From War to Forever

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From War to Forever Page 22

by Andria Large


  Being back at work is great. I was getting bored sitting around at home all day. I can’t go back to the gym yet, but I’ll deal. Everyone at work has been awesome. I have people calling me just because they can.

  The ache in my ears has pretty much gone away, and I only had a few bouts of dizziness when I was home, but nothing major. I’ve been truly lucky, and I think Chuck is looking out for me from up above. At least that’s what I like to think.

  On my way out of the office, my phone rings. Duke let me take his car to work today, so as I get into the driver’s seat, I answer it.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Tucker,” my dad says.

  His somber tone puts me on high alert.

  “Hey, Dad. Is everything okay?”

  “No, son. Your mother has taken a turn for the worse,” he croaks.

  Oh God! I rub the heel of my palm against the sudden ache in my chest. I knew I would eventually get a phone call like this, but I’m a little caught off guard. Every time I’ve seen her lately, she’s seemed okay.

  “Are you home?” I ask.

  “We’re at the hospital. They’re keeping her comfortable. They say she only has days left.” I can hear the devastation in his voice.

  “I’ll be right over,” I tell him and head in the direction of the hospital.

  “Okay. Do me a favor and call your brother. He needs to come and see her before she goes.”

  “Absolutely. See you soon.”

  I hang up and call Rhys. I tell him what’s going on, and he insists he will get here as soon as he can. After I hang up, I call Dennis.

  “Hello?” he answers, sounding grumpy as hell.

  “Hey, Denny,” I reply softly.

  “Tuck? What’s the matter?” he asks, picking up on my tone.

  “My mom isn’t doing well. She’s in the hospital, and they say she only has a couple of days left. I’m heading over there now. Just wanted to let you know I’m not coming right home from work.”

  “Shit. Do you want me to meet you there?”

  I scrub a hand over my face. “Not right now, babe. I think it just needs to be me and my dad at the moment.”

  “I understand. Just let me know if you need anything, okay?” he says sweetly.

  God, I love him.

  “Thank you, Denny. I’ll see you later tonight.”

  “Okay. I love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  I hang up and drop my phone onto the seat next to me. The drive to the hospital only takes a few minutes. The walk up to my mother’s room makes me nauseous. I knock softly on the open door to alert my dad of my presence. He’s sitting in a chair next to my mom’s bed, holding her hand where it rests next to her hip. His blue eyes lift to meet mine. My heart breaks at the resignation in them. I shove my hands into the front pockets of my slacks. I left my tie in the car and unbuttoned the top couple of buttons of my dress shirt.

  “Hey,” I murmur.

  He gives me a watery smile as he stands and makes his way around the bed toward me. My eyes burn and my throat tightens. Goddammit. I’m not going to be able to keep myself in check when he hugs me, I just know it. My dad wraps me up in his arms, one of his hands cupping the back of my head. I hug him back, clutching at the back of his shirt. My dad breaks first. An anguished cry escapes him as he buries his face in my neck. I’ve never in my entire life seen my father cry, so this is absolute torture for me. I can’t stop the tears from streaming down my face as I hold him.

  “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe the time has finally come for her to go,” he chokes out. “What am I going to do without her?”

  I have no answer for that, so I just hug him tighter.

  DENNIS

  “LIZETTE, PLEASE, you are being ridiculous,” I huff, crossing my arms over my chest.

  I’m sitting on the exam table in the prosthetist’s office, with Lizette insisting I get the best prosthetic available. I’m already not in the greatest mood because of the phone call I got from Tucker while we were in the waiting room. So this shit with Lizette just adds to my aggravation.

  “I am not. You need the best prosthetic,” she states firmly.

  “Why?” I ask, noting it came out as a whine.

  “Because you are my big brother and you deserve it.”

  “That’s not a good enough reason. I don’t need it,” I argue.

  “Well, I think you do,” she says in return.

  The prosthetist is sitting on his stool in front of me, taking a cast of my stump. I can see the smirk on his face. He thinks this is hilarious. Dick.

