A Love Like This (Book 1) (61 page)

“
Is your game over
 
already?
”
 
 
He crosses his arms over his chest.

“
No I saw a bunch of men standing around and I came over to see what the commotion was about.
”

“
Really Tucker you stopped playing volleyball
 
just to
 
check on me?
”
 
I say trying not to smile.

“
Of course not,
”
 
He says stepping into the water.
 
 
“
But we
’
re going out to buy you a wetsuit
 
later,
”
 
He says walking over to me.
 
He places
 
both hands on my ass and lifts
 
me out of the water
 
for a passionate kiss.
 

****

It
’
s dusk when Tucker and I walk back to the house.
 
I shower, shampoo my hair and pile on
 
gobs of conditioner to tame the frizz.
 
I slide into a
 
white
 
sundress with
 
sandals and look at
 
myself in a full length mirror.
 
I barely recognize
 
myself.
 
My fluffy untamed curls
 
and round hips look as if they belong to someone else, a grown woman.
 
Tucker steps into the room.
 
You ready for dinner,
”
 
He says wrapping his arms around my waist.
 
I lean back and
 
inhale deeply.
 
I love his scent.
 
I turn around and hold on to him wishing this
 
honeymoon would never end.

Chapter 32

 
 
 
 
 
The first few
 
months in Jamaica are a blur.
 
 
Tucker and I did everything imaginable.
 
 
We went
 
horseback
 
riding on the beach, water skiing and scuba diving.
 
 
We shopped in nearly every little market place in the country.
 
 
We toured a plantation in the
 
Blue Mountains
 
and tried
 
ackee
 
which is a plant that tastes a lot like scrambled eggs.
 
 
 
Sasha
 
the flight attendant
 
dragged us to a part of
 
Kingston that reminded me of
 
South Central LA.
 
He was right
 
the jerk chicken was amazing but
 
I felt out of place.
 
 
Everyone was so
 
expressive
 
and outgoing.
 
 
Despite my new found
freedom
 
at my core I’m still a bit uptight.
 
Tucker however was right at home.
 
He drank rum punch and danced with Sasha’s aunties.
 
He played
 
handball with a few boys
 
and he even learned a couple
 
words in Jamaican
 
Patois.

The strangest part of the trip happened when
 
Tucker and I got separated at a market place
 
in
 
Ocho
 
Rios.
 
A woman approached me and asked to give me
 
a
 
reading.

“
No I
’
d rather
 
not,
”
 
I said.

“
Oh you think I
’
m a devil because I see the future,
”
 
She said walking closer to me.
 
 
“
I
’
d like you to know that
 
I get all my information from the lord,
”
 
She said with her hands on her round hips.
 
The woman
’
s face was like a dark moon.
 
Her long gray streaked dreadlocks were tied at the nape of her neck and she smelled like incents.

“
So the lord told you to carry around a bag of chicken bones?
”
 
I asked.

“
Oh that
’
s just for show,
”
 
She said shaking the tiny black velvet bag in
 
front of
 
my face.
 
I handed the woman twenty dollars and turned to walk away.
 
 
“
Wait,
”
 
She called out.
 
Don
’
t you want to know your future?
”

“
No thank you,
”
 
I said
 
quickening my pace.

“
You just be careful because the crazy lady she still after you.
”
 
 
I stopped
 
and turned
 
to face her.
 
She walks up to me.
 
 
“
That woman who wants what you got
 
will try to hurt you and the baby.
 

“
What baby,
”
 
I asked.
 
I was more nervous about the mention of a baby than I was about the crazy woman.
 
A crazy woman I could deal with but a baby was a different story.
 
I picked up a six month supply of birth control pills at the campus health center.
 
I take them faithfully.
 
 
I want to have kids but the thought
 
of
 
having a baby before finishing school
 
scares me to death.
 

“
The baby will be here soon,
”
 
She said.
 
 
“
You take this,
”
 
She said pressing a bottle of oil into my hand.
 
 
“
You watch and pray,
”
 
She said and turned to walk away.
 
I didn
’
t tell Tucker about the conversation
 
because
 
he would have been more freaked out than me.
 
I tried to push the whole thing out of my head and enjoy my vacation.

However, right now
 
Tucker’s head is resting on my bare stomach
 
and I can tell what he’s thinking.
 
 
He kisses
 
my stomach. “Yes, my love we will start talking about having kids
 
as soon as I graduate,” I say rubbing his head. He kisses my stomach again.

“How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”

“Every time you kiss my stomach you start talking about Tucker junior shortly after.”

“Your biological clock is just clicking away isn’t
 
it.”

Tucker sits up.
 
“I want to tell you something but you have to promise not to get upset.”
 
I make a cross over my heart with my finger. “When Samantha
 
and I were together
 
I
 
found out she was pregnant.
 
I
 
never told her
 
I knew but that was the reason I proposed to her.
 
I didn’t realize I wanted a kid until I thought I might be a father.”

I feel sick hearing this, “So was I supposed to be her replacement,” I say sitting up.

“Remember your promise,” He says pointing at me.
 
I
 
fold
 
my arms and plop my head back down on the pillow.
 
“I proposed to her out of obligation but
 
I chose you and I want us to have a family together.”

“What happened with
 
the
 
baby?”

He shakes his head.
 
“She
 
said she had a miscarriage
 
but
 
I know she had an abortion.”
 
I nod as if I under
stand but none of it makes sense
.
 
If Samantha loved Tucker as much as she claimed to it seems like she would do everything possible to keep him.
 
He lies back on my stomach.
 
“I talked to my mom today
 
while you were in the shower,” He says
 
changing the subject.
 

“Really how is she,”
 
I ask.

“She’s fine.
 
I think she and
 
Pookie
 
are planning a welcome back
 
slash housewarming
 
party.”

“Don’t remind me about leaving.
 
The last few months have been a dream and the thought of going back to reality
 
fills me with dread.
 
 
Speaking of reality I
 
talked to
 
Nickie.”

“How is she?”

“She’s
 
more than
 
five months pregnant and she
 
has no idea who the father is.
 
She doesn’t even know if she’s going to keep the baby or put it up for adoption.
 
 
She’s waited too long to do
anything else.”

“What about Riley?”

“It was a one night stand what do you want from the guy?”

“One night stand or not it’s just as much his responsibility as hers.”

“Well not everyone is as responsible as you.
 
Besides, Riley might not even be the father.
 
Anyway she says the family’s driving her crazy.
 
She asked if she could come up and stay with us until the baby’s born.”
 
I’m hoping Tucker will say no
 
so that I have an excuse for telling
 
Nickie
 
she can’t come.

“That’s fine,” He says. “We have plenty
 
of
 
room.
 
Enough
 
about them, we need to start
 
making William Tucker Bradley the fourth,” He says sitting up and pulling my legs
around his waist.
 
I straddle
him and press my chest against his.
 
He holds me tight and I can feel his heart beating against mine. “I love you,” He whispers into my ear.