by Andria Large
“Yes. Tucker too.”
My eyebrows shoot up at that one. I glance over at him, and he looks equally shocked.
“You two mean everything to me, and I want you to be here.”
“I… uh… okay…,” I stutter.
I am now officially terrified. I’ve never seen a baby being born! I haven’t even been around any pregnant women except for Lizette. I have no idea what to do or even how to handle this. Tucker comes to stand with me on Lizette’s right. Beau stays on her left, where he leans in to give her a kiss and words of encouragement.
Nothing on this earth could have prepared me for the next hour. The pushing, the screaming, the coaching from the doctor, more screaming. Beau is holding her left leg while I have her right. Never did I ever think that the words “The head is out” would make my entire body sag with relief. Minutes later, the baby is born and wailing.
“It’s a girl!” the doctor exclaims.
Lizette and Beau burst into tears as they press their foreheads together and say how much they love each other. The doctor suctions out the baby’s nose and throat before cleaning her off a little and placing her on Lizette’s chest. Tucker’s arm snakes around my waist as he steps up next to me so he can see the baby too. I drape my arm across his shoulders and tug him closer. Never has a baby crying sounded so beautiful. I brush away the tears that start down my cheeks. I press a kiss to Tucker’s temple and pull in a shaky breath. What a day.
TUCKER
IS IT possible to fall in love with someone all over again just by watching them hold a newborn baby? My heart is ready to burst out of my chest from all the love I feel toward Dennis right now. He’s sitting in the rocking chair, in the corner of the room, with Gia swaddled like a little burrito in his arms. He’s staring down at her in awe as he whispers to her. I don’t know what he’s saying, and it really doesn’t matter. I adore him.
Lizette is napping, and Beau went to get something to eat. I’m sitting in a chair next to Lizette’s bed, unable to take my eyes off the gorgeous man with the dark hair and bright green eyes. He looks like he was born to have a child in his arms. He makes holding a baby seem like the most natural thing in the world.
Dennis glances over at me, a curious smile tilting his lips when he sees I’m watching him. “What?”
“I love you,” I state, shaking my head in amazement.
He chuckles. “Love you too, babe. Wanna hold her?”
“Hell yeah, give me that little munchkin.” I grin as we stand from our chairs. I go over to Dennis, and he hands me Gia and tells me to sit in the rocking chair. So I sit and automatically rock gently. Dennis stays by my side, unable to move too far away from Gia, which is so fucking sweet.
I study Gia’s beautiful, little face. It’s so crazy how immediate the love is when a baby is involved. I brush my finger over her rosy cheek. It’s so soft and smooth. She squirms and blinks her pretty little eyes open. She stares up at me, and I know she really can’t see me clearly, but she looks intrigued.
“Hi, Gia. I’m your Uncle Tucker,” I coo. “Get used to this face because you’re going to be seeing a lot of it.”
Dennis laughs softly and threads his fingers into my hair. She stares at me for another moment before her face contorts and turns red before letting out a little goat cry.
“What? I’m not that ugly.” I snicker to her.
Dennis barks out a laugh, and Gia’s cry becomes more insistent.
“She’s probably hungry,” Lizette’s weary voice says, bringing our attention to her.
She barely has her eyes open as she holds out her hands for the baby. I get up and bring her over. After handing her to Lizette, I lean down and kiss her and the baby on their foreheads.
“We’ll give you some alone time,” I murmur.
Dennis gives both girls a kiss too. “We’ll be back tomorrow.”
Lizette nods. “Okay. Thank you guys for being here today. It meant a lot to me.”
“You’re welcome, Lizzie. Love you,” Dennis says, then gives her one more kiss on top of her head.
“Love you too.”
Dennis and I leave her to nurse Gia. We run into Beau on our way out. We say good-bye to him then make our way to the garage where our car is parked. Dennis hands me the keys and asks me to drive. I can tell he’s mentally drained; it’s written all over his face. Once we’re in the car, Dennis shoots Duke a text to let him know the baby has been born. On the road, I bring up the subject that has been on my mind all day.
