My phone rings, interrupting our conversation, and I swipe up on the screen.
“Hey, mom,” I say, walking out onto the back porch of the home Tanner and I share. Dolly runs by me, jumping up into a chair sitting in the sun.
“Hi, sweetheart,” my mom says. “How are you?”
“I’m good. Y’all okay?”
“Oh, yeah. Dad and Cody are watching baseball, and I’m crocheting a new blanket.”
My eyes find Tanner as she talks. He’s sitting on our porch swing, shirtless, with gym shorts slung low on his hips. A backwards hat sits on top of his long blond hair, and a short beard covers his jaw.
Need pools low in my belly at the sight of him.
God dammit, my husband is hot as hell.
He gestures to his lap, and I walk over, sitting down and curling against his bare chest. His hand finds my back and he trails his fingers down my spine, causing my skin to erupt with goosebumps. Kissing the top of my head, he gently rocks us with his feet.
“You there?” Mom asks.
“Oh, yeah, sorry. I got distracted.” I set the phone down on the seat of the swing, tapping the speaker button. “You’re on speaker and Tanner’s here. What were you saying?”
“Hey, Charlotte,” he says.
“Hi, honey. I was just calling to go over the plan for next weekend. What day are y’all heading up, and do you need anything?”
“I think we’re good. We’re leaving for the campground on Monday,” I explain. “The volunteers are set to show up on Wednesday night, and then the campers will arrive Friday. We figured Cody could just stay in our cabin again this year, so we’ll be close by if he was to need us. Did you see the email with the packing list?”
“I did, and you know you don’t have to do that. He could stay with the other campers,” she says.
“We’re looking forward to spending some extra time with him,” Tanner explains. “Plus, as the owners of the camp, we get to stay in the main cabin, so I know he’d be bummed if we didn’t share it.”
“If you insist.”
“We do,” I say. “You know our slumber parties are camp tradition.”
“So you’ve said. Your dad and I will be dropping him off and then heading up to Charleston for a couple nights, so we won’t be too far away.”
“We got him,” Tanner assures her.
My heart expands in my chest at his words. Every night I fall asleep thinking there is no way I could love Tanner Mitchell more than I already do. Then, every morning I wake up and he proves me wrong, making me fall deeper in love with him every day. I’ll never know how I got so lucky in life.
“As you can imagine, Cody’s thrilled! He can’t stop talking about the talent show and dance party,” my mom continues, laughing a little as she speaks.
“Well that’s because those are the two best things. I really hope he and Wren have been working on their jokes and magic tricks.” Tanner chuckles and tickles my sides teasingly. “Because I’ve been practicing my yodeling, and I think I might win this time.”
I giggle. “Absolutely not. You know my stand up routine with Cody is always the crowd favorite.”
“We’ll see about that,” he jests, tickling me again and causing my giggles to erupt into full blown laughter.
“Please make sure someone films it,” my mom deadpans. “Okay, well I’ll let you two run. We’ll see you Friday.”
“Bye. We love you,” I say. “Give Cody and Dad a hug from me.”
“I will. Love you both.”
I hang up the phone and nuzzle deeper into Tanner’s arms. My mind wanders to how far my camps have come. What started out as a simple art class morphed into day camps, and then last year I officially quit working at Dogwood Manor andCamp Butterflyofficially opened. Now, from May to September each year, we host one overnight camp a month. Every camp is full of light, life, and the promise of new beginnings.
Cody has attended every one and made so many friends. My parents have gotten to take vacations, and have even connected with some of the other caregivers. Tanner has been by my side every step of the way, and together we’ve built a community of volunteers and families that make life feel so full.
