Dear Rose 2: Winter's Dare by Mechele Armstrong

she’d been looking for something more to start with. So it hadn’t fixed what was wrong with them. No wonder she’d still been so upset this morning. Now that Devyn had said it, Tucker could see the issues.
    “I know you’re a man of few words, Tucker. You always have been. You’re more action than talk.” Devyn leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. It was a Rose Winter move. “But you need to give some to Ally. Or you’re going to lose her. You went about last night the wrong way. I thought you’d realize you had to show her how you felt beyond sex. I didn’t think I had to spell that out. That you needed to use your words.”
    And maybe Tucker had realized it but hadn’t wanted to do it, despite his fears of losing Ally. Maybe he just hadn’t been at the place where he could do that. But after last night, he could. Last night had shown him how he’d felt. He only hoped it wasn’t too late.
    Before he could talk, Devyn said, “You dared me to help you. I dare you to find some words and tell Ms. Ally what she’s been lacking.”
    Devyn never turned down a dare and neither did he. “I get that now. I get what you’re saying. And I can do that. Help me take on your dare.” He leaned forward and spread his arms to the side.
    Devyn nodded. “You know I will. I’m there for you, bro.”
    Carl came into the living room. “Oh hey, Tucker.” He looked back and forth. “You two look serious. Planning a war?”
    Devyn blew a kiss at him, another Rose Winter move. “Yes, we are. And the end to a bet.”
    It was the end to a dare, so the word bet , made no damn sense, nor did Carl’s response of, “Not quite yet but close,” but Tucker ignored it as he and Devyn talked about new strategies to win Ally.
    * * * *
    Tucker checked out his appearance in the side mirror to his truck. I look like an idiot . He wore nicer clothes than usual, even fancier than yesterday, and they were uncomfortable as hell. Whoever said men were dapper in suits was nuts. He resisted the urge to scratch where it itched, because that was all over. He took another look and made sure Ally’s car was still in the parking lot. Not that she could sneak past him, but he kept checking all the same.
    At about fifteen minutes after the time she should have gotten off, while he’d been waiting in a monkey suit by her car, Ally slunk out of the clinic. She looked beaten down. Tired. Unhappy. Her face remained in a pinched line, sort of as it had been that morning when she’d left her house.
    So not his beautiful Ally, who had a smile that would light up whatever room she was in. Hell, it would light up the world. Maybe even outshine the sun. Her smile was one of the reasons he needed to fix this.
    His heart ached for her. He wanted to go to her, wrap his arms around her and never let go. He wanted to shelter her from whatever was troubling her. Which of course was him. He wanted to make this right. He was the only one who could even things out. It’s what he was doing here. It was what Devyn had dared him to do.
    You can do this. You can talk to Ally about your feelings. Tell her what she means to you. Tell her that she’s not a fling.
    She blew out a long sigh, then cocked her head to the side when she saw him standing near her car. She stopped and stared a moment. Then she cautiously walked up as if she expected him to bite. “Tucker?”
    “Who else could it be?” He didn’t touch her. Didn’t go to her like he wanted to. He suspected that wouldn’t go over well in her current mood. But he bowed to her. “The one and only.”
    She sounded incredulous and irritated. Her face hadn’t let out the pinched lines. “What are you doing here?”
    “I’m here to pick you up, m’lady. Take you home to change. Then dinner and a visit to an art gallery.” She’d wanted to go to the restaurant they were going to for a while now and same with the art gallery. He never would consent to go to either and she’d acceded to his wishes.