But I had to do something. This isolation was killing me. But I wasn’t crying as much. And the sharp pain was slowly changing into an ache. A bone-deep ache that was changing me.
I knew I would never forget Buck. And I knew that he would move on from me. All I could hope for was that someday in the distant future, he would think back to his tutor and smile. I would become a faint, semi-pleasant memory. One of many.
My despair had shifted to anger and then to bargaining, but my parents were unmovable. Finally, I gave up. Begging didn’t work.
We were just finishing with dinner when the doorbell rang. My brothers were still arguing over the last piece of garlic bread. I sighed heavily and rolled my eyes. As I pulled the door open I gasped.
Buck stood there, his wide shoulders filling up the world.
He stared into my eyes for a long second then said, “Is your father home?”
Chapter Fourteen
Rebecca
My insides tumbled over themselves as they fought to get out of each other’s way. A sense of joy mixed with terrifying fear filled me as I looked up at him.
“You can’t come here,” I whispered although my heart yelled at me that seeing him was what I needed.
“This will just take a minute,” he said.
“Who’s there?” my dad bellowed from the dining room.
The fear instantly replaced the joy.
“It’s me, Mr. Montgomery. Buck Benson.”
My worlds were colliding. I put a hand on Buck’s chest to hold him back but it was like trying to stop a locomotive racing downhill. He brushed past me.
“What is the meaning of this?” my dad yelled as he rushed into the hall.
A terrifying sense of foreboding filled me. Everything that could go wrong would go wrong. I knew my father. No way this could end well.
“Mr. Montgomery,” Buck said. “I was wondering if I could have a moment with you?”
Dad growled as his face turned red. Mom put a hand on his arm, restraining him. Both of my brothers had come into the hall to give Dad their support. Great. Now it was three on one.
Buck, who appeared calm and composed glanced at me and gave me a quick smile then returned to put his focus on my father.
“First off, Mr. Montgomery. I wanted you to know that it wasn’t Rebecca’s fault. I am to blame for us meeting at the movies.”
Dad grumbled but he didn’t charge Buck and throw him out of the house, so there was at least that.
“And,” Buck continued, “as you know, your daughter is a remarkable girl. Beautiful, Intelligent, sweet, and the most non-self-centered person I know.”
My father waved his hand but before he could say anything, Buck kept talking. “And, I am in love with her.”
I gasped. In all our time together, we had never discussed this. Never broached the L word. Mostly because I believed it impossible to think of Buck Benson being in love with me.
“That doesn’t matter,” my Dad said, ruining the most beautiful moment of my life.
Buck sighed heavily and nodded. “I understand, Sir. Your house, your rules.”
“That’s right,” my father growled as he clenched his fists.
“But,” Buck said. “Next year, we will both be at UW and I plan on pursuing her until she falls in love with me. I just thought you should know that.”
Dad’s face got even redder. “She’s not going to UW.”
Buck frowned and shook his head. “That is a shame. Because when I tell coach Stevens that I can’t go to UW because my girlfriend isn’t going there. He and about a dozen boosters are going to camp on your doorstep and make your life miserable.”
The color started to drain from my father’s face. Buck had hit the one soft spot my father had. Football.
Buck continued to press the matter. He had learned long ago to never give an opponent an opportunity to get up off the mat.
“Sir,” he said. “I understand how important Rebecca is to you. Believe me, she is that important to me as well. I would never do anything to hurt her. But, at some point in the future, she will no longer be living in your house. And I wanted you to know that I will be there. Where ever and whenever that happens.”
My heart was racing, yet I held my breath as I stared at my father. I could see him grinding his teeth.
“So,” Buck said to my father then glanced down at me, “I wanted to ask your permission to take Rebecca to the Winter Dance. It’s sort of fancy. And every girl should go to a High School dance at least once in her life.”
Oh, My, God, Buck wanted to take me to the Winter Dance. Me!
“George,” my mom said as she silently pleaded with my father.
My dad refused to look at her. Instead, he remained focused on Buck, like a wolf watching a bear.
Mom grew frustrated then turned to us and said, “She can go.”
Both of my brothers gasped. My heart soared with pride and love for her. Dad simply turned to her and lifted an eyebrow.
“It is the right thing and you know it,” she said to him.
He continued to stare at her then his shoulders slumped in defeat. He took a deep breath then turned and scowled at Buck. “If you hurt her, I will literally carve you into little pieces and bury you under asphalt. Do you understand that I am not kidding? This is not a joke.”
Buck swallowed then nodded. “Yes, Sir, I understand.”
What? How was this possible?
“And,” Mom continued, “Rebecca will be returning to school. Having her moping around is driving me crazy.”
