Face Value (27 page)

Strong arms
came around her waist, and she tilted her head back with a smile.
“You’re supposed to be spending the night at Justin’s house with
the boys. My mama’s gonna kill you if she comes out here and finds
you snuck out.”

Tucker pouted,
looking utterly adorable. “I hate sleeping by myself. I miss
you.”

Lauren smiled.
She hadn’t been able to sleep either. It was their first night
apart since they’d moved in together, and she missed him. “I miss
you too.” She grinned. “But just think, everyone’s going home
tomorrow. We’ll have the island all to ourselves.”

“I can’t wait.”
An appreciate moan escaped his lips as he nudged her backside,
proving just how much he was looking forward to some alone time.
Their friends and family had been on the island with them for ten
days, and even though J.T. knew they were living together, Tucker
had been careful not to cross any lines around his future
father-in-law.

Lauren thought
it was sweet that the two most important men in her life were
finally bonding, especially after their rocky start. “Are you
nervous about tomorrow?”

Tucker laughed.
“Are you kidding? I’ve been counting the minutes.”

She ran her
hand up his forearm, a smile teasing her lips. “I’m a little
nervous.” She tried to suppress a smile when she felt his whole
body tense.

“What are you
nervous about? You’re not having second thoughts, are you?” His
heart started hammering against her back, and she almost took pity
on him. “Jesus, answer me, woman. Are you having second thoughts
about us?”

Lauren sank her
teeth into her bottom lip and bit down hard to keep from laughing
out loud. “Tucker… I don’t know how to say this…”

He sucked in a
tortured breath. “Whatever it is, just say it. If you don’t want to
go through with this…” He held her tighter. “You can tell me. I’ll
be okay with whatever decision you make.”

Lauren frowned,
her amusement quickly turning into irritation. “You will?”

“Hell no! I’m
lying through my teeth. If you don’t want to marry me, it’ll kill
me.”

She turned into
his arms. “Don’t you know by now there’s no way I’m ever gonna let
you go? Like it or not, you’re stuck with me.”

Tucker growled
as he picked her up and spun her in a low circle. “Are you trying
to give me a heart attack?”

“Where’s your
sense of humor?”

He set her
down, settling his hands on her waist. “I don’t have a sense of
humor when it comes to shit like that.” The darkness in his eyes
told her he was deadly serious. “Don’t ever joke about leaving me.
It’s not funny.”

“I’m sorry,”
she said, dropping a placating kiss on his lips.

“Now what the
hell are you nervous about?”

“Walking on the
beach in those shoes. What if I twist my ankle?”

Tucker rolled
his eyes and raised his palms skyward. “Go barefoot. What
difference does it make?”

Typical
man.
She wanted to remember every detail of their wedding day
and she wanted it to be perfect. “Don’t worry, I’ll figure
something out.”

Someone cleared
her voice from the shadows, and Lauren knew they were both in
trouble. Judging by the expression on her mother’s face, big
trouble.

Nikki set her
hands on her hips and glared at Tucker. “What are you doing here?
You’re not supposed to see her on your wedding day.” Nikki tapped
the face of her diamond encrusted watch. “It’s officially past
midnight. It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride, you know
that.” Tucker turned that mega-watt grin on Nikki, but she just
rolled her eyes, pointing her finger at him. “Don’t even try it.
I’m immune to your charm, Brooks. Now get your butt back to that
house before I have to call in reinforcements.”

Tucker chuckled
before stealing one last kiss from Lauren. He walked by Nikki, his
smile still firmly in place, and he reached down to brush a kiss
across her cheek. “I think I’m gonna like having you as a
mother-in-law, even if your daughter did inherit her mile-wide
stubborn streak from you.”

“Hey!” both
women said at once.

“If I weren’t
so stubborn, we wouldn’t be getting married tomorrow,” Lauren
reminded him. “When you sent me away the first time, I would have
taken you at your word.”

Tucker
pretended to consider that a minute before he looked at Nikki.
“Your daughter’s right.” He pulled her into a tight embrace. “Have
I told you lately that I love you?”

Nikki threw her
head back and laughed, slapping Tucker on the back before she said,
“Go back to Justin’s and get some sleep.”

