Izzy
“It’s three o’clock.”
The mischievous smile—that did nothing to lessen her suspicion—spread across his face. “I know.” He sauntered across the living room to stand in front of her, his hands clasped behind his back. “But I’ve got a surprise for you.”
Izzy tilted her head and narrowed her gaze at him. “A surprise?”
His one arm snaked around her waist, and she couldn’t suppress the small shriek. Or the way her hands clung to his shoulders. “A surprise,” he confirmed, nuzzling against her neck. “Well, two surprises actually.”
Her fingers trailed up his neck and into his hair. “Um, and w-what would those t-two surprises be?” A wave of need rolled through Izzy, despite the fact it was the middle of the day and the kids could barrel through the back door at any moment.
Tanner’s hand slid down farther, cupping beneath her, and pulling her tightly against him. All of the air left her lungs on a hiss. She tugged at his head and brought his mouth to hers.
Finally.
Ever since Sunday morning, Tanner had done nothing more than give her sweet, but all too chaste, kisses and hold her at night. Triumph mixed with desire as his mouth slid from hers along her jawline to her ear and down the column of her neck.
Three days of his mouth staying in very G-rated places. Three days of his hands not straying beneath a single article of clothing. Three days of sheer torture.
His lips trailed back up and he nipped her earlobe. “Close your eyes, sweetheart.” The tickle of his breath from the whispered words caused a chill to run down her spine.
Every logical thought fled as she obediently closed her eyes. Tanner was always so good at surprises. But when something small and square landed in her palm, her eyes flew open and her brow furrowed. “A box?”
Her eyes collided with his amused sapphire gaze. “A box.” He nodded toward the unopened package. “It’s yours, ya know. To open.”
Izzy looked from Tanner to the gift several times before finally pulling the lid off. Her eyes welled up at the sight of the necklace lying on the satin inside. “How did you…” The words were barely more than a whisper.
Tanner pulled the silver chain from the box and fastened it around her neck. Her fingers immediately flew to the silver pendant scrolled to look like a waterfall with an aquamarine stone nestled inside. Her mind raced with memories of the promises they had spoken that day at the waterfall. A pang hit her heart when she realized she broke her promise.
Just as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek, the sliding glass door at the back of the house whooshed open and Ava and Noah raced inside. Their delighted cries mixed together at the unfamiliar and exciting sight of their father in the middle of the day.
Izzy couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up before her eyes fell on the large bronze clock hanging on the living room wall. “I, um…” She pointed helplessly at the clock.
He winked at her as the kids jumped on him, begging for attention. “Go get ready, sweetheart. And have a great night.”
Have a great night played on repeat in her brain the thirty-minute drive to the painting studio and the five minutes she spent in the car working up the nerve to walk in. Somewhere over the past three years, she felt like she lost every ounce of confidence. Every drop of Isabelle Ricci’s sassy New York attitude. And she was just now noticing it.
Squaring her shoulders, she looked resolutely at herself in the rearview mirror. “Your girl is from New York, Tanner. She can take care of herself.” Whispering the words to herself that she had spoken to him so long ago calmed a few of her nerves and brought a smile to her face.
“Izzy!”
The high-pitched squeal nearly made her jump before she even crossed the threshold. Her closest friend—who she’d forged a bond with under life-altering circumstances—bounded over and pulled her into a quick but tight embrace. When she pulled back, she tucked a strand of her short dark brown hair behind her ear.
Izzy fought the urge to fall apart right there. Seeing Caroline again after far longer than she’d care to admit felt just as good as it hurt. She’d missed her friend.
Her enthusiasm was contagious, and Izzy’s smile grew at the greeting. “Caroline, I’m so happy to see someone here I know.” She shook her head, thinking back over the past season. “It seems like all the kids from T-ball have gone on completely different teams.”
“Honey, you have been too busy runnin’ those kids in twenty different directions. You’d never be able to pick out the team from a line-up.”
Izzy opened her mouth to argue, but she came up short. Her friend was right. Tanner’s constantly increasing workload changed every aspect of their lives, and she often dropped Noah at baseball with just enough time to run Ava to gymnastics before coming back to pick him up at the end of the game.
Caroline’s expression softened as her eyes scanned Izzy’s face. “Iz, do you…”
Before she could finish, the teacher standing on the small stage called out for everyone to find a seat. Caroline linked her arm through Izzy’s and pulled her over to one of the long tables on the right. “You are definitely sitting beside me. It’s been far too long since I’ve spent any time with you.”
Izzy moved her brush over the canvas as the petite blonde at the front of the class instructed, finding herself laughing in between at Caroline’s constant moaning over her less than desirable artistic acumen. She was putting the finishing touches on the shading of a petal when the teacher made her rounds, offering advice, and stopped at Izzy’s painting.