Again, my father nodded. My life was back. How had he done it? Once again, Buck had fixed everything. Of course, it would have been nice if he’d done it weeks ago. But, in reality, it wouldn’t have worked then. My father needed time to cool off. No, Buck had chosen the perfect time.
But then he would. He was that kind of guy.
I slipped my arm into Buck’s and said, “I need to talk to Buck outside for a minute. I won’t leave the front yard.”
My dad held off for a moment then nodded. This was hard for him, I realized. Letting go of control. But tough. He would have to adjust. Because I wasn’t. Not anymore. Or at least not too much.
Buck smiled and nodded then let me lead him out the front door and onto our porch. I pointed to the steps and we both sat down. It was far enough away that I didn’t think anyone would hear us. Yet private enough that the whole neighborhood wouldn’t be watching.
“Thank you,” I said as I took his hand. “You were like a knight rescuing a damsel from her locked tower.”
He laughed. “It wasn’t like I had to fight a dragon or anything.”
I shook my head, “You don’t know how close you came. I thought for sure one of you would end up in the hospital and the other in jail.”
Buck laughed as he squeezed my hand.
The two of us sat there for a moment in a beautiful peace. Both of us soaking up the feeling of rightness between us.
“Just so you know,” I said to him. “When you tell a girl you love her for the first time. Don’t do it in front of her family. Just something to know for the next time.”
He laughed. “There won’t ever be another first time. I will never fall in love again.”
My heart melted. God how I loved him. I always had.
“I love you too, you know,” I said as if it was the most natural words ever spoken.
He nodded. “I figured.”
I gasped and slapped his arm. “That’s awfully presumptuous.”
He smiled down at me and shrugged.
That was so my Buck. Filled with confidence and ready to take on the world. My knight. My hero and the man I would love for the rest of my life.
Epilogue
Rebecca
The roar of the stadium was deafening. Buck and his defense had just stopped them three and out. I smiled up at my father as he yelled the loudest. For four years. Every home game. He and I had sat in these very seats and cheered on Buck.
; In seven months we would both graduate. Buck with a mechanical engineering degree. Me with my elementary teaching degree.
Looking past him, I smiled as Buck’s brothers, Jake and Parker and their girlfriends Karla and Jade also cheered. All four were home for the Thanksgiving holiday. Here to watch Buck’s last game. I smiled to myself thinking of how happy Buck had been to see them again.
The three of them had instantly returned to being little boys. Punching and teasing each other. Each trying to outdo the other.
“Just so you know,” my dad yelled into my ear over the crowd noise. “I told Buck, yes.”
My heart stopped. “You told him, yes? About what?” I asked with a nervousness that surprised me.
Dad continued to watch the game, “About you guys getting married. I gave my permission.”
I gasped as everything came to a screeching halt.
“What?”
He turned away from the game to look at me, his brow creased in confusion. “He didn’t talk to you first?”
I could only shake my head. He hadn’t asked me to marry him. Not officially. Oh, we had talked about the future. How many kids, where we would live. Those type of things. But he hadn’t proposed.
Dad could see my shock and only smiled. “Well, act surprised when he asks.”
My world tumbled over itself. Buck was going to propose. To me. Rebecca Montgomery. My mind raced as I fought to stop from squealing with happiness. Of course, I would never let him get away with talking to my father before me.
But I would forgive him. How couldn’t I? The man was my true love.
It was all laid out in front of me. Our lives together. Two little boys that looked like Buck. Two girls to twist their father around their finger. A nice house in a nice neighborhood. Who could ask for more?
Oh, there would be problems and there would be struggles but we would face them together. Because that is what people in love do.
Smiling to myself, I wrapped myself in the warmth of knowing I had found the best man in the world and he was all mine.
The End
Author’s Notes
Thank you for reading ‘Deception,’ the final book in the “Benson Brothers series.”
I would love to know what you think of it. My readers make it possible for me to do what I love, so I am always grateful and excited to hear from you. Please stop by my website GLSnodgrass.com or send me an Email at [email protected]. Feel free to sign up for my newsletter. I use my newsletter to announce new releases and give away free books. I also post on my Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/G.L.Snodgrass/
As always, I would like to thank my friends for their assistance with this book. Sheryl Turner, Anya Monroe, Eryn Carpenter, and Kim Loraine. I couldn’t have done it without them.
If you enjoyed ”Deception,” please tell a friend or two. And please help out by rating this book at Amazon, Bookbub, or Goodreads. Reviews from readers make a huge difference for a writer.
Again, thank you.
Deception (The Benson Brothers Book 3) Page 9