“I am sure whatever he said, he didn’t mean for it to hurt you,” Tucker tried to reason with her. “Lucy, he loves you more than anything else in this world, you have to believe that.”
“Maybe it would be best if I just went home,” Lucy shrugged. “Maybe coming here was a huge mistake.”
“I know you don’t believe that,” Tucker said as he took hold of her hand. “I know I am happy you came back.”
“Really?” Lucy asked, surprised by his response.
“Come on, Lucy,” Tucker replied. “You have to know how I feel about you. You and I have always been unfinished business. Since the first time I kissed you, before that even.”
“Before that?” Lucy asked, giving him a confused look.
“Why do you think I was even at the party that night?” Tucker asked, as he gave her a shy smile. “I knew you would be there that night, and I knew you were with Riley, but I wanted the chance to at least talk to you.”
“You came there to see me?” Lucy replied, surprised by this.
“There was no other reason for me to be there,” Tucker shrugged. “I couldn’t stand my cousin or any of those jock assholes, but I knew you would be there with Riley, and I knew like the rest of the other jock assholes, he would be too wrapped up in his stupid game to even notice you were with him.”
“I never saw it like that,” Lucy replied, as she thought back to how things had been with Riley before the night of the party.
“You know, the first time I saw you,” Tucker said as he reached for her hand. “You were at a lunch table in the quad at school, and he was sitting next to you. There was a bunch of his friends with you both, and he was so wrapped up in what they were talking about, he didn’t even notice you never said one word the entire time you were sitting there.”
“I…I didn’t realise it was like that,” Lucy replied, as she remembered the endless number of times she had wished that it could have been just her and Riley. “I guess I was just grateful that he found me, that I didn’t see the rest of it.”
“I watched you that day,” Tucker continued. “For that whole lunch break, I couldn’t take my eyes off you. You were breath-taking. I tried to talk to you so many times, but I always chickened out. I knew that night, however, would be my chance. I just wish it had ended a lot differently.”
“Me too,” Lucy replied with a sad smile. “But Tucker, none of this changes things with my dad. I don’t think he really wants me here, even if you do.”
“He does…” Tucker began to protest, but Lucy quickly stopped him.
“Tucker, he is ashamed of me,” Lucy said matter of factly. “Or at least of what has happened to me. He doesn’t want me here, and I can’t go back in there. Not today.”
She stood up and looked down at Tucker, then gave him a warm smile.
“I am going to go home,” she told him. “I am going to walk. I need to clear my head. You go back into him, and I will see you later.”
“I don’t want you to go,” Tucker said, as he too stood up and took hold of her hand. “I can’t let you walk away feeling like this.”
“I will be okay,” she assured him as she leaned up on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek. “I will see you later. I promise.”
“Okay,” Tucker said as he reluctantly let go of her hand. “But we are still having dinner later, right?”
“Of course,” Lucy replied with a broad smile. “I will be waiting for you at my dad’s.”
“Good,” he said, and Lucy could hear the relief in his voice. He slipped his arms around her and drew her to him. “Tonight will be perfect, I promise.”
Tucker slowly pressed his lips to Lucy’s then slowly let her go again. He stood there and watched as Lucy turned and slowly walked away. She smiled to herself as she walked down the pathway. She knew he was watching her, and she liked it.
When she reached the end of the path, she turned back to Tucker and waved. Lucy’s smile just widened when he blew her a kiss in return.
As she walked home, she thought about what her next move should be. She felt torn. If she was honest, she longed to go back to New York and put this town far behind her. She loved her dad, but coming back here had just exposed the cracks in their relationship that they had been hiding all these years. Coming back now revealed how hurt and angry they both were with each other.
Lucy just wanted things to go back to how they were. They weren’t perfect, but it was so much easier to pretend.
Then she thought of leaving Tucker, and that thought made her sad. Despite their rocky start, she had grown very fond of him. When she was with him, she didn’t feel the need to pretend or hide who she really was, and even if she tried, he had a way of seeing straight through her.
She thought about what he had said about when they were still in school, and she realised he had even seen through her back then.
She used to love being with Riley; he was her everything back then, but the more she thought about it, maybe she wasn’t his. Maybe that was why he walked away so easily after the night of the party.
By the time Lucy reached her father’s house, she felt tired. She decided she was going to have a long soak in the bath before she tried to get some rest.
She had only slipped off her jacket and made it about six steps up the stairs when then front doorbell rang.
Lucy froze in fear for a moment. She knew it couldn’t be Tucker; he was going back into her dad. Riley was in work too. Trent came into her mind briefly, but she didn’t believe that even he would have the balls to just turn up on her father’s doorstep.
She took a deep breath before she slowly walked back down the stairs and to the front door. She paused for a moment before she opened it and was surprised to see April standing there.
“Hi,” Lucy said, as she opened the door fully and stepped back, gesturing for April to come inside.
“I hope you don’t mind me dropping by,” April said, as she nervously walked into the house. “I was going to call, but I was passing, and I wanted to make sure you were okay, you know, after last night.”
