Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 28062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
I watch him get up and stuff his legs in his jeans and walk out of the room bare-chested.
I can’t help it, I have an uneasy feeling, and when I hear Karla’s voice echoing through the house, I feel like I’m going to be sick.
How could last night be so amazing and now as I listen to her cussing Tucker, it all goes down the drain? Gina must have texted her daughter about Tucker and me being together. That’s the only reason I would think she would show up after all this time.
I sit here quietly, listening for as long as I can. Karla’s voice echoes through the house.
“Tucker, you never gave us a chance.”
“You know Ace would love to have his mom and dad together.”
“Dolly forced me out of his life, did she tell you that? I left because she told me to.”
I sit and listen until I know I need to do something. I grab my clothes and put them on and try to calm my nerves before I walk out because I know when I do, Karla is going to lose her ever-loving mind.
I walk through the house and get to where my shoes are. I put them on and then walk to the entrance of the living room where Karla and Tucker are standing. Karla sees me before I even say anything. “You! I should have known you would take my family from me. You’ve always been jealous of me, and you just wouldn’t stop until you had my man and my son.”
I ignore Karla’s tirade. “Tucker, I think you two have some things to discuss. I’ll talk to you later.”
Karla screams, “You’re not going anywhere until you tell Tucker what you did.”
I point to myself. “What I did? What is it you think I did?”
“You made me leave. You told me to go and then you stole everything I loved—”
I shake my head. “I didn’t make you leave. I told you to quit hurting Ace. You made promises over and over and never kept them. I couldn’t watch you hurt him like that.”
She blurts out a laugh. “Right, you destroyed my relationship with my kid. You made him hate me!”
“I didn’t.” I deny it, shaking my head.
Tucker walks toward us. “Now, listen, Karla, you can’t come into my house and talk to Dolly like this. I was never your man, and Dolly is right. You have hurt Ace so many times—”
Karla starts screaming, and it’s hard to understand everything she’s saying, but I do get the gist of it. “You don’t get it. The reason we are not together is because of her. She turned you against me.”
Fear of losing Ace and Tucker has me backing toward the door. “I’m going to go.”
“No,” Tucker yells, but it doesn’t matter because I’m already down the front steps and running toward my car. I get inside but can’t shut the door because Tucker is standing there, holding it open. “Don’t leave, Dolly. She should go, I want you to stay.”
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.