"I know. She gave it to me this morning. It's beautiful."
Sierra's smile widens. "She's a great kid. And if Tucker's letting you into her life, into their life... that means something. So, whatever just happened in there—" She gestures towardTucker's bedroom. "Don't freak out about it. Don't run. He deserves someone who stays."
Tears prick at my eyes, unexpected and overwhelming. "I'm not going to run."
"Good." Sierra steps aside, clearing the path to the bathroom. "Now go clean up before Tucker comes looking for you and we all die of embarrassment."
I laugh again and head down the hall, but before I reach the bathroom I turn back. "Sierra?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For not making this weird."
"Oh, it's definitely weird. But in a good way." She winks. "Welcome to Promise Ranch. Something tells me you're going to fit right in."
I slip into the bathroom and close the door, leaning against it for a moment. My reflection in the mirror shows a woman with messy hair, swollen lips, and a smile she can't quite hide.
I just had sex with a client. With Tucker Hayes, a forty-year-old single father who makes me feel things I haven't felt in years. Maybe ever.
And instead of feeling guilty or scared or worried about professional boundaries, I feel... happy.
For the first time in a long time, I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.
I clean up quickly and head back to Tucker's room. He's still on the bed, but he's pulled on his jeans and is sitting up, looking at his phone.
"Everything okay?" he asks when I come in.
"Yeah. Just ran into Sierra in the hallway."
His face goes pale. "Oh God. Did she—"
"Hear everything? Yes." I climb back onto the bed and curl up next to him. "But it's fine. She was actually really sweet about it."
Tucker groans and covers his face with his hands. "I'm never going to hear the end of this from Wade."
"Probably not." I pull his hands away and kiss him softly. "But I don't care. Do you?"
He looks at me for a long moment, then smiles. "No. I don't care at all."
We lie there together, his arm around me, my head on his chest, and I think about destiny and second chances and how sometimes the best things in life come from taking risks you never planned to take.
"Marley?" Tucker says after a while.
"Yeah?"
"Stay for dinner? I'll make something. Nothing fancy, but—"
"I'd love to."
"And maybe... stay the night? Emma will be back soon, and I'd like her to see you here. To know that you're part of this now."
My chest tightens again, but this time it's not fear. It's hope.
"I'd love that too."
Tucker kisses the top of my head, and I close my eyes, breathing in his musky scent.
I came to Blackwater Falls to start over. To escape my mistakes and build something new. I never expected to find this. To find him. But now that I have, I'm not letting go.
