It wasn’t even noon when she went into her office and closed the door, taking a breath before answering the call. “Hello?”
“Dr. Atherton, it’s Dr. Heller. Do you have a moment?”
“Yes. Is Tucker okay?”
“He’s fine. I wanted to talk to you alone before our meeting later.”
“All right.” She rubbed her brow, trying to release the tension.
“When we talk later, we’re going to be discussing Tucker’s goals for his future. He’s made a list of what he wants and he’s going to go over that today.”
“Okay.”
“I wanted to talk to you first so you were prepared.” Oh, no, she thought, closing her eyes tightly. “If you’re not on the same page, I’d like to know so I might be able to direct him down another path without too much trauma.”
She waited, holding her breath.
“Tucker says he wants to move back to Virginia and live with you.” The words relaxed her in a way she hadn’t felt for months. She smiled as tears gathered in her eyes.
“I want that, too.”
“Because you’re a doctor, you don’t need me to tell you what you’re signing on for with a recovering alcoholic and addict.”
“I understand.”
“I think you’d be good for him, but as we’ve discussed, he has some severe abandonment issues. If you don’t think you can be there long-term, it would be better if you stepped away now so I can help him heal before putting him out there alone.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I can do this. I know he can do this.”
“Good. Then Tucker and I will talk to you in a few hours.”
“Thank you.”
Tucker sounded tired when he got on the phone at their scheduled time.
“How are you doing?” she asked.
“It’s not fun, Nic. I’m not going to lie. The food sucks ass and I miss you like crazy.”
“I miss you too,” she said, not letting the tears sound in her voice. She didn’t want to make this harder for him.
“So, today we’re going to discuss Tucker’s plans for when he leaves the facility next week.”
“Okay,” Nichole said, already knowing that.
“Tucker, what do you want to do?”
“Well, I have no interest in going back out on the road whatsoever,” he said firmly. “It’s pretty obvious I can’t handle it. Plus I have someone I’d rather be with, if she’ll still have me.”
There was no hiding her tears this time. She broke down.
“I hate that I’m happy to hear that, but I am. I’m sorry. I should be supportive. I should tell you to do what makes you happy, but I really just want you to come home.”
“Coming home to you is going to make me way happier than the road ever could. I’m not giving up anything, Nic. Nothing.”
“Nicole, Tucker and I were discussing your responsibilities in this relationship.”
Nichole was suddenly nervous.
“I told him about that boy you saved at the pool,” Tucker said quietly. “I told him you did the same thing for me. You saved my life when I was drowning. If you hadn’t been willing to give me another chance, I don’t think I would have cared enough to come here and get straightened out again. You keep me breathing, Nic. I’m so thankful I don’t have to do this alone. I love you.”
“I love you. I’m here for you.”
“So, have you decided what to do when you leave here?” the doctor asked officially.
“The first thing I’m going to do is go home to Nichole. And I’m sorry, Doc, but I’m not going to go into details with you about the second thing.” Nichole laughed through her tears. “I know you said I needed to take things slow, but I can guarantee you when I see my girl, nothing is going to be slow.”
“I’m going to move on, then, because I don’t appear to have any say in the matter,” the doctor replied and cleared his throat.
“Smart plan, Doc.”
“I think both of you seem to have a firm grasp on what to expect. A lot of couples have a pie-in-the-sky dream that love can fix everything. Then they’re disappointed.”
“I’m not being unrealistic. I know I have to see my therapist and check in with my sponsor. I have to work to fix myself. This isn’t on you, Nic.”
“I’m not being unrealistic either,” Nicole added. “I know this will always be a struggle for Tucker. It doesn’t go away. We’ve gone over triggers, so hopefully we can avoid them.”
There was a long silence, and then Tucker said, “Hot damn!”
“What?” Nichole asked.
“He’s smiling and signing my papers, Nic.”
“You’re scheduled for release next Tuesday, barring any issues.”
“Thanks, Doc!”
“Thank you, Dr. Heller,” Nichole chimed in.
“Good luck to both of you.”
They ended the call and Nichole sat back in her chair.
Only five more days and he would be home. The thought made her smile and cry at the same time.
Nichole had offered to pick him up at the airport, but he’d explained that he had a few things he needed to take care of on the way.
One of those things was Nichole’s mother.
The woman had always bothered him. Nichole acted tough when it came to her wretched excuse for a mother, but he knew the woman still had the power to steal joy from the girl he loved. Now that Tucker was planning to spend his life with Nichole, it meant he was going to need to deal with Mrs. Atherton-Blah-Blah-Roth.
“No time like the present.”
He didn’t want any negativity in their path. They would be faced with enough struggles with his issues.
He got out of the rental car and rang the bell at the fancy house.
To his surprise, she opened the door herself.
“This is odd,” she said.
“I was wondering if you had a moment.”
“Where’s Nichole?” She looked past him, as if she might be hiding. Maybe she’d done that in the past.
“Not here. I was hoping to talk to you alone.”
“Very well. Make it quick. I have an important phone call coming in soon.”
