Nick Of Time (Blue Ridge Romance 2) (16 page)

“You love me?”

“Yeah. Go ahead and make fun of me.” He held his arms out wide, not caring.

“I love you, too. I have for a while, actually. Since I told my mom.”

“You said you told her that to push her buttons!”

“I did say it to push her buttons, but it was also true.”

“You’re a piece of work,” he said with a laugh before they started kissing again.

Then the kissing turned into more, and before long they were loving each other pretty fiercely.

He tried to take his time, but as she’d pointed out, it had been a long time since they’d had sex. The first time didn’t last as long as it should have. Fortunately, they had all night, so he was able to enjoy it even more the second time. And the third.

“I just had sex with someone I love,” he said, amusement in his voice.

“First time?”

“No. All three times.”

“I meant the first time you were in love with someone.”

He knew that was what she meant. “Yep.” He nodded. “If I’m being honest, the other times I was with you should have counted, too. I think I’ve loved you for a long time. Except for when I hated you.”

“What?” She laughed at his crazy declaration.

“I’m pretty sure I fell for you the second time you drove me to Boy Scouts.” She obviously didn’t remember, and she wouldn’t be able to understand the significance.

“When was that?” She squinted.

“The time you dropped me off and Roy Barrows punched me in the face.”

She gasped, remembering the incident. To her, it must have looked like the giant boy-man had walked right up to scrawny Tucker and just hit him unprovoked. “You were out of the car so fast.” Tucker chuckled at the memory.

“He knocked you on your ass!”

“You pushed him, even though you were probably seventeen and he was only eleven. Then you helped me up and took me to your house. You got a pile of Pop-Ice out of the freezer and asked me which one was my favorite and which was my least favorite.”

“The grape was for you to eat and the cherry was to hold on your cheek,” she recalled.

“I knew it wasn’t the first time you’d used Pop-Ice to help with a bruise. I could tell even then. I guessed it was your mom.”

She shrugged and looked away.

“It hasn’t happened since I went to college.” She was trying to shut down the conversation. Part of him wanted to let her. It was easier to talk about happy times and have fun, but she knew his struggles and he wanted to know hers.

“It only happened when she was between husbands,” she elaborated. “I think she blamed me for her being alone. And for a long time, I thought it was true. A lot of men don’t want to bother with a woman who has a kid.”

“That’s ridiculous, Nic. A lot of men don’t want to bother with a woman who has a pointed tail and horns coming out of her head. It didn’t have anything to do with you.”

She smiled at his joke and nodded.

“I realize that now. But back then, I thought it was me. I could tell when one of my stepfathers was unhappy and planning to leave. I tried even harder to be perfect so he wouldn’t go. It never worked. I think that might be why I’ve always felt more comfortable in a relationship, even if it isn’t a very good one. I’ve had it ingrained in me that when a man leaves, it’s the worst possible thing that could happen.”

“You’ve always had a serious boyfriend, ever since I’ve known you.”

She laughed at that. “Yes. But after Dennis, I realized I can make it on my own. It might not be the greatest thing in the world, but I’ll survive. Just like I did when my mother smacked me around. I’m stronger than I think I am.”

“It shouldn’t ever have happened to you. A parent shouldn’t hurt a kid,” he said sadly.

“Neither should Roy Barrows,” she said in an effort to change the subject back.

“Actually, that time I deserved it.” He nodded slowly.

“How so?”

“Roy accused me of stealing a baseball card when I was at his house for his birthday party.”

“Right, and you told me you didn’t steal it.”

“I didn’t steal it. But I did throw it in the trash.”

“Why would you do that?”

“I was ten, and he was a dick who collected baseball cards with his dad. I didn’t have a dad, and at the time I didn’t know why. I was angry and wanted them both to pay.” It felt good to finally confess.

“Still, it was a crappy baseball card. Not worth punching someone over.”

“It
was
a crappy card. I’ve looked it up, and so far it would only have been worth forty bucks at the most.”

“It still bothers you?” she guessed.

“Lots of things I’ve done bother me. It’s called a conscience. They suck.”

She laughed and squeezed him closer before she rested her head on his chest and fell asleep. She never made him feel judged. She seemed to accept him and all his faults—God knew there were a lot—and loved him anyway.

It seemed impossible.

He didn’t want to wake her the next morning. It would mean she’d have to leave. He didn’t want that.

God, he was turning into such a girl.

The strange thing was, he didn’t care. He hadn’t freaked out when the word
love
came into the picture. He was absolutely fine with it. Especially knowing she felt the same way about him.

Nichole Atherton loved him.