  “Lizzie….”

  “Dennis,” she snaps. “Stop arguing with me. I’m paying for it, and this is what I want, so just get over it.”

  I glare at my sister, who’s sitting in the chair behind the prosthetist. Her green eyes are hard and unrelenting. Goddammit! She’s not going to give in. She’s so stubborn.

  “I don’t want you to spend that kind of money on me,” I try again.

  “This isn’t about what you want this time. It’s my money, and I will spend it however the hell I want, Dennis Gabriel Parrish. So shut your mouth and let the man work.”

  Holy shit, she’s breaking out my full given name. She hasn’t done that in years! The last time she did that, we were arguing about where she was going to live when she turned eighteen and moved out of my parents’ house.

  I sit there, brooding like the big-ass man-baby I am and let the guy do his job. There is no use arguing with Lizette. She’s always been stubborn, but now that she’s pregnant, she’s even more so. The only thing I can do is accept it and get over it. Dammit.

  After we leave the prosthetist’s office, Lizette drops me off at home. I make my way to the couch and turn on the TV. I’m alone for pretty much the rest of the day until Duke walks in the door around 10:15 p.m. He plops his ass down next to me and lets out a loud sigh.

  “Hey, man. How are you feeling?” I ask. I have the ten o’clock news on.

  He pulls in a deep breath and lets it out. “Okay, I guess. I feel better being away from Baltimore and all of the memories.”

  “Have you found any good apartments?”

  He shrugs. “I saw a couple of possibilities. I have two more to look at tomorrow, and then I’ll decide.”

  I nod. “That’s good.”

  “How did your appointment go today?” he asks, eyebrow raised.

  I roll my eyes. “I should have never let Lizette come with me. She’s insisting I get the best prosthetic on the market.”

  “Good. That’s what you should have.” He gives me a bored glance.

  I make an annoyed sound and give him a dirty look. “Not you too.”

  “Den, you need it. You deserve it. For the love of God, just take what’s being offered to you for once,” Duke pleads, his hazel eyes boring into mine.

  I’m taken aback by his sincerity.

  “If you don’t do it for yourself, at least do it for Tucker to make him happy.”

  “Well, Lizette really isn’t giving me a choice, so….”

  Duke snorts, a small smile curling one side of his mouth. “Good. I like your sister.” He snickers.

  I chuckle.

  “So when will you get the new one?”

  “In a couple of weeks. They took a mold of my stump so they can build it and customize it.”

  “Damn, so you’re stuck in a wheelchair until then?”

  “Not quite. They gave me a kneeling crutch to use along with regular crutches. So if I have the kneeling crutch on my right leg, then I can walk with the regular crutches.”

  All I have to do it kneel on the pad, strap my leg in, and go. It actually works like a prosthetic. For most people, it would take the place of regular crutches, but since I only have one leg, I still have to use traditional crutches too.

  “Perfect.”

  I smile and nod. Yeah, I was very relieved when they gave it to me. There’s no way I could handle being in a wheelchair for two or more wee
ks. I would go crazy.

  “Where is this kneeling crutch? I want to see it.”

  I reach over the arm of the chair where I have it propped up against the side. I hand it over to Duke. He takes it and looks it over. He nods in satisfaction before handing it back.

  “Pretty cool.”

  “Yeah, I thought so too.”

  The front door opens and Tucker walks in, his appearance a bit disheveled. His dark mass of curls is a mess from raking his fingers through it. His white dress shirt is untucked, the first few buttons are undone, and his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows. When he lifts his eyes, they are red and puffy, letting me know he’s been crying. Damn, my heart hurts for him. I can’t imagine what he’s going through right now. I’ve never lost a parent, and if I did, I don’t think I’d care because they’re both pieces of shit.

  Tucker drops his keys in the bowl on the table next to the door, kicks off his shoes, then pads into the kitchen, where he pulls a beer out of the fridge. Duke and I watch him in silence. I don’t know what to say, and Duke is probably in the same boat.