“Yes, ma’am.”
He gave her a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek.

Nikki watched
Tucker walk down the new path joining the two houses. Justin
jokingly referred to it as their family compound.

“That man of
yours is something else,” Nikki said, shaking her head. She stepped
up to join her daughter by the railing fronting the raised
deck.

“He is, isn’t
he?” Lauren couldn’t wipe the smile off her face when she thought
about her fiancé. She’d had that smile ever since he slipped the
ridiculously large diamond on her finger. Thinking about their
future just made her happy.

Nikki hugged
Lauren hard before gripping her shoulders and holding her at arm’s
length. She studied Lauren’s eyes and the expression on her face
before she said, “Don’t take this the wrong way. You know how much
I like Tucker, but are you sure this is what you want?”

Lauren didn’t
take offense. Her mother thought she was doing her duty, looking
out for her daughter. “I’m positive, not a doubt in my mind.”

“I’m so glad to
hear you say that.” Nikki’s eyes welled up with tears. “I always
hoped you’d find a love like this.” Nikki slipped an arm around
Lauren’s waist as they turned back to the water. “Are you worried
about whether y’all will be able to have a family?”

“No, we’ll
figure it out.” Even if Tucker’s reversal next month wasn’t
successful and they didn’t get pregnant within the next couple of
years, as the doctor predicted, they would find another way.

“I’m sure you
will.” Nikki giggled. “I thought it was mighty big of y’all to
invite Amanda to the wedding. I would have taken your daddy’s head
off if he’d suggested inviting one of his exes to our wedding.”

“Amanda is the
mother of Tucker’s children. That makes her family. Besides, she’s
been my friend for a long time.”

Nikki raised an
eyebrow at that comment.

“Okay, we were
friendly. We still are. The fact that I’m marrying her ex-husband
doesn’t change that.”

“Do you think
she still has feelings for him?” Nikki asked, trying but failing to
sound casual.

“Yes.”

Nikki released
a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you picked up on that. I was afraid you
hadn’t noticed.”

It would have
been hard not to, but anyone who’d noticed Amanda’s feelings for
her ex would also realize he didn’t reciprocate her feelings.
Tucker was Lauren’s. Lauren didn’t have any reservations about
that. “I don’t blame Amanda. If Tucker was my husband and the
father of my children, I wouldn’t have wanted to let him go
either.”

“I just don’t
want her stirring up trouble for you two.”

“She can’t. I
know how Tucker feels about me. Nothing Amanda can say or do will
change that.”

Nikki smiled as
she set Lauren’s hair over her shoulder. “I’m so proud of you,
baby. You’re so strong and confident.”

Lauren laughed.
“Daddy tells me I’m just like you were at my age.”

“I guess you
are.” Nikki sniffled before pulling Lauren into a tight embrace. “I
know I wasn’t always there when you were growing up, but I hope you
know I was thinking about you every single second.”

Lauren rubbed
her mother’s back. “I know that, Mama. I loved the time I spent on
the road with you. It was always an adventure. I’m not gonna lie. I
missed you a lot. But you were such an amazing role model.”

Nikki stepped
back, holding Lauren’s hands. “What do you mean?”

“You weren’t
just some celebrity. You figured out a way to do what you loved,
put your family first, and give something back. That proved to me I
could do the same.”

“I think it’s
amazing that you and Tucker have started that foundation in his
sister’s name.”

“It’s helping
him to heal. He needed to do something positive, to give back.”

“He does seem
to be a lot calmer now.” Nikki smiled. “J.T. said he’s even been in
to have a few beers with the boys after work and he hasn’t started
any fights or broken anything. That’s definitely progress.”

“As if Daddy
would let him get away with that now.”

“You’re right
about that.” Nikki hesitated. “Tucker had so much hurt in his
heart, Lauren. It looks like you’ve helped him to heal.”

“He’s helped me
too, Mama. He’s helped me realize there’s more to life than
work.”

Nikki winked.
“That’s a very valuable lesson. Don’t forget it.”

***

Tucker stood at
the end of a handmade runner under an arch embellished with
hundreds of fresh, fragrant blooms, smiling at the dozens of guests
who had flown in to share their day.

