Face Value (12 page)

“No, it’s
cool,” Mason said, reaching into the plastic bag. “You want one?”
He offered Lauren a bottle of water.

“Sure, thanks.”
She saw Monica looking at her.

“Are you a
model?” Monica asked, tipping her head to the side.

“No, why?”

“You’re pretty
enough to be a model.”

“Thank you,
sweetie.” Lauren was grateful they didn’t seem resentful. In fact,
they seemed charming.

“Well, are we
ready to go?” Tucker walked to his SUV to open the passenger’s door
for Lauren.

“I am.” Lauren
smiled her thanks at Tucker, and he winked at her.

No matter how
often she told herself to shield her heart, she felt him chipping
away at the armor, probably without even realizing it. Every time
he smiled or winked at her… when she heard his laugh… and when she
saw him as the attentive father who clearly adored his kids. She
loved every facet of his personality, except for his temper.

They chatted
all the way to the mall. Mason told her about his hockey team, and
Monica chimed in about her upcoming dance recital. They told her
about school and their teachers and the sports and camps they had
planned for summer vacation. She adored them already. They were
sweet and funny, with a typical sibling relationship involving a
lot of teasing and arguing.

For the most
part, Tucker just listened and observed Lauren’s interaction with
them. She couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking, but he
gave nothing away.

By the time
they found a parking spot at the nearest mall, Monica was bouncing
in her seat. “This is gonna be so much fun.”

“This is gonna
be torture,” Mason groaned.

“I have an
idea,” Monica said with a sparkle in her eye. “Why don’t you come
with me, Lauren, and Dad can go with Mason.” She wrinkled her nose.
“They like sporting goods stores.”

Tucker shifted
in his seat to look at his daughter. “I thought the whole point of
this little excursion was so that you could show me what you want
for your birthday.”

“I can show
Lauren, and she can fill you in.”

Tucker looked
at Lauren. “I don’t know. What do you think?”

“Works for me,”
Lauren said, smiling. She would love some girl time with Monica.
The little girl was so enthusiastic about everything; maybe her
excitement would take Lauren’s mind off Tucker for a while. Her
brain could use the rest.

“Yes!” Mason
said, pumping his fist in the air.

Tucker pointed
at a family-style restaurant just outside of the main doors. “Why
don’t we meet back here at one and grab a bite to eat?”

“Sounds good to
me.” Lauren reached for her door handle.

Tucker grabbed
her forearm. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.
It’ll be fun.”

***

Tucker was
horrified when Lauren and Monica returned carrying half a dozen
shopping bags and giggling like life-long friends.

“What did you
do?” he asked, scowling at his daughter.

Monica sobered
as soon as she turned her big brown eyes on him. Sinking her teeth
into her bottom lip, she said, “I didn’t ask Lauren to buy me
anything, Daddy. I swear.”

Lauren jumped
to her defense. “She’s telling the truth, Tucker. It’s nothing
really, just some nail polish, lip gloss, pajamas, sparkly sweats…”
Her voice trailed off when Tucker glared at her.

“You shouldn’t
have done that.” Tucker couldn’t be mad at Lauren; she was way too
cute. And he knew her heart was in the right place. “I’m paying for
it.”

“But-”

He held his
hand up to silence her. “I appreciate the gesture, Lauren, but she
can’t accept these gifts from you.”

Lauren let out
a gusty sigh before her bottom lip slipped out.

Rolling his
eyes, he wondered who was worse: Lauren or his daughter. But God
help him, he could barely resist the urge to kiss that pretty pout
right off her lips, with or without an audience. “You ladies must
have worked up an appetite. Let’s grab some lunch.”

“You guys
didn’t buy anything?” Lauren asked, allowing Tucker to lead them
into the restaurant.

“We took our
stuff out to the car.” He paused before reaching the hostess stand.
“You want me to put your stuff in the car?”

“No, that’s
okay.”

She said she
didn’t, but he could tell she was just being polite. “Here, let me
have those. Why don’t you grab us a table? I’ll be right back.”

