Page 14 of Words I Couldn't Say
“Wow. You’re pulling out all the stops tonight, aren’t you?” I teased, stepping forward. Then I lifted up on my tiptoes to kiss him.
“No kissing in my house.”
I jumped back when I heard my father’s voice behind me. His carefree demeanor from earlier was gone, and he was eyeing us warily.
“Technically, sir,” Tucker responded, “I’m not in your house.”
Dad’s eyes narrowed when he realized Tucker was right. I had been too busy checking him out that I hadn’t invited him in from the porch.
“Just remember what I’ve always told you,” he warned.
Tucker chuckled and waited patiently while I placed the roses in water. Dad followed closely behind, watching our every move.
I put my hand on Tucker’s arm and smiled up at him. “Let’s get out of here before he invites himself on our date.”
“That’s a great idea!” Dad said.
So I steered Tucker outside and to his truck. I didn’t waste any time getting in, knowing we needed to get far away from this place and my crazy parents.
When Tucker got into his truck, he took my hand and intertwined our fingers, placing them on his leg. “I’ve always known this day would come, and I’d planned on having some crazy, epic plan to woo you.”
“You don’t need to woo me, Tucker. You’ve been doing that all along.”
“I know. That’s why I scored tickets to tonight’s game.”
Just as he informed me of his plan, Great American Ball Park came into view. It was one of my favorite places in the world. Baseball was my second love. If I hadn’t been so dead-set on becoming an actress, I’d probably have gone to broadcasting school in hopes of becoming my generation’s Lindsay Czarniak. I grew up watching her on SportsCenter and marveled at how awesome she was as an anchor in a seemingly man’s world.
“Tucker, I couldn’t think of a better place for us to have our first date. This is perfect.”
And it was. I’d experienced baseball games before. With my Dad. With my aunt Lexi, who was the one who’d helped shape my die-hard Reds fandom. Heck, I’d even gone to games with Tucker before. That night, however, was different. I wasn’t just with my best friend. I was also with my boyfriend, even if we hadn’t exactly established that.
Sometime during the seventh inning, I decided I needed to know. I needed that label. Tucker had his arm around the back of my chair and I’d been cuddled up to him. So I tilted my head and gazed up at him.
“Tucker?” I asked.
His eyes were beautiful when he looked down at me. He squeezed my shoulder. “Yeah, baby?”
Butterflies in my belly took flight, but I soldiered on, mustering up the courage to settle this once and for all. “So, what are we now?
A slow smile spread across his face. “Ava, are you asking me to be your boyfriend?”
“I guess so. I mean, I love you, you love me… It only makes sense.”
He chuckled and bowed his head to place a kiss on the tip of my nose. His eyes met mine and held my gaze. “I’ve been waiting years to be your boyfriend. So, yes, that’s exactly what this means. But the truth is, Ava, it’s so much more than that. I’m yours. For always.”
“I’m yours, too,” I admitted.
“For always?” he asked.
“For always.”
We passed the rest of the game in comfortable silence. Tucker was mine and I was his. I didn’t need to know anything else. At least, that’s what I thought when he asked if I wanted to take a stroll along the riverbank. With Tucker, I was finding I wanted to do everything and anything.
At one point, we stopped walking and I stared out into the dark water while he was directly behind me, his hands on my waist. I shivered with delight as Tucker’s lips hovered just above my ear, his hot breath tickling my skin.
“I was terrified I’d wake this morning and it all would have been a dream,” he said. “Not a bad dream to have, but the reality is so much better.”
I shifted in his arms and gazed up into eyes that were dancing with heated delight. “I definitely agree. I’m so glad I kissed you last night.”