“This is lovely.” Her voice was soft. She leaned in close to Izzy’s head, and a blonde curl brushed Izzy’s shoulder.
The seemingly innocuous encounter made Izzy’s stomach roll. She quickly excused herself and made a mad dash in the direction she hoped she’d find the bathroom. She gripped the sides of the sink, tears streaming down her face. All it took was a lock of blonde hair and she couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe.
She barely registered the door opening and gasped when she saw Caroline standing next to her. Blatant shock registered on her friend’s face.
“Izzy, honey, what’s wrong?”
Izzy wanted to be strong and resolute, but she fell against Caroline’s shoulder. “He cheated on me.” The words that had silently taunted her over and over for the past several weeks hurt even more when they were finally spoken aloud. “H-he w-went out with his b-brother a-and he kissed some other g-g-girl.”
Caroline’s hands ran up and down her back as she made soft, soothing noises. Once Izzy had finally calmed down, her friend leaned back and caught her eye. “I knew something was wrong as soon as I saw you. Iz, honey, why didn’t you call me?”
She sniffled and lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know.” But once she started speaking her heartache out loud, she couldn’t stop. “I’ve felt so alone for so long. Tanner is always working, and I can’t just leave the kids with his parents all the time to go have coffee or go shopping or anything we used to do. I just couldn’t burden them like that. And then I just seemed to have lost touch with everyone and…” Her voice broke off on a hiccup. “A-And he cheated on me.”
“Are you okay to drive home?”
Izzy nodded and sniffled some more. “Yeah, but Caroline, how am I going to go back out there? They will all see my face and know I was crying and—”
“And I will give them your deepest apologies and explain you’ve got an awful stomach bug and need to get home as soon as possible. When you get home, you are going to send me a message that you’re okay. And then tomorrow at one, you’re going to come to this address in comfortable clothes.” She pulled a business card from the pocket of her khaki capris and slid it into Izzy’s palm, grasping both of her hands.
“Thank you,” Izzy whispered softly. She quickly escaped the bathroom and the studio, letting her chocolate brown hair create a curtain to shield her from anyone’s inquiring gaze. As she opened the door and stepped into the muggy summer air, she could hear Caroline’s voice launching into the story and she couldn’t help but smile.
She pulled the SUV into the garage and sighed as she threw it in park. Her head hit the back of the seat and she pulled the business card from the cup holder where she had tossed it when she fled the studio.
Balance Yoga was printed across the front of the cream-colored card in a dark maroon script. Caroline Thompson, Instructor was written in block letters below.
A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Maybe Mike and Tracy wouldn’t mind babysitting tomorrow afternoon. Just this once.
***
“Whose brilliant idea was this whole high school history teacher thing anyway?” Izzy muttered to herself as she climbed the stairs to the apartment. “And why did Tanner think a walk-up was a good idea?”
After five months of full-time teaching, the career path she had chosen so carefully in high school didn’t feel as right as it once did. She was miserable, the students never listened, and she couldn’t speak a word of it to Tanner. He’d want to swoop in and fix it all and probably remind her she didn’t even need to work in the first place.
As though that would actually happen.
She flicked the sleeve of her winter coat back and glanced at the thin silver watch. Even with staying late to get the kids on the correct buses—and that really was an absurd job to require in high school—she was home long enough before Tanner to squeeze in a relaxing bath.
Or maybe not.
She barely had time to close the door behind her before she found herself pushed against it, with Tanner’s hot mouth covering hers. Any and all thoughts of complaining fled Izzy’s mind as her purse and tote bag slid from her shoulder and onto the floor. Her hands locked behind his neck, and an involuntary moan escaped her lips.
Several long minutes later, he finally pulled his head back. “You’re late.”
Izzy sucked in several deep breaths. “I had bus duty.”
Tanner chuckled and nuzzled her neck. “High school kids are old enough to get on the damn bus by themselves.”
She captured her bottom lip between her teeth, her hands falling to her sides as Tanner slid her coat off her shoulders. “I know, baby, but what are you doing home this early?”
He lifted his head and offered the smirk that never failed to make her weak in the knees. “Well, sweetheart, if I need to tell you what I’m doing, I guess I’m not doing it right.” Tanner hooked an arm beneath her legs and easily held her against his chest.
Izzy squeaked and planted a soft kiss on his neck. She toed her ballet flats off as he carried her through the living room. “Mmm, maybe I need just a small example to make sure we are on the same page.”
