Remember Love (The Forever Love Series)

by Rhea Rhea

  While we eat, the four of us share a few laughs. By the time Spencer and Lexi are ready to go; we make them promise to make this little gathering a permanent thing. Brenna is all smiles when Lexi promises to come up next Sunday. What Brenna doesn’t know is Spencer already told me Lexi would be here.

  I couldn’t ask for a better night. I have Brenna here, in our home. She will be my wife in at least two weeks and hopefully by then, we’ll know if we’re going to be parents.

  Life is good.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Brenna

  The days have flown by, and each day has been better than the last. Living with Tucker is amazing. We have fallen into a routine easily. Tucker took off work on Monday to go to the county clerk’s office to get our marriage license. The poor guy isn’t wasting any more time. He asked me, before we left, if I didn’t want to just get married right then. I thought I’d have to drag him out of there.

  On Tuesday, while Tucker was working, I unpacked and starting putting my things next to his on shelves and tables. When Tucker came in that night he found supper waiting on him. He thanked me very well later that night. While we lay in bed, we talked about wedding rings. I found out mine was already taken care of.

  Of course, he has no idea what size ring he needs. He told me how he sized mine. Well that explains what he was up to that morning. Digging in his bedside drawer he handed me his class ring after making sure it still fit. One problem solved. So, now I just have to get his ring and plan our wedding.

  My mom came over on Wednesday. The two of us went through the things I wasn’t keeping to see if she wanted any of it. Once we were done, we both loaded it in my SUV to take to Goodwill next time I’m in Glasgow. I showed her my ring and talked to her about my plans for where I wanted to marry Tucker. I made her promise not to tell him. She’s going to take care of everything for me so all I have to do is show up. She also made sure to let me know that I had to stay at her house the night before.

  Yeah, Tucker’s not going to be happy over that bit of news.

  Thursday, I decided to take Tucker and Spencer lunch at work. Seeing Tucker smeared with grease did something to me and before long we made good use of his desk. Before I left, he told me that we were having a get-together Sunday. Tucker reassures me, except for a few things, it’s all been taken care of. He ran down a list of things we would need and I headed off to Wal-Mart.

  When I passed a display of diapers, I was hit with the realization that now I am a week late. I decided that since I was already here, to go ahead and grab a pregnancy test. I’m not going to tell Tucker yet, though. I want to surprise him when he least expects it. Obviously, he knows I haven’t started my period. And he’s asked me a few times about it a few times.

  Friday morning, as soon as Tucker left for work, I sent my mom a text to see if she wanted to ride with me to the mall, so I could get Tucker’s ring. He doesn’t want anything expensive; afraid he’ll ruin it or lose it under the hood, so I settle for a wide plain Titanium band for him. Mom and I had lunch before going back home.

  Graduation went off without a hitch, of course, I knew it would. I was surprised when Tucker’s parents showed up that morning to follow us down. My mom and Pa rode together and Spencer rode with us. I was happy he was going to watch Lexi graduate. He says he was there for me, but I knew better. After graduation, we all go out to eat and went over the plans for the next day.

  Sunday morning dawned bright; it looked like it was going to be a gorgeous day. Tucker and I didn’t get out of bed until about an hour before everyone was supposed to be here. The two of us were rushing to get ready when we hear a car coming down the drive.

  Today is the day we’ll find out if I’m pregnant. I can’t wait to see Tucker’s reaction when he gets the picture I took. I’ve been biding my time so I could send it to him when I’m ready. I didn’t even realize I was smiling, until he spoke.

  “What are you smiling about?”

  “Nothing, I’m just happy. Today is going to be a good day.”

  Tucker pulls me to him for a heated kiss me just as someone knocks on the door. “How much you wanna bet its Lexi?” I ask him.

  “Not even gonna place a bet since you’re probably right.”

  Opening the door, it’s confirmed he would’ve lost that bet.

  * * *

  Tucker

  Waking up and coming home to Brenna everyday has been extraordinary. Every time I drive down the driveway and see her SUV parked by our house, joy flow through me. When I open the door, no matter what she’s doing, she drops it and is in my arms almost instantly. We have fallen into a routine, and I couldn’t be happier with how everything is working.

  She still hasn’t told me when or where we’re getting married. I’ve been impatiently waiting for that answer. I tried to get her to go to the courthouse after we got our marriage license on Monday. She pretty much drug me out of the clerk’s office laughing. She has one more week until I put her in my truck and we elope.

  Lexi and Spencer are the first ones to arrive for our get-together. Earlier in the week, I asked him and Lewis to both bring their picnic tables so we’d have enough room to sit. Leaving Brenna and Lexi in the house, we go out to unload his picnic table.

  “How are things between you and Lexi?” I ask him, as we carry the table across the yard.

  “Going pretty good, I really like her, but I don’t know man if I’m ready for it.”

  I know that Spencer had some heartbreak of his own in the past. He doesn’t talk about it and I don’t ask.

  “Just don’t hurt her, that’s all I ask.” Spencer nods his head but doesn’t speak, as we place the table in the middle of the yard.