  Tucker chugs his beer in the kitchen before tossing the bottle into the recycling can. Without a word, he walks down the hall and into our bedroom, then shuts the door. I turn to look at Duke. He’s frowning hard.

  “You need to go to him,” he says quietly.

  I nod. I strap on the kneeling crutch as fast as I can, then grab the regular crutches that are leaning against the back of the couch. I make my way to the bedroom and open the door. Once inside, I shut it softly. Tucker is sitting on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees, head bowed with his fingers laced behind his head.

  I make my way over to him and take off the kneeling crutch to sit down next to him. I slide an arm across his shoulders.

  “Babe?” I ask gently.

  He sniffs and shakes his head. “I’ve never seen my dad fall apart like he did today,” he croaks.

  “Damn, baby. I’m so sorry.” I sigh and tighten my arm around his shoulders.

  Tucker straightens just enough to turn and tuck his face into the crook of my neck and wrap his arms around my waist. I wrap my other arm around him and hug him to me. His warm lips press against my neck. I hum and turn my head toward him. He lifts his face and presses his lips to mine. I bring a hand up to cup his jaw.

  “Dennis, can I have you?” he whispers against my lips.

  “Of course. But are you sure you want to do this now?”

  “Yes,” he murmurs, then kisses me a little harder. “I just need to forget about this shit for a little while.”

  “Okay.”

  We move farther up onto the bed. Tucker helps me out of my clothes before stripping down himself. He positions me so I’m half on my side and half on my stomach, then presses his body up against me from behind. I glance over my shoulder at him. His face is serious as he slowly runs his hand down my side and over my ass. He finds the back of my right thigh and pushes my leg up so my knee is level with my hip. His glides his palm back toward my ass, which is now more open and exposed to him.

  I gasp when his fingers brush over my hole. I haven’t bottomed since before his surgery, but I desperately want it again. I feel Tucker move behind me, his touch leaving me. I hear the telltale snap of the lube cap, and anticipation has my stomach fluttering while a moan slips from my lips.

  Tucker’s slick fingers find my hole and rub circles around it, pressing against it, but never entering. I groan and squirm, pushing back in hopes he’ll give me what I want. His hot mouth finds my neck, and he nips and sucks on the sensitive skin just under my ear.

  “I’m sorry, did you want something?” he growls, pressing his finger against my hole again.

  “Yes. You inside me,” I moan.

  He roughly shoves his finger into me, and I gasp at the intrusion and the immense pleasure. He fucks me for a moment with one finger before adding a second. His hard cock is pressed against the small of my back, where he’s thrusting lightly in time with his hand.

  “Tucker, please.”

  Tucker removes his fingers. Another snap of the cap, and then I feel the warm head of his cock at my hole. Holding his cock, he presses forward until he breaches the tight ring of muscles. I hiss at the initial burn, but when he grabs my hip and pushes all the way in, I feel nothing but pleasure. Tucker’s whole body is plastered against my back as he slowly moves. His lips brush the shell of my ear as he tells me how good I feel.

  I reach behind me and clutch his taut ass, trying to pull him deeper, but I don’t think it’s possible. Tucker’s already-slick hand finds my aching cock, and he takes his time stroking me, keeping time with his leisurely thrusts.

  My body is burning up. Tucker isn’t fucking me hard like we sometimes have a tendency to do. He’s loving me. And I’m sure that’s exactly what he needs right now, but he is setting me on fire in the process. He shifts slightly behind me, and on his next thrust, he hits my prostate. I cry out and beg for more. Tucker is more than happy to oblige. He squeezes me tighter and picks up the pace, as do his hips. I reach up to clasp the back of his neck as his hot panting breaths fan across my cheek.

  “Denny,” he breathes.

  I moan as my orgasm rips through me. I open my mouth in a silent scream as my cock pulses in Tucker’s hand. He keeps stroking me as he pounds into me harder, searching for his own release. I shudder and twitch in his arms, my hole pulsing around him. He groans and shoves into me hard one last time. He bites my shoulder and pushes in a little deeper. His abs convulse against my back as he comes inside me.