And was waking up.

“Morning, baby,” he said as he kissed her forehead.

“What time is it?”

“Probably later than you’d like, but I’m not sorry.”

“Then there’s no sense in me being angry,” she reasoned with a smile.

“Since you’re already going to be late . . .” He kissed her and moved down her jaw to her neck.

“I can’t. I have to go. I have to be there for my shift.”

“Aren’t you in charge? Don’t you have minions who’ll cover for you?”

There was a hesitation before she answered. “I have two appointments.”

“Two? Two doesn’t seem like many. Two seems like it would be easy to reschedule. Come on. Stay with me,” he begged as he moved down a little farther.

“Maybe. With the proper motivation,” she said with her eyes closed.

He grinned wickedly. He had her on the ropes.

“How’s this for motivation?” He threw the sheet over his head and moved the whole way down her body. Soon she was squirming and gasping for air. Then he stopped.

“Tucker?”

His head popped up with a smug look.

“I’ll be happy to finish as soon as I know you’re staying.”

Without another word, she reached for her phone on the nightstand and began calling the office.

She didn’t leave until after noon. And when he watched her drive away he had to remind himself why he ever wanted to become a rock star.

The answer came in the form of his agent and a long list of things Tucker needed to do. There was talk of extending his tour, and bringing in someone to open for him.

“You’re on the move.”

“Yes. I can tell,” Tucker said, pointing out the window of the town car.

“You know what I mean. How are you holding up?” Mitch glanced at him sideways.

“I’m good.”

“The girl seems nice.”

“The girl is amazing. I told her to call you if she can’t get a hold of me for some reason. Make sure I get the call.”

“Yes, because an agent is really just a glorified secretary.”

“That’s right.” He winked at Mitch and rested his head on the glass, thinking about the night before.

O
ver the next two weeks, Nichole rarely heard from Tucker. She got texts and e-mails he sent in the middle of the night. And she would leave him sexy messages and e-mails during the day, when he was most likely sleeping.

Fortunately, she was busy enough at work she didn’t have time to dwell on how much she missed him.

Soon it was time for the Spring Fund-raiser Ball, and because Nichole ran the clinic for which they were raising funds, she also handled the details of the ball.

This year was a Roaring Twenties theme. She’d set up the caterer and the venue months before, so all she had to do now was deal with the last-minute details.

The dress she’d ordered came in and fit even without the compression wear.

“So I’ll see you tonight?” she checked with Collin before she headed out on Saturday morning.

“Yes. I’ll be ready to charm the fringes off the rich old women.”

“My mother is going to be there. Don’t bother with the charm. She’s immune.”

“She’s not met the likes of me yet.” Collin sounded determined.

“You have a child and one on the way; please don’t put yourself in harm’s way unnecessarily.”

“I could always shake the money out of her.”

Nichole laughed and left the clinic to start her transformation from doctor to vintage Hollywood starlet.

After taming her curls and applying the reddest lipstick she’d ever seen, she drove to the country club where she’d planned to get married months ago.

She called Tucker before she went in. It went straight to voice mail with no greeting. She wondered if he’d lost his phone again.

“Hey, I just wanted to tell you I was thinking about you. I haven’t heard your voice—other than on the radio—in a while and I miss it. Call me! Love you.”

The evening went without a hitch.

Cooper and Roslyn came. So did Lexi and Ian. Nichole was able to stay busy enough that she could avoid her mother for a large portion of the evening.

“You were right. Your mother is one tough customer,” Collin said, looking a bit overwhelmed.

“She didn’t give you any money?”

“She did, but then she asked me if I was going to marry you now that I’d dishonored you in public. I didn’t realize our waltz earlier was going to force me into bigamy. When I explained that I was already married, she told me it was for the best because I had a large bone structure. I’m not sure what that means.”

“Well, look at it this way: You got the money, we’re not married, and you’re free to move on to your next victim. Who, by the way, can’t be as bad as my mother.”

“Right.” Collin laughed and moved toward a crowd of white-haired women.

When the night was finally over, Nichole drove home wishing Tucker would be waiting for her. He wasn’t.

 

Tucker hadn’t heard from Nichole in over a week. Not that he’d been able to call her, but he hadn’t gotten any messages from her. Not even a sexy text.

He called her phone and got her voice mail.

“God damn! For all the strides in technology, you’d think getting in touch with someone would be a lot easier,” he grumbled as Mitch looked at him. “Have you heard from Nichole?”

“No. Sorry.”

He called his brother.

