Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Tucker barks out a laugh. “Want. Seems that's all a woman is to you. Something you can have until you get tired of her. Tillie is better than that. She deserves better than you.”
I rub my chin as I nod my head. “Oh right, so you mean she deserves you, right Tucker? That's what you want. You want Tillie for yourself.” I watch his jaw tick. He doesn’t admit or deny a damn thing, but then, he doesn’t need to. We both know the truth. “Well, you can't have her.”
“She liked me!” Tucker argues. “We were getting there, but here you come storming back to Pine Ridge, swooping in, and using the way Tillie feels for you against her. She was starting to get over you, and now you're going to hurt her all over again."
That stops me. My need to have it out with my brother fades to the background as his words ring in my head.
“The way she feels about me? Hurt her again? What in the fuck are you talking about?” I question, shaking my head.
“Just stop it. Don’t try to play innocent here, Ryder. It’s not going to work. You and that cunt Emily nearly destroyed Tillie,” he seethes. “What's really going on here? You decided now that you're truly not going to the big leagues, you want Tillie to worship you again? Are you looking to get your rocks off by having her tell you how great you are? Is your ego so fragile that you have to hurt her and use her all over again?”
My brother's words have a bite, each one burning like salt in a wound. My mind races trying to pinpoint something—anything—that might help me to understand what he’s talking about, but I can’t figure it out.
Tucker can be an asshole to me, but he’s not a bad person. He's a hard ass for sure, but what he’s saying about Tillie, feels a bit more personal than him trying to stake his claim. It takes everything in me to try and be the voice of reason and push my anger down. I clench my fists, popping my knuckles as I lean forward, letting him see that I'm not playing.
“Tucker, I don't know what the fuck you are talking about, but you better start making sense, or so help me God, I will beat you so damn hard you won't be able to open your mouth for a fucking month.”
“Will you just stop? We all know what happened. Tillie cried about it for weeks,” Tucker says, shaking his head.
I begin to wonder if I hit him too hard because I have no idea what he's saying. “Seriously, cut the bullshit. What are you talking about?”
“You son of a bitch. You're still going to play dumb? Go ahead, but we all know,” Tucker says through gritted teeth. “Tillie's mom told ours, and I heard them talking. I know what you did.”
“That’s great for you, but I wish like fuck you'd tell me,” I tell him, throwing my hands up in exasperation. I'm done with him talking in circles.
“You wrote Tillie a letter inviting her to skinny dip with you at Carver Lake. Told her that you loved her and wanted a special night with her before you went for open tryouts in the fall. You wanted to reconnect with her and show her how special she was before you left. Then, when she showed up expecting you to show her that you cared for her, she saw you and Emily in the lake, going at it like rabbits.”
Horror rolls through me. She told me about going up there but never mentioned who the man was. She told me she loved him.
Fuck.
“I—”
“Fucking hell,” Dakota interjects.
Tucker and I both turn quickly to see Dakota and Tillie standing there. Tillie has tears coursing down her face, a look of utter betrayal on her face. Before I can say anything, she spins around and takes off.
I try to run after her, but Tucker grabs me by the shirt.
“Leave her alone,” Tucker yells at me. “You've given her enough pain.”
I shove away from him, punching Tucker in the face and sending blood pouring from his nose. Tucker reels back, holding it as he cusses.
I take off in a full sprint, knowing I need to find Tillie.
Tillie
Sitting at the table, left with only Dakota for company, I find myself wondering what those two are doing. I stare at the door where they disappeared. It feels like it has been forever since they went outside.
I know they’re mad at one another. That would be hard to miss considering the way they were acting toward one another. Ryder really believes Tucker wants me. I thought it was insane, but today, Tucker seemed… different. I don’t have a lot of experience in this kind of thing, but even I had to admit that the man was putting off vibes that—had I not been hung up on Ryder—would make me weak in the knees.