“I told you she’s annoying,” I whisper, and he grins as he places me on my feet.
“Hey, Jade,” he greets, and I turn to catch her roll her eyes at him before coming over to give him a hug. I stand back and watch them embrace, feeling hopeful that one day they might truly be friends, especially since the two of them mean the world to me. “How was the drive?”
“Beautiful,” Maisie says, giving him a hug and a pat on the cheek. “You have a beautiful home.”
“Thank you,” Tanner says softly as she lets him go.
“I thought Oregon was God’s country. Seems I was wrong.” Bernard gives him a handshake with one of those manly guy-hugs that includes a pat on the back. “Maisie and I might just have to talk to a real estate agent while we’re here.”
“Wait, you and Mom would actually consider moving here?” Jade cuts in, sounding horrified, and Maisie grabs her hand.
“Don’t worry; we’re not moving.” She shrugs. “Or at least not until Daddy retires in a couple of years.”
“But you love Oregon,” Jade says, looking between her parents.
“Who’s hungry?” Tanner asks, and I want to kiss him for his interruption. Jade has been having a hard enough time with me moving away. I don’t think she would be able to handle her parents even considering moving too.
“I’m starving,”
“You’re not feeling sick anymore?” Jade asks, and I feel all eyes come to me.
“You were feeling sick?” Tanner and Maisie ask at the same time.
“I’m fine—I just got carsick a couple of times on the drive.” I shrug off their concern. “I’m fine now.”
“Are you sure?” Bernard asks, his eyes scanning me in one quick glance.
“I’m sure.” I look up at Tanner when his hand grabs hold of mine, seeing worry in his gaze. “I promise I’m fine.”
With a nod, he pulls his eyes off me and looks to everyone. “I was thinking we could go to the Edge for dinner. They have good food and a covered patio, so we can eat outside.”
“That works,” Bernard says. “I just want to get all the bags unpacked before we head out so we won’t have to do it later.”
“I’ll help you.” Tanner lets my hand go with a squeeze before he follows Bernard out of the house. With the guys outside unpacking our suitcases, I show Jade and Maisie the two spare rooms with a Jack-and-Jill bathroom between them. When the guys come back in, we all agree to shower or freshen up before we head out to dinner.
Halfway through my shower, Tanner joins me, which means I get a welcome home that involves an orgasm, and we end up taking a little longer to join everyone, but thankfully, no one says anything. Not that I would have cared if they had.
Chapter 24
CYBIL
“Morning, sunshine.” Tanner’s warm lips press against my bare shoulder as his hand curves around my hip, and I turn toward him and burrow my face against his chest, trying to fight back the nausea that’s haunted me every morning since I got here.
“Morning.” I blink my eyes open and find that he’s dressed, in a T-shirt and a pair of cutoff sweats. “Did you already work out?”
“No, not yet, but I have something to show you before everyone else wakes up,” he says quietly against my ear, and a shiver runs down my spine as I tip my head back to meet his gaze.
“What is it?”
“You’ll see.” He smiles, kissing me softly. “Get dressed, and I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
“Okay,” I agree, watching him get out of bed; then his eyes roam over me, and he shakes his head.
“Have I told you how happy I am to have you home?”
Home . . . yes, I’m home, and that’s what it feels like being with him.
“You mentioned it.” I can’t help my smile, and he places his fists in the bed on either side of my hips.
“Well, I’m really fucking happy.” He kisses me swiftly once more, then orders “Get up, babe” before he leaves the room, giving me one last look.
I don’t get up immediately. It takes me a few minutes to summon enough energy to sit up, then a few more minutes to actually put my feet on the floor. By the time I do meet him in the kitchen, he’s got two tumblers filled with coffee and a smile on his face. “Where are we going?” I ask when he grabs a zip-up hoodie and then helps me into it.
“Do you trust me?”
“You know I do,” I say, and he gives me a look that makes me warm all over, zips up the sweatshirt, and kisses my nose.
“Good.” He gives me one of the coffees, takes my hand, and walks me out the back door, down the steps, and toward the big metal building behind his house. “Blake, Mav, and Dave helped me with this project when I got home.” He looks down at me and lets my hand go so that he can pull a key out of his pocket. “When Janet, Margret, and Cammy heard what we were doing, they wanted to add their touch, and this morning I finished setting up the last piece so I could finally show you.” My heart starts to pound as he opens the heavy metal door on the side of the shop, steps inside, and turns on the lights. I follow behind him, and my breath catches as I look around. The space is smaller than my shop back in Oregon, but it’s much nicer. Dark wood covers the floors, shelves with pretty floral wallpaper line one of the larger walls, photos I took on my trip here are on the smaller wall, and lots of empty cubbies fill the other side of the room, with a large sewing desk and chair in the middle. “I just wanted you to have a place to work, a space you could call your own.”