This Love's Not for Sale (28 page)

Lilliana’s mood lightened and she prepared their dinner plates. Tucker assisted her and nothing more was mentioned about the tests. When Lilliana had apologized for being difficult, it reminded him of her comment about her father.

“So what happened to your dad?” he asked cautiously.

Lilliana’s eye shot up at him and she blinked several times while she chewed her food.

She
swallowed, wiped her mouth and answered. “I have no idea. I never met him. He left my mother when he found out she was pregnant. They were both very young. I guess he wasn’t ready for the responsibility and he gave up all rights for me.”

Tucker couldn’t help but feel angry at her father. What a selfish bastard. He had the chance at a family and he th
rew it away. More than that, he missed out on getting to know a beautiful person. He furrowed his eyebrows but kept his thoughts to himself.

“I’m not angry about it, Tucker. I don’t know him.
My mother never talked badly about him. In fact, she said she held no animosity toward him because of the wonderful gift of motherhood that he gave her.”

Tucker smiled. “You’re mother must’ve been an amazing person.”

“She was. I never missed having a dad. Really. Margo and my mom were my family, and I grew up feeling loved and wanted.” Lilliana tried to smile but her eyes filled with tears.

She sniffed and dabbed the corners of her eyes with her napkin, and continued as if nothing had happened.

While they finished eating supper, Tucker’s longing for his family grew by the minute. He missed them immensely and didn’t want to put off a visit to them any longer.

“I’ve decided to pay my family a visit this weekend,” Tucker told Lilliana in between bites.

“That’ll be nice for you. When will you get back?”

“
We
, Lilly. We’ll leave tomorrow evening and get back Sunday night.”

Lilliana laid her fork down slowly and her mouth parted in confusion. “And you accused me of running hot and cold? Just last weekend you didn’t want to introduce me to your brother, now you want me to meet your whole family?”

“I changed my mind. I’m allowed to do that,” Tucker grinned boldly.

“Oh, no,
I’m not meeting them out of some sense of shame you feel at how shitty you acted last weekend,” Lilliana shook her head insolently.

“Yes, what I did was shitty, but that’s not why I’m taking you. I’m taking you because I feel differently about you than I did then.”

Lilliana unflinchingly met Tucker’s gaze. “Differently?” she asked in a silky voice.

“You heard me. I’m your fucking boyfriend, remember? Isn’t it only appropriate that you meet my parents?”

It was true that Tucker felt differently about Lilliana, but that wasn’t the only reason he wanted to take her to meet his family. It was to put their minds at ease that he wasn’t going to be alone his whole life, and to give Lilliana a little piece of serenity, knowing how much she missed her mother and her aunt.

“I suppose. But we’d better stop off and get plenty of Preparation-H for the trip.”

Tucker gasped in disgusted shock. “Why? What the hell’s wrong with your asshole?”

“You; y
ou’re a major pain in it.”

The flight to Iowa City was comfortable and Lilliana wondered why she had ever flown any other way than first class, though she did feel a bit sorry for the poor chumps sitting in coach while she was being served champagne and getting a neck massage.

“A girl could get used to this, Tuck. You’ve really spoilt me,” Lilliana whispered wistfully.

“First Class is quite becoming of you, my little red-neck,” Tucker winked.

Lilliana pursed her lips in fake irritation. She was 30,000 feet in the air, high above the ground and her heart was somewhere out there floating on a silvery, fluffy cloud. She hadn’t been that happy in years.  Even before things got really bad with Adam, they weren’t good. He neglected her half the time and when he was home, his mind was somewhere else. Most likely on where his next piece of ass would come from.

She readjusted herself uncomfortably in the soft seat. Her bottom was still tender from the
playful yet intense spanking Tucker had delivered the previous night after her pain in the ass remark. But the fucking that came after was nice. No bondage, just plain, old-fashioned sex on a stick. With a condom, of course.  Lilliana had insisted on it but feared Tucker would hold out if he didn’t get his way. True to man form, she licked his dick just enough to change his mind and helped him slip it on.

Lilliana turned her body toward Tucker and leaned her seat back.

“Tell me about your family. I should probably know some deets before I actually meet them.”

Tucker nodded and took a big gulp of his gin and tonic.

“You’ve met Mason and already know his
big secret
,” Tucker’s rounded his eyes in exaggeration. “He’s a year older than you and an architect at a firm in St. Paul, Minnesota.  He wanted to stay close to home without being in Iowa, so that’s where he ended up after college. He’s a creative genius and as stubborn as a mule. He wouldn’t let me pay for his college and was set on earning his own way. I respect him for that. He’s won all sorts of accolades for his work. So many, in fact, I’ve lost count of them all. I’m proud as hell of him.”

“When did you find out about
the
big secret
?”