“Would you want to have kids?” I glance over at Dennis when I ask, and he pales slightly.
He shakes his head. “I wouldn’t make a good father.”
I give him an incredulous look. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
He turns his face toward me, and I see the fear in his green eyes. “I have too many emotional issues, Tucker.”
“That’s why you’re on medication and see a therapist, Denny, to keep you level. You’ve been doing great with both of them.”
Dennis turns away from me to look out the window. “After Zara died, I never even entertained the idea of having kids. I figured it wasn’t in the cards for me.”
“Well, things are different now, love. You have me. It’s not like you would be raising a kid alone.”
When I glance at him again, I can see a little, lopsided grin on his face.
“What are you thinking?” I ask.
“You just called me ‘love.’ I like it.”
“Noted.” I smile. After a few moments of silence, I say, “You’d make a great father, Dennis. You’re great with Max, and I know without a doubt you are going to be great with Gia.”
Dennis stares at me, studying my face. “I thought you didn’t want kids?”
I shrug. “I’ve changed my mind.”
“What made you change your mind?”
I stop at a red light and turn to look at him, my gaze locked on his. “You.” He seems confused, so I elaborate. “I want a family with you. I’ve never had the urge to have that with anyone else. That’s why I haven’t wanted kids before. But now, that’s something I want to share with you.”
Dennis rolls his lips in and nods, his gaze swinging away again. I take his hand, lacing my fingers together with his. He glances down at our hands.
“I can’t promise you I’ll ever want kids,” he says quietly.
“I know.” I squeeze his fingers, then bring our linked hands up so I can kiss the back of his hand. “Either way, I’ll still have you.”
Dennis smiles slightly. “True.”
“You did great today, by the way. Lizette really needed you, and you had her back.”
“Always.”
“And that’s one of the reasons I love you so much.”
Dennis smiles at me. “For the record, I think you’d make a pretty awesome dad.”
I can’t help but grin like an idiot. “Thanks.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Six months later
DENNIS
“QUIT FIDGETING with it. You’re going to mess it up,” Lizette scolds and smacks my hands away from my tie.
“I feel like I’m suffocating. I can’t remember the last time I wore one of these things,” I grumble as I slide my finger behind the knot and tug at it.
Lizette smiles knowingly up at me as she loosens it a smidge. “You’re not suffocating. You’re just nervous.”
I scoff at the ridiculousness of that statement. “I’m not nervous. It’s Tucker.”
“It’s perfectly normal to be nervous on your wedding day,” she states and smooths my tie down so she can pin the tie tack to it.
I glare down at my beautiful sister. She just gives me a shit-eating grin. Her recently “dyed back to blonde” hair is in a gorgeous updo, her makeup is subtle and accentuates her already-pretty face, and she’s wearing a stunning lavender gown. She’s lost almost all the baby weight and looks fantastic in the dress.
“Everything is going to be fine, I promise,” she says sweetly, then reach
es up to give me a peck on the cheek.
She rubs away her lipstick before cupping my jaw in her hands.
“You are so handsome.” Her eyes well up, but she holds back the tears.
“Thanks, Lizzie. I’m glad you’re here with me,” I tell her, then she squeezes my forearm.
“Me too.”
“Now let’s go. It’s almost time,” I murmur, then take a turn to kiss her cheek before taking her hand and leading her downstairs.
Tucker and I decided to have our wedding in West Virginia on Beau’s mother’s ranch. She was thrilled when we asked if we could have it there. We wanted a small, intimate wedding with only our closest friends and family. Beau’s mom, Regina, asked if she could help with the planning, which was a relief for Tucker and me, because we don’t know the first thing about putting a wedding together. Regina became our wedding planner, and she has done a magnificent job. Arianna made our cake right out of Regina’s kitchen, and Duke went online and got ordained as a minister so he could legally marry us. He is also Tucker’s best man, and Lizette is my best woman—matron of honor, my person, or whatever the hell you want to call her.
