Tanner
She’s nervous just sitting in a car with me.
Tanner called himself every colorful name he could think of and then created a few new ones simply because he deserved it. Belle had been fidgeting with the hem of her white lace tank top the entire ride. As much as he wanted to be hurt or irritated, there was not one part of him that could blame her.
But as soon as he took the downtown Winston-Salem exit, Belle sat up a little more in her seat and her hands suddenly stilled. Her eyes widened and she turned to face him. “Tanner, are we…”
He couldn’t tell if she was excited at the idea of going back to WFU or disappointed. Shit. He really didn’t need to screw up their first date. Well, their first date after his epic failure. “Yeah, we’re going back to school.” He managed a small smile. “Happy?”
A huge smile spread across Belle’s face, and she fixed her eyes on the road in front of them. Before she turned her head away, he caught the sparkle in her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. The first date wasn’t going to fall apart before it started.
“Happy? This is great! Tanner, we haven’t been back in three years.” As soon as the words left her mouth, her expression fell. “You’ve been too busy to go to games anymore.”
He opened his mouth to argue. There was no way it had been three years.
When they were dating, Belle had transformed into a bigger football fan than him, and not just because he was on the team. Ever since they graduated, they had gone to as many of the home football games as possible, and five years ago they started buying season tickets. She even wore face paint and ridiculous faux hair hats. Yeah, he was busy last year, but they went the year before. Didn’t they?
Dammit all to hell. She was right.
“I’m sorry, sweet—” He caught himself and covered the endearment with an awkward cough. “I’m sorry.”
Belle lifted her shoulder in a half-shrug and looked out the passenger’s window. When he took a right and the entrance came in view, she let out a small sigh. “I’ve missed this place.” She said the words so softly, he wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or herself.
He lifted a hand in greeting to the security guard as they drove through the gate. He kept a light smile on his face, but his mind raced. The words kept repeating over and over in his head. You’ve been too busy. Shit, shit, shit. Maybe he had more to make up for than he’d ever thought.
Tanner shook his head and threw his truck in park. He needed to stay focused. Focused on their date and completely focused on Belle. He hopped out of the truck and rounded the front as fast as he could to reach her door before she could exit on her own.
A small smile tugged at her mouth as he offered his hand to help her climb down. She bit down on her lower lip and slid her hand into his. “Thanks, Tanner.”
Instead of releasing her hand when her feet hit the ground, Tanner intertwined their fingers and felt gratified to have even the small contact with Belle. When was the last time they simply held hands? Heat that had nothing to do with the June sun began to creep up his neck. He couldn’t remember. That was pretty damn embarrassing.
Belle turned her head and her smile grew as she realized where they were going. “The quad by Trib Hall?” When he only nodded in response, she let out a happy sigh. “My favorite place on campus.”
Damn, he loved that smile. “It is? I never knew that.” He was ashamed to admit it out loud. Twelve years together, four of them spent right on this campus, and he never knew it was her favorite spot.
And then she laughed. Tanner felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. It had only been a few days, but it felt like years since he heard her laugh. “Of course it is. It’s where we met.”
“Well,” he began, pointedly ignoring her sharp intake of breath as they rounded the same tree trunk where he had spent several days of his junior year positioning himself to gain her attention, “there may be a few details about that you don’t know.”
He had called in a favor with an old professor to get on campus over summer break, then given his youngest brother, Dean, detailed instructions on exactly how to set everything up. When he saw the red checkered cloth spread on the ground and the food laid out to precision, he breathed a sigh of relief. Even Belle’s favorite purple gerbera daisies were laid in the middle of the cloth.
She released his hand and dropped to her knees, bringing the bouquet close to her nose and inhaling deeply. She looked at the small sandwiches, fruit, and cheese with a mixture of hunger and awe. “I have no idea how you managed this, but I love it.”
Tanner took a seat beside her before his knees buckled under him at the sight of her light brown eyes glowing. When was the last time he had done something special for her? “Some secrets are meant to be kept.”
The words left his mouth without a second thought, but when the look in her eyes changed, he realized what he said. And the memory of the first time they made love came rushing back. His body automatically responded by tightening as every kiss and touch flooded his mind. Belle bit her bottom lip and lifted a shaking hand to his cheek.
Tanner turned his head slightly and planted a warm kiss on her palm. As much as he wanted to do more, he pulled her hand from his cheek instead and held it clasped in his. Just like he did when they first started dating, he had no intention of rushing Belle into anything.
He cleared his throat. “But you get to hear one of those secrets right now.”
Storm clouds began to form behind her eyes, and he cursed himself again. Shit. She probably thought it was something bad.
“I sat here on purpose,” he spoke quickly, hoping to dispel the fear evident on her face. “The day we met? That wasn’t the first day I saw you.”
Belle squinted at him. “What do you mean?”
Tanner chuckled lightly and dared to take hold of her other hand. When she didn’t pull away, he slowly released the breath he had been holding. Hell, this is more nerve wracking than our real first date. “I saw you on the fourth day of school. I started sitting here as much as possible to try to get you to come over to me.”