“I am doing better,” Lucy answered honestly as she led April into her father’s living room. She sat on one of the tan, leather sofas and gestured to April to sit down too. April sat on the sofa facing Lucy. “I am so grateful for everything you did last night…”
“It was nothing,” April quickly replied with a nervous smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Lucy could sense she was upset about something, but she had no idea what it could be. “I am just glad you’re okay.”
“Can I get you a coffee?” Lucy asked, as she went to stand back up but April quickly shook her head and dropped her eyes to the floor. “April, is everything okay?”
“Not really,” April replied, as she glanced up at Lucy, but then she quickly turned away again.
“Has something happened?” Lucy asked, feeling a little on edge. “It’s okay to talk to me, April.”
“I am so sorry,” April said, as she looked up at Lucy once more, but this time her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I am so ashamed of myself for what I have done, or rather, what I have not done.”
“April, you’re making no sense,” Lucy said, as she shifted uneasily in her seat. “Why don’t you start at the beginning?”
“Lucy, when I heard what had happened, that night,” April began nervously, and Lucy could see the sadness in her eyes. “What happened at the football party, my heart almost broke for you.”
“Okay,” Lucy replied cautiously.
“I went to the hospital to see you the day after the party,” she continued. “Tucker was there. I didn’t know who he was, but I recognised him from school, so I left. When I went back the next day, he was there again and once more I left. When I returned the third day, he noticed me. He followed me out of the hospital and asked me why did I not stay, that maybe you needed a friend. I told him I couldn’t, and left before he could press me further.”
“Why were you afraid of Tucker?” Lucy ask
ed.
“I wasn’t afraid of him,” April replied, “I was just afraid it would get back to school that I was there. That it would get back to Trent.”
“Okay,” Lucy said but a tiny knot formed in her stomach just at the mention of his name.
“When I heard that they were not going to charge Trent for what he had done to you, I felt sick,” she continued. “Everyone was talking about it in school, and I knew I could help, but I was afraid.”
“How could you help?” Lucy asked, confused.
“I always regretted what I did back then,” April said, and the tears finally trickled down her face. “I hated myself for being so weak. That day I saw you in the drug store, I almost hid, afraid to face you, but then you looked so sad, and I thought that maybe I could help you.”
“April, please don’t cry,” Lucy said, as she stood up and walked to the other sofa. She reached out to take Aprils hand, as her heart hammered with complete terror. “It was so long ago…”
“But it’s not!” April exclaimed. “Not for you. When I saw how upset you were last night, how terrified you were because of him, I knew it was my fault.”
“I’m confused,” Lucy asked. “How was it your fault?”
“Because I could have proven you were telling the truth,” April sobbed harder as she released Lucy’s hand and buried her face in her hands.
Lucy stared at this girl in front of her for a moment and tried to understand what she was trying to tell her. What had upset her so much?
Then it hit Lucy like a ton of bricks.
“He raped you too, didn’t he?” Lucy said in a bare whisper.
“I am so sorry, Lucy, April cried as she looked up at Lucy once again. “If I had have come forward, told them what he did to me, maybe they would have believed you. Maybe he would have been locked away, and he would have never been able to get to you last night.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Lucy said quickly. “He did this to the both of us. You were just a kid back then too, and you were scared, I get that.”
“I wish I could have been braver,” April continued. “When Tucker came to my house and begged me to come forward…”
“Tucker knew?” Lucy asked, feeling completely stunned.
“He figured it out,” April nodded. “When he heard they weren’t going to charge Trent, he came to my house and pleaded with me to come forward, but I was so scared. It was different for me; I was on a date with him, and he just wouldn’t take no for an answer. At first, I pleaded with him to stop, but then I just stopped fighting. I told Tucker I couldn’t tell anyone what he did. That’s when Tucker beat the crap out of Trent.”
“HE WHAT?” Lucy asked in disbelief.
“He came to my house the night you left town,” April explained. “He begged me to reconsider and to go to the police with him, but I was afraid, and I was embarrassed. He was so upset and angry. When he climbed into his car, I knew he was not going to let it go. So I grabbed my mom’s keys and followed him in her car. Tucker went to the diner because he knew that’s where Trent would be. He waited for him to come out of the diner and he just beat the crap out of him.”
“Holy shit!” Lucy replied, completely stunned.
“Then Trent said something to him, and Tucker punched him once more, then took off out of there like a bat outta hell. The police arrived, so I went home. They next day at school, everyone was talking about how Tucker was arrested after he beat the crap out of Riley too.”
“Riley?” Lucy repeated utterly blown away. “Why Riley?”
“I have no idea,” April replied.
“Wow!” Was all Lucy could say.
“Lucy, I am so sorry for not coming forward,” April continued, and finally, her tears stopped. “I can never make it up to you for not doing the right thing back then, but I can be your friend now if you will let me.”
“You have nothing to make up for, April,” Lucy said as she hugged her, pushing all her fears down inside. “And I am happy to call you my friend.”
Chapter 15
Lucy stood in the hallway and nervously checked her appearance in the long mirror. She was nervous about her date with Tucker, just as she had been the night before with Riley, but this time, it was more nerves of excitement, than nerves of fear.
