“I was worried that I’ll never be able to pay you back, Tor. You’ve already done so much for the girls and me—I can’t ask you for anything else.” Torren sighed, leaning in to kiss her forehead. He was always so gentle with her.
“You will never have to repay me, Tana. I don’t do anything for the three of you, expecting repayment. I do it because I’m in love with you—all of you.” Tana gasped, trying to step back from his hold, only to have his arms band tighter around her body.
“Don’t run from me—from us, honey. I’m not trying to rush you into feeling something that you don’t—I’m just being honest. I’ve never felt like this before. Hell, at first I wasn’t sure what I was feeling. But, having you and the girls with me at my house—I’m sure that I don’t ever want that to end.” Tana felt her warm tears on her cheeks and knew that it was now or never, but the words seemed to get stuck in her throat.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” the sales lady said. She was holding a long, white box, and Tana’s heart sank. It looked just like the last box of dead roses and the one before that. Torren growled and released her, probably thinking the same thing. He took the box from the clerk and found the note attached.
“Who left these?” he barked. The poor saleswoman jumped, stammering to find her words.
“Um, well, some guy just handed them to me and told me to give them to you.” She nodded at Tana.
“Which direction did he go?” Torren asked. The shaken-up sales lady pointed to the right, and Torren handed Tana the box and note. “Stay put, honey. Round up the girls and call Sawyer.” Tana wanted to stop him from leaving, afraid that bychasing Matt, he was falling right into her ex’s trap. But she also knew Torren well enough to know that once he made up his mind, there would be no stopping him and that he could handle himself. Tana looked down at the note, seeing the block letters in different fonts that Matt liked to cut and paste onto the paper. He was sick enough to find a ransom note funny. His words made her stomach churn.
I’m still watching, baby. I’ll get past your defenses, and you and the girls will pay for leaving.
Tana shivered and called the girls out of the dressing room where they were playing. She pulled out her cell and called Sawyer to explain what happened, and always keeping a guard nearby, he had a guy there in minutes. He insisted that the girls and she go with him back to Torren’s house, and she panicked, not wanting to leave without him. Where had Torren gone? She worried that they played right into Matt’s little game and that Torren was in danger, but she also knew that her priority had to be her girls. Staying at the store left them all in danger, and she decided to do as instructed. Sawyer promised her that he’d find Torren and make sure that he was safe. Right now, his promise was all that was keeping her going. The thought of losing Torren before she had a chance to tell him how she felt about him horrified her. She was holding back with him, and that needed to stop. Tana was ready to stop living in fear, and telling Torren that she was in love with him seemed like the perfect way to kick fear right in the ass.
Torren ran for about a mile searching for any sign of Tana’s ex, but found none. He was starting to worry that chasing after Matt was leading them all into his trap. Torren felt like afool for running after him and leaving Tana and the girls alone. What if that was exactly what Matt wanted? If he just served Tana and the twins up to Matt on a silver platter, he would never forgive himself. Torren sprinted back to the dress shop and found the store practically empty except for a very shaken-up store clerk.
“The woman and twin girls who were here with me—what happened to them?” He knew that he was shouting, but he just sprinted back to where he had left them, and they weren’t there. He felt panic settle in his gut and worried that he played right into Matt’s game.
“They left with a police officer. Your wife said to tell you that they were going home. She was really worried about you.” Torren took a step back from the saleswoman at her mention of Tana being his wife. He wasn’t sure where this thing with her was heading, but honestly, the idea of marrying Tana and spending the rest of his life taking care of her didn’t scare the shit out of him. The thought of Tana as his wife made him a little hot. First things first, he needed to get back to his house and make sure that she and the girls were safe, then he planned on sitting down with Sawyer to figure out what their next move would be, because there was no way that he was going to lose them.
CHAPTER TEN
Tana paced in Torren’s living room, waiting for him to finish getting ready for Sunny and Aaron’s wedding. After their crazy night shopping for dresses, he returned home, and she completely broke down when he walked through the front door. The relief that she saw in Torren’s eyes showed her just how worried he was, and she hated the fact that her crazy past followed her to Harvest Ridge. She especially hated that it was affecting him and her daughters, disrupting all their lives. Torren seemed to understand that she was completely distraught from the events of the night and held her, letting her sob into his shirt until she felt like she didn’t have any more tears to cry. “Thank you for the dresses,” she hiccupped. Torren chuckled and kissed her forehead, and she honestly never felt so safe and loved.
The next morning, Sawyer and two other police officers showed up at Torren’s house to question her and Torren about the prior night’s events. Sawyer looked just as worried about the whole situation as Tor did, and that didn’t fill her with confidence. The guys wanted her to stop her entire life and stay hidden away in Torren’s house, not giving Matt a chance to getto her or the girls. She had to admit that part of her wanted to let the fear of her ex hurting her girls consume her to the point of wanting to hide away, but then he would win. She couldn’t let all those wasted years of being afraid of Matt keep piling up at her feet. She was done hiding and looking over her shoulder. If her crazy ex wanted to hurt her, then she would be ready for him. Having Torren by her side gave her confidence that she had forgotten she possessed. She was ready to take on the world and her ex-husband and let the chips fall where they may. Her only concern was keeping Beth and Sarah safe.