His chest rumbled with laughter and she felt the vibration all the way to her feet. He gently lowered her to the ground beside the bed and cupped her cheek. The look in his eyes stole every molecule of air from her lungs. Time stood still as she stared into the sapphire pools that radiated more love than she’d ever seen. “Tanner?”
He leaned his head down and brushed his lips across hers softly. Reverentially. “I love you, Belle,” he whispered against her lips before deepening the kiss. “So much.”
Tanner peeled her purple shift dress over her head and stared at her. She had a sudden burst of self-consciousness, clad in only black satin bra and panties as his eyes slowly roamed from her face down to her feet and back up. A blaze of heat radiated through her body that followed their path.
She slid her hands under his Henley shirt and pulled him closer. “I love you too, baby.” The corners of her mouth quirked up. “I think you’re wearing too many clothes.”
Faster than she imagined, his arms crossed over his front and he threw the shirt across the room. But he didn’t return her smile. His eyes continued to bore holes through her, and a moment’s concern swept over her. Before she could question him, he lifted her in his arms again and lowered her onto the mattress.
The words of worry died on her lips when his jeans joined the shirt on the floor and he hovered over her on his elbows. He rocked against her, barely touching her, but she still gasped at the power of his need. His mouth worshipped her body, slowly taking the last remnants of her clothing with him as he went.
His soft facial hair tickled the inside of her thighs, and she felt like she would melt into a puddle. His tongue ran a scorching path, dipping deep inside for far too brief a moment, and she was certain she would die from pleasure.
Two fingers joined his tongue and Izzy looked down, shocked to lock her eyes with his. Every single time with Tanner felt special in its own way, but as she forced her gaze to stay fixed while she screamed her ecstasy combined with his name, she felt closer to him than ever before.
Her body still trembling, she reached down to pull him back up, face to face with her again. “Tanner.” Her voice shook as she spoke his name. She searched her mind for the words she wanted to say, but she could only think of one thing. She rolled her hips against him. “I need you, baby.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed once. Twice. In what seemed like a single movement, he slid his boxers off and entered her with such tenderness moisture collected in the corners of her eyes. Izzy trailed her fingers up his arms, shoulders, and into his hair as she tugged his lips down to join with hers.
Several long, smooth strokes later, he groaned his love for her once more against her mouth just as she lost all ability to think or speak.
Tanner fell back against the pillows, pulling her tightly against his left side and tucked her head on his chest beneath his chin. Some of her earlier questions began to bubble to the surface again. Today felt so different than every other time they had made love. And she couldn’t imagine a good reason for Tanner to be home this early.
But then she felt his jaw clench and unclench several times and her stomach turned. Tanner was nervous. Frustrated. Or mad.
She propped her chin on his chest. “What’s wrong, Tanner?” She offered a strangled laugh. “Are you hungry?”
“You try every ounce of my patience.”
Izzy was certain she stopped breathing. “Wh-what?” She scrambled to sit up and tug the blanket up to cover her, tucking it under her arms. Why did this always seem to happen when she was naked?
Tanner sat on the bed, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I tried to wait to meet you, but I couldn’t. I tried to wait to kiss you, but I couldn’t.” He turned away to retrieve something from the nightstand before facing her again. “And I tried like hell to wait until I pulled together something big, something special, something romantic.”
Her mind raced trying to keep up with everything he was saying. It certainly didn’t sound like he was breaking up with her, but… “Wait for what?”
He opened a small, maroon box and held it out to her. The round center diamond caught her attention immediately. Tears forming in her eyes made the pavé set diamond crossover and white gold band blur. When she finally met his gaze, the question and uncertainty she saw reflected there left her speechless.
“Belle, I love you more than I thought it was possible to love anyone. You’re smart, strong, and you’re from New York so I know you can take care of yourself.” The corners of his eyes crinkled with his smile. “I love when you try to negotiate with me. And more than anything, I love that we have just as much fun lying on the couch reading in total silence as we do screaming our lungs out at a football game.” He grabbed her hand and held it tightly. “Sweetheart, will you marry me?”
She launched herself into his arms, sobbing into his neck.
Just like always, Tanner held her close. Just like always, Tanner stroked his hand down her hair and offered soothing sounds while she cried. And just like always, Izzy knew that in his arms was the only place she wanted to be.
When her tears finally slowed, he kissed the crown of her head. “Sweetheart, you’re making me nervous.”
With a gasp, Izzy pulled back and clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, Tanner, baby, I-I’m…yes! Yes, of course I’ll marry you.”
He chuckled and pulled her hand from her mouth. He kissed the third finger on her left hand before sliding the ring on.
Izzy gripped the back of his neck and kissed him deeply. “I love you,” she whispered against his lips as she pushed him back on the bed. Dinner could wait just a little longer.