Nikki stood off
to the side, singing her daughter’s favorite song, as J.T. walked
Lauren between the rows of chairs.

Tucker’s breath
caught in his throat when he saw her. She wore a stunning cream
silk strapless gown that grazed the soft white sand. Her hair was
swept up with a few loose tendrils blowing in the tropical breeze,
and she wore a simple pearl and crystal tiara that glittered with
every step she took.

J.T. kissed
Lauren’s cheek before offering Tucker her hand. He stood in the
front row, waiting for his wife to join him.

The pastor
started the ceremony, welcoming the guests, but Tucker couldn’t
take his eyes off Lauren. The only thought running through his head
was…
What did I do to deserve this woman?

As though
Lauren sensed and shared his sense of awe at their union, she
squeezed his hands before turning her attention back to the man
issuing the orders.

Tucker’s turn
came to share the vows he’d written for Lauren. He just prayed his
voice would hold out long enough. “Lauren…” He cleared his throat.
“When you walked into my office asking for help on a project, I
never expected you’d be the one helping me. But you did. You forced
me to face my fears.” When she started to cry, he brought her hands
to his lips, kissing them. “You challenged me when I wanted to duck
and run. Everyone thought I was so strong. Only you knew how weak I
was. Only you cared enough to uncover the reason I was broken. Only
you loved me enough to help me pick up the pieces so I could move
on with my life.” He flattened her palm against his chest, holding
it over his heart. “If not for you, I would still be merely
existing. Waking up every day with this gaping hole in my
heart.”

Tucker knew she
would probably chastise him later for ruining her makeup, but he
didn’t care. He wanted the world to know how much he loved her. He
wanted their witnesses to know that without her, he would be half a
man. “You gave me your love, and it didn’t take me long to realize
that was the only thing I needed. You’ve made me a better father
because you made me realize it’s okay to admit your weaknesses.”
Tucker glanced at his children sitting in the front row beside
their mother. “It’s okay to admit you need other people to make
your life complete. It’s okay to admit you’re nothing without the
love of the people who matter most.” His gaze swept over Lauren
before turning to Monica and Mason. “The three of you are my entire
world. If I had nothing else, I wouldn’t care, because you’re all I
need.”

Lauren withdrew
one hand from Tucker’s to brush a tear away.

“I want to make
all of your dreams come true, Lauren. The big ones and the small.
The fact that you chose me to make all of those dreams come true is
the greatest honor anyone has ever given me. I’ll work every day to
give you more than you ask for, never less than you deserve, and
always more than you think you need… because you are my
princess.”

Lauren blinked
and cleared her throat when she was asked to say her vows. “You
really expect me to be able to do this now? I’m a mess.”

Tucker chuckled
and winked at her. He knew she would be just fine. Lauren was a
force to be reckoned with when she set her mind to something, and
he knew she wouldn’t let anything diminish their magical
moment.

“When I met
you, I was looking for a contractor. I certainly never expected to
find a husband.” Lauren smiled when a few of their guests laughed.
“It turns out you were a pretty good contractor, but I’m sure
you’ll be an even better husband.”

She winked when
he gave her a wry grin. “Sometimes we find exactly what we’re
looking for when we don’t even realize we’re looking for it. That’s
what happened to me when you came into my life. I didn’t know I
needed strong arms to hold me at the end of a grueling day. I
didn’t know I needed a new best friend to share my hopes and dreams
with. I didn’t know I needed a mentor to help take my business to
new heights. I didn’t know I needed someone to remind me that being
a parent can be the greatest blessing in life, but I did. I needed
you, Tucker.”

Tucker looked
into her eyes, and he knew he would never tire of seeing the
awe-inspiring love he knew must be reflected in his own eyes.

“I had a great
example of a loving marriage growing up, so I was confident that
when I met my soul mate, my heart would know. It did. From the
moment I set eyes on you, I knew you were different. I knew you
would take me places I’d been afraid to go, and you did. It was
scary, but you held my hand, and I’ve realized that makes
everything easier. There’s nothing I can’t face with you as my
husband, nothing we can’t conquer together. I know there will be
challenges, but I also know it’s the good times we’ll remember
fifty years from now when we’re looking back on our life
together.”