Page 49 of Words I Couldn't Say
I cleared my throat. “All due respect, Jeremy, but that’s not up to you.”
His eyes narrowed, and I quickly continued.
“Trust me. I’d take out a billboard claiming Ava as mine if I didn’t know she’d kill me. This has to be her decision.”
He thought it over then pointed a finger in my face. “You hurt her, you’re dead,” he said with a stern glare. “And, before you die, I’ll chop off your nuts.”
I grimaced at the thought. “The only one with the potential to get hurt here is me,” I told him.
“I don’t think that’s true, Tucker. Not in the slightest.”
I frowned.
“Five years ago, you had no choice but to let her go. You made the best—the only—decision you could for your family. But things are different now. Your brother has grown up. You’ve written a best-selling novel, something you can do from anywhere. If, at the end of this, you give her an ultimatum, forcing her to choose between her dreams and you? That will hurt her.”
I swallowed hard, knowing he was right. If things were going to work between us, I had to be willing to follow her anywhere. Which I already planned on doing.
“I won’t hurt her,” I promised.
He slapped a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “I know you won’t. There’s not a man on this planet I’d trust with my daughter more than you. I’m happy she’s back and that you weren’t too damn stubborn to let her back in.”
“Thanks. That means a lot coming from you.”
“Just remember, you set this all in motion. I understand that you have to tread carefully, but quit playing games with her heart and claim her as yours already. Got it?”
My lips twitched. “Did you just BSB me, old man?”
He grinned. “I sure as hell did, but the point still stands. You don’t need a billboard. Just be a man and let her know she’s your woman.”
“I will. You have my word. I just have to make her realize that this is what she wants. I’m what she wants.”
“As long as you love her.”
I groaned. There we went. Down memory lane with boy band songs that had been around well before I was born. Clearly, they’d never die.
“I do.”
“Good. I want it that way.”
“Stop it.”
He didn’t. “If you hurt her, I’ll show you the meaning of being lonely.”
“And, with that, I’m out.”
Just as I was leaving, Sierra stuck her head out the back door. “It’s gotta be you!”
“Not you, too!” I yelled and scurried off the deck before they could launch any more Backstreet Boys references at me.
Jeremy landed one last one. “Whatever you do, make sure it’s larger than life!”
Jeremy apparently wasn’t the only one who had questions for me. When I stopped by the job site that afternoon, Tanner was already in my office, going over an invoice. With each passing day, he proved more and more he was ready to take on more responsibilities in the business. He did me proud with how driven he was. I was about to commend him on that when he noticed I’d entered the room. His smile was knowing. I knew I was going to be hit with questions for the second time that day. He tilted back in his chair and placed his dirty boots on my desk. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t quite ready to be the boss.
“So, you and Ava?” he asked.
I couldn’t read his sober expression, so I had no idea if he liked the idea or thought I was an idiot. “It’s nothing,” I said.
He snorted in disbelief. “That’s horseshit. She came back and, in less than a week, she was already spending the night in your bed. I’ve watched a lot of porn, man, and you two aren’t exactly quiet. I know exactly what you were doing.”