  Tucker drops his forehead to my shoulder, his heavy breaths tickling my back. After a minute of recouping, we separate, rolling onto our backs. Tucker tosses an arm over his eyes as he tries to catch his breath. I take the opportunity to ogle him while he’s not looking. He’s lost a little bit of muscle mass since he hasn’t been able to do his usual lifting, but he’s still ripped. I can’t resist drifting my fingers over his washboard abs. They bunch under my touch. Tucker slaps his free hand over mine and chuckles.

  “Stop that, you’re tickling me.”

  I roll onto my side to face him and scooch closer. I wrap my arm around his waist and drop my chin to his shoulder.

  “I love you,” I murmur.

  He removes his arm from his eyes and turns his head so he can meet my gaze.

  “I love you too.”

  He leans in for a soft kiss before pulling away and sitting up. He glances over his shoulder at me.

  “How did it go at the prosthetist?”

  “Good. Lizette is forcing me to get the best one there is.”

  Tucker grins. “Good.”

  I sneer at him, which makes him snicker. We get cleaned up, then crawl back into bed, where I wrap Tucker up in my arms, and we both fall asleep for the night.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  TUCKER

  THE NEXT evening, after work, I meet up with Rhys near the hospital to grab some dinner before we go and see our mom. Rhys got into New York late last night, and I was able to see him for a few minutes before I left the hospital to go home. So we want to spend some one-on-one time while we can. We find a restaurant, and the hostess seats us. It’s a nice little Italian place.

  “So how is Dennis? Dad said he was in a car accident,” Rhys asks as he peruses the menu.

  “He’s okay. He needs more help with things than usual.”

  Rhys eyes me over his menu. “With things like what?”

  Shit, this is not where I meant for this conversation to go.

  “Showering is the hardest thing for him to do right now….”

  “Dude, don’t tell me you’re in there washing his balls, because I swear to God, I will disown you.” He laughs.

  My stomach rolls. Well, that’s not a good sign for how he will react to our relationship, now is it? I let out a tight laugh in hopes he won’t catch on to how much his comment affects me. How much it actually hurts me. I think I better change the subject, and fast.

&nbs
p; “Did you see anything you want?” I ask, turning my gaze toward the menu in front of me.

  Rhys is easily distracted and mentions a couple of dishes that sound good to him. I’m only half listening because all I can think about is what he said. He’ll disown me. I know he was joking in part, but this isn’t the first homophobic remark my brother has made. He’s made it clear on a few occasions that he finds being gay disgusting and wrong. What am I going to do? I can’t hide my relationship with Dennis from him and my dad forever. But it sure as hell looks like I’ll lose them if they find out.

  “Hey, you all right over there? You’re staring off into space,” Rhys says, bringing me back from my thoughts.

  “Uh… yeah, I was just thinking about Mom,” I lie.

  He sighs heavily and rakes a hand through his dark hair. “I feel worse about Dad and how he’s going to handle it. For me, she’s been gone for years.”

  I nod. “I understand and I agree. He’s not taking it well already.”

  “Maybe I can get him to come stay with Selene, Max, and me for a little while after Mom goes,” he suggests.

  “That’s a great idea… if he’ll go along with it.”

  Rhys grunts in agreement. We’re interrupted by the waiter, who takes our drink order. Once he walks away, Rhys and I go on to talk about my little man, Max, and how big he’s getting. A loud crash sounds—most likely someone dropping something in the kitchen, but in my mind, it’s a bomb. The sights and sounds of the restaurant fade out. I blink and all I can see is sand and smoke. I hit the ground, taking cover for the next blast that I know is bound to come. I glance around. Where the fuck is Duke, that bastard? He always wanders off at the worst times!

  My heart is pounding as I curl up and cover my head as best as I can. Where the hell is my helmet? I must have lost it after that first blast. I hear a voice next to me, a familiar voice, but a voice that is definitely out of place. My brother is not in Iraq with me.

  I blink up into his concerned blue eyes. “Tucker, are you okay?” he asks from where he is squatting next to me.

 

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