He nodded. I wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear my apology or knew how deeply I meant it but, moving forward, I would be better. It was instinctual to protect him, but he needed honesty from me. “She gave me that to give to you. The watch was her father’s. Your grandfather. I’m going to give it to you when you’re older and it fits on your wrist. It belongs to you. And this.” I fingered the gold necklace with the rose pendant. “Was her mother’s. Your grandmother. I’m going to wear this every day as a thank you for the gift she gave me.”
“What gift?”
“You, Tucker. She gave me you, and it’s the best gift I’ve ever been given or will ever be given. And she did it twice. She saved you when Gunner and I couldn’t get to you. She gave you to me twice. She always loved you, even if it was from afar.”
Chapter 38
Gunner
“You’re not a very fun chemo buddy these days,” Mom said and nudged my shoulder. I shook out of my stupor and gave her a little smile.
“Is chemo ever fun?”
“Well, the first time you came, you had everyone in the room fawning all over you and kept me laughing. So, yeah, usually you’re fun.”
These past weeks without Delilah had been miserable. I couldn’t stay in the cabin and give her what she thought she needed. I had to restrain myself every day from going and knocking on her door to demand that she talk to me. She “needed time”? Fuck time.
I missed Delilah. I missed Tucker.
“There’re cards in your bag, want to play a game?” I asked. I was usually more fun while we were here. I did anything I could think of to keep her distracted from what was happening. I ran a hand through my hair. I was failing. On all counts.
“No, I want you to talk to me. What happened with Delilah?”
I didn’t even know. I’d been wracking my brain trying to find out why she needed time, why focusing on Tuck meant she had to cut me out of both of their lives. My gut told me she was scared. Scared of losing someone else. Scared of Tuck losing someone else.
I didn’t want to go anywhere though. I wanted them both. Forever.
I’d sat in my truck for an hour the day I left the inn. All my bags were packed and in the back, but I just stared at the main lodge, where I knew she was in the kitchen. I wanted to “accidentally” run into her, but I knew she would see through that bullshit excuse and feared it’d be used against me.
I was giving her what she wanted.
Time.
Fucking time.
But soon, I was coming for her. I’d show her that we only needed each other. That I was the man she needed and I could be there for Tucker too. We’d get through this. Together.
I was going to push, just not yet. My hands fisted on my thighs. Right now, we were trying it her way.
“She wants to take care of Tucker and be there for whatever he needs. She said she needed time,” I admitted. Mom knew something had happened. I only uttered Delilah’s name before I invaded her tiny house and crashed on her couch.
I wasn’t sure how she lived in it. I was constantly running into shit and hitting my head on the bathroom doorway. There was small, and then there was tiny. And it was way too tiny.
“I could be there for them,” I said, dragging a hand through my hair.
“You’re an idiot.”
I turned to Mom, shocked. “What the hell?” I asked.
“You’re an idiot,” she repeated. “Get off your ass and fight for her. Show her that you’ll be there. So she needs time. I get that. After your dad died, I wanted to wrap you in bubble wrap and not share you with anyone. It was hard. I pushed everyone away. Eventually, I came out of that stupor though. And when she comes out, you need to be there.”
“I am an idiot,” I muttered. She was right. As usual. I had to do everything to show Delilah I loved her fiercely. And I’d already wasted a week. I wouldn’t be wasting another day. I pulled my phone from my pocket and started my plan.
Chapter 39
Delilah
Mom popped her head into the kitchen. “There’s a delivery up front for you, Delilah.”
I wiped off my hands on the dishtowel hanging from my apron string and went to the wash station to wash my hands. I was running on only a couple of hours of sleep. I couldn’t get my mind off of the fire or Gunner. Tucker missed Gunner too. He asked for him every day.
I paused in the dining room, taking a deep breath while closing my eyes. To the dining patrons, I probably looked insane, but I needed to pause for a moment. I shook off my thoughts. I would deal with them later.
There was a cardboard box sitting on the registration counter. Mom handed me a pair of scissors. I stood on my toes to get a better look. There wasn’t a mailing label, only my name scrawled across the top.
“Who dropped this off?”
Mom shrugged, but there was a hint of a smile there. I shook my head and sliced through the tape holding the box closed before lifting it and setting it on the floor so I could dig through it. My chest tightened as I saw the contents and a note taped to the top flap.
I pulled it off and opened it.
Delilah,
I miss you and Tuck.
This is just a start.
I love you.
Gunner
Simple and to the point, just like him. He always knew what he wanted and didn’t sway from it. I brought the card to my chest, missing him and wishing he were next to me. Wishing I could’ve caught even a single glimpse of him while he was here.
I’d been so worried about Tucker when Shayla died. I’d been so worried when Tucker hadn’t been himself that I wasn’t thinking clearly. I knew I had made a mistake. I only hoped Gunner would forgive me.
I dug into the box. Lying pristinely on top was a new set of chef’s knives, top of the line. I usually lugged my knives back and forth, so they’d been at home when the fire happened. I opened the holder and brushed my finger on the exquisite metal. I set it down and kept digging through the loot he didn’t have to send but did because he cared. A laugh bubbled up in my chest as I took out a gnome donning in a Rattler’s baseball uniform for the inn. I set him down on top of the registration desk.
I wanted to bash my head into a wall for how stupid I’d been and the time I’d wasted between us.
He’d included a new glove, cleats, and a bat for Tucker. A set of dishes for our kitchen and a blank recipe book to replace the handwritten ones I’d lost.
A tear slipped from my eye, but my heart felt full. I wanted to go to him right now and jump into his arms, kissing him all over. I had to pick Tucker up from school and visit Carol though. She’d been sullen the last time I’d seen her, and I hoped a visit would cheer her up. I took out my phone to message Gunner, but I stopped. It needed to be more than a message. I couldn’t send him away then ask him to come back in a text message. I wanted to wow him, just as he’d wowed me every day since we’d been together.
I packed the box back up and stood. “Was it a good package?” Mom asked with unfiltered hope in her eyes.
“Yes, it was perfect.”
“Don’t let that one get away, dear,” she said and walked away.