Let Me In (13 page)

16

Tuck

              Sometimes life kicks you straight in the nuts and laughs like a bitch as you roll around on the ground holding on to your manhood.  There are always several different options that you can take to recover from said kicking.  You can stay on the ground and cry like a little baby, you can jump up and retaliate with your own nut-kicking, or you can dust yourself off, flip life the bird, and learn from the nut-kicking that you endured.  We’ve all been in a situation that feels like a straight shot to the balls, and each person handles it differently.  Kori had taken more shots than any people I know, and I was anxious to see which option she would take.  I knew that whichever path she chose, I wouldn’t question her.  I would simply hold her hand and walk with her.
              While I hate the fact that Kori learned such shitty news on her birthday, I am selfishly thankful for the fact that it brought us back together.  Sure, I assumed we would wind up together anyway, because let’s face it, we’re perfect together.  I know that Kori is my one true half, and since I so adamantly believe that, it makes perfect sense for her to feel the same way. If she by some chance didn’t feel that way, I had planned to do everything in my power to convince her of our perfectness.
              My soul is singing to me in happiness with Kori snuggled up in my arms.  I can’t imagine a better way to spend the day.  While my body is aching to be on top of her and inside of her, my head is telling me to take things slowly.  Just because I consider us back together doesn’t mean that she feels the same way.  However, I decide to err on the side of caution and stay awake; I don’t want to miss a single second of my time with her just in case she runs off again.
              After several hours of holding Kori while she sleeps, she finally begins to stir around.  She stretches out on top of me and looks up at me with sleepy eyes. 
              “Hey,” her sexy voice rasps out.  Kori’s voice is the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard, but when she first wakes up, the absolute sexiness of it causes me to harden instantly.  It defies every expectation of the word sexy.  I wish I could bottle it so that I could break it out whenever I wanted to.
              “You feel better?”
              She seems to be processing my question.  I’m sure she still has a hangover since she drank enough whiskey to put Ernest Hemingway to shame.  She slowly nods her head as she chews on her lip.  I know that look; it means she’s thinking of something and is nervous to say what it is.
              “What, Kori?  You can tell me anything.  You know that.”
              Her emerald eyes fill with sadness, and my heart sinks.  This is it; she’s going to tell me that it is a mistake to be here with me.  She regrets that she told me everything and wants to go back to ignoring me, ignoring us.
              “Do you hate me, Tuck?”  I was prepared for her to tell me this was a mistake; I definitely wasn’t prepared for that question.
              “Of course not.  I could never hate you, Kori.  Why would you ask that?”
              “I was such a bitch to you at Thanksgiving.  And I’ve basically ignored you for the last three months.”  I interrupt her before she can go any farther.
              “Kori, I never stopped loving you.  I knew that you just needed time.  I’m not going to lie to you, it fucking hurt.  There were plenty of days that I didn’t think I would be able to handle it.  But I honestly believe that we are meant to be together, so I knew that we would find our way back to each other.”  I roll her over on her back and brush her wild curls out of her face.  “Kori, I’m going to marry you one day, so trust me when I say that I could never ever hate you.”
              Her breath catches in her throat as she stares back into my eyes.  I watch as a lone tear squeezes out of her eye and runs down her face, getting lost in her hair.
              “Thank you, Tuck.  And just to let you know, I’ve been miserable also.  I haven’t been able to eat or sleep.  My music is complete shit.  I was just trying to get my life back in order before I begged you for another chance.  You deserve so much more than all of the drama that I seem to cart around with me.”
              “Stop right there.  I want you, Kori.  I want you and all of your drama.  None of this is your fault, so quit blaming yourself.  Let me stand beside you as you face all of the chaos of your life.  Let me in, Kori.”
              She’s chewing the hell out of that bottom lip as she looks at me nervously.  “Tuck, I’ve heard rumors, which I typically ignore since I definitely know how rumors are idiotic, but I still have to ask you.  Have there been other girls?”
              My insides ice over in fear.  Not fear because I’ve done anything wrong, but fear that her doubt will cause her to run again.  “No, Kori.  There haven’t been any other girls.  There have been no other girls since the night I met you.  You’re it for me.”
              I know that I gave the right answer when her face breaks into a smile.  “Are we officially back together?”
              I don’t even try to keep the huge smile off of my face.  “Hell yeah, babe.  We’re back together.  Forever.”
              She snakes her hands behind my neck and pulls my face down to meet hers.  Her soft mouth opens onto mine, begging to enter.  I part my lips and brush her tongue with mine.  She moans into my mouth.  How had I possibly forgotten how heavenly it is to kiss Kori?  Even slightly hungover and sleep-ridden, her mouth still tastes sweet.  I could drown in her kisses.  All too soon, I pull away.  My body is cussing me for being a selfish idiot, but I want to do everything right with Kori.
              I pull her up into a sitting position and take a moment to appreciate the picture that she presents in my boxers and tshirt.  There were days when I didn’t know if I would ever get to witness this again, and I’m so thankful that I’ve been given a second chance at happiness. 
              “While I still think you are the most beautiful, sexiest thing in all the world, you’ve lost weight.  And it was because of me.  So get your fine ass up and let’s get you fed.”