“Hey!” Cooper greeted him with a smile in his voice. “You know I love you, but I’m getting sick of hearing that song on the radio every ten seconds. I kind of want to strangle you.”

“Good. That was my goal.” They laughed together.

“How is it out there?”

“It’s really good. This tour is about to end. There are rumors of me getting one of my own.”

“Is that what you want?” Cooper asked the million-dollar question.

“Of course!” he said, sounding more sure than he actually was.

“Stay grounded,” Cooper warned. Tucker knew what he meant but decided to change the subject.

“Have you heard from Nichole?” Tucker asked.

“Yeah. I saw her at the fund-raiser banquet last weekend. She said she’s left you a couple of messages but hasn’t heard from you. Are you giving her the slip?”

“No! Definitely not. It’s been crazy. I lost my phone again. I wonder if I gave her the wrong number because I haven’t gotten any messages.”

“I swear, I need to duct tape the phone to your forehead.”

“That might work.” He’d still probably lose it. “So what was this fund-raiser thing?”

“It was a ball to raise money for the clinic. She plans it every year. This year’s theme was the Roaring Twenties. It was three-hundred-dollars a plate, but the girls looked cute in their fringy dresses.”

“Did you take any pictures?” he asked, feeling a little put out that he’d missed the fringy dress.

“Yeah. Do you have a phone where I can send them?”

“Yes.” He rattled off the number after pulling it up on his phone to be sure. A few seconds later it chimed with a text, and he began scrolling through the pictures. “Whoa. Who is this guy?” Tucker had stopped on a photo of Nichole in her sexy flapper costume dancing with some guy. A very large guy.

“That’s Collin. He’s one of the other doctors she works with at the clinic. Nice guy. He helps her with the fund-raiser every year.”

“That’s . . . nice,” Tucker said, not thinking it was nice at all.

“Doesn’t Roslyn look like she stepped out of the twenties?” Cooper said proudly.

“Yeah. And I love the fedora and suspenders,” he mentioned, laughing at his brother’s getup.

“I think I pulled it off.”

“Definitely.” Tucker was still staring at the photo of the girl he loved and some douchebag who was also apparently a nice guy.

By the time he got off the phone with his brother, he couldn’t take it any longer.

He called Mitch.

“I need to be in Roanoke tomorrow.”

“What? That’s not going to happen. You have—” Mitch attempted to start the litany of overwhelming responsibilities.

“Make it happen. It’s important.”

“I can maybe fly you in midmorning, but you’d need to leave by two at the latest.”

“Do it.”

 

The clinic usually got busy in waves. Generally, the waiting room would be flooded first thing in the morning, and then it would taper off until evening.

She was taking a moment to breathe and catch up on paperwork at eleven when one of the nurses, Sabrina, knocked on her door.

“Excuse me, Dr. Atherton. There’s is a patient here who wants to see you specifically. He says he has chest pains.”

Nichole stood to go see the patient who obviously didn’t realize clinics were for things like stitches and earaches, not chest pain. “His blood pressure and pulse are fine.” Sabrina handed her the chart as they left her office.

Nichole stopped still.

“Tucker Matthews?” She pointed at the file.

“Yeah. And he actually looks a lot like the singer.”

“Huh. I’ll take care of it. Thanks,” Nichole said as she picked up the pace.

She opened the door and there he was.

“Oh my God! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would have taken off work.” She was running toward him when she noticed his scowl. She stopped. “What is it?”

“You went out with another guy.”

“Excuse me?” She had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

“The ball.”

“First of all, I didn’t
go out
with another guy. I was working a benefit to raise money for the clinic with a co-worker. It wasn’t a date. We met there and left alone.”

“But you didn’t ask me. Are you embarrassed by me?”

“Are you messing with me right now?” she asked.

“Do I look like I’m messing with you?”

He didn’t. He looked really . . . hurt. He’d seemed angry at first, but she could see now that wasn’t the case.

“I would rather have had you go with me, but you had a show that night.” She walked over and wrapped her arms around him. “You’re jealous.” She couldn’t help but smile. “You’re a big, sexy rock star with girls throwing themselves at you, and you’re jealous of Collin, who is happily married with a five-year-old and another baby on the way.”

“Of course I’m jealous. That guy got to see you in your fringy dress.”

“Well, why don’t we go ask
that guy
to cover for me so I can take you home? I’ll put on the fringy dress and let you take it off.”

“Really?” His lips pulled up on one side.

“Anything you want.”

“I’m the luckiest man on the whole damn planet.”

She shook her head at his little fit before she kissed him.

