by C. A. Harms
“What piercings?” my mother and Granny E said in unison.
“Another place only Kelly is allowed to enjoy.” Mason seemed so refined and straitlaced. No one would expect him to have his junk pierced. Now the secret was out.
“Max, I would expect it from you or even Tanner, but Mason?” my mother announced. We had just rounded the corner, and Lily snickered at her comment.
“What the hell?” I asked. “I’m not even here sixty seconds and somehow I’m already being talked about.”
My mom smiled as she stood from the couch and pulled me in for a hug. “What took you so long?” she asked.
I tilted my head to the side, motioning to Lily. “Lil couldn’t decide what to wear. I told her she looked beautiful in anything, but she didn’t believe me.” Lily had finally decided on a pale blue dress, which brought out the color of her eyes. It was conservative and covered entirely too much in my opinion, but I knew she was worried about her first impression on Granny.
My mother’s gaze shifted to Lily. “Well hello, sweetheart, I’m glad you’re here,” she said as she hugged her. I loved how accepting and welcoming my mother was. She was an amazing woman.
I looked up just in time to see my grandma analyzing Lily from across the room. Her eyes softened from their usual judgmental haze. She took a few steps in our direction, and I held my breath, praying, hoping she’d keep her judgments to herself. I was more than positive I would not be able to hold my tongue if she said something out of line.
“Who is this beautiful young woman?”
Well suck me dry. I think I heard someone quietly whisper, “What the fuck?” I was sure it came from one of my brothers.
“I’m Edna, honey, and what’s your name?’ she asked Lily.
I think Lil was just as shocked as everyone else. I had prepped her for the cranky version of Granny. Nowhere in that conversation had I mentioned the woman that now stood before us.
The room was full of open-mouthed, mesmerized, yet confused people.
“Lily.” Her shaky voice came out barely above a whisper.
“Well, Lily, it is nice to meet you. Come with me. Let’s go get us some tea.” She hooked her arm through Lily’s and led her toward the kitchen.
Silence set in as we all watched the two of them walk away. Lily never looked back. In fact, you could hear her soft laughter as they stepped out of sight.
“You remind me a lot of myself when I was younger,” Edna said, her voice fading down the hall.
Ah, hell no, Lily was nothing like Granny. She was sweet and kind. So far from Edna and her bat-shit crazy ways.
“Dude,” Max grunted. “Your girl has tamed the crazy ol’ lady. That thought should scare the shit out of you.”
Everyone including my father was shocked. Shit like that never happened. Granny E never found anyone she didn’t have some sort of complaint about.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Lily
Classes had ended, and I had one more semester after summer break. If I hadn’t fallen behind after the attack, I’d have graduated by now. But I still had to complete the three courses I’d had to drop out of.
I was looking forward to some time off. Logan and Sam were now settled in Texas, and I was excited to work on the house with Tanner. It was finally starting to feel like home, like the place I now belonged.
Zander had drawn up some plans based on our suggestions. It was exciting to be a part of remodeling, and I was excited Tanner asked for my input. Sometimes he would just sit back and smile as I went on and on about different ideas, letting my mind race with the possibilities.
Tanner was ready to start creating a home for us. That thought alone thrilled me.
He was able to hire another crew, and business had almost doubled. He’d really developed a great reputation, and people trusted his word. Now with more guys working for him, he had more time to give to our place. He had one small job to finish up before Monday, then he and I would have the next month to make this home what we both envisioned.
“Hey, Lil, do you know where my tool belt is?” Tanner yelled from the bedroom. “I was supposed to be at the Andersons’ house over twenty minutes ago.”
“Yes,” I called, “it’s in here.” I was in the spare bedroom. I’d been organizing the closet, but when I found his tool belt draped over the chair in the corner, other things came to mind.
He walked into the room quickly, not really paying attention as he scrambled to buckle his jeans. I stood quietly, waiting for him to look up at me.
Once he did, his hands froze on the buckle of his jeans, and he stared at me with a surprised and somewhat heated look in his eyes. He honestly appeared as if he had swallowed his tongue as he kept trying to form words that would not come out clearly.
Clearing his throat and shaking his head, he attempted once again. “Um, babe, you, uh, you look…” He placed his hands on his hips and squeezed so hard his knuckles whitened from the pressure.
I stood less than five feet from him, wearing his tool belt around my waist. Wearing only his tool belt, as in stark-ass naked.
“What?” I purred and batted my eyelashes, staring innocently back at him. “Cat got your tongue, Tanner?”
“You look damn good wearing my belt, baby,” he groaned.
I bit down on my lower lip as I looked over my body. I hooked my thumbs in the sides of his tool belt and shimmied my hips, letting a small moan escape my lips.
He stepped toward me, not taking his eyes from mine as he lowered the zipper of his pants.
“I thought you had to get to work?” His hungry look made my voice shudder and my face flush. My eyes zoned in on his hands as they began to work his jeans lower. He shook his head, answering my question without words before taking another step toward me. My heart rate picked up.
“I’m thinking there are more pressing things at home that deserve my attention and my expertise,” he said with a smirk before licking his lower lip. His voice was deep and husky. He was definitely turned-on. My goal had been met; he was putty in my hands.
