Page 1 of Big Obsession

CHAPTER 1

TUCKER

I’m watching my son run the bases, resisting the urge to clap my hands. Ace just hit a ball over the shortstop’s head, and as he slides into second base and gets up, he’s smiling ear to ear. I want to cheer, but it’s not something you normally do when the team is practicing.

I love seeing him like this. For a long time after his mom walked out of his life, he had me worried. He never laughed, never smiled, and lost interest in almost everything.

I wish I could say I helped him, but it wasn’t me. Dolly, his mom’s best friend, is the one that brought him out of his sadness. Since the moment her friend left Big Wood, Dolly has made it her mission to help my son find happiness again.

I grip my hands together in my lap as a woman puts her hand on my shoulder. “Ace is doing good out there.”

I nod without looking at the single woman sitting next to me. “Thanks,” I mutter.

When I first sat down, I was the only one on the bleachers, but soon afterward, I was surrounded by several of the moms from the team.

I lean forward, not wanting to be rude but also not wanting the woman to touch me. As a matter of fact, the only woman I would want to touch me is the one woman that never would. Dolly. I pull my phone from my pocket and look at it. I expected a text from her because she’s usually here. When she can’t make it, she always messages me so I can make sure to let Ace know why she isn’t here.

She never misses anything that has to do with my son, so the fact that she’s not here yet has me starting to get worried.

“So, Tucker, I hear you’re riding in the charity ride this weekend. I was thinking of going.”

I turn to look at the woman that is staring at me with interest. She’s married, and a pit forms in my stomach, so I make sure to mention her husband and son. “You, Gus, and Troy should come to the arena. They always put on a good show with good food and activities for the kids. It would be a great date night for you and your husband.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dolly walking through the grass. She has her head down as she goes behind the bleachers to her normal spot down the first base side, toward the outfield. I stand up. “Excuse me, ladies.”

I don’t wait for their response. I follow behind Dolly, and every impure thought I’ve ever had of her comes to mind. I watch her ass shake from side to side as she walks. She has on jeans and a T-shirt, and her hair is in a ponytail, swinging back and forth. I jog to catch up with her. “Hey, you.”

I grab the chair from her arms, and she stops, smiling up at me. “Did you see that hit?”

I reach out and tuck a lock of hair behind her ear just because I want to touch her. “I did see it. I was starting to get worried about you.”

She rolls her eyes. “Last day of school and I had bus duty. I had to load up my car and?—”

I interrupt her. “You should have called me. I could have come and helped you.”

She tilts her head to the side. “It’s fine. I only had to make two trips to get it all.”

I put a hand to her shoulder. “I would have been happy to help, Dolly.”

She avoids my gaze. “I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

I put a finger on her chin and raise it up so she has to look at me. “Honey, you’re always taking care of me and Ace.”

She just blinks up at me. Any time I touch her or try to talk to her one on one, she gets like this. She’s nervous around me, and I’m not sure why that is. When she just stares up at me, I lean down. “Promise me from now on, you’ll call me when you need me.”

“Tucker…” She stops and then pulls back from my hold. “You’re so busy, I’m not going to add my stuff to your list of things to do.”

I put her chair down in the grass and unfold it for her to sit down. She does, setting her tote bag on the ground next to her. At that moment, Ace waves at us, and Dolly makes a big deal of waving back and pumping her hand in the air. She’s letting himknow she saw his hit, and my son is practically glowing as he stands on second base.

I lean on the back of Dolly’s chair. “Promise me the next time you need something, you will call me.”

She inhales and lets it out slowly. I lean over her to look at her. “Dolly, promise me.”

“Fine. I promise.”

She doesn’t seem happy about it, but I know Dolly, and if she promises something, she’s going to keep that promise.

I don’t know why it bothers me so much, but it does. I want to be the man that she calls to help her. I want to be someone she can depend on. I understand why she feels like she has to put up a wall between us. Dolly is best friends with Karla, Ace’s mom. Karla and I were together one night almost ten years ago. It was a one-night stand. Karla was a buckle bunny, always chasing after the next cowboy, and back then she was offering what I wanted: a night with no strings. For maybe two seconds I considered marrying her when I found out she was pregnant with Ace, but Karla was not interested. Hell, it took a lot of convincing from me for her to even have him, so I knew it would never work out between us.

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