Page 30 of Big Obsession

I wipe at the tears running from my eyes. “Tucker, I didn’t?—”

He puts a hand on my knee. “Don’t. I know you didn’t.”

I raise my eyes to his. “Maybe she’s right, though. Ace would probably love to have you and his mom together.”

“That’s not happening.”

“Well, you and Karla obviously have a lot to talk about, and you can’t do it while I’m here.”

He squats down. “Don’t run away, Dolly. Don’t let her ruin what we have together.”

I wipe at more of my tears, and it feels like my heart is breaking. “I’m not running. I’m giving you space to handle things, Tucker. When you go back in there, I want you to do whatever is best for you and Ace.”

Karla is screaming from the porch now, and Tucker looks out at the end of his driveway. “Fuck. Here comes Gina and Tom with Ace.”

I grip his hand. “Tucker, you’ve just had a concussion. You don’t need this stress, and I don’t want Ace upset. If I’m here and Karla is screaming the whole time, it’s going to destroy him. Just let me go.”

He blows out a breath in frustration. “Okay, you’re right. I know you’re right. I’m sorry.”

It’s like a punch to the stomach, but I hold it in. “Okay. See you.”

He stands back and shuts my door. With nothing left to say, I back out of my spot and then drive down the driveway. When I pass Gina and Tom’s car, I lift a hand and wave but keep going.

When I look in the rearview mirror, I see Tucker and Karla standing on the porch talking, and the tears come even harder. One night. He was mine for one night, and I’ve already lost him.

In my head, I start to imagine the future and seeing Tucker and Karla holding hands at Ace’s ballgames. Just the thought makes me sick.

I grip the steering wheel tighter. More than anything, I want to turn around and fight for Tucker. I want to refuse to give him up, but I can’t do that to Ace. He deserves happiness, and I won’t stand in the way of it. Even if it destroys me in the process.

CHAPTER 17

TUCKER

“Karla, I’m telling you right now. I don’t want my son upset.”

“Our son,” she snarls.

I could argue that fact with her because she hasn’t been much of a mother. “Fine. Our son. Do not upset him.”

I move to the bottom of the steps. I’m barefoot and bare-chested, but I can’t do anything about it now. “Hey, buddy,” I call to Ace as he gets out of the car.

He bolts toward me. “Dad, was that Dolly that just left? I thought she was going to get pizza with us today.”

I ruffle his hair. He’s completely ignoring the fact that his mother is standing here, and I can’t say I blame him. “We will go see her later.” I gesture up the porch. “Your mom came to see you.”

Gina and Tom stop at the bottom of the stairs. “Hey, Karla,” Gina says. You can tell she’s happy to see her daughter. A part of me is angry because I know Gina is the reason that Karla is here,but another part of me gets it. If Karla wasn’t returning her calls, she did what she had to do to see her child.

I put a hand on Ace’s shoulder and take the overnight bag from Tom. “Ace and I are going to go inside and let the three of you talk.”

Surprisingly, Karla doesn’t make a scene, and Ace and I walk in the house. I want to lock the door and not have to deal with this drama, but I know I need to take care of this now. It needs to end today.

“Dad, what is she doing here?”

I squat down in front of my son, and then as if I just realized how big he’s gotten, I sit on the coffee table in front of him. “I’m not going to lie to you, son. She heard that Dolly and I are dating and?—”

His eyes light up. “You and Dolly are dating?”

I nod. “Yeah. You okay with that?” He nods vigorously. “Right, well, no matter what, your mom is your mom, Ace. I want you to know that any time you want to see her, you can. I won’t ever keep you from her.”

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