She pressed a hand over the nervous flutters in her stomach and headed to the door, opening it to let Tanner inside. No sooner had he entered and shut the door behind him than he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulled her into him, and pressed his lips to hers.
She melted against him, all the objections and reasons she didn’t have time in her life for a man gone the minute his mouth came down on hers. His tongue thrust in and tangled with hers and she was lost in the way he kissed. They stood that way for who knew how long, her hands in his hair, his on her hips, their bodies rocking together until finally he came up for air.
“That was the pent-up frustration from thinking I might never hear from you again. Or find you in this huge city, Scarlett with no last name.”
She blew out a slow breath. “Umm, I’m sorry. But I mean it when I say my time is taken up with work. I can’t make promises–”
“And I don’t want any. I just want to go out today, okay? One day at a time.”
She pursed her lips, knowing she’d heard that before. It’s fine, Scarlett. I just want to see you when I can. I’ll be around when you’re free, Scarlett. And the truth was? She couldn’t even blame Brian for looking elsewhere.
But she wasn’t going to give up today with Tanner. She’d agreed to take today off, something she never ever did even on weekends. “Okay. So what’s the plan?”
His expression brightened at her question. “That’s a surprise. Are you ready?”
“Let me grab my bag.” She ran to her room, picked up her pocketbook, slung it over her shoulder, and returned to find him studying pictures on her bookshelf.
“Your family?” he asked, taking in the set on the shelf that was eye-level.
She nodded. “That’s my brother. He died when he was sixteen, and that’s my mom and dad.” She spoke quickly, hoping to bypass any painful conversation.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured in her ear. “Your mother doesn’t look happy in any of the pictures. Not even the more recent ones.”
She swallowed hard. “Mom suffers from severe depression. Major depressive disorder. She doesn’t really take part in life.” She swallowed past the lump in her throat.
“You’ve had it hard,” he said, pulling her against him.
“Doesn’t everyone in one way or another?”
“Good point. So ready to go?” he asked, obviously and abruptly changing subject, which told her he had rough parts of his own past he wasn’t looking for her to dig into.
“I am.” Turning her back on the pictures and her past, they walked out the door and she locked it behind her.
He called for an Uber as she excitedly bounced on her feet. “So where are we going?” she asked again.
“You don’t do surprises well, do you?” he asked with an indulgent grin.
“I don’t normally do birthdays.” That slipped out, but since she’d already revealed the truth about her mom, she figured she might as well tell him more.
“My mother wasn’t capable of remembering things, so I pretty much took care of myself. I mean, Dad worked during the day, and my brother needed me. It wasn’t easy for Dad to keep up with things like birthdays or holidays either, so we just didn’t. Except Hank. My brother. He remembered my birthday and I remembered his, even if it was a single cupcake with a candle.”
She grinned at the memory. “Shortly before he died, it was my birthday and he’d been working at a convenience store in a not-so-great area. But he saved and bought me the bracelet. Oh!” She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten the important item in the excitement of seeing Tanner again.
“Here,” he said in a gruff voice, putting his hand in his pocket and pulling out the bracelet. “I’m glad I found it for you.”
“Thanks.” She tucked it safely inside her purse. “I’ll get it fixed. I know it’s not real but it’s all I have left of him.”
Before Tanner could ask what happened, the Uber pulled into the circular drive of her apartment building, cutting off conversation. They climbed inside and the car drove to whatever destination Tanner had in mind. And the little girl inside Scarlett, who hadn’t had a birthday party that she could recall, was excited and knew that no matter what he had planned, it would be a day she always remembered.
* * *
Tanner now knew more about Scarlett than he’d imagined learning in such a short time. Given what he’d discovered, he was even more determined to give her a fun birthday. No child should be without a birthday celebration. Tanner’s dad had been a strict ass and borderline verbally abusive, letting Tanner know in no uncertain terms he’d never amount to anything. But his mom was the best.