When Tucker
returned, they were crowded into a booth playing Angry Birds on
Mason’s iPad. His breath caught in his throat, and he slowed to a
stop before he reached their table. His kids obviously liked Lauren
almost as much as he did. Imagining her fitting into their world
was so easy, but he knew he wasn’t the man she needed.

Lauren was
young and beautiful. She had her whole life ahead of her. She
undoubtedly wanted to get married and have children of her own
someday, not play pretend-Mommy to someone else’s kids. No, he
couldn’t allow himself to think about the future they could never
have.

She looked up
at him. “Is everything okay?”

The kids sat
beside each other, leaving the spot next to Lauren available. He
slid in, trying to ignore his body’s fierce reaction when his thigh
brushed against hers.

“I ordered you
a Coke, Dad,” Mason said without looking up from his game.

“Thanks.”

“Guess what,
Dad?” Monica said, in the sing-song voice that irritated her big
brother so much. “Lauren beat Mason at Angry Birds!” She held her
hand over her mouth to conceal her laughter when her brother nudged
her.

“It’s best two
out of three,” he grumbled.

Tucker laughed
and bumped Lauren’s shoulder. “How’d you get so good at Angry
Birds?”

“I have it on
my phone.” She smiled. “Sometimes I have to wait around a while for
contractors to show. It kills time.”

“Damn
contractors,” he said, grinning. “They don’t think time applies to
them.”

“I know,
right?” She smirked. “I still don’t know how you guys get away with
running your businesses that way. Late, always over budget, quick
with excuses-”

“Keep talking,
lady,” he whispered in her ear. “But don’t think I won’t get even
when we’re alone.”

Her eyes landed
on his mouth, and it took everything in him not to steal a kiss
right there in front of his kids. Lauren was hijacking his good
judgement and making him want to break all of his rules.

“Your turn.”
Mason handed her the tablet.

“Not bad,”
Lauren said, looking suitably impressed. She winked at Mason, and
he shifted in his seat and blushed. “You’re a worthy opponent,
kid.”

Apparently
Tucker wasn’t the only one with a crush on the stunning Miss
McCall. Mason appeared enamored as well. Tucker didn’t know how he
felt about his kids getting close to Lauren. He’d hoped they would
like her, but he never expected the instant rapport. The last thing
he wanted was for them to get the idea he and Lauren were planning
a future together. He would have to talk to them about their
expectations when they were alone.

The waitress
came to take their order of burgers and fries all around. Tucker
didn’t know why he was so pleased Lauren didn’t mind digging into a
calorie-laden meal. Perhaps because most of the women he dated were
waifs who thought munching on salad instead of eating a meal would
impress him.

He hadn’t dated
a real woman in so long he’d almost forgotten what it was like.
Frowning, he tried to recall the last time he dated a successful,
independent business woman. Try never. He usually went for women
cool with keeping it light, which often meant younger women putting
themselves through school working as waitresses or in retail. It
never bothered him until he met Lauren. She was his equal in some
way and so much better than him in so many others.

“Can you come
to my hockey game next Saturday?” Mason asked Lauren.

Uh oh, his son
was more infatuated than he thought. “Um, I don’t think so, hon,”
she said, smiling to soften the rejection. “That’s your time with
your dad. I don’t want to intrude.”

“You wouldn’t
be,” he said, his voice taking on that desperate edge Tucker knew
too well. “She wouldn’t, would she, Dad?”

“Hey, that’s
not fair,” Monica said in full-on pout mode. “If she comes to your
hockey game, she has to come to my dance recital.”

“No, she
doesn’t,” Mason said, looking disgusted. “Who would want to go to a
stupid dance recital when they could go to a hockey game?”

“Guys, that’s
enough,” Tucker said, shooting them both a glance that warned them
either to back down or face the consequences. “Let’s not pressure
Lauren, okay?”

Lauren looked
back and forth between the kids, and Tucker could tell she hated to
disappoint them almost as much as he did. How the hell could he
avoid losing his heart to that woman? He was so screwed.

“Let me see
what I have going on next weekend, okay?” she said, including both
kids. “Your dad and I will talk about it.”

“Cool!” Mason
looked as though she’d just promised to buy him a car.

