From War to Forever

by Andria Large

  Tucker half laughs, half sobs against my lips. He wraps his arms around me and hugs me hard. “Holy shit, I thought you were going to say no.” He sniffs, resting his forehead against mine.

  I look at him, tears running down his face. “I would never say no to you, Tuck. You know I fucking love you,” I say tenderly and reach up to wipe them from his face.

  “I know, but after everything I did—”

  “It’s over and done with,” I cut him off. “You’ve apologized, I’ve forgiven you, and I want us to get back to the way we were. I want us to be happy together again,” I tell him, then give him another kiss. “You just shocked the hell out of me. I wasn’t expecting this at all.”

  Tucker grins. “Isn’t that the point of proposing?”

  I smile, give him one more kiss, and then back up enough so I can fully see him. “True. So are you going to put that ring on my finger or what?”

  Tucker bites his bottom lip as he takes my left hand and slips the beautiful black ring with its one simple diamond onto my ring finger. It fits perfectly. Tucker turns and goes back into the drawer. He returns and holds out his palm. Sitting on it is a matching ring. I smile brightly.

  “You got yourself one?”

  Tucker shrugs sheepishly. “I wanted to make sure everyone knew we’re both taken.”

  I take the ring from his palm and hold out my left hand to him. He places his left hand in mine, and I slip the ring on his finger.

  “I love it. Thank you,” I say sincerely, leaning forward to kiss him on the lips.

  Tucker gives me a slow, lingering kiss that has my cock twitching back to life. He pushes me down onto the bed, covering me with his hard body. His hips settle against mine, and his dick, which is also hard again, rubs against mine. Tucker drags his mouth along my jaw and down to my neck.

  “Can I have you this time?” he whispers against it.

  “Fuck yes,” I hiss when he nips at the sensitive skin of my neck just under my ear. So much for waiting for tonight.

  Tucker tangles his fingers in my hair as he kisses his way back up to my mouth. Our tongues immediately find each other and fight for dominance. I smooth my hands down his back until I can cup his firm asscheeks. I give one a sharp smack, making him groan into my mouth and grind his hips against mine.

  Pulling back from our kiss, Tucker reaches for the lube on the nightstand. My stomach flutters as I watch him drip lube onto his fingers. Those fingers then move between my legs to rub the lube around my hole before one pushes inside. I hiss and palm my leaking cock. Tucker works his finger in and out slowly for a minute before adding another. I moan, digging my head back into my pillow as the pleasure rolls over me.

  “You, Tuck, I need you,” I breathe.

  Tucker makes a noise in the back of his throat and hastily removes his fingers. More lube, then he’s pushing his cock past the tight muscles. He moans long and low, and it’s so fucking sexy. I lift my head to look down at his cock disappearing into my ass, and I nearly lose it.

  When he’s seated to the hilt, he gathers me up in his arms and kisses me softly. I wrap my arms around his neck, letting my fingers sift through his silky, wavy hair. His hips pull back slowly before pushing forward even slower. My breath catches, as the only thing I can do is feel. Feel every hard inch of him work its way inside me. Feel his muscles flexing against my own. Feel his lips moving against mine. Nothing has ever felt so fucking good in my life.

  God knows how long I was lost in all of the feeling when Tucker decides it’s time to move things along. He pushes up to his hands and snaps his hips, hard and fast. I cry out in ecstasy, fisting the sheets. Tucker wraps his hand around my dick, and he jerks me off in time with his thrusts. My orgasm barrels through me out of nowhere, shooting hot jets of cum all over my stomach and chest. Tucker’s rhythm falters, letting me know he’s about to come too. He slams into me two more times before letting out a harsh cry; that’s when I feel his cock pulsing inside me. Fuck, that’s hot.

  I drag my eyes open and look up at my fiancé—wow, that sounds so weird—who has his head dropped back, his hands gripping my hips, and his chest heaving as he tries to catch his breath. He is glorious.

  “Holy hell, that was good,” Tucker pants, lifting his head to gaze down at me through heavy-lidded eyes.

  “So good,” I agree.

  We both groan as he slowly pulls out. Flopping down next to me, Tucker sighs contently.

