A Love Like This (Book 1) (32 page)

“
See it pays to listen to your mother,
”
 
Joan says.
 
She
’
s clearly proud of herself.
 
 
“
Now you two sit here and get acquainted.
 
She walks over to Tucker and pushes him towards me.
 
The caterers are bringing dinner in about an hour and your father will be home soon.
 
 
“
I
’
m so excited,
”
 
She says before disappearing down the hall.

“
Tucker what
’
s going on,
”
 
I ask once Joan
’
s out of site.

He laughs.
 
 
“
My mother
’
s been telling me about you for weeks she really likes you.
”
 

“
I like her to but I can
’
t believe she never mentioned my name to you.
 
This is way too weird.
 
Shouldn
’
t we tell her?
”
 

“
No let her think this whole thing was her idea,
”
 
He says pulling up a chair. He takes my hand and brushes a finger across my palm.
 
 
“
You know what this means right?
”
 
 
I shake my head no.
 
“
It means this was meant to be.
”

_____

Tucker and I take a walk around his family home.
 
It is the biggest house I
’
ve ever seen.
 
It has eleven bedrooms and nine bathrooms.
 
The teak hardwood floors shine as if they
’
ve never been walked on.
 
We walk out into the back yard side by side.
 
The estate is on five acres of land.
 
We stop near the lap pool and gaze out at the view.
 
“
I can
’
t believe you grew up here.
”

“
Yeah it
’
s an ok house.
”
 
 
He points to a small tool shed next to the pool house.
 
Mike and I built a homemade bomb and blew up that shed when we were thirteen.
 
He bends down and sticks his hand in the pool.
 
I had my first kiss in this pool.
 
 
“
Her name was Delilah,
”
 
she was one of my older sister
’
s friends.
 

“
How old were you?
”

“
I was eleven.
”

“
How old was the girl?

“
She was fourteen.
 
I was tall for my age.
”

“
That
’
s so gross.
”
 
 
I say rustling his hair.

He splashes pool water on my legs.
 
I bend down and splash him back and he picks me up and threatens to throw me in the pool.
 
He puts me down when Joan comes out with a man that has to be Tucker
’
s father.
 
He
’
s a few inches shorter than Tucker with the same dark blond curly hair only his hair is cut short and streaked gray at the temples.
 
He has hazel eyes with laugh lines in the corners.
 

“
Look how well you two are getting along,
”
 
Joan says.
 
 
“
I want you to meet Tucker
’
s father.

“
Hello young lady,
”
 
He says with a broad smile.
 
 

“
I
’
m Leila Peterson,
”
 
I say shaking his hand.

His expression changes,
 
“
That
’
s fine,
”
 
Mr. Bradley says before turning to walk away.
 
Joan follows quickly behind him.
 

I hear her say,
 
“
Tucker William Bradley you were very rude,
”
 
but Mr. Bradley just quickens his pace without a word.

“
I don
’
t think your father likes me.
”

“
That was a bit odd.
 
Come on,
”
 
Tucker says taking my hand and pulling me into the house.
 
We walk through the kitchen were the caterers are setting up for dinner.
 

“
Slow down Tucker,
”
 
I say straining to keep up with him.
 
We come to the end of an extremely long hallway and Tucker opens the door to his father
’
s office.
 
 
 
Mr. Bradley is sitting behind a massive desk.
 
 
“
I
’
ll wait out here,
”
 
I say trying to pull away from
 
Tucker
’
s
grasp.
 
He tightens his grip and pulls me into the room with him.
 
Joan is sitting in a chair a few feet away from the desk.

“
What was that about,
”
 
Tucker asks his father.

“
I
’
m going to just wait outside,
”
 
I say trying again to creep away.

“
No Leila you should hear this,
”
 
Mr. Bradley says walking around to the front of the desk.
 
He leans against his desk and crosses his arms over his chest.
 
“
I received a very disturbing call from Amy
’
s father a few hours ago.
”

“
He said that Amy was heartbroken over the fact that you married a prostitute named Leila in Las Vegas over the weekend.
”

“
I am not a prostitute.
 
 
I have only slept with one and
 
a half men in my entire life,
”
 
I blurt out before I can stop myself.
 

“
How can they be married? I just introduced them today?
”
 
 
We are all quiet for a few beats.
 
The silence in the room is broken by footsteps and laughter in the hall.
 
A beautiful plus sized woman with the same blue eyes, dimples and cleft chin as Tucker walks into the room.
 
She saunters in with a tall attractive Hispanic woman.

“
Shauna why did you bring Samantha here?
”
 
Tucker yells.
 
His face is red with anger.
 
I start to back away towards the door.

Shauna and Samantha ignore Tucker
’
s question,
 
“
Hello Mr. and Mrs. Bradley,
”
 
Samantha says with a pleasant smile.

“
I
’
m going to go,
”
 
I say before turning to walk out of the room.

“
No wait,
”
 
Tucker says reaching for my hand.

“
Mom, Dad, Shauna and Samantha this is Leila.
 
We met four months ago on the Berkeley campus wear she
’
s an architect student.
 
Dad you can
’
t believe anything Amy or her family says.
 
Shauna, really why would you bring her here?
 
Mom I had no idea that Leila was the woman you wanted to set me up with but the good news is we
’
re already married.
”
 
 
The look on their faces is more than I can take.
 
I pull away from Tucker and nearly sprint down the hall.

Chapter 14

 
 
 
 
 
Nickie
 
is standing at the shampoo bowl
 
rinsing conditioner from Mrs. Carter
’
s hair.
 
She looks down at the woman
’
s round chocolate face and thinks to herself,
 
‘
Keisha is right this woman really does look like a
 
raisinett.
’
 
Mrs. Carter has been talking non-stop since
 
Nickie
 
started washing her hair.
 
 
But
 
Nickie
 
is in her own world and can
’
t hear a word she
’
s saying.
 
She
’
s thinking back over all the times she
’
s given her power away to a man.
 
There was Eric her long term boyfriend in high school.
 
He would call five minutes before they were scheduled to go out and say he wasn
’
t coming.
 
He wouldn
’
t even give an explanation.
 
He
’
d just call and say,
 
“
Sorry Nick can
’
t make it tonight.
”
 
 
There was Daniel who
’
d borrow money constantly and make her pay for all of their dates.
 
The worst of the offenders was Juan who had five kids by four different women.
 
 
Nickie
 
didn
’
t mind that he had kids but she couldn
’
t deal with his
constant
 
infidelity.
 
Then there was Damian.
 
 
Nickie
 
thought that he would be different.
 
He was older and well established.
 
On the surface he appeared to have it all together but there was always something about him that didn
’
t set well with her.

“
Alright, Mrs. Carter let me get you under the dryer.
 
Keisha will be with you soon,
”
 
Nickie
 
says.

“
Thank you sweetheart,
”
 
Mrs. Carter says slipping
 
Nickie
 
a five dollar bill.

Nickie
 
smiles kindly and says,
 
“
Thanks.
”

“
You
’
re such a pretty young woman.
 
You should meet my son.
”