I started to respond, but in one swift motion he lifted me up over his shoulder and hauled me down the hall toward our bedroom.
“The Andersons’ bathroom can wait. You and I have some work of our own to perfect.”
Hell yes, and I was more than ready. Okay, so maybe I was putty in his hands, but either way, it was so on. I wondered if he would ever get tired of this life. I hoped he wouldn’t. I knew I would never get enough of his cocky, domineering, and oh so sexy ways. Tanner was it for me; he was the person I could see myself spending forever with, raising a family with, sharing everything with, the good and the bad.
He lit my body on fire, and he made me feel so alive. I was insanely in love with Tanner Parks, and there was no other man like him, I was sure of it.
“I love you,” I whispered between kisses as he backed me against the wall. As he lifted me up, I placed my legs around his waist.
“I love you,” he panted as he tilted his hips and slid inside of me. “You’re my world, Lil. I never thought I would feel this way about someone, but I adore you.”
My eyes burned, my chest ached, and my stomach fluttered. I had never been happier than I was in that moment. I had never felt more loved.
***
“Hey, Lily, can you grab the door?” Bree asked as she moved the raw chicken from the sink to the pan. She was marinating the meat so the guys could cook on the grill.
“Sure thing.” I walked into the living just as the doorbell rang a second time. It was followed by impatient knocking. “I’m coming,” I hollered. I opened the door, thinking maybe the guys were back from the store with their arms full of the items Bree and I had requested. Maybe they had forgotten the key.
The girl standing on the other side of the door was one I’d hoped I would never see again.
“Where’s Tanner?” she asked. “I know he’s here. I already saw his truck.”
She was glaring at me, and I honest
ly just wanted to laugh at her. “Um, Olivia, is it?” She nodded. “Tanner’s truck is here, but he isn’t, not right now.”
“Who are you?”
“Lily,” I replied. “Tanner’s girlfriend.” My inner bitch loved the fact that her face fell just a little at the word.
“Oh, you’re that homely little girl that used to follow him around,” she said. “I remember him telling me about you. You’re not his girlfriend, you’re his annoyance.”
I almost smacked her, but I stopped myself. She truly wasn’t worth my time. I had nothing to prove to this girl.
“I ran into him the other day, and he said he would call me, but I haven’t heard from him,” Olivia, the whore, stated.
“Well, maybe that’s a sign he was only trying to get rid of you,” I threw back at her.
She narrowed her eyes and smiled. “When he kissed me good-bye it sure didn’t feel like he was brushing me off.” She spun on her heel and waved over her shoulder. “I’ll stop back later, Libby.”
“It’s Lily,” I mumbled. I felt a little nauseous as I imagined Tanner kissing Olivia. I was sure she was full of shit, but the idea still made me sick, given that he’d once slept with her—okay, more than once.
By the time I shut the door and made it back to the kitchen, I had forced the images out of my head. Bree had the chicken and pork chops ready, and she was placing them into the refrigerator.
“Who was at the door?”
“Oh, it was some lady trying to sell something. I just told her we weren’t interested,” I said as I got back to cutting up the veggies for the pasta salad I was making.
Max and Tanner arrived about fifteen minutes later, carrying bags of groceries with Paisley trailing behind. She had a sucker in each hand, one blue, one pink. I caught Bree giving both guys a questioning look, and Tanner was the first to speak up.
“She couldn’t decide which one she wanted, so I bought her both. Crisis averted.” He shrugged it off, ignoring Bree’s glare.
I turned back around, hiding behind my hair. I could sense him approaching, and chills covered my skin. Tanner stepped up behind me and brushed my hair away from my face before leaning in and kissing the corner of my mouth. “Hey, pretty girl.”
I forced a smile. I didn’t want to be bothered by Olivia and her earlier comments, but they were still knocking at the back of my mind.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
I turned my head to look at him. “No, I’m good.”
He stared back at me, clearly not buying it. He arched an eyebrow, waiting for me to say something more.
“Really, I’m fine. Did you remember the Italian dressing?” I had to move this conversation in another direction.
I really didn’t buy that Tanner had kissed Olivia recently, but she touched on insecurities I didn’t even know I had. I struggled every day with the thoughts of Tanner getting annoyed or bored with me, and I worried I wouldn’t be enough for him and he would realize he wanted more.
Right now was not the time to get into all of that, though. We had been invited to have dinner with Max and Bree, and I wouldn’t let Olivia ruin my night.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Tanner
I knew something was bothering her. She had a look of forced happiness. Her laugh was fake, her smile too. I wasn’t fooled. Others may have bought the act, but I knew better. I could read her like a book.
I sat on the back deck of my brother’s place—a place I used to call my home—lounging back, having a beer with Max, watching our girls. They were looking through some bridal magazine. Bree pointed out the things she loved most, and I could hear Lily awwing over different images and ideas.
“Better watch out, bro. Bree’s gonna put ideas in Lily’s head. Next thing you know, you’ll be hearing wedding bells and your baby’s heartbeat on some monitor.”
