Never Say Never (Haven Harbor #3)

Chapter 24

TWENTY-FOUR

WE brOKE ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR RULES

D aisy

I wake up the next morning with Tucker’s arm draped over me.

I am in Tucker’s bed.

For the first time, instead of making a beeline for the door, I stayed. All through the night.

My heart pounds behind my ribs when I remember last night and everything that happened. Tucker has a photo of me in his bedroom, and he has my name tattooed on his body. He said that he wants me, that he’s never stopped wanting me. The confession is enough to make my heart stop. I’ve always dreamt of hearing him say those words, but never actually believed I would.

I stay in the warmth of his arms for a stolen moment before carefully slipping out from underneath him to stand. Then I tiptoe to his ensuite bathroom, thankful that I don’t have to chance an awkward run-in with Holden.

I quietly shut the door, then run the tap until the water turns hot, splashing my face. My hair is wild, and my lips are pink and swollen from Tucker’s kisses. I look like a mess, but I don’t care. It was one of the best nights of my life. Tucker is mine.

I’m drying my face when I hear a soft knock on the door. I wrap my body in a bath towel before opening the door to see a half-awake Tucker standing there. He’s put on a pair of boxer briefs and he’s leaning against the doorframe with the sweetest grin. He’s so beautiful it hurts.

“Morning, Dais.”

My cheeks flame. “Morning.”

“I was worried you left me.”

I smile. “I’m here.”

“We broke another one of your rules.”

“I’m pretty certain we’ve broke them all.”

Including the last one, I think to myself, but I don’t dare tell him that. It’s way too soon to admit that I’m in love with him.

“Just in case I didn’t make it clear last night… I’m done with the rules, Dais,” he answers, kissing the side of my temple as he walks past me toward the shower. “But I should warn you that I’ve never done this before. Being in a relationship, I mean; it’s new for me. But I want you. I want us. I’ll do what it takes to make this work.”

“I want that too.” I go up on my toes and press a kiss to his mouth then I check my pulse and make sure it’s still beating. My God. Am I okay? How is this man mine? I can’t be okay. I’m distracted by how gorgeous he looks in the morning. He gives me his most charming grin as he slides his briefs off onto the floor. “Have a shower with me, yeah?”

Tucker reaches for my hand, and I slip my fingers into his as the towel wrapped around me falls to the floor. His eyes roam my body before he kisses me softly on the mouth. He turns on the shower and then pulls me under the spray with him, his big arms wrapping around my waist as his lips brush the shell of my ear.

“I’m going to fuck you the way you deserve and then we’re going to get dressed and after that I’m going to feed you breakfast. And when Holden asks what’s going on, I’m going to tell him that you’re mine because I refuse to keep you and I a secret anymore. Good?”

He pops a chaste kiss on my lips before I give him my answer. And of course, my answer is…

“Good.”

The next few weeks fly by in a blur. Tucker and I are both busy with work. The clinic has been crazy—I’m still trying to get Hazel up to speed, and Tucker has been busy traveling out of state to visit potential recruits and their families in preparation of next season. When he is in town, he’s been prepping for training camp. Whatever free time we manage to find, we spend it together, and most nights I fall asleep with Tucker’s arms nestled around me.

We haven’t told our parents yet that we’re together—neither of us have felt ready for that discussion. It’s meant we’ve skipped Sunday dinners for the past few weeks, so I haven’t had to see Tucker’s dad. Finding out what he did to keep us apart all those years ago felt like a sledgehammer to my heart and sometimes I wonder if I will ever be ready to see the man I once thought of as a second dad.

Tucker and I won’t be able to avoid them for much longer, though. Our birthdays are coming up, and our parents are insisting on throwing us a party this Sunday, so it potentially could be a very awkward evening.

We have, however, shared the news with our friends. For the most part, it was met with a chorus of what took you so long and it’s about time and I admit that has made me hopeful that my parents might feel the same way.

Despite the nervousness we both feel about having to confront his dad, things between Tucker and I have been incredible. We have been making up for lost time, getting to know each other again, and even though I know Tucker almost as well as I know myself, it has still been fun learning all the little details of his life that I’ve missed out on. Things like what he likes to eat for breakfast, and what side of the bed he sleeps on, whether he snores (I was happy to find out that he doesn’t) and what shows he binges on Netflix (currently, sports biographies, but I’m determined to get him into true crime).

