Be with Me (Return to Haven 2)

“What are Jax and Piper doing tonight?” Melanie asked.

Livie’s smile widened as it always did when discussing her fiancé and his sweet little girl. “They’re actually planning something for the wedding. They’ve been working on some secret project that’s driving me crazy.”

“That’s because you don’t have control,” Jade chimed in. “But seriously, that’s adorable. Piper is so damn cute, she’s going to look precious in that pale blue dress you chose.”

“I had to pick her favorite color.”

Melanie groaned. “Oh, no. I’m going to have to order another size in my dress unless you two hurry up and marry soon.”

Livie reached out, placing her hand on Melanie’s arm. “Don’t stress right now. We’ll fit the wedding in before the end of the year . . . I hope. Things just keep getting pushed back because we’re so focused on this airport and we want it up and running as soon as we can to start getting a return on our investments.”

“Yeah, well, I’m already six weeks pregnant,” Melanie complained. “What if my waist is gone by the time you all decide to seal the deal? What if I can’t get my dress zipped?”

Flashes of a young girl who cried herself to sleep over ill-fitting clothes and excess weight hit her hard. Damn it. She’d pushed that girl with low self-esteem behind her, too. The body shaming, the guilt and depression, all of that had been erased.

Well, she’d thought she’d pushed that negative Nancy behind her, but occasionally she still popped up. She’d lived inside that body for so long, there was no way to completely erase her. Perhaps that was a good thing, to keep Melanie reminded of where she’d come from and how far she’d come, all on her own.

“You’ll be beautiful no matter what,” Jade stated. “Maybe Livie and Jax will hurry to the altar, or living room, or wherever the hell they decide on, a little sooner. This might just give Livie the motivation to move things along.”

“I’m ready to marry,” Livie declared. “I swear. We’ve just been so damn busy with all the demolition and surveys and the little things we didn’t think of when taking on this vast project. I swear, if your dress doesn’t fit, I’ll personally buy you another one.”

Melanie slid her hand over her belly, trying to imagine the life growing inside her right now. “This is insane,” she whispered. “I mean, I’m excited, but if I think too much on it I get nervous.”

“So is now a good time to tell the story of the guy who hit on me and wanted me to come for dinner at his house for frozen pizza? Because I promise, the story gets worse. He also threw in reruns of Seinfeld like that would win me over.”

Jade’s question had Melanie and Livie laughing. “Now is the perfect time,”

Melanie said. “I may need you to also add in those nightmare blind-date stories you have, because I seriously need the distraction.”

Jade blew out a breath. “Then you might want to have a seat because those blind-date-from-hell stories can go on for days.”

* * *

Tanner ducked just in time to avoid a fist to the side of his face.

He let out a laugh, even though he was trying to get in a deep breath and bounce around on the balls of his feet. “You’re getting slow, old man.”

Tanner ducked again as he shifted out of the way of another fist. He held his gloves firmly in defensive position. Sweat trickled down the side of his face. He swiped at his forehead with the back of his arm as he eyed his opponent.

Cash laughed as he went for another jab. “Old man, my ass.”

Tanner spun around, catching just the air from the punch. “Nice try.”

Breathing heavily, Tanner leaned back on the ropes and pulled in some much needed air. He also took a moment to survey the weight area off in the corner. Cash had said the two guys he wanted Tanner to check up on were usually at the gym late at night.

With twenty-four-hour access to members only, that could mean any time. Any member with the access code could get in. If the two guys didn’t show after a while, Tanner would get the tapes from the cameras in the parking lot and main area of the gym to get a good view of exactly who he was supposed to be looking for.

“They’re not here yet.” Cash came over to the ropes and draped his forearms over the top. “They’re pretty regular, so they should be here within the next thirty minutes.”

Tanner jerked his boxing gloves off and reached for the bottle of water in the corner of the ring. He took a hearty drink, welcoming the chill. He and Cash had gone at it for a while, which was exactly what Tanner needed.

Ever since learning he was going to be a daddy—again—he’d been a damn mess. His emotions ranged from terrified, to anxious, back to holy shit mode.

Flashes of what seemed like a lifetime ago kept scrolling through his mind. Another woman, another baby. Both gone.

Not only had Tanner never wanted to get involved long-term with someone, he sure as hell hadn’t wanted to go through another pregnancy. He’d had to hold himself in check when Melanie had been at his house. The woman looked as nervous and scared as he’d felt. She’d been through her own personal hell and he damn well was going to be strong for her . . . no matter the cost to his own sanity.

That dark moment in his life years ago had never left him. He’d wondered about what might have been, or how his life would be now had his fiancée and child lived. But here he was, starting this all over again, and once again, the control was not in his possession.