When I walk downstairs and into the kitchen, Duke and Arianna are there, along with Regina. I glance around, searching for Tucker. I haven’t seen him all morning. We didn’t do the traditional sleep separately the night before or anything like that, but he did want to spend the day apart and get ready separately. He said it would build the anticipation. It wasn’t too hard to do because the ranch is enormous, and Beau took him out for a horseback ride for a good part of the day. I just hope his ass isn’t too sore for tonight, because I have plans for it.
“Dennis, you look great,” Arianna says, drawing my attention away from my thoughts of Tucker’s ass.
She comes over and gives me a hug and a kiss.
“Thanks.” I flash her a warm smile.
Duke is next to hug me. “I’m so happy for you two,” he murmurs in my ear.
“Thanks, man. Where’s Tucker?”
“He’s out back, talking to his dad and Selene.”
The back door opens and the photographer we hired walks in. She smiles warmly at me. “Hey, Dennis. Do you and Tucker want to get some shots before the ceremony?”
“Yeah, sure.” Shit, I’ll take any excuse to see Tucker right now.
My stomach flutters, my heart is pounding, and my palms are sweating. Damn, maybe I am nervous. I’m sure once I see Tucker, I’ll be fine. I turn to Regina.
“How much time do we have?”
“You have about twenty minutes before we start,” she assures me.
“Okay, good. See you all then.”
I follow the photographer out the back door and onto the porch. The scene I’m met with takes my breath away. At the bottom of the stairs is the start of the aisle. A few rows of white folding chairs are set up on each side. At the beginning of each row is a post with a lantern on top with a lit candle inside. At the end of the aisle is a large, white, wooden arbor decorated with white lights and colorful flowers. Behind the arbor is a huge tree, which is also decorated with lights and hanging baskets of cascading flowers. It’s absolutely stunning and nothing I ever would’ve picked out. Regina did an amazing job.
The people are milling around in small groups, talking and laughing with each other, and each one holds a special place in my heart. Beau’s bandmates, Ace, Dean, Roland and Everett, are here, along with Ace’s wife, Nicole, and their daughter, Lola. Tucker’s dad, Selene, and Max are here. Then of course Beau, who is holding six-month-old Gia. Plus, Beau’s brother, Kaden, and his sister, Leila, are here too.
“Denny?” Tucker’s voice pulls my gaze down to the bottom of the steps.
My breath catches again. Holy shit is he gorgeous. He’s in the same tux as I am, but I swear he wears it better. His face has a light, neatly trimmed scruff going on, and his hair is gelled, parted on the side, and swept over. I’ve never seen him look so dashing since I’ve known him. I can’t stop the huge smile that takes over my face. His bright blue eyes are locked on mine as if he’s unable to turn away.
“Hey,” I reply, a little breathier than I would have liked, but whatever; he knows how I feel about him.
I start down the steps and come to a stop in front of him.
“You look incredible,” Tucker says before leaning in for a tender kiss on the lips.
“So do you.”
“All right, guys, I want to head to that wooden fence over there and get some shots of the two of you,” the photographer says.
We agree, and the three of us walk the short distance to the fence. As she takes pictures of us in different poses, the sun slowly begins to set. After a final one of us kissing, she sends us on our way so we can get this show on the road. We want our ceremony to be at sunset.
As Regina herds all the guests to take a seat, Tucker and I meet up with Duke and Lizette at the bottom of the porch stairs. We decided Tucker and Duke will walk down together and Lizette and I will walk down right behind them. We opted out of having music as we walk. So when Regina gives us the thumbs-up, Duke hooks his arm in Tucker’s and starts them down the aisle. I fight back a laugh as Lizette covers her giggles with her hand. I can see Tucker’s shoulders shaking as he’s walking. Lizette takes my elbow and we follow them. I don’t know what the hell we were thinking letting Duke officiate.
