Izzy
Four days. It had been four days since Tanner had created the single most perfect date and given her a gift so thoughtful her eyes welled every time she thought of it. He hadn’t done anything that special since college.
And she blew it.
Her toe touched the porch and set the swing in motion again. She picked up her cell phone from the small table and reread the text message for the tenth time today.
Tanner: I’m yours forever. And then a few days after that.
Tanner had sent her the same message every day after he left for work. Every day her heart constricted as soon as she read it and every day she didn’t respond. She read it over and over and willed herself to believe the words the way she used to.
Izzy’s grip on the glass in her hand tightened. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t erase the image of Tanner kissing someone else from her mind. Of someone else touching his arms, his shoulders, his back, his…
The dark thoughts were interrupted by the deep, throaty sound of Tanner’s truck coming down the driveway. She frowned and glanced at the thin silver watch around her wrist. Four o’clock. On a Thursday. Tanner had always complained Thursdays were his busiest day, everyone wanting to tie up loose ends and take a three-day weekend. Everyone that wasn’t Tanner, of course. He hadn’t taken a three-day weekend in at least two years and would never, ever leave work early on a Thursday afternoon two weeks in a row. Except—here he was.
A small voice from the deep recesses of her heart reminded her he was trying. He was genuinely sorry for everything and he was working hard to do better. He was fixing things she had long ago accepted.
But the voice of eight-year-old Izzy echoed in her mind. The voice that reminded her that she had been traded in once before. That the only example she had of marriage ended in failure, and why should she believe hers would turn out any differently than her parents’ had?
She stood, crossed to the edge of the porch, and supported herself with the post at the top of the stairs. “What are you doing home so early?” She asked the question as soon as he closed the driver’s door.
Her words caused his steps to pause for a brief moment, his smile faltering slightly. Just as quickly as it left, the grin showed back up on his lips, and he walked over to stand at the bottom of the stairs. “It’s family movie night. The kids and I need to go get dinner and a movie. We’re getting Chinese tonight. Ava’s request, naturally.”
Izzy’s brows drew together, and she took two steps down toward Tanner. “You still want to do that?”
Tanner matched her movement, now only one step separating them. “Belle, I still want to have family movie night when we’re watching them with our great-grandkids.”
Swallowing the emotion that bubbled at his words and forcing that incessant voice of caution in her mind to be quiet, she stepped down the last step separating them. The slight elevation advantage she had nearly put her at eye level with Tanner.
Two weeks ago that comment would have made her wrap her arms around him, offer deep kisses, and make all kinds of promises of the things she would do to him later. She would never have hesitated, never have thought twice about it. But today her hand shook slightly as she reached out to stroke his cheek. Her smile wobbled just before she leaned in for a kiss.
For several long moments, Tanner’s hands stayed at his side, and when the realization hit Izzy that he was letting her set the pace, she wanted to cry. He’s trying, her heart reminded her.
She ran her tongue along his bottom lip and wound her arms around his neck. The deep moan from the back of his throat made her smile as she continued to tease him. Finally she felt his arms encircle her waist and her heart soared. In spite of everything that happened, being held by Tanner made her feel loved.
She had no idea how long they would have stayed fixed in that spot, doing nothing more than enjoying each other, if not for the thundering arrival of their children behind them. Izzy couldn’t help but laugh at Tanner’s disappointed groan when they bounded out of the house, chattering away at the same time.
He lifted a hand to her cheek once more and gave her a last lingering kiss, chuckling at the disgusted noises the kids made behind him. “Sesame chicken, right?”
Izzy had no idea why she was surprised he remembered her favorite take-out dish. She nodded dumbly, words failing her at that moment and the beating of her heart reminding her once again that he was trying.
Tanner scooted Ava and Noah into the truck and paused beside the door, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “I, um, I’m not going into the office tomorrow. I have a few errands to run and stuff so, uh, if you need anything, just make a list tonight.”
She had to have heard him wrong. “You’re…you’re taking Friday off? You’re taking a non-holiday required three-day weekend?”
He grinned and nodded. “Perks of being the boss, remember?”
Izzy wanted to tell him that being the boss hadn’t offered any perks in the past few years. She wanted to say she couldn’t remember the last time he’d been willing to miss this much work. She wanted to tell him that she was terrified that in thirty-two days everything would go back to the way it had been. And she was only just realizing that the way it had been hadn’t been as great as she thought.
Instead she smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I remember.”
***
“I’m sorry, Iz. You’re a great employee, but I can’t show you any favoritism.”
Izzy chewed the inside of her lip and nodded, quietly thanking her manager before fleeing his office. She should have known she couldn’t get any extra hours at the coffee shop.
Of course she could never top Tanner’s birthday gift for her, but she wanted to make it special, and for that she needed some extra cash. Not to mention the fact his birthday was just a few weeks before Christmas and she was screwed.
She leaned her forehead against the steering wheel of her car. If only her dad hadn’t cut her off from everything, this wouldn’t be an issue. She sighed before reluctantly starting her car to head home. That really wasn’t an option anymore. Being with Tanner was far and away more important. She’d just have to make this work.