              She looks down at the clothes she’s wearing.  “While flattery will get you everywhere, I can’t go out in public like this.  And I refuse to put those disgusting clothes back on my body until they’ve been sterilized.”
              “We can run by your house and you can get ready.”  I pull her upright and smack her ass.  “Come on, move it.”
              She shoots me one of her looks, causing me to laugh out loud.  Damn, I missed her.  It feels great to have her back.  I’m sure I’m going to look like a dopey idiot all day with this permanent smile stretched across my face.
              While Kori steps into the bathroom to pee, I pull on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved thermal.  I pull my boots on and am ready just as Kori steps back into my room.  She looks around my room as if she’s trying to memorize everything that’s in here. 
              “I missed being here with you, Tucky.”  I smile at her nickname for me.  I missed her calling me that.  Her gaze settles on a large piece of artwork that is hanging on the wall opposite of my bed.  It’s hung there so that I can stare at it while I lie in bed.  “What’s that?”
              I shift nervously as I answer her, “Just a drawing that I did while we were apart.  It’s no big deal.”
              Kori grabs my hand and looks me in the face.  “Tuck, it is a big deal.  I can’t believe you drew me.”
              I shrug my shoulders and attempt to get away from this topic quickly.  I’ve never been comfortable talking about my artwork.  “I missed you, so it seemed fitting that I have you on my wall.  It was the closest that I was able to get to you.”
              “Well I love it.  You’re so talented, Tuck.  I can feel all of the emotion that you put into it.” 
              I understand what she’s saying because it definitely is the best piece that I’ve ever done.  The drawing is large and done in shades of gray.  In the drawing, Kori is sitting on my bed with her guitar in her lap. Her head is slightly bent down but her eyes are gazing up at me.  It was a pose that she struck in passing one night when she was playing for me, and it stayed in my mind.  I knew that one day I would transpose my vision onto paper, and I’m glad that it turned out as well as it did.
              “You should be selling your stuff, Tuck.”
              “I don’t do art to sell.  I just do it because I like it.  I’m afraid that if I start having to do it as a job, I won’t like it anymore.  Now come on, let’s go.”  I grab her hand as we make our way to her house, and she drops the topic of my art.
              “Shit, it’s freezing out here!”  Kori has her arms wrapped around her body and is jumping up and down in an attempt to keep warm.  “I didn’t even think about it being cold outside or I would have grabbed some pants.  At least it’s a quick ride to my house.”

              As we pull up at Kori’s house, I grab her arm and pull her across the console to me.  She narrows her eyes and asks, “What are you doing?”
              “Nothing,” I reply innocently.  “I’m just so fucking happy that I’m here with you right now.  I love you, Kori.”
              “I love you too, Tuck.”  She presses a quick kiss to my lips.  “Now let me get ready so you can feed me.”
              I grab Kori’s hand as we walk through the front door and step into the living room.  Three sets of eyes swivel toward us, and three different voices all exclaim, “It’s about time!”
              Kori and I share a look then burst into laughter.  She continues down the hall to get ready, and I take a seat in the living room with Avery, Chelsea, and Chase. 
              “What are you doing here?” I ask Chase. 
              He glances nervously at Avery and stammers a reply.  “Um, just hanging out.  Avery gave me a ride.”  Avery looks his way and glares at him.  There’s definitely something going on between the two of them, but it’s theirs to sort out.  I just got my problems fixed; I don’t have the energy to fix theirs. 
              “Where have you two been?” Chelsea questions.
              I rub my hand across my face. I don’t know how much Kori wants to reveal right now, so I decide to play it safe.  “I ran into Kori at Sawyer’s and we wound up hanging out.”  There.  Maybe that would appease them.
              No such luck.
              “I haven’t seen you since yesterday morning.  We had plans for last night, but you never showed up.  All I got was a text saying you couldn’t make it.  So how long did you and Kori hang out?”  Chase is such a bastard. 
              “Well thankfully it appears that you found other plans for last night.”  I look pointedly at Avery and Chase flips me off.  “But to answer your question, we did hang out all night.  But not in the way that you hang out with girls.”  Chase flips me off once again at my implication of his extracurricular activities.  Avery simply glares at me.  Yep, there is definitely something going on with them.
              “My friend Eve is a waitress at Sawyer’s.  She said that Kori was there all yesterday afternoon and was drinking like she had never seen anybody drink before.  She also told me that you came and took her home.  What’s the deal, Tuck?  Why was Kori drinking?”  Avery is a no-nonsense type of girl.  She is blunt and up-front with everybody, and she expects others to be the same with her.  But this isn’t my story to tell. 
              “You’ll have to ask Kori that.”
              “Ask Kori what?” Kori inquires as she makes her way back to the living room.  It’s amazing to me that she was able to get ready in only ten minutes.  She’s such a natural beauty.  She has her long, dark hair braided over her shoulder, and she’s wearing a pair of skinny jeans with a pair of tall brown boots.  She has a long sweater on that does nothing to hide her curves.  Even with the weight that she’s lost, she is still filled out in all the right places.  I can’t wait to get my hands on her again.