Tucker had called her earlier that afternoon to tell her he would collect her at seven and that she should wear whatever she was comfortable in.
Lucy had picked a cream summer dress, but wore a soft, woollen cream cardigan to cover the top of her arms and more importantly, the scar on the top if her arm, the dress hid the other two. She chose to wear her hair tied back in a loose bun at the back of her head. She finished off her outfit with her favourite pair of nude pumps.
At exactly seven o’clock, the doorbell sounded, and Lucy could feel a million butterflies take flight in the pit of her stomach.
When she opened the door, Tucker greeted her with a broad smile. He was wearing a crisp white shirt and jeans. He was holding a small bouquet of mixed flowers, and he looked sexy as hell.
“You looked beautiful,” Tucker said, as he stepped into the house and closer to Lucy before he handed her the flowers. “These are for you.”
“They are gorgeous,” she said, as she looked up into his eyes and suddenly she felt very shy. “I will go find a vase.”
As Lucy turned, her eyes fell to the roses on the hall table that Riley had brought her the night before, and she sighed as she thought about what April had told her. She had so many questions she wanted to ask Tucker about what happened all those years before, but she knew that now was not the right time.
Tonight was about her and Tucker. The past could wait until tomorrow. She walked into the kitchen to find a vase and was followed closely by Tucker.
She reached for the vase on the kitchen windowsill, and she put the flowers in it before she filled it with water.
When she turned with the flowers to put them in the centre of the table, she was surprised to find Tucker standing directly behind her.
Once she was face to face with him, he reached out and took the flowers from her hand and set them down on the counter.
He stepped closer to Lucy and slowly slid his arm around her waist. Lucy gasped with nerves as his pulled her body closer to his.
“I have thought about nothing else all day, except doing this,” Tucker whispered, as he drew her closer to him.
Slowly he brought his lips to hers, kissing her softly at first but then his kiss became deeper and filled with so much passion.
Lucy’s heart hammered in her chest with fear and excitement. She wanted to please Tucker; she wanted him to touch her and make her feel all these things she was feeling, but she was afraid.
“Please don’t be afraid of me,” he whispered against her lips as if he could read her mind. “I promise you, I will do nothing you don’t want me to do. There is nothing to be scared of.”
“I know,” she smiled against his lips before she kissed him again.
“Okay,” Tucker said finally as he released her from his embrace and reached for her hand. “Let’s get out of here because I don’t know about you, but I am famished.”
He led her down the hallway and out the front door.
Ten minutes later, they pulled up outside a picturesque bungalow, complete with white picket fences and a beautiful manicured front lawn.
“Is this your house?” Lucy asked as Tucker switched off the engine.
“It is,” Tucker said with a smile. I bought it about two years ago. Decided it was time to put down some roots.”
“It’s beautiful,” Lucy said, as she looked up at the house once more.
“Thank you,” he said, as he opened the truck door, then hurried around to open Lucy’s. “I thought I would cook you dinner. I figured this way; there will be no unexpected, nasty surprises.”
Lucy just smiled, touched he would do this for her. Tucker reached for her hand and led her up the pathway to the front door.
<
br /> As Lucy stepped in through the door, she smiled again. His home was gorgeous and nothing like what Lucy expected. It was warm, welcoming, decorated in creams, and a mixture of earthy colours, mixed with beautiful oak wood flooring and matching furniture. It was far from the bachelor pad she would have expected from a single guy.
“You have a lovely home, Tucker,” Lucy said, as he took the light jacket Lucy had over her arm and hung it on the coat rack. “It’s so warm and welcoming.”
“Thank you,” Tucker replied as he led her into the kitchen to where he had his kitchen table set for two, complete with a cream table cloth and crystal goblets with flickering tea lights inside them.
“Oh, Tucker!” Lucy exclaimed, as she walked a little further into the room. “This looks perfect.”
“Dinner won’t be long,” he said, as he walked to the fridge and pulled out two bottles of wine and turned back to Lucy. “Would you like red or white?”
“White please,” Lucy said as she stood and nervously watched Tucker. He turned and reached up for the wine glasses from a cupboard above his head.
“I hope you like lasagne,” Tucker said, as he then opened the wine. “It’s one of my favourites.”
“Sounds good,” Lucy replied as she stood in the middle of the kitchen, unsure what to do. She watched Tucker as he poured them both a glass of wine. She couldn’t help but smile to herself. What was it about him that got to her the way he did? She had spent the last nine years of her life so guarded and protected, why did he make her want to drop all her guards, just for him?
“Please, sit,” Tucker said when he turned and saw Lucy still standing. “Make yourself at home.”
“Is there something I can do to help you?” Lucy asked, as she moved back further into the kitchen. She preferred to keep busy, it helped her relax and not over think everything.
“Yes,” Tucker said as he walked towards her with two glasses of wine in his hand. He kissed Lucy before he handed her one of the glasses. “Relax.”
He took her by the hand and led her to the table. He set his glass of wine down on the table before he pulled out a chair for Lucy, and looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to sit down. Lucy duly obliged.
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