Tucker lifted an eyebrow and shook his head. “About five years ago. I still can’t believe he w
aited to so long to tell me. I think maybe sometimes he tried to hint at it, but I was too involved in my own life and drama to hear what he was trying to say. I never suspected it, either. He was bullied in high school to a mild degree, but he would never tell me why or allow me to go and kick some ass for him.”

Lillia
na was mesmerized and touched by the obvious adoration Tucker had for Mason. There was a burning in his eyes when Tucker talked about Mason, and it was heartwarming.

“When did he tell your parents?”

“About a year after he told me.” Tucker picked up his drink and sipped on it slowly, his eyes wandering to some far off place.

“How did that go?”

Tucker focused on Lilliana again and the corners of his mouth curved upwards. “Just as well as you can imagine. Small town values and mentality – that’s my folks. My dad took it the hardest. He said some pretty awful things to Mason and then just tried to blow it off. He still thinks it’s just a phase Mason is going through and that he’ll outgrow it someday.”

Tucker
rolled his eyes and poked at the ice in his glass and placed a cube into his mouth. Lilliana sat waiting to hear the rest while he swirled the ice around in his mouth. As he started to crunch down onto the cube, he continued.

“My mom thinks if she prays hard enough, God will change his ways and Mason will miraculously like pussy.” Tucker let out a short breathy laugh. “She holds out hope for his heterosexuality so don’t be surprised if she asks you if you know any women you could set him up with.”

Lilliana grinned and snuck an ice cube from Tucker’s glass and sucked on it. “Raising two McGrath boys; I can’t imagine what that was like for your mother.”

Tu
cker’s brows went up. “Two? There are three of us, pet. My youngest brother is 29.”

Lilliana laughed and choked on the ice.
“That woman must have the patience of a saint!”

“Most of the time she did, b
ut we definitely knew how to push her buttons. Gavin is the baby of the family in every sense. My parents let him get away with way more than they ever allowed me and Mason. I guess their old age has mellowed them a bit.  He’s in his last year of residency at University of Alabama. Thankfully. I’ll be glad when he can pay his own damned bills. That boy is a spend thrift of epic proportions.”

“So he’s the bright one in the family, huh?” Lilliana quipped.

“We’re all bright, but Gavin is by far the dimmest of us three,” Tucker belted out a sarcastic laugh. “No, not really. He’s just a pain in my ass. I actually had to put a limit on his credit card when he was in his early 20s. At first, I thought he had a gambling problem, but it turns out he just likes the ladies and strip clubs. He finally pulled his head out of his ass when he was twenty-three and applied to medical school. I was shocked as shit that he got accepted.”

Lilliana poked Tucker in the ribs.
“He likes the ladies, huh? I guess he gets that from you.”

“He likes
all
women. I, on the other hand, am more selective about the women whom I choose to spend my time with.”

Lilliana felt a sense of pride to Tucker’s statement. “Then I guess I should count myself lucky on some level.”

“Yes, you should. You are one of the few, Lilly. One of the proud. One of the…”

Lilliana rolled her eyes.
“Here he comes… Mr. Haughty. I get it, Tuck.”

The remainder of the flight was dull and Tucker worked on his laptop most of the time. Only occasionally would he throw her a tidbit of information about his past that he thought might be important for her
to know.  He grew up in Estherville, Iowa, on a small farm, but later moved his parents to Iowa City when their ranch went bust. His parents apparently didn’t like big city life so he moved them to the more reasonably sized city of Cedar Rapids.

Tucker’s
parents were retired thanks to his generous help, but his mother insisted on working part-time at a retail store and his father was a carpenter on the side just to keep his idle hands busy.

Lilliana had fallen
asleep for only a short time when she felt the tires hit the tarmac. Her eyes flew open and nervous energy suddenly coursed through her. She was really meeting Tucker’s parents. This was some kind of milestone, right? It meant they were serious, right? She smiled at Tucker in gratitude for having invited her. She missed the closeness of a family and it was a thoughtful gesture on Tucker’s part to allow her to experience the love of his kin. Lilliana began fidgeting with edge of her skirt anxiously and Tucker took her hand into his.

“It’s no big deal, Lilly,”

Lilliana sat back, momentarily rebuffed and puzzled by Tucker’s abrupt change in mood. His tone was nonchalant and so casual, it made Lilliana think maybe she was making more out of the meeting than necessary. She looked up at Tucker and his face was blank and emotionless. Deflated, Lilliana’s smile faded. 

***

Tucker watched the hopeful glint in Lilliana’s eyes turn to dejection. He hadn’t meant to be so chilly, but her meeting his parents really wasn’t anything to get wound up about.

When they were finally on t
he road to Cedar Rapids in the rental car, Lilliana drifted in and out of sleep. Tucker welcomed the silence and it gave him time to think about everything that had happened with Lilliana.

