Page 32 of Words I Couldn't Say
“Oh, honey, I’m living proof it is.”
I sat back in my chair, settling in to get a condensed version of her life with Uncle Jace. Growing up, I’d seen photos of Aunt Lexi and another man, but Uncle Jace was the one with whom I shared all my memories. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I’d learned Aunt Lexi had been widowed before she’d reconnected and fallen in love with Jace.
“Jace and I lost ten years in the time we were apart, but I wouldn’t change any of it. I was a better woman for having loved and lost Ty. Jace was a better soldier, a better man, for the experiences he gained traveling the world and protecting our country during his time in the Army. If we hadn’t had that time apart, we wouldn’t have had Maya or Jax.” She chuckled to herself, unable to resist her son’s insisted nickname. “Who knows how our lives would have ended up? Fate saw it fit that we were separated. Then fate brought us back together. I believe the same applies to you and Tucker. You can’t spend your time reflecting on the past and the what-ifs. You have to be here, in the present, and embrace what’s right in front of you. The timing of this… Tanner going off to college and you coming back to film, it’s just like Jace and me reconnecting all over again. This is your second chance, Ava. Don’t miss out on it.”
“Do you think it’s that easy?” I asked for a second time that night.
“Honey, I’m not going to lie to you and say it’ll be easy. Love never is.”
I snuck a peek at my mom, knowing she and Dad had a beautiful picture-perfect storybook love.
Aunt Lexi noticed and laughed. “Okay, so, for most of us ordinary human beings, love isn’t easy. But, if you love someone, it doesn’t matter how challenging your road will be. You’ll do whatever it takes to capture his heart.”
I nibbled on my lower lip as Aunt Lexi’s words washed over me. She was right. I was lucky to have this second chance, and I would be a fool if I didn’t reach out and take hold of it. And it wouldn’t be easy. Tucker might have left the door open, but I’d have my work cut out for me to get him to trust me again.
“Thanks, Aunt Lexi. It means a lot to have you in my corner.”
She beamed. “Always, Ava. You’ve blossomed into a beautiful, courageous, talented woman, and I want you to be happy. If that’s with or without Tucker, I’ll always have your back.”
“Ditto, kid,” Mom chimed in.
“Thanks, Mom. Always so eloquent. Now, tell me—what did you guys think ofFast and Furious 15?”
I’d had a small role in the film, the fifteenth in a franchise that seemed would never die. It was the first time I’d worked with such mega-stars. It had been an incredible rush darting down a highway at 150 miles an hour, panicking as some fictitious government agency tried to catch up with us.
“It was fantastic, especially any time you were on screen. And Dwayne Johnson? I swear, that man is thefinestwine! Sixty years old and he can still melt my panties the way he did when I first saw him inThe Mummy Returns.Age has done nothing to slow him down. Ava, are his arms that big in real life?”
I laughed at my mom’s lifelong obsession with the man. She was going toloveher Christmas gift.
“Yes!” I exclaimed. “Maybe even bigger. He let me hold on while he did arm curls. It was kind of hard, though, because my hands were too small to fit around his bicep.”
That last added bonus was enough to have my mom and aunt both swooning. At that very moment, my dad had stuck his head out the back door with enough time to overhear their gushing.
“Dammit, Jace. They’re talking about Dwayne Johnson again!”
“Dammit, Jace!” Pacey parroted behind my dad.
Mom merely shrugged and lifted her wine glass. “Welcome home, Ava.”
I giggled as Dad bent down and attempted to scold my little brother while unsuccessfully stifling his laughter. “Thanks, Mom. I don’t know why I ever left.”
Long after we’d consumed several bottles of wine and girl talk had ended, I found myself tossing and turning in bed. I should’ve been exhausted, but sleep evaded me. The house was quiet, everyone having passed out after my aunt, my uncle, and my cousins left, but I couldn’t get my mind off Tucker. I was dumbfounded at the revelation that he was T.A. Bankman. All I wanted to do was rereadThose Three Wordsand decipher every single line on every single page to find some hidden meaning in the words he’d written.
After one last unfruitful attempt at sleep, I rose from my childhood bed and quietly dressed. On my way out the door, I snatched my copy of the script and headed outside, a flashlight illuminating my way through the woods to our special tree house. Part of me wished he’d be there, sitting in his favorite spot, with his worn-out journal, crafting short stories just like he used to do whenever he’d wait for me there. I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten that. He’d always been a writer of sorts. While creative writing had been his favorite class, he’d wanted to go to school for journalism. He’d never once mentioned pursuing a literary career. Perhaps that’s why I hadn’t even considered him when I’d first read his book.
It was silly to expect him to be there that late at night, but that didn’t stop the disappointment that hit me when I climbed the ladder and found the tree house empty. I clicked the light on and allowed my eyes to adjust before taking it all in.
I smiled. Nothing had changed in the time I’d been gone. It looked exactly the same, right down to the T + A heart carving in the corner.
I feared that all I’d do was continue to mentally berate myself for my past mistakes, so I decided to get to reading.
When I settled into the corner of the couch, a quick flash of Tucker’s half-naked body hovering over me entered my thoughts. I briefly wondered if I’d have that chance again. Then, just as quickly, I pushed it from my mind and got lost in the script, in his words. This time, I took care to read not only my lines, but each and every word, straight down to the set direction. Tucker had taken much care in writing the screenplay, keeping it as close to the book as possible. It was still so shocking and incredible to me that he’d written this masterpiece. And that I’d been chosen as his star. Just as I was coming to the final scene, the one that would be the most challenging, I had to brace myself. Knowing that Tucker had written it changed everything. Suddenly, I had to know what Trevor’s death meant to our relationship.
“You know, this is where I wrote most of it.”
I jumped in surprise, shrieking at the sight of a tall figure looming in the doorway. My breath caught when Tucker stuck his head in, offering me a sheepish grin.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, ducking underneath the doorframe and taking a seat across from me.
