Page 36 of Words I Couldn't Say
“Pacey—” I began, but he cut me off.
“Yeah. Whenever she has Daddy rub her back, she always says he doesn’t do it hard enough.”
I nearly choked on my milkshake, grateful I could shelve that conversation with my parents.
“Tanner! Hey, man!” Flynn exclaimed, rising from the table and giving Tucker’s younger brother a fist pump.
I had no idea how Tanner felt about me, so I braced myself for whatever he was going to throw in my direction. When I glanced up, I saw him giving high fives to Eli and Pacey. Then his gaze landed on me. Unlike his brother, he broke out into a broad smile when he saw me. He rounded the table and took my hand, hauling me up and into his arms.
“Ava Banks, in the flesh,” he said, giving me a tight squeeze and bringing his lips to my ear. “No wonder big bro’s been whistling all day. I haven’t seen him this happy in, well, five years.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, pulling back to look into Tanner’s eyes. He was speaking the truth.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, knowing that it couldn’t have been easy losing his parents and then dealing with Tucker when he’d also lost me.
“No need to be,” he said. “You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”
As he smiled and said his goodbyes, I realized that everyone kept telling me.
Everyone was right.
