“Okay, Ruger, you can play catch now.”
Tuck turns to me, and I focus on the strange woman. Her eyes are full of kindness, and she even steps up to me, pushing past Tuck.
“Welcome. Tuck’s talked so much about you.”
“Let me get her settled and I’ll be right back, Ruger.”
“You ass, aren’t you going to introduce me?” She slaps Tuck hard on the back of the head.
I cringe at the sight and wait for Tuck to blow.
“Goddamn, sis, you pack a punch.” He rubs his head while still smiling. “Blue, this is my older and very annoying sister. Her name is Joe.”
I nod, not sure how to respond, and feel embarrassed with the bruises and road rash covering one side of my jaw. Tentatively I reach out to shake her hand.
“No, no. Give me a hug now.” She wraps me up in a massive hug.
“Careful, Joe, she’s hurt.”
“Shut the hell up, Tuck, I know this.” Her voice rings in my ears, and then it falls to a whisper so only I can hear her. “He’s never brought a girl home. You must be special.”
“Okay, out of the way.” Tuck shoves in, nudging his sister back. “You okay, Blue?”
I nod, speechless. It’s like time has been warp speed since the football game.
“I’ll take you to my room, but I have to play catch with Ruger or he’ll have me by the balls all day.”
He lifts me easily from the cab and knows just how to hold me without causing any further pain.
“I want to sit on the porch in the sun, please.”
He looks down with raised eyebrows. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, it seems I’ve been knocked out the whole drive here.”
“Pills.”
“I think I’m good.”
Tuck sits down on a long, padded porch swing with me in his lap.
“You have a game waiting on you,” I say with a grin.
“I don’t want to let go of you, Blue.”
Agony and regret speak volumes as they dance on his rugged features.
“It’s not your fault, Tuck.” I place my palm on his jaw and let his thick stubble tickle my skin. “I chose to run.”
“Blue.” Tuck’s hands wrap into my thick side braid. “I love you, and it scares the shit out of me.”
“I…” Before I can finish my thoughts, I have to ask, just to be sure. “Is that your kid?”
His low, deep chuckle makes me wince in pain.
“No.” He ducks his head around me and hollers for the boy.
“Ruger, this is my girlfriend Blue, and Blue, this is my nephew Ruger.”
“Okay, can we play now?”
I finally laugh and let the worry escape me.
“Yes, go play now.”
“Are you going to watch, Blue?”
I nod at the boy, who can’t be over the ripe age of eight years old.
“I’ve heard Mom talk about you. You’re a cheerleader, and Tuck says you’ve got the sexiest legs he’s ever seen.”
Tuck slides out from under me and ruffles the boy’s hair.
“What else has he said?” I lean forward as far as I can without wincing.
“Oh, that you’re a queen and—”
“Enough,” Tuck growls as he wraps an arm around the boy’s shoulder.
Before Tuck walks too far away, I grab his hand and make him turn back to me.
“I want all of you, Tuck Jones.”
A smile I’ve never seen on him before shines back at me, and then I watch his amazingly taut ass and thick thighs walk down the steps and imagine if only those damn gym pants weren’t in the way.
I let the sun soak into my skin as the two begin to warm up by tossing the pigskin around, and then it eventually turns into Ruger doing some play calling and Tuck acting along with the kid. It makes me smile to see Tuck so relaxed and not hiding in a dark corner. The sun shines brightly on him as he fools around with his nephew, and I think how similar the two look with their ball caps on backward.
“This is Mabie.”
I peer up to see Joe with a baby propped on her hip. The chunky little girl dressed all in pink smiles back at me through her chubby cheeks with one tooth showing. She’s adorable and I can’t help but smile back at her.
“She’s so stinkin’ cute.”
“And a living terror. Ruger was nothing compared to this diva.”
A light laugh escapes me as Joe sits next to me on the swing. Her legs automatically start a rhythmic rocking motion as the little girl reaches up to tug on my long braid.
“Hi, sweetie.” My fingers run along the pleat of her dress.
Being an only child, I’ve always wondered what it was like to be around other siblings.
“Doing okay, hun?” Joe’s eyes are caring and nurturing.
I offer up a grin and nod.
“So, you suck at lying. That’s good.” She plops the baby in my lap and stands. “Where are your pills?”
I shrug, realizing I don’t know. Am I taking pills? What pills?
“Tuck.” Holy hell, Joe has the mother scream down pat. “Where’s Blue’s stuff?”
He jogs back up to the porch with Ruger on his heels, and my fucking ovaries melt as he smiles up at me in all his sexy glory. This is the feeling I fought so hard for Noah to give me, but nope, it’s Tuck.
“Why? You okay, Blue?”
“Fine.”
The word is on repeat as it flies out of my mouth.
“Bullshit. She’s in pain, and I need to see her meds.”
“Truck. My backpack.”
Joe storms off the porch, and the baby squeals in delight as Tuck nears us. Her pudgy little arms reach up to him as her squeals become louder.
“Okay. Okay.” Tuck plucks her from my lap and begins talking to her as she slaps his cheeks in joy.
“Well, shit.” I feel someone take a seat next to me and look at the little boy, stunned.
“What?”
“Well, shit, game over. I’m pretty much screwed now.” Disappointment covers Ruger’s face.
I glance at him and then up to Tuck who is mesmerized by the baby, and for a minute I wonder what fucking planet I’m on. “What?”
“The baby, my bossy nurse of a mom, and now my game is lost. I need these skills for my own game tomorrow,” Ruger says.
I don’t get the chance to respond as Joe interrupts and I officially meet the bossy nurse.
“Holy shit, you have a fractured rib? Thank god all your tests came back normal. This looks bad, Blue.” She stretches her hand out with a pile of pills in the middle of her palm.
“Thanks,” I manage to squeak out. Ruger elbows me lightly in the side and I almost scream, but don’t want to get him in trouble. When I look down he has an ‘I told you so’ face.
“Tuck.” I snag the hem of his long sleeve University shirt. He looks down at me with concern. I nod to the side where Ruger is with his pouting face. I pick up a bottle of water on a little glass table in front of me and down the pills, then hold my arms up for the baby.
“Don’t worry. I read the log and know what she needs.” Joe pulls Ruger up by the collar and sits next to me.
Tuck gently places the baby in my lap and then kisses my forehead. Using a combination of my eyebrows and nodding gestures, I send him back out to play with Ruger.
Joe slides the baby between us and begins rocking the swing again in a lullaby motion, which I find soothing. It’s like she can read the pain on my face.
“Are you really a nurse?”
“Used to be before I had her.” She points to the baby who is now chewing on the hem of her dress. “Tuck’s told you nothing, has he?”
I bristle at her question, even though the pain meds are doing the opposite to my body. We’re in a good place right now, or I’m high as a fucking kite and think we are. The last thing I want to do is break Tuck’s trust, so I just shrug.
“I could beat his ass.” Joe blows out a long breath, ruffling her loose bangs. “He’s a good boy.”
“I know that. He’s pushed me away.” I pause, knowing I shouldn’t be talking right now. “He kind of captured my heart the first time I met him.”
“He’s a little shit like that.”
We sit in silence for the next hour, and I keep dozing off and on in the sun. A loud, roaring engine pulls up in the driveway, startling me awake and sending me into a panic attack.