Lauren held the
screen up so Mason could see it. “I beat you again!”

Mason shook his
head, smiling in spite of his defeat. “Dad, you better face it.
She’s too good for you.”

Tucker knew his
son was referring to the game, but that didn’t make it any easier
to smile at the off-hand remark when Lauren’s eyes met his.

“I had so much fun
today,” Lauren said, curling up on the couch under a faux-fur
throw.

Tucker stoked
the fire before reclaiming his spot beside her.

The kids were
in bed, and his house was blissfully quiet. Tucker couldn’t imagine
a more perfect ending to the best day he’d had in years, maybe
ever. “If Mason was smitten before, I think he’s in love with you
now. When Aiden invited him to the dressing room to meet the rest
of the players, I thought he was gonna go crazy.” Nothing made him
happier than seeing his kids happy, and it meant so much to him
that Lauren seemed to understand that.

“Aiden was glad
to do it. Your kids are great, Tucker. You should be really proud
of them.”

“I am. They’re
the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He shifted to face her,
and he knew right away it was a mistake. She looked so striking
under the glow of the fire, and he knew he couldn’t resist her.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, stroking her hair.

She closed her
eyes and turned into his touch. “What’re we doing?”

“I don’t know,
but I don’t think I can stop.” That’s as honest as he could be. It
wasn’t a question of whether he wanted to stop. He couldn’t.

Lauren opened
her eyes and captivated him with her stare. “Me neither.”

He shifted
closer, cupping the back of her neck. “I haven’t felt this way
about a woman…”
Ever.
He couldn’t tell her that without
scaring her away. They were moving way too fast. “In a long time,
Lauren.”

“I’m scared,”
she whispered. “There are so many things I like about you, but I
know there’s another side to you.” She sighed. “Plus, there are
things you won’t tell me…”

Tucker knew she
was talking about his jail time. He’d never talked to anyone about
what landed him there. He didn’t even try to defend himself in
court. He wouldn’t put his daughter through the hell of having to
testify about what happened.

He knew
expecting Lauren to have an intimate relationship with him without
knowing the full story wasn’t fair, even though half a dozen women
had before her. But he wouldn’t even try to convince himself she
was like all the others. She deserved the truth.

Shifting away,
he leaned his head back on the sofa and closed his eyes. “It was
shortly after Amanda and I separated.”

Lauren reached
for his hand as though she sensed he needed her support. She was
right.

“She was seeing
this guy…” He drew a shaky breath, praying for the strength to
relive a day that still haunted him. “I didn’t like him from the
start. Not because I was jealous. Our marriage died a long time
before we separated.”

“Then why
didn’t you like him?” she asked quietly.

“I didn’t trust
him. Call it a bad vibe.” Tucker knew his instincts about that guy
were right and he couldn’t ignore it, especially when his kids’
safety was at stake. He’d learned the hard way what happened when
he kept his mouth shut and pretended evil didn’t exist.

“So, you guys
got into it?”

If only it were
that simple. “I walked into the house and heard him saying things
to Monica…” He shuddered, and Lauren moved closer, wrapping her arm
around his and laying her head on his shoulder.

“What kind of
things?”

He wanted to
wretch just thinking about it. “He told her how pretty she was,
talking about all the things he wanted to do to her, but he told
her she could never tell her parents.” Tucker’s hand curled into a
fist, and he feared the rage rising to the surface. He hated
feeling as though the fury inside of him was a beast he was
powerless to control.

“Oh God, no,”
Lauren whispered, covering her mouth with her free hand.

“I didn’t want
to scare the kids by confronting him in front of them, so I waited
for him outside.” Tucker could still hear the sickening thud of
that bastard’s skull bouncing off the pavement. If the police
hadn’t shown up when they did and physically restrained him, he
knew he couldn’t have stopped. “I beat the hell out of him.” That
was an understatement. That guy was lucky to be alive by the time
Tucker finished with him. “I had to send him a message that if he
got within ten feet of my kids again, it would cost him his
life.”

He looked
Lauren in the eye because he needed her to understand what she was
getting herself into if she chose to be with him. “I would have
killed him.”