Her teeth worried her bottom lip the entire drive and as she trudged up the two flights of stairs into the apartment. At least Tanner had football practice and she’d be able to figure out a plan before he…
“Hey, sweetheart,” he greeted brightly when she walked through the door. His gaze swept over her, and his brows pulled together. “What’s wrong, Belle?”
So practice was done early tonight. Great. “Just a busy day, baby.” She smiled and lifted up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek. “I’m going to go take a long, hot shower and climb in bed with a sexy football player who is home much earlier than expected.”
Tanner offered a small grin, but the lines on his forehead stayed in place. She skirted around him into the relative sanctuary of the bathroom. Izzy stripped her clothes off as soon as she shut the door, a sigh filled with a mixture of relief and frustration escaping her lips. She closed her eyes beneath the hot spray, willing the water to give her the answer she was looking for.
She stood there for a long time, lost in thought. Getting a second job would be her only solution, but how would she explain that to Tanner? And how could she possibly manage her course load and two jobs?
Izzy felt the movement behind her before she even heard the curtain being pulled aside. She couldn’t stifle the gasp of surprise as she spun around to see Tanner. “Baby, what are you doing?”
Without a word, he gathered her close to him and lowered his head to claim her lips. Every worry disappeared from her mind at the very first touch from Tanner. His fingers trailed down her spine and she shivered, stepping as close to him as possible.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” he said breathlessly when they finally both pulled away for air. “Just tell me what’s wrong, sweetheart. I’ll fix it.”
She swallowed and shook her head. “You can’t fix everything, baby.”
His arms locked around her waist and he lifted her so she was level with his stormy gaze. A small squeak escaped, and she wrapped her legs around him. Tanner turned to the right and pressed her against the wall. “The hell I can’t. Tell me.”
Before she even had a chance to answer, his hands cupped beneath her and his mouth began trailing hot kisses along her neck and shoulder. “Tell me, sweetheart,” he murmured against her skin.
Izzy arched her back, pushing into him. Feeling the physical proof of his need for her was a heady sensation. “I-I can’t.” She barely gasped out the words.
Tanner lowered his head, making a path down from her collarbone with his tongue. “Yes you can, Belle. You can tell me anything.”
She shook her head against the tile. Did he honestly expect her to think at this particular moment, much less carry on a cognitive conversation? She struggled to catch her breath long enough to answer as his fingers began teasing her. “I, oh geez, Tanner.” She whimpered and bit down on his shoulder in frustration. “I can figure this out on my own, baby.”
Every muscle in his body stilled. After several long beats, he shifted her slightly and raised a hand to hook a finger under her chin. “I know you can, sweetheart.” His passion-laced voice softened as he spoke. He brushed his lips across hers. “You are strong and smart.” He quirked his lips into a smirk and pressed hard against her again, close enough she groaned from the torture. “And sexy as hell. But you don’t have to do a damn thing alone anymore. I’m yours forever, remember?”
In spite of the passionate haze surrounding them, as soon as he said the words, Izzy couldn’t stop her own from tumbling out. “I wanted to do something really special for your birthday, but I can’t get any more hours at work and I don’t know how I could fit in a second job. And you gave me the most amazing—”
His finger landed on her lips and a smile spread across his. “Now was that so difficult?” Tanner’s hand dropped and maneuvered its way between their bodies, stroking a gentle line that caused Izzy to bite her lower lip. “Hell, that’s easy, sweetheart.”
He returned his attention to her chest, softly kissing his way back up to her mouth, sliding inside her just as he reached her lips, both of them groaning simultaneously. Tanner broke the kiss and pressed his forehead against hers as he moved slowly in and out, taunting and tormenting them both. If he kept this up, she might die of need.
“You’re going to listen to me when I tell that you don’t need to pay for a damn thing in this apartment. Not the bills. Not the food.” He moved slightly faster. “Not one damn thing. You’re gonna work as much or as little as you want and you’re gonna let me take care of you.”
Izzy could do little more than nod in agreement. He finally kicked his pace up, and with one final thrust, their cries intermingled just as the water began to cool.
Tanner gathered her close to his chest and, with a strength she found impressive, carried her to the bedroom. They both stretched out on the bed on their sides, ignoring the water they dripped on the comforter.
Looking in his eyes, she finally spoke the words haunting her heart. “I don’t want you to think I’m using you. Y-you’re the perfect boyfriend and I…” She shrugged helplessly.
The hand that had been stroking her cheek stilled and the smile cleared from his face. “Sweetheart, you are normally right, but you got this all wrong.” He sat up long enough to tuck a blanket around them. He laid on his back and pulled her against his side. “You keep saying I’m the perfect boyfriend, but everything I do is because of you. There’s no way in hell I’d wallpaper a ceiling or cook anything for anyone else. It’s just what you do to me.”
She smiled and pressed her lips against his chest. She wanted to argue with him. No one had ever taken care of her as well as he did, not even her parents. “I-I’d kinda like to let you take care of me.” She cleared her throat and firmed her tone. “Even though I can take care of myself.”
Tanner’s chuckled slightly, his breathing slowing. “I know and that makes you even hotter,” he mumbled just before he started snoring.