It took a few seconds for his words to sink in before I looked over at him. He smirked and tipped his beer back. “Really?” I asked.
He nodded. “No one knows yet, including Mom and Dad, so keep it quiet. The wedding is only a month away. We plan on telling everyone then.”
I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face. Max was gonna be a dad. I mean, he adopted Paisley and she had become his own, but the thought of him holding his child in his arms…hell, it was something I never thought I would see.
Looking back over at Lily, I realized I wasn’t freaked out when I considered that one day we may get married. I could see myself growing old with her.
I had heard from my brothers that once you found the one, everything changed. I thought for sure they had all been somehow brainwashed into believing that shit. I mean, one woman, the same woman day after day, for the rest of your life? Come on.
Now the idea of life without Lily scared the shit out of me. I can honestly say I don’t remember what it felt like before her. I didn’t want to remember; it couldn’t have been all that great.
***
Lily had really been quiet over the last few days. Even when we made love I swore she had tears in her eyes. I had asked her on more than one occasion if things were okay. She had me freaking out, thinking I had screwed up in some way. Last night I thought I’d heard her crying when I walked past the bathroom door. But when I knocked and asked if she was okay, she insisted she was fine.
Today I had one screwed-up day. I ordered the windows for the house, and two of them were broken when I took them off the truck. Not to mention they sent the wrong French doors, and the sheet rock was short eight sheets. I headed to Gilbert’s after work for a little wind-down time.
I tried calling Lily a couple times today, but she had been busy with Bree and the girls. They had taken the last minute preparations over to Riley’s and were hanging out there.
I was surprised when I pulled into the parking lot at Gilbert’s. For a Thursday afternoon they were busier than usual, but I guess the blinking sign outside that said they were hosting a pool tournament had something to do with it.
I had no desire to be social, so I made a beeline for the bar. I was just finishing up my drink when my phone beeped with an incoming message.
Lily: Gonna be about another hour. Do you want me to pick up something for dinner?
I had hoped she would be home when I got there, but that just confirmed she wouldn’t be.
Me: That works. You choose, but try not to be too late. I miss you.
Something was off with us lately, and I didn’t like feeling so disconnected.
Lily: Miss you too. See you soon.
I was staring down at my phone, and I hadn’t noticed the stool next to me was no longer empty.
“You’ve been hard to find lately.”
Oh shit, not now. I truly wasn’t in the mood. It was Olivia, my go-to girl from the past. I looked over at her hand, which was now wrapped around my forearm, and those long, bright pink fingernails. Her flowery perfume made me gag.
She was slurring her words and obviously drunk out of her mind. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Hey, Liv, how you been?” I said, attempting to keep the conversation neutral. I didn’t want her getting the wrong idea. I also didn’t want to give anyone else the wrong idea. I could see someone telling Lily that they saw me with Olivia. That shit wouldn’t go over well.
The moment Olivia slid her hand over my thigh and cupped my dick, I grabbed her hand and jerked it away. “What the fuck?” I growled.
“You never minded before. In fact, I can remember more than once you took me into that bathroom,” she turned around and pointed at it, “right over there and stripped my panties off just before you—”
“Enough…Shit ain’t the same as it was back then,” I said. “I got a girlfriend and I’m happy.”
I got off my stool and threw a ten on the bar. “Find another horny bastard to fuck. I’m outta here.”
I could hear her heels clicking against the floor as she rushed after me. “Tanner, wait,” she stumbled and collided with me from behind.
I gripped the doorframe and reached around to stabilize her. “Take those damn hooker heels off and maybe you’d be able to walk.”
She bent down and did just that. I swear I have no idea what I ever saw in Olivia. Oh, wait, I did. She was easy and willing to do it any place, anytime. She was also dumb as a box of rocks, or she knew how to put on a damn good show—one of those girls that acted as if she barely knew how to spell her own name to appear sexy.
“I gotta get home,” I said, pushing open the front door.
I never expected to have her follow me, but she did, barefoot.
Just as I clicked the locks and opened up my truck door, she yelped and started bouncing around on one foot.
“Ouch, shit,” she whined. She reached out and grabbed ahold of my door, lifting her leg higher. The dumbass apparently forgot she was wearing a skirt and was now flashing anyone who may have been looking in her direction.
“I stepped on a sharp rock,” she said.
“Well, put your damn shoes on.”
She looked up at me with a blank stare. “You told me to take them off.”
I hung my head and let out a calming breath. Dumb as fuck. “Yeah, well, that was before you ran across a parking lot with broken glass and God knows what else. Put the damn things back on and call a cab.”
“I have a ride. Carrie is inside,” she replied. “Can I at least sit down there and put my shoes on?” She pointed toward my truck.
“You aren’t getting in my truck.”
“Not inside, just on the step.” She was talking about the running board just below the passenger-side door.
“Just hurry the hell up. I’m ready to get out of here.” At this point I was about to bend down and put her shoes on myself just to move this damn delay along.
She took a seat, and I scanned the parking lot, hoping no one I knew was seeing this. If luck was on my side, I would be gone in less than two minutes, and I could forget this whole night had happened.