Fools (Licking Thicket 3)

“She’s offered to introduce me to them,” Carter said, a little edge of panic in his voice. “All of them.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet.”

“But unnecessary,” Carter said. “Since I have Tucker here.” He threw an arm around my shoulder, pulled me against his side, and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Right, Tuck?”

“Well, now,” a gravelly voice behind me said. “Seems like you maybe forgot to tell me something, Doc Wright.”

Shit.

The fourth person I least wanted to speak to had just arrived.

10

Dunn

1-Across: Causing or feeling embarrassment or inconvenience (7 letters)

Was there anything better than waking up wrapped around your favorite person on earth? No. No there was not.

I walked out of Tucker’s house like a brand-new man. I wanted to shout my relief and happiness from the rooftops. Bernadette and the cows heard more about Tucker Wright’s body than was decent, but I needed to get some things off my chest.

By the time I met my brother outside the coffee shop, I felt like the man at the front of a parade—the one with the giant stick he got to lift up and down and the cheesy grin on his face for everyone around him. I was just so damned… joyful.

“Christ on a cracker, are you high?” Brooks asked when I approached him and Mal on the sidewalk. “You look like you just swallowed a handful of Doc Wright’s special pills.”

I puffed out my chest. “I swallowed his somethin’.”

Brooks blinked. Mal tilted his head. “What?” they asked at the same time.

I deflated. “Well, not literally. But, you know. I’m sure it won’t be long before we do that too.”

Mal didn’t take his eyes off me but leaned over to whisper at Brooks. “Is he really on special pills?”

Brooks ignored him. “What are you talking about?”

“Me and Tuck. We did it. Finally. And I’m just so… relieved. But I wanted to ask you guys. Where do I get my flag? Does Mama keep a stash? Isn’t that what PFLAG means?”

Brooks blinked. “You’re not telling Mom!”

Mal grinned. “No, because he’s going to let me do it.”

Brooks elbowed his boyfriend in the gut. Not nice. “Dunn. What are you saying? You and Tucker finally…”

“Did the nasty?” Mal suggested eagerly. “Knocked boots? Went cave diving? Buried the weasel?”

Brooks turned to him and lurched forward until their noses were touching. “Enough, you. This is serious.” He turned back to me. “What exactly happened? I thought he had a date last night and so did you.”

“Carter Rogers.” I lost a little bit of my joy at the reminder. “That guy was too good-looking for his own good.”

“No such thing,” Mal muttered.

“Tuck deserves better,” I added.

“And you’re better?” Brooks asked.

Mal nodded his head energetically.

I appreciated the support.

“No one cares more about Tucker Wright in this entire world, and yes, I’m including his mama in that statement.” I felt my face heat at the strong assertion, but I stood by it.

Brooks looked confused. “So you just ran in there like a bucking bronc and took charge of him like some kind of—”

Mal flapped his hands in the air. “Oooh! I love it when you get Southern. Keep going!”

Brooks sighed. “How far did you two go? And what about Jenn?”

“Jenn and I aren’t exclusive. I made sure of that before I agreed to her free trial.”

Mal opened his mouth, but Brooks slapped a hand over it. “And Tuck?”

I sighed. Were little hearts and stars floating out of my eyes? I felt like maybe they were. “He’s everything. Everything.”

The two of them stared at me again. It was getting a little weird. I held up a hand. “But don’t worry. We’re not going to rush anything. I don’t want to scare him off, and I know I can be somewhat… overwhelming.”

Mal shook his head. “No. You’re the right kind of whelming. I love your whelming.”

Brooks frowned. “Slow is good. Slow is really good.”

I nodded. “Except I have to tell Mama. It’s going to break her heart, but I don’t want her hearing it from anyone else. It’s going to come as a huge scandal to the town, and Licking Thicket is going to get nuts for a while with the shock.”

Mal clapped a hand in front of his mouth and tried to hold in his emotions. I understood his distress. It probably brought up bad memories from when he and Brooks got together.

“The… shock,” Brooks said carefully. “Of you and Tucker being a thing.”

“Exactly,” I said. “No one would expect this. Ever. And I don’t want to upset anyone, especially Mama.”

Mal bounced on his feet. “Please, please let me come with you to tell Cindy Ann and Big Red.”

Brooks sighed. “And there’s no way I can dissuade you from doing this?”

I shook my head. “No, sir. I owe it to Tuck to be all in. I don’t want him to think I’m ashamed of him or anything.”