              “Why were you shitfaced in the middle of the afternoon yesterday?”  Avery poses the question to Kori.  “Eve said you were hammering them back as quickly as she could serve them.  Every guy who approached you was told to fuck off, and at one point you were lying down in the booth.  What gives?”
              Kori looks at me nervously.  I know that she is still attempting to come to grips with the bomb that her father, I mean stepfather, dropped on her.  I just nod my head and give her what I hoped was an encouraging smile.  All the people in this room love her.  Even Chase, who is in Kori’s life because of me, would do anything for Kori. 
              “I went to see my dad yesterday.”  Kori’s announcement is met with shock.  Everybody knows how Kori has always refused to see him and how her birthday is a non-celebrated day of the year.
              “Why didn’t you tell us?  We would have gone with you.”  Chelsea is always the level-headed one of the trio.  She’s compassionate and loves Kori, so I in turn love her.
              Kori shakes her head stubbornly.  “That’s why I didn’t tell you.  It was something that I had to do myself.  I wanted to confront him and unleash all of the anger that I’ve held inside for all these years.  I wanted to let go of all the pain and anger, and I felt that seeing him would do that.  Provide closure and all that shit that psychologists always talk about.”  Kori comes and sits in my lap, and I wrap my arms around her.  I know that she’s here to borrow some of my strength, and I’m willing to give her as much as she needs.  “Long story short, he dropped the bomb that he isn’t in fact my dad.  My mom had an affair after they were married, and my real dad is actually Clark Powers.” 
              Everybody’s mouth is hanging open.  Chase recovers first and offers his typical words of wisdom.  “Shit, Kori.  That’s fucked up.”
              His reaction seems to loosen the mood of the room and everybody laughs.  Kori nods her head.  “Yeah, that’s why I was at Sawyer’s yesterday.  I just wanted to block it all out, and what better way than alcohol?  Thankfully Tuck came to my rescue and took me to his house to pass out.”
              “Are you going to go see your real dad?” asks Chelsea.
              “And the more important question, are you and Tuck officially back together?” Chelsea elbows Avery in the ribs at her question.  “What?” Avery asks indignantly.  “You know you were wondering the same thing.  I’m tired of her moping.”
              Kori rolls her eyes at her two friends.  “I will eventually go see him, but not yet.  I have to get used to the idea that John Harper isn’t my real dad.”
              “Wait a minute,” Chase intercedes. “How is your name O’Malley?”
              “After he killed my mom, I didn’t want to share his last name anymore.  So I had it changed to my mother’s maiden name.”  Chase nods his head in understanding.  “And, yes, Avery.  Tuck and I are officially back together.”
              Avery squeals and runs toward Kori.  She tackles her in my lap and wraps her arms around her.  Chelsea comes running and joins in.  I’m the bottom layer in this three-girl pileup, and I can’t resist getting my digs in.
              “Damn, Chase.  Aren’t you jealous?  I have three hot girls piled up on top of me.  You struggle to get one girl on top of you, let alone three.  Girls, feel free to take your tops off.”  I yell as three separate hands reach down and slap the back of my head.  Chase sits across from me and laughs.  Avery and Chelsea extricate themselves from the pile, and I pull Kori closer to me and whisper in her ear.  “You know I can’t share you, babe.  Not even with two girls.  So don’t ever think I’m an ass like that.  I only want you.”  I run my tongue down the shell of her ear and nip her earlobe.  I stop myself since I know that if I go any farther I will have to strip her down naked and have sexy time right here in front of our friends.  And while I do like them a whole bunch, I don’t like them enough to give them a front row seat to our reunion.
              Kori gives me an arch look that leads me to believe that she knows exactly where my thoughts are straying.
              “We were just going to grab a bite to eat.  Do y’all want to come with us?”
              They all three answer in the affirmative, and we all pile into my large truck and head toward Tallulah’s, a local eatery that is known for their burgers.  We spend the afternoon in a back corner booth, eating and talking and laughing.  I laugh continuously at Chase and Kori’s interactions.  I know that Chase has missed her these past few months, and he is genuinely happy that she’s back in our lives.
              “Kori, do you want to do some shots?  Maybe order some rum and cokes?”  We all laugh as Kori turns green from Chase’s questions.  She flips him the bird and joins in our laughter.
              “I don’t know if I will ever drink again,” she mumbles.
              I squeeze her leg in agreement.  “I have no clue how you didn’t put yourself in the hospital with alcohol poisoning.  I paid your bar tab, and it was over $75.”  She sprays her water all over the table as the shock of my words hits her.
              “Shit, guys.  Sorry, I didn’t mean to soak y’all.”  She blots up her mess with a handful of napkins.  “Tuck, why didn’t you say something?  I’ll pay you back.”
              I wave her words away.  “No, you won’t.  Just think of that bar tab as three months worth of dates.”
              Chelsea laughs around a mouthful of burger.  “You must be a really cheap date, Kori, if $75 is all he would spend on dates over a three month time period.”  We all laugh as we realize that she’s right, and the remainder of the time is spent carrying on as only the best of friends can.