As much as he was looking forward to seeing his family,
he was almost dreading it.

First the questions would
come: Are you serious about Lilliana, Tuck? Is she the
one
, Tuck? Do you love her, Tuck? How the hell was he going to answer those questions without lying? Yes, he was serious about her, but he didn’t love her and he had no idea how long this thing with Lilliana would last. What else could he say? They had incredible sex together? She let him tie her up and do depraved things to her? Shit, his mother would slap him upside his head if she knew of his proclivities.

Then the assumptions would come: So you’re going to marry this one, Tuck? You’re going to
have a family with this one, Tuck? Tucker just wanted to take this thing one day at a time and let things happen at a natural pace. If it worked out, great; if not, well… he wasn’t ready to think about that just yet because he really did care for Lilliana on more than just a sexual level.

Tucker reached over and squeezed Lilliana’s thigh to waken her. She roused and her exquisite eyes focused in on him. A myriad of confused thoughts and feelings assailed Tucker. God, she was so b
eautiful in so many ways. She was strong and brave, and she challenged his way of thinking and forced him to let go his austere persona. Everything about Lilliana was absolutely right for him.

His accusation of Lilliana running hot and cold slapped him across the face, because that
’s how he felt when he was around her; hot and cold, though more hot if he was completely honest with himself. Tucker gave her a crooked smile to convey his feelings and Lilliana blinked several times without a hint of happiness on her face.

“
I’ll do my best not to lead your parents on for you, Tucker.”

A stab of guilt penetrated Tucker’s chest for having told her it was no big deal to meet his parents. It was a big d
eal and he damned well knew it. Lilliana’s sad eyes turned away from him and scanned the small acreage that he had purchased for his parents.

“It’
s gorgeous here. I’ve never been to Iowa. It reminds me of Kansas, just not as hilly.”

By the tone and inflection of her voice, Tucker could tell she was trying to be polite without revealing anything.

“You’re such a kind man to have bought this for them. I don’t care what anyone says about you, Tucker McGrath; you’re an okay guy.”

Tucker threw his head back and laughed. Damn if Lilly didn’t know how to bring out the best in him. “Well, gee, thanks. You’re okay, yourself. A firecracker between the sheets and a ticking time bomb in the streets.”

Lilliana’s face lit up and Tucker was glad to see her joy return. “Do you think I can put that little tagline on my resume?”

“Resume? Why? Do you plan on going somewhere?”

Lilliana shrugged her shoulders and picked at a piece of lint on her skirt. “You never know. If I can’t pay my taxes, I may just have to go where the wind takes me. I’ve always thought South Carolina sounded nice. Or Florida, somewhere near the beach.”

Tucker slowed the vehicle to a near stop and stared at Lilliana. Was she serious? Tucker felt like he had been punched in the stomach and had the wind knocked out of him. Only moments
ago he simply wanted to take things one day at a time, but now, the thought of losing Lilliana forever made him face reality and his greatest fear – losing her.

***

“Shit, Lilly, I wish you stop worrying about those damned taxes. You’ll be fine.”

That was easy for Tucker to say
, he didn’t have a care in the world when it came to finances.

“I can always pay them for you…”

Lilliana jerked her head to the side, shocked at what was coming out of Tucker’s mouth.

“Don’t!
” Lilliana blurted out.

Tucker
slowed the car to a complete stop and faced Lilliana, regarding her carefully.

“I don’t w
ant or need your money, Tucker.” Lilliana’s voice began strong, but ended in a feeble whisper, confused by her emotions. “I appreciate your offer. I really do, but I can handle my own financial affairs without the help of a man.”

What she left out was
that she didn’t need to owe a man for his monetary assistance. Adam flashed her in her mind and how he had always held his money over her head like some kind of prize that he would threaten to take away if she didn’t do exactly what he wanted or act exactly how he expected her to. She knew Tucker all of five minutes and there was no way in heaven or hell that she was going to owe him. Shit, for all she knew, Tucker was still interested in her land. Then what? If she didn’t repay him he could take over her property and do with it what he wanted?

Lilliana shook her head for her terrible thoughts. Tucker had been honest with her about his intentions with her land and she felt horribly guilty for assuming the worst of him.

Tucker sat quietly watching her, his brows pinched together as he chewed on his bottom lip.

“Sorry, Tuck. I just don’t
want money to come between us.”

Tucker
leaned into Lilliana and tilted his head toward her. “I would never allow that to happen.”

“Good. Let’s not talk about that ever again,” Lilliana sighed with relief.

Tucker drove the short distance up the long drive and after only a few minutes they reached his parents front door. Before they stepped foot from the car, his mother was outside, waving, and smiling. Lilliana beamed in response and waved back. As soon as she exited the car, Tucker’s mother was on her, hugging her, and looking her over closely.