“Sure. Quick. I can do that.” He didn’t want to be there one second longer than was necessary. He just wanted to put her in her place so she wouldn’t interfere in Nichole’s happiness again.
They took a seat in the living room, and it didn’t go unnoticed that she didn’t offer him a beverage. Quick.
“I just wanted to stop by to let you know I’m going to be proposing to your daughter.”
“You’ve come to ask my blessing? As if I would allow my daughter to marry someone like you. You have some nerve.” She sniffed in her hoity way. Had he once thought Nichole acted snooty? She had nothing on her mother.
“Actually I do have a lot of nerve. I’m not here to ask for your blessing. I couldn’t give a rat’s ass whether you bless us or not.”
She sat up even straighter, if that were possible, and narrowed her eyes at him.
“My daughter is a doctor. She’s always had a weakness for broken things. She used to bring injured animals into the house so she could help them, and then she would cry when the poor things died anyway. I thought it would toughen her up, but it never did. She obviously still has a weakness for broken things.” She looked down her nose at him. He knew he was broken, but Nichole helped him feel whole.
“I don’t see that as a weakness, Mrs. Roth. She’s the strongest person I know. She’s able to be put down and hurt time and time again and she still gets up to face something worse.” Tucker made it clear in his expression that she was the something worse.
“You have a chronic illness. Do you really think she deserves to take on all your problems?” Right for the kill; Tucker had been prepared, but it still stung.
“She handles your chronic illness like a professional,” Tucker said smugly, unable to control himself, even though he knew it wouldn’t help.
“Wha
t illness?” the woman asked with a sniff.
“Oh, sorry. I assumed you had some large wooden object permanently stuck up your ass.”
The woman looked appalled, which was what he was after. He knew it wouldn’t win him any points being disrespectful to Nichole’s mother, but he was already at negative one thousand in the points department anyway. She shook her head and checked her watch, ready to dismiss him.
“Here’s the thing,” he pressed on. “I understand my words are meaningless to you. So let me communicate in a way you can understand.”
“And what way is that?” she asked, wary.
“Money. I checked. I have a lot more of it than you do. If you don’t become more supportive of your daughter and stop undermining her confidence, I’m going to spend all my money taking you down. One company at a time, until you’re left with nothing.”
“You wouldn’t!” she gasped.
“I love your daughter, Mrs. Roth. You might not understand what someone would do for someone he loves because you’ve never loved anyone but yourself, but trust me, it’s a very powerful thing.”
For once the old lady didn’t have anything to say.
“At some point, Nichole is going to come here to show you her ring and tell you about our plans. You’d damn well better be excited for her.” He started to turn but spun back. “And we’re having a whole horde of kids, so the rules apply to them, too.”
With that he left. Some people couldn’t be touched. He’d almost been one of them, but Nichole had saved him. He had to do what he could to protect her.
As he pulled out to head for home, the old woman’s words started to infect him.
He knew he loved Nichole, and she obviously loved him. But did she deserve the stress of taking on all his problems? Was she with him because he was broken? He’d worked hard in rehab to make sure his demons were under control, but they weren’t gone.
They would never be gone.
Was it right to sign Nichole up for a lifetime of worry?
What about their children?
It wasn’t fair.
“Fuck!” he said as he slammed his palm against the steering wheel.
She was worried about Tucker. She hadn’t heard from him since he’d left the facility. When he’d finished his sixty days, he’d told her he would come back to Virginia, but almost two weeks later she was still waiting for a call or something.
She’d checked in with Mitch, who said he hadn’t heard anything.
She eventually broke down and called Cooper.
“Have you heard from Tucker?” she asked, her voice cracking on his name.
“When I call him it goes to voice mail,” he said. The same thing happened when she called.
“I’m worried. What if he—”
“I’m sure he’s fine, Nic.” He did sound sure, and Nichole wanted to believe it more than anything. “I was wondering if you could do me a big favor.”
“Sure.” She’d do anything if it meant keeping her mind busy.
“Lexi and Riley are throwing a baby shower for Roslyn up at the cabin where we got married. They both have kids and can’t run up there this weekend to meet with the caterer and sign the agreement. I might have suggested you. After all, you were successful with the tent.”
She’d had Tucker with her to meet with the tent guy.
“No problem. What time?” she asked.
“Two tomorrow. He’ll meet you there. If you can just show them the kitchen so they’ll know where they’ll be setting up and then sign the agreement, that would be great. Lexi already took care of the deposit.”
“Okay.”
It was the last thing she wanted to do. Go up to the cabin where she and Tucker first found out they had feelings for each other. What if Tucker came home while she was at the cabin?
What if he didn’t?
She didn’t want to go into the details with Cooper, so she agreed to do it. After all, life went on. Roslyn was having a baby. She and Cooper were happy.
Not everything could be about how Tucker hadn’t called her for two weeks.
Life went on.
Eventually she would, too.
