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 nod. “Okay, do you want to say bye to Ace?”
She scrunches up her nose. “No, it’s probably better if I just go.”
I want to yell at her and tell her how much she’s missing, but I’m not going to. I just nod my head. “Okay.”
She tosses her hair and storms out of the house. As soon as the front door slams, I let out a sigh of relief.
“Ace!” I holler as I’m walking to my bedroom for my shirt.
I get dressed and then meet Ace at the bottom of the stairs. “You ready for that pizza?”
He throws his hand up in the air. “Oh boy, am I! But Dad, I haven’t had breakfast yet.”
I put a hand on his shoulder. “Pizza for breakfast?”
He runs to put his shoes on, and I slide my boots on. He is so excited, he’s vibrating with it. “Dad, what about Dolly?”
I nod and pat him on the shoulder. It doesn’t get by me that he hasn’t asked about his mom. “I have an idea. Let’s get a pizza and take it to Dolly’s house to eat. What do you think?”
“Let’s do it!”
We walk outside to my truck, and I’m already thinking about having Dolly in my arms again. This time, she’s not going to walk away. She’s going to know that we stick together, no matter what.
CHAPTER 18
DOLLY
There’s a loud knock on my door, and instantly I think it’s Karla here to yell at me again.
I look in the mirror by the front door, wipe at the mascara on my face, and when I realize it’s hopeless, I drop my hands and hesitantly answer the door.
“Tucker! Ace! What are you doing here?”
I peek outside and see Tucker’s truck, and my mouth falls open. “Did you drive here? You’re not supposed to be driving. You should have called me!”
Ace is holding a frozen pizza. “We wanted to surprise you. Nowhere was open that sold pizza, so we had to buy this, but I love any kind of pizza.”
Stunned, I just stare at him. He tilts his head to the side. “Is this okay? Do you like frozen pizza, Dolly?”
I almost start crying all over again. “Yes, I love frozen pizza.”
He wraps his arms around me in a big hug. “Dad said you guys were getting married and that you were going to move to the ranch and—”
Tucker leans over and wraps his hand around Ace’s mouth. “Okay, that’s good. Go put the pizza in the kitchen and then watch some TV, big guy. Let me talk to Dolly for a minute.”
He smiles playfully because he knows what he just did, and then takes off running through the house.
I step back to let Tucker in, but instead of walking past me, he grabs me by the waist. “You told me to do what is right for me and Ace. Well, you’re what is right for me and my son, Dolly. You’re the one we love and want to be with.” He nods to where Ace went. “And yes, Ace and I had a big talk on our way over here, and we both agree that you should marry me and move out to the ranch.”
My mouth drops open. “Tucker.”
He interrupts me. “Now don’t go saying no. I’m not saying we have to do all this today or even next week, but maybe after you’ve had some time to think about it, next month—”
“Next month!” I exclaim in surprise. “Are you kidding me?”
He leans in and whispers, “I told you that once I had you, I wouldn’t let you go.”
I search his eyes. I knew how I felt about last night. It had to be the best night of my life, but I’d wondered if it had been the same for him. “Last night was amazing, wasn’t it?”
He nods. “It was the best damn night of my life, and I want at least another 50, 60, hell 80 years of nights like those.”
I laugh, because how could I not? “I doubt we’ll be doing that when we’re ninety.”
He cups my chin. “Well, I’m sure I’ll want to. I love you, Dolly.”
I lean into him. “I love you too, Tucker Yates. Today, tomorrow, forever!”
“Yes!” Ace whoops from the hallway. “Did she say yes, Dad? Is she going to be my mom, too?”
I put a hand to my heart. “There’s no way I could ever say no to that.”
Ace runs toward us, and the three of us hug. In the entryway of my house, every dream I’ve ever had is coming true. I can’t stop smiling as Tucker and Ace hug me tighter than I’ve ever been hugged.
EPILOGUE
TUCKER
Brody clears his throat. “So uh, Tucker, when are you released to ride again?”
“I was released today.”
He nods his head. “Good, good.”
I look around the table at my friends. These three men are my best friends. We’ve been through a lot together, and I don’t know what Ace and I would have done without them. I love poker night, but tonight we all seem off.