Torren entered the room and whistled when she turned to face him. He went back to the store and picked up the dresses that she and the girls liked, even making sure they had the perfect shoes to match. He thought of everything, and she felt like a princess, even giving him a twirl.
“You look incredible, honey,” he growled. As he walked towards her, she noticed the way his suit fit him just right, showing off his broad shoulders and chest. She knew what he looked like without his clothes on, and he was pretty spectacular, but Torren in a suit did wicked things to her girl parts. She licked her lips, thinking about slowly stripping him out of the suit later.
Torren chuckled, “I’m pretty sure we are thinking the same thing, honey.” He pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips against hers, taking her mouth in a hot, wet kiss. “We need to get going, though, and we don’t have time for that dirty mind of yours.” Torren released her, turning to find the girls who ran into the room, squealing about looking like princesses ready to go to a ball. Everyone was feeling pretty and rightly so—it was a wedding after all.
“Ready?” Torren held out his hand, and Tana took it.
“Sure,” she said, her voice a little shaky. Honestly, she wasn’t ready for all that today would hold. She was nervous about seeing Torren’s friends again, and she was pretty sure that morethan one of his ex-girlfriends would be at the wedding. Hell, the bride was his ex-girlfriend, so there would be no avoiding Torren’s past. She knew that she had nothing to worry about—Tor proved repeatedly that he only wanted her. She worried that others would find them an odd match or even find her lacking in some way.
“You look beautiful, baby,” he whispered in her ear, kissing her neck. The girls made “yuck” and “gross” comments, and she had to laugh. She was getting used to her daughters’ displeasure at her and Torren kissing or even holding hands, for that matter. Her girls were so resilient, accepting Torren as a part of their lives. She just worried that if things changed between the two of them, her girls would be the ones to pay the price.
They piled into Torren’s truck, and Tana couldn’t help but look around for any signs of Matt. She was hoping to go the whole day without causing a scene, especially for Sunny’s sake. It was her big day, and Tana would hate to ruin that for her or Aaron.
“Don’t worry, honey. Sawyer has us covered today,” Torren whispered. “You won’t see them, but we have about six guards watching and tailing us. He won’t get anywhere near us, but if he does, they will catch him.” Trying to keep the girls in the dark about what their father was doing was nearly impossible. When Matt locked her in the bathroom at her mother’s house, the girls were there. But she explained to them that their dad was sick and needed to get some help. She had a feeling that they knew something was up, but she didn’t go into detail.
The night the flowers were delivered to the dress shop, she sat them down and told them that they needed to be careful for a while, and that was why they had to stay with Torren. Elizabeth asked if it was because her daddy was trying to hurt them again, and Tana found it hard to speak past the lump in her throat. Torren was there holding her hand, right by her side,for the whole discussion, and she was grateful. He helped her to tell the girls that their dad was in town and wanted to hurt their mother, but he also assured them that he and Mr. Sawyer were going to protect them and keep them all safe. The girls didn’t even hesitate to believe him, even asking him to read them their bedtime story and tuck them both in bed that night. Torren was quickly becoming the cornerstone that they were all leaning on, and she didn’t want to even think about what she would do without him.
“I’m sure you have everything covered, Tor. Thank you.” She squeezed his hand in hers, and he gifted her with his smile.
“I do, baby.” Hearing him say those words to her while they were on the way to a wedding did strange things to her heart. “I just want you and the twins to have a wonderful time tonight. You leave all the worrying to me.” Tana nodded, smiling back at him. She was excited to go to Sunny’s wedding. She had never been to any weddings besides her own, and the chance to dance the night away and have fun was just what they all needed.
The wedding was being held at Sunny’s parents’ farm, and Tana had to admit that it was just about perfect. The weather was gorgeous, and the simple white tent and wooden tables, and chairs lent to the whole rustic elegance that seemed to complement the couple. She cried during the ceremony, which wasn’t a shocker. She always was a sap for romance and happily ever after. Being there with Torren made her secretly long for her happy ending—she was just afraid that she was asking for too much. Besides, they only really just started dating, and even though they moved at what felt like lightning speed, she needed to remember that they didn’t know each other that long.
After the ceremony, they ate dinner, and just as the girls started getting antsy, the music started. Aaron and Sunny danced their first dance as a married couple with little Sadie sandwiched between them, and Tana started crying all overagain. Torren handed her his hankie, and they watched as Tag led a very pregnant Piper onto the dance floor. Poor Piper looked about ready to burst. She had a couple more weeks until her baby was due, but she still made the perfect Matron of Honor for her best friend, and Tag was Aaron’s Best Man. When the DJ invited all guests to join in, Torren took Tana’s hand and yanked her up into his arms.
“Dance with me?” He looked almost shy about asking her, and she nodded her head, wanting nothing more than to be in his arms. The twins were pretending to be a couple with Beth, of course, taking the lead, and Sarah was happy to just be spun around.
“Are you having a good time?” Torren whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her back. “Yes,” she breathed. He looked down into her eyes, and she could see all his pent-up desire staring back at her. She shivered again, knowing that he was silently promising to spend the whole night tangled up with her in bed.
