all american | lance tucker

ch. 11 • they say pain is a prison

Cali was also parked in the grass, and I could just imagine Judd blowing a nerve about it. She was looking at Roman's truck over the steering wheel, her eyebrows raised. I opened the passenger door, sighing.

"Hey. Who the fuck drives that thing? A country boy?" She laughed, nodding towards it. I rolled my eyes.

"Good morning. And no, that's my cityboy boyfriend's truck." I glanced up, and saw Roman coming into the open garage, followed closely behind by Blake. Cali's eyes instantly hooked on them.

"Speaking of." I pointed to them.

"Hello. Which one of them is your's?" She purred, biting her lip slightly.

"The taller one." As soon as I said it, I instantly regretted it because as if he knew I was showing him to Cali, he started pretending to suck a dick while Blake humped the air. They burst out laughing, like the teenage boys they were. I sighed.

"Pull out of the driveway before these two shittheads realize we're still here." I grinned. I turned around, where Ciara was asleep in the backseat. "You get any resistance from Lance?"

"That little bitch asks way too many questions. 'What's the appointment for?' 'How long are you gonna be gone?' 'Is Roman hotter than me?' I mean seriously, he needs to shut up once in a while." She groaned. I laughed.

"Yeah, try living with him. I spend one night away and then when I come home he acts like I started a new family and now am trying to come back." I complained. She shook her head.

"You know, for being the poster boy for toxic masculinity, he sure is insecure."

"Tell me about it. He hates that I'm dating Roman. Acts like I just shot him when I tell him I'm staying the night or something."

"You should move somewhere else. Even if it's back into your old place down the hall. He shouldn't need to know everything you're doing."

"Well, then the kids will have to go from house to house, and that's something I never want my kids to go through. Aria already saw me making out with Roman."

"Yeah, Lance mentioned that. Said something about a three hour screaming fit." Cali gave me a wistful look. "You know, sometimes I feel bad for him. He still obviously loves you, which is why it's so hard for him to accept that you love someone else-"

"Woah. Love? Calm down." I laughed, shaking my head. She scoffed.

"Don't be stupid. I see the way you look at him. Like he's god or something."

"Okay, so maybe I do. But I haven't told him that yet so don't confuse me." I scolded. She shrugged.

"I think you should tell him. It's been what, almost three months now? You guys are starting to get serious. You spend the night at his house and shit, don't you?" I shrugged.

"I don't know if he loves me back, though."

"Cara, you've told me everything about the way you guys talk, act, and fuck. He loves you."

"You know he's only the fourth guy I'll have said 'I love you' to?" I sighed, flipping my hair over to the other side of my part. She side-eyed me.

"Remind me the list again?"

"Lance, Jack, Jackson." I rattled off. She nodded.
"Do you ever think about where you would be right now if you had married Jack?" She pondered. Huh, I had never really thought about it.

"I guess I would probably have switched to CrossFit training, and I 100% wouldn't be a parent. Neither of us wanted kids." I explained. "But I'm glad. I don't know what I would do without them."