  “We’re engaged,” he whispers.

  I bark out a laugh and roll to face him. He’s lying on his back with his face turned toward me. His eyes are closed, but he’s got the biggest smile on his handsome face.

  “Yeah, we are.” I chuckle and give him a quick kiss on the lips. “Shower time. You comin’ with?”

  He nods. “Be there in a sec,” he says, his voice heavy with sleep.

  I smile and give him one more kiss before heading to the bathroom to get cleaned up. He’s not getting in the shower with me. He’s probably already passed the hell out. It’s fine though; I’ll wake him up when I’m done. He can get washed up, and then we can have some breakfast, exchange the rest of our gifts, go see Tucker’s dad for a while, then go back to my sister’s for dinner. I can’t wait to tell her I’m getting married and show her this incredible ring. She’s going to be so excited. Hopefully not so excited that she goes into labor.

  TUCKER

  DENNIS FIDGETS next to me as we stand on the front step of my parents’… my dad’s house. He hasn’t seen my father since my mother’s funeral. He knows my dad’s accepted us, but he still seems anxious about it.

  “Dennis, it’s gonna be fine,” I say quietly.

  Before he can answer, my dad opens the door with a large smile on his face.

  “Hey, boys! Glad you could make it! Come on in,” he says happily and steps aside.

  I grin and give my dad a hug as I pass him. “Merry Christmas, Pops.”

  He sighs contently and claps me on the back a couple of times. “Merry Christmas, Tucker.”

  I know this has to be hard for him. It’s the first Christmas without Mom. I know my heart aches, so I can’t imagine how he’s feeling. He might be putting on a good front, but I’m sure he’s torn apart inside.

  Dennis steps up to my dad and opens his mouth to say something, but my dad cuts him off by pulling him into a tight hug. “I’m glad you’re here, Dennis.”

  Dennis returns the hug and nods. “Me too.”

  As they part, my dad gives Dennis’s cheek a fond pat before turning to shut the door.

  “Uncle Tuck!” I hear a cute little voice say over and over from the other room.

  My heart leaps into my throat as I hear my nephew’s voice getting closer and the sound of his little feet running in my direction. He appears in the doorway of the kitchen. He stops for a second, looks at me with his bright blue eyes, then smiles so it lights up the whole room. He runs for me, his chubby hands stretched out toward me. I scoop him up and swing him around as I hug him to me.

  “Max! My buddy! What are you doing here?”

  “See Pop-Pop,” he says in his cute little voice.

  I glance at Dennis, who’s wary, before looking at my dad with a questioning gaze. He doesn’t get to say anything because Selene emerges from the kitchen, where Max just came from. She gives me a soft smile. I frown at her in confusion before glancing behind her to see if my brother is here too, because if he is, he’s getting his ass beaten.

  “He’s not here,” Selene says.

  “Really? You came without him?” I ask, a bit shocked.

  She nods. “We’re… we’re separated at the moment.”

  My mouth drops open. I set Max down and move to stand in front of her. “Selene, please don’t tell me it’s because of me,” I practically beg.

  She shrugs one shoulder. “I won’t allow him to use our son as a threat against you. We have other issues too, so it’s not just you, but I think that’s what tipped us over.”

  “Shit, I’m
so sorry. I never wanted to cause problems between you two.” I sigh, pulling her into a hug.

  “It was going to happen sooner or later, Tucker, so don’t blame yourself,” she says.

  I let her go and give her a nod. She says hello to Dennis and gives him a hug. We all move back into the kitchen, where my dad has some snacks on the table. Dennis takes a seat, and Max starts to climb up on his lap. Dennis smirks and helps him up.

  “Cwacker?” Max says, pointing at the crackers on the table.

  Dennis shoots Selene a glance, asking permission with his eyes. She smiles and nods. He grabs a cracker and gives it to Max.

  “Tank you,” Max says before shoving half the cracker into his mouth.

  I chuckle.

  “So, Selene, are you just here for the day?” Dennis asks.

  “We’re spending the night and then going back to my parents’ tomorrow. That’s where Max and I have been staying.”

