Be with Me (Return to Haven 2)

“I can hear her, you know.” Tanner chuckled. “She’s not exactly quiet.”

“Tell him to kiss my ass,” Jade stated.

Melanie rolled her eyes and leaned her elbow on the console. “I’m not relaying that message.”

“Already heard it,” Tanner countered.

“Listen,” Melanie said, getting back on topic. “I’ll be home later tonight. I forgot to charge my laptop, so can you go into the office and do that for me? I have some work to do when I get back.”

“A new blog post? Let me do it.”

“We’ve discussed this. You can do it, but I’ll need to oversee and schedule.”

“You’re no fun,” Jade complained. “I just want to take over for a week. Your followers would love me.”

“I’m sure they would,” Melanie agreed with a laugh. “I feel bad you’re home alone on Thanksgiving.”

“Don’t feel bad for me. I’ve got a new bottle of rosé that I drove two towns over to get because I needed something with an actual cork, plus I have a whole new series on Netflix I’m about to binge-watch. It’s a great day. Besides, Brad may come over for a bit.”

Brad . . . some guy Melanie had yet to meet, but apparently Cash didn’t like him. Who knew what was going on there.

“I’ll bring you some food back,” Melanie promised.

“I’m fine, really. Go enjoy meeting the mother and getting your new little family in order.”

“It’s not like that,” Melanie stated.

Tanner’s hands gripped the wheel tighter as his lips thinned. She immediately regretted her words, but she wasn’t sure what to say. Yes, she was meeting his mom, but it wasn’t like she and Tanner were ready to pick out china patterns or get monogrammed towels.

“Maybe not yet, but it will be.” Jade paused for a second and then lowered her tone. “Mel, he’s good for you. Don’t find reasons to dismiss him.”

Melanie continued to stare at his profile. She’d spent the night in his bed. They’d made love twice last night and once this morning in the shower before he’d taken her back home to change her clothes. Jade had been out for her morning run, so the walk of shame had gone unnoticed.

Tanner put her needs first at all times. Not just in bed, but constantly asking about her, making sure she was comfortable, asking how she felt or if she needed anything. The man was 100 percent not what she was used to.

“I’ll talk to you later,” Melanie said. “Don’t forget my computer.”

“I’m on it.”

She disconnected the call and couldn’t help the overwhelming sensation of awkward tension. Talking on a cell phone was never private. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind Tanner heard everything.

“Do you get home often?” she asked, trying to push through the silence.

“Not as often as my mother would like. But she and my stepdad travel quite a bit.”

“She doesn’t know about the baby, does she?”

Tanner shook his head. “I didn’t want to tell her over the phone. I’d like to think this will be exciting for her, but truth be told, she may have difficulty taking the news.”

Melanie shifted in her seat, sliding her purse from her lap to the floor and dropping her cell inside. “Because she doesn’t know me?”

Tanner swallowed and stared out at the stretch of road ahead. Melanie waited, watched, but he said nothing.

“Tanner?”

“I should’ve told you before now.” He glanced in the side mirror and switched lanes to pass a truck. “Damn it. I just didn’t want to talk about it at all, but you need to know something.”

Dread curled low in her belly. “You’re scaring me.”