Be with Me (Return to Haven 2)

al for the restaurant.”

For the past four nights Melanie had stayed at his house. He hadn’t spoken about or questioned the obvious. If she was content staying, he was more than eager to share his space with her. He hadn’t known where she was going this morning when he’d gotten dressed and left. She’d just been waking up and he’d made her a cup of coffee and some toast. He’d discovered she had a little queasiness in the mornings, so he tried to make things as simple as possible for her.

He also wasn’t going to ask about her plans or try to keep tabs on her. That she felt safe at his place was more than he’d hoped for at this stage. Even though he’d known her for several months, this past eight weeks had snowballed into a relationship he hadn’t been ready for. But he was damn glad they were at this point.

And so far, she was healthy. The nausea was normal, though he hated that she felt bad. But he’d take normal, because that meant things were progressing as they should. Now if he could just keep his anxiety at bay during the duration of this pregnancy.

“Dude.” Jax snapped his fingers. “You with me?”

Tanner nodded. “Yeah. I’ll take Piper. We can do something this afternoon.”

“You got any DIY projects?” she asked.

Jax laughed. “She’s been watching HGTV like it’s her job.”

Tanner instantly thought about the rocker in his garage. Would Melanie even like something old and refurbished? She’d never indicated otherwise, but part of him knew she’d probably gotten used to that high-society lifestyle. Even though she’d hated her marriage, had she enjoyed the finer things that her money could buy?

Perhaps not. She did, after all, trade out her stylish SUV for a very well-used car.

“I actually do have something we can work on,” Tanner stated, earning him a wide smile from his favorite five-year-old. “You’ll need old clothes.”

“What she’s wearing is fine.” Jax flipped the log and jotted down more information for the upcoming flights. “I should be done around eight this evening, but as soon as Livie is back, I’ll have her stop by your house and pick Piper up. She mentioned running one more errand once the flooring trip was done. My student needs to get in a couple hours of dusk-to-dark flying.”

“I can keep her busy that long.” Tanner yanked on one curly blond ponytail. “You ready to go now?”

“Grab the booster out of the back of my truck,” Jax told him.

Piper bobbed her head and grabbed her little blue purse from the counter. “Ready!”

When she slid her hand in his, Tanner’s heart lurched. Oh, he’d held her hand and carried her plenty of times over the course of her five years, but knowing he was going to be doing this with his own child had him realizing just how precious these moments were.

“Do you like my new purse?” Piper asked as they headed toward his truck. “Mom bought it for me the other day. She said it matched my eyes.”

Mom. He absolutely loved that Jax had found someone to love him and Piper so much that she flawlessly fit right into their little family. Piper had never known her birth mother. Jax’s ex took off so soon after Piper was born. The woman was selfish, but in hindsight it was the best move, because Jax and Piper deserved so much better.

Tanner grabbed her purple booster seat and carried it to his truck. Once he had it in place, he lifted her up and settled her in. “Buckle up, Pip. We’re going for ice cream first.”

“You’re my favorite uncle ever!”

Tanner kissed her on the nose. “Make sure to tell that to your Uncle Cash.”

She only giggled as he closed the door. Tanner headed toward town, listening to Piper chatter about school and her friends. Then she went into how her teacher had yellow hair and wore black glasses and cool shoes.

“You like kindergarten, then?”

“It’s the best grade I’ve ever been in,” she declared.

Considering she’d only done one year of preschool, she hadn’t much experience. But her eagerness was adorable. Tanner actually had hated school. He and Cash and Jax had been too eager to get out and join the air force. Jax and Cash had been in love with their girlfriends at the time of graduation, which nearly stopped them from enlisting, but Tanner had been ready.

When he’d been home on leave he’d fallen in love, and his life had spiraled into heartache he’d barely recovered from. Throwing himself into the military had been his only way of coping at the time.

“Can I call Melanie Aunt Mel?”

Piper’s question completely pulled him from his thoughts. “Well, I guess that’s up to her.”

“Are you excited to be a daddy? I think you’ll be a great dad.”

“I appreciate that, squirt. I am excited.”