  I go to the fridge and pull out two bottles of water. I set one in front of Dennis before cracking the other one open for myself and taking a long swig. I still feel horrible that Selene and Rhys are separated. I thought they were pretty happy. I had no idea they were having problems; Rhys never said a word to me about that. Apparently we weren’t as close as I once thought.

  “How is your sister doing, Dennis? Tucker tells me she’s having a baby,” my dad says.

  Dennis smiles. “Yeah, she’s ready to go. She has a couple of weeks left, and she’s done with it.” He chuckles.

  Selene hums in understanding. “I definitely remember that part.”

  “Do they know what they’re having?” my dad asks.

  “No, baby wouldn’t cooperate. Plus they kind of want it to be a surprise anyway,” Dennis replies with a grin.

  My dad laughs. “Tucker did the same thing to us. We had no idea what he was until he came out and pissed all over the nurse.”

  We all laugh.

  “So… uh…,” I start nervously and glance at Dennis, who knows what I’m about to say. He gives me an encouraging nod and a small smile. “So I proposed to Dennis this morning, and he said yes, so we’re engaged,” I blurt out.

  Selene squeals in excitement and throws herself into my arms. “Oh my God! Congratulations!”

  She plants a kiss on my cheek before letting me go to give Dennis, who stands with Max, a hug and a kiss. I turn to my dad, who hasn’t said a word yet, to find him standing by the sink, watching me with teary eyes and a watery smile. I go to him, and he wraps me up in a tight hug.

  “Congratulations, son. Mom would have been so proud of you,” he says softly.

  Dammit, he just had to go there, didn’t he? My eyes immediately tear up as I thank him.

  When we separate, he goes to Dennis and gives him a big hug and whispers something in his ear that has Dennis tearing up also. Dennis nods and says a quiet thank-you.

  They separate, and Dennis puts Max down, comes to me, and pulls me into a tight embrace. After a peck on the lips, he tucks his face in my neck. I hug him to me and kiss his cheek. God, it feels good to be out and honest and accepted.

  We stay for another hour before leaving to go to Lizette and Beau’s.

  I didn’t tell Dennis that Lizette already knows. I can’t wait to see his face when we walk in and her excitement from yesterday explodes. We step into the elevator, and Dennis hits the button for the fifteenth floor. He then grabs my hand and pulls me against him so we’re touching from chest to thigh. His arms wrap around my waist and hold me to him. I slip my arms around this neck. I’m only a couple of inches shorter than him, so our bodies line up perfectly.

  “I think I’m still in shock,” Dennis murmurs, dropping his forehead to mine.

  “That we’re engaged?” I ask, unable to stop the smile that curls my lips.

  “Mmm-hmm,” he hums.

  “Yeah, it hasn’t really sunk in yet for me either,” I admit.

  Dennis leans in and kisses me tenderly on the lips. The elevator dings and the doors open, forcing us to separate and exit the car. I slip my hand in his as we walk down the hall toward Lizette and Beau’s condo. Dennis squeezes it before knocking on the door.

  Lizette flings open the door with a huge smile on her pretty face. She looks at me first, and I give her a subtle nod, letting her know I already proposed. She then squeals and flings herself into Dennis’s arms. Dennis looks confused as hell when he glances at me over her shoulder.

  I shrug and tell him, “I showed her the ring last night.”

  He rolls his eyes as he hugs his sister.

  “Congratulations! I’m so happy for you, Denny!” Lizette exclaims, grabbing his face and kissing him on the cheek.

  “Thanks, Lizzie.” Dennis grins.

  Next she grabs me and hugs me tightly, her belly making it difficult. When she lets me go, she moves aside to let us walk past her. As soon as we step out of the entryway and into the living room, the place explodes into cheers. I look around in shock to see all of Beau’s friends/bandmates and Beau’s mom and siblings standing there. I had no idea they were all going to be here. As I scan the room, I see there are balloons and signs that say, “Happy Engagement!”

  Beau greets us with flutes of champagne. We each take one, then give him one-armed hugs. I glance at Dennis just as he looks at me. He seems as stunned as I feel.