“You know, if I had known you would show up at my office if I went out with another guy, I might have done it for real. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” he said as he rested his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry I overreacted.”

“Let’s go. Unless you’re really having chest pains.”

“No. They seem to be fine now.”

She rolled her eyes as he linked his hand with hers and followed her down the hall.

Collin was in his office with the door open, no doubt doing the same thing she had been doing until Tucker arrived.

She tapped on the doorframe, and he looked up with a pleasant smile.

“Collin, I’d like you to meet Tucker. Tucker this is Collin, Dr. Bennett.”

“Nice to meet you,” Tucker said as he stepped in and shook Collin’s hand.

“I can’t believe it! I’m shaking your hand.” Collin looked down at their hands, still shaking, before letting go. “I’m a huge fan. I loved Wilted Lilies, but your new stuff is way better.”

“Thanks,” Tucker offered.

“Would it be rude to ask for your autograph?” Collin winced. “It would be for my son. When he grows up. He’s only five now.”

“I’d be willing to offer you an autographed picture and a fan pack if I can have Nichole for the rest of the afternoon,” Tucker counteroffered.

“Sure! Of course. Have fun, Nic. I’ll cover. It’s no problem at all.”

“Nic, can you take our picture together?” Tucker suggested.

“Thanks!” Collin practically threw the phone at her as he stood next to Tucker with a big, stupid grin on his face.

Nichole snapped the picture and they left his office to go next door into her own.

“Let me just grab my bag,” she said as she started to take off her white coat.

“No. Leave the coat on.” His brown eyes gleamed.

“Really?” She laughed. “I thought you wanted me to put on the dress with the fringes.”

“I think I’d rather play doctor.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her adorably.

“Whatever you want. You’re the one who made the trip.”

“
Anything
I want?” he asked as they left her office, only to be stopped by Sabrina and two other nurses, who were giggling like fifth graders.

“When I said he looked like the singer, you didn’t tell me it was really
him
.” She pointed at Tucker, as if he couldn’t hear her. “Can you get his autograph for me? I didn’t know you were dating him.”

Tucker raised his brows. Nichole was certain he was interpreting this information as her being embarrassed by him, but he was wrong.

“I didn’t want a lot of attention or press when I’m trying to work,” she told the nurses.

“Oh, right. We won’t say anything.” Her ass they wouldn’t.

“Ladies, I’m only here for a few hours, and Dr. Atherton and I have to be somewhere. I promise I’ll send you all fan packs if we can go now.”

“You’re awesome! So much sexier in real life, and you were really sexy on television. I’m Sabrina, by the way. I listened to your heart.” The nurse all but piddled on the floor with glee. “It was great. Your heart, I mean.”

“Good to know. Thanks.”

Tucker tried to get by, but the horde of horny nurses didn’t move.

“Ladies? I think you all have patients to take care of,” she reminded them in her stern doctor voice.

They actually pouted but moved away, allowing her and Tucker to get through the hall and out the door.

“I don’t see what all the hype is about,” she said, looking him over slowly with a smile. Sabrina was right; he
was
sexy. His long legs were covered in ripped jeans that probably cost a fortune. The T-shirt he was wearing fit as if someone had made it just for him. With his hair hanging in his eyes, he gave her a wink.

“Take me home and I’ll show you what all the hype is about.”

As it turned out, he showed her, living up to the hype quite well.

 

At three o’clock Tucker’s phone rang again.

He didn’t have to look to know it was Mitch. No doubt telling him he was supposed to have left an hour ago to be in Dallas for an interview.

“You know your phone keeps ringing right?” she asked with her chin propped on his bare chest. He was enjoying the moment, just relaxing and staring at her with her long red hair all over the place. He wanted the memory to burn into his mind so he could remember it later, when he was on the road and missing her.

“Yes. I know.”

“I think if you answer it, it might stop ringing.”

“If I answer it, I’ll have to leave.”

“Oh. Well then, don’t answer it,” she said with a laugh. Then she turned serious. “I thought maybe you were trying to ditch me when you didn’t call back. I didn’t know your phone number didn’t work. I accidentally washed Mitch’s card. I thought maybe it was your way of saying it was over.” She frowned and looked away.

“You washed his card?” Tucker said.

“Don’t judge. A few weeks ago, you washed a phone.” Right. He’d also left one on top of a car, had one stolen, and lost two others who knew where. He was cursed when it came to phones. But even when he did have one, he didn’t seem to have a moment to use it.

“I’m not going to ditch you. And if I was, it sure as hell wouldn’t be like that. I’m not that much of a dick. Plus, Cooper would disown me if I ever hurt you.”