There is one thing we seem to steer clear of: The fact that I leave for Italy in just a few weeks. It’s sort of the elephant in the room with us. It’s like we can both hear the clock ticking, but neither of us wants to bring it up and risk bursting this little bubble we’re in. After what we’ve been through over the past 10 years, I feel confident that we will be able to get through three months apart. But I’m going to miss him so much.

Today, though, I’m spending the day shopping with my mom before I meet up with Tucker and a few of his friends later for dinner to celebrate our birthdays. When we walk into Nordstrom, I feel my phone vibrate in my back pocket.

Tucker: What time are you finished shopping with your mom?

Me: Why? Is everything okay?

Tucker: I miss you. I haven’t seen you in ten and a half hours. I shouldn’t have to be without you for this long.

A smile stretches across my face, and I have to remind myself to play it cool.

Me: Will you survive?

Tucker: I’m not sure.

Me: I’ll be home around four, pick me up at six?

Tucker: If I can wait that long *sad face emoji*

I shove my phone in my pocket, noticing that my mom is staring at me with a curious expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I ask.

“Just wondering who it is who has you smiling like that.”

I chance a glance at her. Her eyes are on me, and it’s obvious that she can read me like a book.

“Well…” My mom grins, then her eyebrows raise as if she’s waiting for me to spill the beans. “Whoever he is, he must be special for you to light up like that. It’s nice to see. You deserve to be happy, honey, and from the look on your face, it seems like you are.”

I can feel a smile spreading across my face, and I hope it’s not as obvious as it feels. I swallow, looking down at my feet, then I decide to rip off the Band-Aid. “It’s Tucker.”

I steel myself for her response, for the disappointment in her eyes. So, for a full twenty seconds I keep walking, looking straight ahead while I wait for her to tell me that it would be ridiculous to date the man who was practically a brother to me growing up. We keep walking, the silence stretching out between us.

But when my mom stops and looks at me, there is no judgment in her eyes.

“Are you and Tucker together?”

“It’s new, but yes.”

She exhales, considering this. “I can’t say that I’m surprised. I’ve seen the way the two of you look at each other.”

I laugh, releasing the breath I’ve been holding. “I’ve been so afraid to tell you. I didn’t know how you would react.”

“How did you think I would react? You know I love Tucker like he’s my own.”

“That’s part of the problem. We’ve always been so close; I think sometimes people forget that Tucker and I are not actually related.”

“Who would think that?”

“Uncle Mark.”

I fill her in on everything, starting with the kiss when we were 16 years old. I tell her about Uncle Mark making Tucker agree to stay away from me, I tell her about Tuck’s tattoo, the photo, and almost everything that has happened over the past few months.

I obviously leave out our pact.

By the time I’ve finished filling her in, the expression on her face has softened. “Oh, Daisy,” my mom says, pulling me into a hug. “You have been smiling a lot lately. I am so happy you and Tucker found your way back to each other. But I would like to have a word with Mark.”

“No, please don’t,” I shake my head. “Tucker and I plan on handling it, but I appreciate it.”

“He needs to learn. It’s not right how he treats Tucker. He’s grown up to be a good man who has done very well for himself, despite his dad’s constant criticism.”

“That’s what I don’t understand, Mom. Tucker can’t seem to ever do anything right in Uncle Mark’s eyes, but to everyone else in Reed Point he’s practically a legend.” I inhale a sharp breath. “When will Uncle Mark see him for the man that he really is?”

“Your dad and I have always wanted to give him a piece of our mind for that. He has never gotten over the fact that Tucker didn’t follow in his footsteps. But… my god, that boy was born to coach football.”

She looks at me with an abundance of love in her eyes– it’s the same way she’s looked at me since I was a little girl, and I feel incredibly lucky to have two parents who have always loved and supported me and my decisions.

“So, are things serious between you and Tucker?”

“I think so,” I shrug. “It feels like he could be ready for a relationship, he told me he wants to try. But it’s funny how life works considering I’m leaving on my trip soon.”

“Oh, honey… If he cares about you and you care about him, he’ll be here waiting for you when you get home.”

“Thank you,” I say with a soft smile.

“For what, honey?”

“For always being there for me.”

My mom takes me by the shoulders and pulls me into her arms. Her voice is quiet when she squeezes me a little tighter and says, “I love you, baby. Always have, always will.”

“I love you, too.”

My heart clenches and I’m hopeful that Tucker’s parents will be as accepting of our relationship as my mom is.

But I have a feeling deep down in my gut that it won’t be the case.