  Hearing more cars coming down the drive, I walk back toward the front to see that my parents and Brenna’s mom and Pa are all here. Spencer and I unload the other table from Lewis’s truck and carry it over to sit down beside the other one.

  Mom and Caroline are unloading enough food to feed double the amount of people that are here. Brenna and Lexi come out carrying plates and things. Watching everyone as they interact together, I realize this is my family now. This is how every weekend will be spent from here on out.

  Thirty minutes later, we’re all sitting around the picnic tables eating and laughing. We listen to Lewis tell jokes and talk about whatever pops in his head. When my dad joins in, they begin rehashing everything they can, remembering all the things they caught me and Brenna doing when we were young and both still lived on the farm.

  It’s not long before my mom and dad are telling everyone all the times they caught me & Brenna kissing when we were teens. I watch Brenna’s face go red and can’t help the laugh that escapes me. We’ve been sitting here for about an hour when Brenna tells me she’ll be back in a few. I get up to follow her, because I can’t stand to be away from her when she’s near.

  “Hey Tucker, have you talked her into eloping yet?” Lexi asks, right as I go to stand. She knows I haven’t, she talks to Brenna daily.

  “She still has a week.” I reply to her, watching the door. As soon as I go to stand again, I’m stopped. I’m starting to think they’re keeping me from following her.

  “Boy, sit still, she’ll be back.” My dad says.

  This draws laughter from everyone except Brenna’s mom, Caroline. She’s only smiling at me.

  “I think it’s sweet that he can’t sit still unless she’s right beside him.” Lexi tells them all, explaining how I always follow her. I can’t help it I want every second.

  I hear my phone beep in my pocket. I have no idea who would be texting me when everyone I talk to is here, unless it’s a customer. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I see it’s a picture message from Brenna. After opening up the message, I jump off the bench and sprint toward the house. Brenna sent me a picture of a pregnancy test with a message to come see the results.

  Throwing open the door, I head toward the bathroom, but don’t see Brenna anywhere. There is a white stick lying on t
he counter with a piece of paper. Reading the paper, I realize it’s instructions on how to read the pregnancy test lying on the counter. I pick up the test, glancing between the white stick and the paper, reading the results.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Brenna

  While Tucker and Spencer were outside earlier, I told Lexi what I was going to do. She was jumping up and down with excitement at the thought of being an “auntie”. Her job was to keep Tucker from following me into the house when I went in to take the test.

  I was really enjoying the stories my Pa and John were telling. Then John and Anna started telling on Tucker and me. It’s not that I’m embarrassed, but to have my Pa know that I was making out in the barn with Tucker is a little weird.

  When I finally have to pee, I bump my leg against Lexi’s, letting her know it’s time. Of course, Tucker doesn’t want to let me go. I love how he wants to spend every second with me, but right now I need him to stay put. He has no idea I even bought the test yet.

  I lock the bathroom door behind me, just in case Lexi can’t keep him occupied. That way I can have some warning he’s in the house. I grab the box out from the linen closet, where I hid it under the stack of towels, and open it. Taking the directions and laying them open on the counter, I quickly scan them before I sit down. Peeing on a stick is not as easy as you’d think.

  When I’m finished, I place the stick on the counter beside the instructions. After washing my hands, I quietly unlock the bathroom door and peak out. Not seeing Tucker, I leave the bathroom. I grab my phone off the kitchen counter as I pass it. I go out the front door. Standing on the porch, I send Tucker a picture of the pregnancy test box and tell him to come see the results. By the time he gets there, they should be showing.

  When I get back to the backyard, no one is talking but staring at the open back door. When they see me, I know they are about to be asking questions. Before they start, I tell them just wait they should know any time now.

  They don’t have long to wait before Tucker appears in the doorway. When his eyes land on me, I’m not sure what to think. I can’t tell if he’s happy or sad. My question is answered, when he leaps over the deck rail and starts towards me. His feet are eating up the distance quickly. I notice the stick in his hand. When he gets close enough, I see tears in his eyes as a smile spreads across his face. He lifts me off my feet and pressing his lips to mine.

  “Will somebody tell us what’s going on?” Anna asks.

  Tucker pulls away from my lips long enough to toss the stick on the table, before burying his face in my neck.

  It doesn’t take them long to figure out what Tucker threw their way. It’s only a moment before we hear his mom yell. “We’re going to be grandparents!”

  The excited chatter going on around us, doesn’t bother us, because we’re too lost in our own happiness. A few minutes later, I’m being pulled from Tucker’s arms and into my mom’s. Tears soak her face as she squeezes me. When I look up, I see that she isn’t alone. Anna is crying with a huge smile on her face and John is swiping under his eyes. My Pa is smiling and nodding his head like he already knew. Lexi and Spencer are also smiling.

  Once my mom releases me, Tucker allows everyone else a few moments to hug me. I think it’s only because he is getting hugs from them all too. As soon as the last hug is given, I’m back in his arms.

  I sit between his legs, with both his hands on my stomach, the rest of the night. When everyone is ready to call it a night, he let me go long enough to load the picnic tables back up.

  “I think you made him the happiest man in the world today, Brenna.” I look over at John and smile as he puts his arm around my waist. “You made this old man pretty happy too. It’s good to see my boy smiling again.”

