I need to set the boundaries for this, and I definitely need to stick to them.
CHAPTER TEN
TUCKER
Checking my phone for what feels like the hundredth time, I see Brooke is late. She's not coming, the voice inside my mind tells me. Why would she? After the way I’ve treated her lately. She probably only agreed to come in the first place so that I’d get out of her face.
Sitting on the bench outside the small beachside coffee shop she agreed to meet me at, I can’t help but smile as I let my mind wander back to the first time I asked Brooke out on a date. Well, I didn’t actually ask her first.
Rubbing my hands down the leg of my jeans, I lift a clammy fist and knock on the door. I count to thirty before knocking one last time. If they don’t answer this time, I'll leave.
I'm halfway down the drive when I hear the door open. “Can I help you?” The hard voice booms from behind me. This is it, Tuck. You can keep walking and pretend you never heard him, or you can grow a pair and go face Brooke’s father. Before I can talk myself out of it, I’m turning around to face Duke Nash. Growing up with a dad like mine, there aren't many men that scare me. I’ve spent as long as I can remember dodging the wrath of a man who towers over me. But even years of beatings couldn't lessen the fear I feel standing here right now.
“Is there a reason you’re knocking on the door, Tucker?” This isn’t the first time I’ve been here; I’ve been friends with the twins since as long as I can remember, but it’s the first time I’ve been on my own with their dad. His huge frame fills the door as he crosses his arms over his chest and stares down at me.
“Mr. Nash,” I start, hoping I don’t make a complete dick out of myself. His eyes narrow.
“Which one?” he asks on a resigned sigh, realization dawning on his face.
“Pardon?”
“Which of my daughters are you here for?”
I was pretty sure he was going to murder me for even thinking about asking one of his girls out on a date, but I knew then, even as a stupid sixteen-year-old, that Brooke was worth the risk. After getting Duke’s permission, actually asking Brooke on a date was a walk in the park. I asked her out the day after she turned sixteen. I’d been waiting for that day ever since I heard one of the guys in the locker room saying he’d asked Bailey out, but they were not allowed to date until after their birthday. We were inseparable after that. There wasn’t a single day I didn’t get to see my Brooke.
Just over two years I had her. No matter how far I’ve come in life, no matter what dreams I’ve accomplished, those were still the best two years I’ve ever known.
The sound of tires crunching over the gravel parking lot snap me out of thoughts of the past. Standing, I find my feet walking toward her car without thought. My hand is on the door before the engine is even off. What would it be like to pull her out of that seat? To wrap her up in my arms and kiss the breath clean out of her?
Instead, I have to settle for watching as she climbs out of the Jeep. Her long, graceful legs carry her closer to where I stand. “Hi, I … uh … I got you a coffee.” I finally manage to stammer the words out, holding the cup toward her. “It’s probably cold now,” I babble on nervously. “I got it when I got here a while ago, sorry.” Seeing her, being this close to her has me thrown off kilter.
“Sorry I’m late,” she says so softly, not offering an explanation.
“You thought about not coming, right?” I can’t see her eyes that are hidden behind the dark lens of her sunglasses, but I do see a faint smile edge her lips.
“I definitely thought about it.” Her small sigh is tinged with faint laughter. Something about the honesty of the exchange breaks the tension of the moment, and both of us finally seem to relax a little.
“Walk with me?” I hold my hand out, indicating the beach in front of us.
“I love it here.” Brooke breaks the silence after a few minutes of us walking on the sand.
“It’s a beautiful view,” I say, never taking my eyes off her. I don’t miss how Brooke doesn’t look my way. She keeps her eyes trained on the waves that break against the sand in front of us.
“I need to say sorry to you.”
“I accept your apology, Tucker.” Her use of my full name is a reminder of how much of a dick I’ve been to her.
“You caught me off guard that night, at the benefit. The very last thing I expected to see was you standing there.”
“I never would have gone if I'd have known there was even a possibility you’d be there,” Brooke says softly.
“It was like the last ten years didn't happen. You stood there, and all I wanted to do was reach out and pull you into my arms,” I tell her the truth I’ve been struggling with over the last few weeks.
“Tucker—” Brooke’s pained whisper cuts through me.
“Tuck,” I interrupt her. “You only call me Tucker when you’re mad at me.”
“Well excuse me for being confused,” she snaps, and Jesus Christ, she even does the same hand on hip move she used to do whenever she was annoyed at me. “After what happened last week, I thought I was only permitted to call