  “Congrats to the newly engaged couple! May you have many years of love and happiness!” Beau toasts, holding up his own flute.

  Everyone raises their glasses, clinks them against one another, and drinks. Dennis and I follow suit. After taking a sip, Dennis leans down and places a chaste kiss on my lips, which makes everyone hoot and holler. I turn to search for Lizette and find her standing behind us, her hand over her mouth, tears running down her cheeks.

  “I can’t believe you did this.” I smile, pulling her in for another hug.

  “You guys deserve it,” she croaks.

  “Where’s Duke? I don’t see him.” I glance around after I let her go.

  “I called him to invite him, but he’s in Baltimore with his family and Arianna.”

  “Ahh, gotcha.”

  Dennis moves farther into the room to greet everyone. Just as I’m about to follow, there is a knock on the door. Lizette grins and motions with her head toward the door.

  “I think that’s for you,” she says softly.

  I frown in confusion but move past her to answer the door. I open it and blink in shock when I see my dad, Selene, and Max.

  “Wh-what are you guys doing here?” I ask in confusion.

  My dad smiles. “Lizette invited us over. She called last night saying that she’d love for us all to be together for Christmas dinner, so here we are.”

  “Looks like it’s turned into an engagement party.” Selene smiles as she glances past me into the condo.

  I step aside to let them in. “Yeah, it has.”

  I give my dad a hug.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” I whisper to him.

  “Me too, Tuck,” he murmurs, giving me a couple solid pats on the back.

  I wrap Selene and Max in a group hug since she’s holding him, which makes him giggle. When I let them go, Max spots Dennis and squirms to be put down. Selene lets him go, and he takes off running toward Dennis, yelling, “Uncle Den! Uncle Den!”

  I watch as Dennis turns with a confused frown on his face, but when he sees Max, he lights up and a loving smile curls his lips. He scoops him up and hugs him before propping him on his hip and saying something to him that has Max laughing. That sight right there just made my entire year.

  “Dennis looks good with a kid in his arms,” Selene muses.

  I smile and nod. “Yes, he does.”

  “Maybe you two could adopt? Or find a surrogate?” Lizette offers.

  I roll my eyes at her. “One day at a time, Lizzie.”

  She snickers and gives me a side hug. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and walk with her into the crowd so I can greet everyone and introduc
e them to my family.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  DENNIS

  I’M SITTING next to Tucker on Duke’s love seat, my arm around the back of the couch behind Tuck’s shoulders. I’m watching Duke and Arianna, who are sitting on the couch adjacent to us. She’s snuggled up against his side, and her head is tilted back to look up at him with goo-goo eyes as she feeds him a cookie she made. I had one; they are delicious. This on the other hand—those two—they are ridiculous. I fight off a smile and lean closer to Tucker.

  “Is that what we look like?” I whisper to him.

  Tucker shakes his head, his eyes watching them also. “No fucking way,” he whispers back. “They are sickening.”

  I snicker. Hey, I’m glad as hell Duke has finally found his person, but do they have to be so lovey-dovey in front of us? They are being that couple. You know that couple—everyone knows at least one—who are so over-the-top in love that you just want to strangle them. I get it. It’s new love, and they are still in la-la land and excited to be together. But please, for the love of God, tone it down!

  “Have you forgotten how to feed yourself, Duke?” I ask, quirking an eyebrow in his direction.

  His eyes flick to mine and widen slightly as if he’s just realizing what he’s doing. He snatches the cookie out of Arianna’s hand and shoves the rest of it into his mouth. “No,” he grunts around a mouthful of cookie.

  Arianna rolls her eyes at him before turning to look at me and Tucker. “So have you guys made any wedding plans yet?”

  Tucker and I will be engaged for a full week tomorrow, since tonight is New Year’s Eve.

  “Not really. We’re just thinking of doing something small,” Tucker says.

  “Please tell me I can do the cake,” Arianna says hopefully.

  “Of course.” Tucker smiles.

  “Yay!” she exclaims and shoots a fist into the air.

  “You should make the cake topper two guys; one bent over in front of the other and have both of them making O faces.” Duke laughs.

  I flip him the bird while Tucker laughs and tells him to shut up.