We get to the arbor, and Duke takes his place in the center of it. Lizette gives my arm a squeeze and moves off to stand beside the arbor behind me. Tucker and I turn to face each other in front of Duke. I can’t help but smile at him; he sends me a reassuring wink. Yep, we are actually doing this. We are getting married. Never in a million years did I ever think I would 1) get married again after losing Zara, and 2) be marrying my best friend who is also a man.
“Deeeeaaaarly beloved,” Duke starts in an overly exaggerated voice that would most likely be heard on a cartoon. Here we go. “It’s about damn time that we’re standing here with these two jackasses,” he finishes with a huff that has the crowd—and us—cracking up.
“No, but in all honesty, these two guys were made for each other,” he says, his tone turning sincere and genuine. “Never have I ever seen such love, understanding, friendship, and adoration pass between two people like I have seen in these two. I’ve watched their relationship grow from the very beginning, and believe me when I say they were meant to be together for the rest of their lives.”
Fucking Duke. Tucker is getting choked up already, which is making me choked up.
“I’m not even asking if anyone has any objection to them getting married because it’s a stupid question.” The crowd chuckles. “So let’s get right down to the good part. Dennis and Tucker have both written a little something they wanted to say to each other, so at this time, I will ask Tucker to read his.”
Tucker sends me a small smile before reaching into his breast pocket for the folded piece of paper where he wrote his letter. He sniffs and wipes at his eyes as he unfolds it. Dammit, I’m never going to make it through this without crying. Tucker clears his throat and reads.
“Dennis. When we met, we were both struggling with our pasts—you, with the loss of your wife, and me, with the loss of my hearing. Every day we have spent together has shaped me into the man I am today, and without you, I would still be struggling and unable to hear all the beautiful things this world has to offer. Our journey here hasn’t always been easy, but we’ve made it because we did it together. I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you with everything that I am, and I always will.”
His voice is trembling by the end, and the tears are now flowing freely down his cheeks. He gives me a watery smile as I brush the tears away with my thumb. I want to kiss him so badly, but I know it’s not the time for that yet. My nerves have finally calmed, and the only thing I can feel right now is all the love I have for the man standing in front of me.
“That was beautiful, Tucker,” Duke says, then turns to me. I can see t
he emotion in Duke’s eyes, but he’s keeping it in check. “Dennis, please read your letter.”
I pull my paper from my pocket and unfold it. I take a deep breath before I begin to read.
“Tucker, words could never express the gratitude I feel for you coming into my life. I most likely would not be here if it weren’t for you. You stopped me from drowning, and you pieced my broken heart back together when I thought there was no hope of that ever happening. You loved me when I didn’t even love myself. You fought for me when I had given up. We have been through so much together, and I believe that is what makes our relationship so strong. Three years ago, I was at war, but now, I’m at peace. I love you more than life itself, and I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life without you. You are my everything.” My throat is tight as I fight back the tears that threaten to consume me.
When I glance up from reading, Tucker is freely crying, and Duke is brushing away tears. I hear sniffles from Lizette behind me, and when I look out into the crowd, I find almost everyone is tearing up or crying. Fuck it, everyone else is crying, I might as well join in. I let some of the tears roll down my face before wiping them away with a tissue Lizette passes to me. Arianna sneaks up and takes care of Duke and Tucker in the tissue department. Once we’re all back under control, Duke starts again.
“Okay, now that we’ve all had a nice cleansing cry, let’s get to the vows. Dennis and Tucker have decided on the traditional vows and the exchange of rings.”
Duke pulls the matching white-gold bands out from his pocket and hands one to Tucker. “Take Dennis’s left hand, place the ring on his finger, and repeat after me.” Tucker does as he’s told, holding the ring on my finger. “I, Tucker, take you Dennis….”
“I, Tucker, take you Dennis,” Tucker repeats.
“To be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward.”
Again, Tucker repeats, his eyes never leaving mine.
“For better or for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health.”
My heart pounds as Tucker repeats the words that will bind us together.