Be with Me (Return to Haven 2)

“Do you need me to come with you?” Jade asked.

“Oh, no.” Melanie waved a hand in the air. “I’m fine. Stay as long as you like. I’ll likely already be in bed when you get home.”

Melanie bent down to give Piper a kiss on her head. “You are my new official marshmallow maker. Deal?”

Piper nodded, her lopsided pigtails bouncing. “Deal.”

Melanie said her goodbyes and headed through the backyard toward the side of the house where she’d parked. She adjusted her cardigan tighter around her as the nip in the air slid over her, replacing the warmth from the fire. Her hair around her shoulders helped, too.

She tended to keep her hair down unless she was working out. After being rigorously programmed for two long years to have it pulled back into a perfect style, she couldn’t help but embrace the small semblance of rebellion by leaving it untouched.

Melanie watched where she stepped as she made her way toward the front of the house. The lights out back and the porch light around front weren’t bright enough to shine into the side yard. She kept her head down to watch her steps on the little stone path leading toward the drive.

And that’s when she plowed straight into something hard. No, not something, someone.

Melanie squealed and stumbled as strong hands wrapped around her arms.

“Easy there.”

She knew that voice, knew that grip. Jerking her attention up, she landed on a soft smile. “Tanner. What are you doing here?”

He didn’t release her, but his hold eased. She couldn’t see much with the lack of lighting, but she was definitely close enough to see that grin, to inhale that familiar scent that she’d come to crave.

“I said I’d be here.”

“We just figured you weren’t coming since it was getting late.”

Damn it. That sounded like she’d been waiting on him. Hadn’t she already told herself that his schedule was none of her business? Just because she was having his baby didn’t give her full access to his life. Just like she didn’t necessarily want him having full access to her life.

“Sorry,” she quickly added. “You don’t owe me an explanation.”

“Don’t apologize to me. Ever.”

His commanding tone had her nodding. “Um . . . okay.”

“You’re allowed to ask me where I’ve been, Mel. I can’t always tell you, but other than certain aspects of work, I’m an open book.”

Maybe he was, but she wasn’t. There were too many things in her life she wasn’t proud of, too many things she’d worked damn hard to overcome . . . and she’d done just that. So, revisiting wasn’t necessarily high on her list.

In all honesty, Melanie didn’t want Tanner to be an open book, because someone like him would be too easy to slip into a comfortable stage with. And once she did that, he’d want to control things. Control her.

Melanie rubbed her head and stifled a yawn. “I was just heading home, but the rest of the gang is all back there. Olivia just took Piper in to put her to bed.”

Tanner’s brows drew in. “You look tired. Are you feeling alright?”

“Ironically, I am tired.” She dropped her hand and offered a smile. “No need to worry, though. I’ll just get some rest and be fine. Morning sickness hasn’t settled in yet, so maybe I’ll get lucky and dodge that side effect.”

Tanner reached out, framed her face, and stared down into her eyes. Why didn’t she back up or ease away from his touch? Why did such a simple gesture have to have such an impact on her every emotion?

“I’ll take you home.”

She couldn’t focus on the murmured words for the fact he was still touching her as if she were the most fragile thing in the world. Those strong hands held her still and Melanie was so tired, she nearly leaned forward and just let this moment be. Part of her wanted to take the comfort he offered, but the other part still clung to the strong, independent woman she’d become.

Hadn’t she prided herself on moving on? And she’d done a damn good job of it, too. Now faced with another man in her life, a man she hadn’t planned on being a permanent fixture, she couldn’t help but hone in on that sliver of apprehension that curled through her.

“Don’t push me away,” he commanded, as if he were in sync with her thoughts. “You don’t have to do this alone.”

Alone. She’d been alone for so long. Even when she’d been married, she hadn’t had a partner. This whole concept was so foreign to her, she had no idea how to wrap her mind around trying to work as a team. This was just the beginning of their long journey together. All she could do was take this one day at a time.