She spent the whole hour-long trip singing with the radio and forcing herself to enjoy the warm day with the windows open. It was all in an effort to make it through the trip. When she pulled in the driveway and looked up at the building where she and Tucker had spent one of the most incredible nights of her life, her heart fell. Another big chunk broke off into oblivion.
She went through the tornado of feelings that accompanied her loss. Anger, sadness, confusion, pain, then back to anger.
She stayed in her car and pulled out her phone. This would be the last phone call she would make to him. If he didn’t pick up, she was letting him go.
It wasn’t a surprise when it went straight to voice mail.
“Tucker,” she paused, ready to launch into a tirade, but unable to muster the proper emotion. The anger she’d felt a moment ago had already dissolved, and she was left with nothing but emptiness.
“Tucker,” she started again, softer. “I don’t understand. If you need time I get that, just tell me, okay? Or . . .” She swallowed. “. . . if we’re over, please just tell me that, too. I won’t be angry. I just need to know what—”
She was interrupted by movement on the porch ten feet away.
Tucker stood up, setting his guitar on the wicker love seat next to him. He took two steps into the sunlight and crossed his arms with a big, stupid grin on his face.
She was out of the car and running toward him without even ending the call.
“Hey, baby,” he said as his arms encircled her, pulling her close. She squeezed him tight, then pulled back and smacked him lightly on the shoulder.
“I was worried sick. Why didn’t you answer my calls?”
“I’m sorry. I just needed some time out in the real world to make sure my head was really on straight. I knew if I talked to you I would cave on my plan and come running back to you whether I was sure or not.”
She nodded. That made sense. It was easy to forgive when he was there in her arms with that smile on his face.
“Cooper said he didn’t know where you were.”
“He’s a lawyer, Nic. What did he really say?” Tucker smoothed his hands down her hair, staring at her.
“He said when he calls you he gets your voice mail.” She thought over his wording. It was the truth, but not the answer to her question. “Damn it! He got me.”
“He didn’t lie about having you meet the caterer either. It is at two on Saturday, but it’s next Saturday. We have the place all week. I contacted Collin and asked him to help cover your shifts. He was very accommodating.”
“He’s a good friend.”
“He’s a big fan.” Tucker flashed a smile.
“I was worried you had changed your mind about us.” She voiced her main concern during his silence.
“Never.” He bent down to kiss her. “I love you, Nichole. That’s just how it is.” He stepped back and tilted his head in that adorable way he did. “In fact, I was hoping maybe you would marry me.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a diamond solitaire. “I do have this really nice ring and all. Do you think you could slum it with a bum like me forever?”
She shrugged, playing up her snooty-bitch persona. “I guess so.”
A smile took over his face as he slipped the ring on her finger. Then he picked her up and kissed her while spinning her around.
“Thank you, Nic. I’ll make sure you never regret this.”
She knew she never would. No matter what they might face next, they would face it together.
“Good. Now take me inside so we can celebrate without any clothes.”
“So bossy.” He laughed against her lips but did as she asked.
Epilogue
Tucker wasn’t sure what to expect when they got to Ralphy’s Bar. Nichole seemed way too excited for a normal night out at a sports bar. He knew she went the
re with her friends, but honestly, why she would pick it for one of their date nights he didn’t know.
“Why are we here again?” he asked as he pulled into a parking spot. “I should take you somewhere nice for our six-month anniversary.”
It was probably lame that he was counting the months since they’d gotten married, but he didn’t care. He welcomed each milestone with his new wife eagerly.
The wedding had been simple and perfect, just like Nichole. Cooper had performed the service so he wouldn’t have to pick between standing up with Nichole or Tucker. Roslyn had been Nic’s matron of honor and Carmine stood up as best man for him.
As for guests, there weren’t many. Her mother came and cried, though she’d probably never admit it.
They went on an obscenely long honeymoon, and when they came home they moved into their new house, which was a street over from Cooper and Roslyn’s.
Life was great, at least until they got out of the car to go into this dive for dinner.
“Come on. I want to eat here, and it’s my pick.”
“Fine.”
“Is it a problem that it’s a bar?” Nichole stopped walking and looked at him with concern.
“No, baby.” He laughed. “It’s not a problem at all.” It wasn’t. He knew what happened when he drank, and it was enough to keep him away from it. “If this is really where you want to go, it’s fine. Anything to make you happy.”
Once inside, they took a seat at a high-top table. There was a small stage set up with a mic and a stool. The guitar sitting on the stand next to the stool looked familiar. He knew every scuff and scratch, like he knew the lines on his own hands.
He glanced at it twice before turning back to Nichole, who was smiling nervously.
“Is that my guitar?” he asked, pointing a thumb over his shoulder.
She nodded quickly.
“I got you a gig,” she announced, sounding unsure about the lingo.
He laughed. “Are you serious?”
“You told me once you loved the way you felt when you played in front of a crowd. The way you could feel the energy coming off everyone. I know you’re content to sit at home and write amazing songs, but I wanted to give you that feeling again.” She smiled at him. “On a smaller scale.”
Nick Of Time (Blue Ridge Romance 2) Page 22