Twenty-Four
Tanner
Chestnut eyes sparkled up at Tanner. “I win.”
In spite of the throngs of people moving around them and Ava and Noah standing between them, every muscle in his body tightened at the seductive tone. He loved when she negotiated deals with him, even more when she got her way because damn she was cute when she gloated.
She put a hand on his shoulder and raised herself up on her toes. The whisper of her breath against his ear sent shivers down his spine. “I get to choose. When, where, and how.”
Well, hell.
He could do little more than trail behind as Belle led the kids away to the funnel cake stand, trying to reign in his body’s reaction to the greedy little vixen swinging her hips in front of him.
Tanner hadn’t realized just how much he’d missed her playful nature until it showed back up in his life. He knew with certainty it had been much more than a few minutes in the arms of another woman that caused it all to disappear. Long hours at work, more business trips than were actually necessary, and completely screwed-up priorities were all to blame.
But now that he saw it all with such devastating clarity, there was no way in hell he’d ever take this, take them, for granted again.
He moved close behind Belle where she stood placing the order, pressing against her back and sliding money across the counter. He bent down so only she would hear his words and feel his desire. “I do love your ideas, sweetheart.”
Tanner heard the sharp intake of breath and a grin spread across his face. Who knew flirting with his wife could be so much fun?
Just then, a hand fell on his shoulder, and he spun around to meet a pair of blue eyes identical to his. “Wyatt? What the hell are you doing here?”
His brother managed to lean his head back and offer a deep chuckle without dislodging the tan cowboy hat perched on his head. The perfect finishing touch to Wyatt’s uniform of a button down western shirt, slightly tighter than necessary Levi’s and scuffed boots.
“It’s nearly the Fourth of July, brother. You know I’d never miss competing in my hometown.”
Tanner’s jaw immediately clenched when he heard an excited squeak behind him. “Wyatt!” Belle wrapped her arms around his brother’s neck, stirring his jealousy. “Oh, it is so good to see you.”
Wyatt grinned and pulled back slightly. “I missed you too, Iz.”
As irrational as it felt, the words stung. Had he said that to Belle when he’d come home from business trips? Had he ever told her how empty his arms would feel when he laid in a hotel room without her by his side? His stomach turned. It felt like the more he tried to fix things, the more his shortcomings came into focus, and dammit all to hell, he hated failing.
He cleared his throat and pulled Belle from his brother’s arms, fitting her back against his chest and holding her tightly around the waist. “Get your own girl, asshole.” He intended the words playfully, but he couldn’t help the slight bite that accompanied them.
Wyatt held his hands up, palms forward, and took a step back. He threw Ava and Noah a wink and grin, the adoring gazes they graced their uncle with only furthering Tanner’s irritation. “I’ll catch you two cowpokes tomorrow at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.” He exaggerated his drawl to a degree that made Tanner roll his eyes before touching the brim of his hat and tipping it at Belle. “Evenin’, Izzy.”
The light tinkle of laughter from Belle at his brother’s overt flirting caused Tanner’s nostrils to flare. It was nothing new; Wyatt had been doing the same thing since the first time he’d brought Belle home to meet his family, but this time was different. Their relationship was still too fragile, too recently rebuilt. And it pissed him the hell off to see any other man lay eyes on his Belle, much less his selfish, conceited brother—
A soft hand on the back of his neck pulled him from his thoughts, and he looked down to see Belle had turned in his arms and was facing him. “You’re really sexy when you’re jealous, but…Wyatt? Really?” Her eyes darted down to the kids standing beside them before pinning him with a lusty stare and quirking a brow. “I think they’re ready to go home and go to bed, don’t you?”
He had no clue about Ava and Noah, but he knew for damn sure he was ready to find out what was going through her mind and what plans lay hidden behind her smile. Her hand slid down his arm and her fingers laced through his.
His mind couldn’t stop contemplating all the options during the drive home and as she climbed the stairs to tuck in two exhausted children. She had always loved showering with him. And more than once they’d been unable to make it beyond the couch when watching a movie. What could his sweet little Belle have up her sleeves tonight?
Tanner decided to brew a cup of Belle’s favorite chocolate mint tea while he waited. She’d love that. She loved all the little things he’d been forgetting to do so much more than any grand gesture.
“Hey there, handsome.”
Three words. Twelve years together, eight of them married, two kids and yet all it took was three words falling from her lips to make Tanner forget his own name. “H-hey yourself.” Did he just stutter?
He leaned his back against the counter and braced his hands on either side. He was calm and nonchalant. He certainly wasn’t dying of anticipation.
Belle glided across the room until she stood in front of him with a small smile. Her hands wound around his waist and under his shirt. “I don’t think you’re gonna need this.” She grasped the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head.
Tanner’s eyebrows shot up. “Here? Now?”
She planted a soft kiss in the middle of his chest and nodded. “Here. Now.”
Before his mind could catch up, her hands dropped to his waistband and began unbuttoning his shorts. The hissing of the zipper pulled the air from his lungs. When she fell to her knees in front of him, he was fairly certain his heart stopped beating.
His grip tightened on the edge of the counter. “Belle, I…you…dammit all to hell. Sweetheart, you don’t have to do this.”
She licked her lips and looked up at him. “But I want to, Tanner. So much. I miss the taste of you.”
Her tongue created a hot path, touching every inch and making his heart pound out of his chest. When her mouth encircled him, his knees started to buckle and the edge of the counter bit into his palm. Her hand held him tightly, meeting her lips with each devastating stroke.
Belle locked her eyes with his as she moved. Her pupils were dilated and ablaze with desire.
How could he have forgotten how soft her lips were, how hot her mouth was, and just how damn good she was at swirling her tongue around him and making his heart forget how to beat?
