolutely.” I walked toward my best friend, but Tucker caught my wrist right before I was out of his reach.
I looked back at him, and he looked like he was struggling with what he wanted to say. His thumb rubbed over my knuckles and a chill followed in its wake.
“You can always talk to me. You know that, right?” Worry was etched across his handsome face, and I wanted to take it away.
“Of course. I’m fine. I swear.”
He hesitated, but he finally let my fingers slip out of his hand. I followed my best friend into the house to help cook dinner, and I ran my fingers over the skin he had just touched. As if he had branded me, I could still feel him even though I was walking away.