Her eyebrows shot up, and after a brief pause she started laughing. “What? You did that on purpose? Why? And why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“I was used to girls coming up to me and I thought you would, eventually.” He dropped his gaze, a light flush staining his cheeks, and rubbed his thumbs across the backs of her hands. “But I didn’t want to wait any longer. I didn’t tell you because…” he shrugged, “…because once you were mine, that was all that mattered.”
They sat there for a long time in silence, just staring at each other and not finding a single reason to speak. Finally a small smile spread across her face. “So far, you’re pretty good at this, um, whole trial period thing.”
Tanner picked up a strawberry and held it up to her with a grin. “And you’re pretty damn perfect at this whole loving me thing.”
***
He gripped the square white box a little tighter in his hand and took a fortifying breath before turning the knob to go into Belle’s dorm. Well, their dorm really. He rarely slept anywhere else.
The wide grin he had on his face evaporated when he saw Belle sitting on her bed, forehead on her knees, sobbing. What the hell? He’d only been gone a few hours.
He threw the box on the desk and shot over to the bed, collecting her in his arms. “Belle, sweetheart, what’s wrong?”
She curled into his embrace and buried her face in his neck. She didn’t answer. As a hiccup broke free, Tanner wondered if she could even speak.
Rage started to build with his confusion. Whoever did this, whoever made his Belle cry, was in for some serious issues. With him. The most heartbreaking thing he’d ever seen was Belle falling apart in his arms. Someone was in for an ass kicking.
After what felt like hours of listening to her sob while he held her against his chest, she finally started to calm down. He stroked her hair softly and kissed her forehead. “Okay, sweetheart, now can you tell me what’s wrong?”
She sniffled and lifted her head from his red shirt, now sopping wet from her tears. His heart fractured at her swollen, red-rimmed eyes. “I-I talked to my dad. I told him. I-I told him about our apartment a-and that he wouldn’t h-h-have to pay for the single room next year because we were just going to keep it when school started again and…”
Her voice broke as another wave of tears began. Tanner tucked her head under his chin and pulled her closer. He ran his hand down her back and made soothing sounds, as much for himself as for her. He loved Belle with all his heart, and he was pretty sure driving to New York and punching her dad in the nose was not the most endearing thing he could do. He needed to get his anger under control.
“What’d he say, Belle?” he asked between clenched teeth, bracing himself for an answer he knew he wouldn’t like.
She shook her head against him. “I can’t tell you.”
Well, that was irritating. He shifted uncomfortably and adjusted her on his lap. She couldn’t tell him? What the hell was that supposed to mean? He wanted her to tell him everything. Bring him every problem. Let him take care of her. Didn’t she trust him?
Belle lifted a hand to his cheek and offered a watery smile. “Don’t think that.”
His brows knit together, and his mouth turned down. “Don’t think what?”
“Don’t think I don’t trust you.” She spoke his exact thought back to him. “I do, baby. But if I tell you, you’re going to try to fix it. Even if that means doing something crazy.” She planted a soft kiss on his lips. “And I love you for taking such good care of me, but this is something I have to fix on my own.”
Tanner cupped her cheek. “I promise I won’t do anything crazy, sweetheart. Just tell me.” He silently cursed her father ten ways from Sunday, not only for hurting her but for ruining the surprise he had. Asshole.
Belle took a deep breath. “My dad said if I don’t live on campus, if I move in with you, he isn’t going to pay for any of my college anymore. I-I have to try to get loans or financial aid or something. I never had to do that before and I don’t know where to start and I have to get something quick because I don’t want…” A single tear streaked down her cheek. “I don’t want to leave WFU, and I can’t leave you.”
He leaned his head down and slowly, gently, his lips moved against hers in a reverent kiss. “You’re not going anywhere, Belle. We’ll go to the financial aid office tomorrow and figure this out. I’m not letting you leave.”
He didn’t bother mentioning that he would work three jobs to pay her tuition, if that’s what it took. Hell, he’d borrow the entire damn thing from his dad and work for him for free for the next ten years if he had to. No way in hell he was letting his Belle leave or worry about it for another minute. He was Tanner Carlisle; he took care of the people he loved. And he loved her beyond all sense and reason.
“Speaking of not leaving,” he reached over the end of the bed and grabbed the small white box from the desk, not letting her move off his lap, “there’s something you need.”
Her eyes clouded with confusion and trepidation as she examined the small square. “What’s this?”
He grinned and kissed her. He would never get tired of the taste of her lips or the soft sounds she made when their mouths met. “The best way to find out is to open it, sweetheart.”
Belle frowned at the key and keychain inside the box. She pulled it out carefully and examined it. Her sharp intake of breath made his smile wider. “My heart has found its home.” She read the silver engraved bangle before lifting her eyes to his again.
“This is the key to our apartment, sweetheart.” He put a hand behind her head and tilted it to give her a deep kiss. He hoped she was as excited as he was, and he hoped to hell her father hadn’t ruined what they were building together.
She smiled softly, and his heart stopped beating at the sight. “You’re pretty good at this whole taking care of me thing.”
Tanner swallowed down the emotion clogging his throat. “And you’re damn near perfect at this whole loving me thing.”