He wanted to whisper his love. He wanted to tell her he hadn’t even realized how much he’d missed their connection until he felt it again. He wanted to drag her up by her shoulders and bury himself deep inside of her until she screamed his name.
But he was helpless to do more than throw his head back and groan with the last flick of her tongue.
Several minutes ticked by before his breathing evened and he found the strength to open his eyes.
She offered a Cheshire cat grin, still positioned at his feet. “I do so love negotiating with you.”
***
Thirty hours they’d been in the hospital. Tanner’s parents had peeled him from her side yesterday just long enough to go home for a quick shower and change of clothes. He packed a bag while he was there to bring back, determined not to have a reason to leave again.
Belle’s long dark lashes rested against pale cheeks. She’d had three doses of the medication that was supposed to help the twins’ lungs develop enough to be delivered and each time she’d been violently ill. When he thought his heart couldn’t possibly hurt anymore, another wave of nausea would hit and he’d sit beside her in the bathroom, helpless to do anything other than rub her back.
He did little more than move his gaze back and forth from her sleeping face to the monitors beeping at her side. The babies were stable. Belle was stable. The contractions had slowed a lot but not stopped.
The new doctor, a younger and kinder doctor, who had taken over when Dr. MacMillan’s shift ended, entered the room and Tanner reached over to squeeze Belle’s hand. “Hey, sweetheart, Dr. Cook is here.”
The woman took a seat on the foot of Belle’s hospital bed and laid a hand on Belle’s blanket-covered leg. “How is Mom feeling today?”
Belle’s face brightened, and Tanner felt an overwhelming desire to send the doctor a huge bouquet of flowers simply for making his wife happy. “I’m good unless you tell me I need another round of those steroids.”
Chuckling, Dr. Cook shook her head. “No. No more medication.” Her features sobered. “But you know we haven’t been able to completely stop the contractions. And even though your babies are stable right now, I don’t think it’s in their best interest or yours to wait any longer. I had them hold your breakfast this morning so we could take you down for a Caesarean section today.”
Belle’s grip on his hand tightened painfully. Her eyes widened and Tanner could see the tears collecting in the corners. “But they are eight weeks early.”
Dr. Cook nodded and tucked a stray piece of her short brown hair behind her ear. “Yes, and they will need to be in the NICU for a period of time once they are born, but we’ve come to a place where we can do more for them on the outside than the inside.”
Her gaze flew from the doctor to Tanner’s. “But Tanner can be there, right?”
“Damn straight I’ll be there,” he answered, before the doctor could speak. No force was strong enough to stop him. His wife needed him. His kids needed him. He’d never let them down.
The doctor pinned him with an irritated gaze before smiling at Belle. “Yes, he can be there during the surgery.”
The phone encased at his hip rang out an alert just at that moment. After a cursory glance at the screen, he squeezed Belle’s hand once more before standing. “That’s them. I’ll be right back, sweetheart.” He kissed her forehead and nodded a silent farewell to the doctor.
He jogged over to the elevators and repeatedly tapped the down arrow. As soon as the doors opened, Tanner punched the G button and crossed his arms as the elevator lowered him to the ground floor. His parents were huddled just to the right.
He had debated calling Belle’s parents the night they came to the hospital, but fear of the stress her family would cause made him dial his parents instead. Within minutes they were there, waiting in the wings until Belle was ready for visitors. He’d never felt more grateful for their unquestioning support or the love they showered on Belle. She’d practically dissolved into his mother’s arms the second she crossed the threshold.
Tracy’s eyes were filled with concern. “How is she today, son?”
“Tired, hungry, sick, and getting ready for surgery it sounds like.” He closed his eyes and let his shoulders drop, reality sinking in as he spoke the words out loud.
Needing no further information, his mother marched resolutely to the elevators, sparing them little more than a backwards glance. “Well, come on then.”
By the time they reached her room, the doctor had left. Belle looked so small, so desolate in the hospital bed it made Tanner’s heart drop to the floor. He crossed the room to drop a soft kiss on her lips. “Hey, sweetheart, told you I’d be right back.”
Her eyes were filled with fear, but a small smile curved her lips. “Our babies are going to be here today.”
He matched her smile with his own and took a seat on the bed beside her. “Yeah, they are. And they will be as strong and as smart as their mama.”
Her eyes fell on his parents, hovering just inside the doorway, her bravery not faltering in the slightest. “I hope you guys are ready to be grandparents because they will be back in an hour to take us down.”
She lifted a hand to grip the one Tanner held against her cheek. “You stay with them, okay? When they take them to the NICU and evaluate them and everything. You stay with them.”
“But sweetheart…”
Belle shook her head, cutting off any further argument from him. “I’ll be fine but I won’t be able to see them right away.” Tears began to fill her eyes again and her voice shook. “Baby, I need you to stay with them.”
His instinct was to never leave her side. He’d promised her that more than once. But he could never refuse her anything. And if he wasn’t with the twins, she would be worried. A war raged inside him at the very idea of walking away from his wife while she lay on the operating room table.
Before he could answer, a hand landed on his shoulder. “It’s okay, Tanner. I’ll wait right outside the door for Izzy.”
Belle nodded and squeezed his hand. “See, baby, I’ll be fine.”
He wanted to fight it, every cell in his body screamed that it was the exact opposite of what he should do, but then a smiling nurse in light blue scrubs entered the room. “We’re going to get you ready to head downstairs and meet your babies, Mrs. Carlisle!”
Tanner followed behind, only half hearing the chattering nurse’s instructions on where he could change into scrubs and what he needed to do next. His stomach churned. He didn’t want to leave Belle.
He couldn’t shake the feeling this would be the biggest mistake of his life.