NORA
“KEEP YOURhands over your eyes.” Tuck says as the truck comes to a stop. I hear his window go down, and then it sounds like he’s tapping a keypad.
When we woke up this morning, after he had his way with me, he told me he had a surprise. As we drove away from the small apartment we’ve been staying in for the past month, we went into the more rural area outside of town.
After about forty-five minutes of curvy roads surrounded by trees, he told me to cover my eyes until he tells me not to. He’s been so giddy since we got out of bed that I’m enjoying seeing this side of him too much to give him any flack. Or tell him all the curves in the road are making me nauseous.
Mechanical gears jerk to life, and it sounds like a gate is squeaking open. “Is that a gate?” I smile bigger.
His big hand covers my hands over my eyes, and he says, “No peeking.”
Getting a bigger kick out of his excitement than the surprise, I laugh at him. “I’m not peeking!”
The truck moves slowly, and speckles of sunlight breaking through the trees shine through our fingers. When we left Oklahoma, I hated to leave Kinley, Marley, Sloane, and Allison.They have become my best friends over the past couple of months.
I especially hated to leave Kinley and little Sawyer. It was the day after the FBI arrested Matt that she went into labor and had a healthy baby boy. Rhys was so proud, he did a video call with the family right after Kinley got cleaned up to show off his little boy.
Kinley and I have been talking every couple of days, and she sends tons of pictures. Even though I was only in Oklahoma for a couple of months, it became the closest thing to home since I lived with Grams, and I miss everyone.
Tuck has been busy the past month with the new job and getting settled into a rhythm, so I spend a lot of time alone in the apartment. He went on his first assignment with his new team and was gone for almost a week. The first couple of days weren’t so bad, it was the third and fourth days that I started pacing the apartment and holding his pillow while I slept.
When he walked through the door, I practically knocked him over when I attacked him.
While he was gone, I used that time to completely pour myself into setting up my freelance editing business - this one with my real name. I’ve already got two manuscripts.
Rhys called us a few days ago to let us know that Matt, his brother, and the girlfriend had been indicted and that no charges are being brought against me. But I’m not allowed to buy or trade stocks because I guess I’m on a list or something. I don’t care; stocks are not anything I know or care about.
Since I was such a big player, albeit unknowing, over the past three years, he also told me I would be called as a witness. Not looking forward to any of that.
Matt has been disbarred, and from what I’ve read, he’ll spend time in jail. After that, he’ll be covered up with so manyfines that even his rich dad won’t be able to dig him out. Serves him right. Asshole.
It feels like we’ve been driving slow forever, and I laugh again. “How much longer?”
The truck comes to a stop, but Tuck keeps his hand over my hands. He laughs at me. That’s another thing I can’t get enough of, I love to hear him laugh.
“Almost. Are you ready?” He asks, I hear him shift the truck into park.
“Yes!” I laugh and pull my hands out from under his, but he’s being obnoxious and holding his hand over my eyes.
“Okay, here it is.”
He drops his hand from my eyes, and I blink a couple of times from the brightness and focus on a large two-story home with a three-car garage surrounded by lush trees. The immediate yard around it is heavily manicured with trees, bushes, flower beds, and cobblestone walkways and driveway.
It’s part rock, brick and wood with a turn-of-the-century cottage look. Lots of windows and landscaping lights are across the entire front facade of the house. The three-car garage juts out of the front of the house and has a carriage house look.
It’s beautiful.
At a loss for words, I slowly push open the truck door and slide out to step to the front of the truck. I didn’t even hear Tuck get out, but his hands are on my shoulders and his mouth is next to my ear.
“Do you like it?”
Still taking in every detail, I whisper, “Did you buy this?”
“I did. For us.”
Tearing my eyes away from the house, I turn my head in his direction, his hazel eyes sparkling, and then look back at the house in disbelief. Covering my lips with the tips of my fingers, tears spring to my eyes. “Oh, Tuck. It’s beautiful; I love it.”
He steps behind me, his arm around my waist, and extends his other arm in front of me, palm up. I look down at an open black velvet box with a large emerald-cut diamond with several smaller round diamonds set on each side.