  “I love him, John, and I intend to keep that smile on his face forever.”

  “I know you do.” He replies, kissing me on the cheek.

  Watching John walk away, I didn’t even notice Pa sneaking up on me. That old man still has the capabilities to make me jump and yell, when those pinchers sink into the back of my arm. Shit that hurts! He’s chuckling as he steps up beside me and puts his arm around my shoulders.

  “You got a good man there, Feisty. He loves you. I can see it. He looks at you just like I used to look at your grandma.”

  I can’t stop the tears that flood my eyes. My Pa doesn’t say stuff like this often. This was his way of letting me know he approves of Tucker.

  “Thanks Pa. I think I’ll keep him.”

  “See that you do, girl.” He kisses my cheek before walking toward his truck.

  Anna and Mom are next in line. They both hug me and tell me how happy they are to know they will have a grandbaby soon. Then they too are gone. Lexi and Spencer are the last to leave; they don’t linger long before leaving us to ourselves.

  I watch Tucker as he turns to start walking back toward me, when he steps in front of me. I go up on my toes and put my arms around his neck. He’s smiling down at me.

  “We’re going to be parents,” I whisper against his lips when he lowers his head.

  “I know and I can’t wait.”

  We stand there holding each other, kissing, and whispering I love you to each other for a long time before making our way into the house.

  When we enter the bedroom, I turn around to look up at him. “You got any plans for Saturday?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “How does a wedding sound?”

  “That sounds perfect, baby.”

  “I’ll let you know where to meet me.”

  Tucker stares down at me for a minute before he smiles and nods. I think we could get married in a truck stop bathroom and he wouldn’t care as long as I was there to say I do.

  * * *

  Tucker

  When I looked down at that stick and saw the word pregnant in the little window, emotion overwhelmed me. I’m going to be a dad. Brenna is carrying my baby. That was the first thoughts that ran through my mind. Then love, so much love, for her and our baby.

  When I saw her standing in the yard, waiting for me to come out, I couldn’t be bothered by the steps. I leapt over the rail to get to her faster. Tears spill over my face and Brenna’s concern for me is obvious. She didn’t realize the reason for my tears, but when a smile stretched across my face, she figured out what the test said. By the time I reached her, our tears mingled with our kiss.

  I was so fucking happy in that moment, and nothing could have brought me down. When my mom asked what was going on, all I could do was toss the test onto the table. I couldn’t talk yet. I just wanted to hold the woman I love and share this moment with her. That lasted for a while until Caroline took her from me, and then I had to wait while everyone congratulated us.

  Once she was back in my arms, I didn’t let her go again until everyone was ready to go. I don’t feel the least bit bad that I was ready for them to leave. I had my own celebrating to do with Brenna. And now we’re getting married on Saturday. I can’t wait to get her naked and under me.

  Holding her face in my hands and looking down into her eyes, I see all the love that I feel for her reflecting right back at me. “I love you, so damn much. You make my life complete.”

  “I love you, too. I’m so glad you came back into my life.”

  Releasing her face and pulling off my clothes, I watch as she does the same. “Me too baby, me too,” I say as I pick her up and carry her to bed.

  Tonight, there is no time for slow touches and sweet kisses. It’s a good thing she’s always as ready as I am, because tonight I can’t wait. I need inside her. I need to be connected to this woman, in every way possible.

  As soon as our lips touch, she opens for me. Our kiss is deep and full of all the love between us. When she grinds herself against me, I know she’s wet and ready. I situate myself between her legs and Brenna wraps hers around my waist, locking her ankles behind my back. Unable to wait any longer , I slide into her with more force that I usually do.

&nb
sp; “Don’t stop.”

  I need no further encouragement. Pulling back slowly, I push back into her with just as much force as I did the first time. Watching her face each time I enter her, I make sure I’m not hurting her, Brenna’s nails dig into my shoulders, showing me she’s enjoying this as much as I am. Something inside me snaps. Suddenly, I’m not just making love to her. I am claiming her.

  Each thrust gets faster and harder. Soon we are both breathing hard and fast, sweat coating our bodies as we work together. When her body begins to tighten around mine, I can feel my own release building. Thrusting deeper, harder, faster she screams my name as her body clamps tightly around me. As her body milks mine, I explode inside her.

  I don’t even have the strength to roll us both over. I hold my weight off her on trembling arms, until finally dropping beside her and pull her close. She reaches down to pull the cover over us. Brenna’s arms wrap around me and her lips meet mine. Right now, neither of us has to say I love you. We know exactly how the other feels.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Brenna

  6 days later…

  Today is the day I’ve waited my whole life for. I’m thankful Tucker and I have been given a second chance. I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone other than him. The past five weeks have been a whirlwind of memories and love. They’ve all lead me right here to this moment.

  Tucker wasn’t happy yesterday when I told him I’d be leaving after supper to spend the night at my mom’s. He didn’t want me to go and did everything he could think of to keep me there. Let’s just say, it was late by the time I got to moms and I was exhausted. After hanging up my dress, I crawled into bed. I barely got any sleep, maybe two hours, before I wake and reach out for Tucker.