Ryan
This is getting a bit excessive.I know you’re loaded, but you’re going to have to file for bankruptcy if you keep sending me things.
It wasn’t exactly a thank you, but I’d gotten used to Tanner’s worsening attitude over the past month and a half. He swore everything was fine, and every time he repeated that lie I added another mark on his discipline tally for when I finally caught a breath so I could fly out and drag his ass back here with me.
I’d tried being patient. When his mother volunteered him to take care of Nana, so she didn’t have to go to an inpatient rehab facility, I kept my mouth shut. Even though it wasn’t his choice, there was no way he would have been okay with Nana being miserable.
When he said he couldn’t leave until the doctors fully cleared her, I agreed. He’d committed to being there for her, and I was proud of him for putting his own needs on the backburner temporarily, especially for someone who wouldn’t be around forever. The two of them were close, and I knew it was going to be hard on him once he moved out here and couldn’t see her every week.
But now, Nana was healthy and had kicked Tanner out of her house. It wasn’t done maliciously, but Nana had always been fiercely independent. Other than the fact she had to rely on rides because she couldn’t drive yet, she’d made a more complete recovery than anyone had expected.
And Tanner was still dragging his heels, swearing that she needed him to run her to the store and her appointments.
I knew that was a lie because Deegan confided in me that he’d tried offering to help out and Tanner had refused.
You’re welcome, brat.
I waited for his response, watching the three little dots appear and disappear at the bottom of the screen.
Sorry, Daddy. It’s been a day.
I started typing out a reminder that he knew how to fix whatever was wrong. Lately, he’d grown bored and restless. His job had stopped scheduling him when he was taking care of Nana, but that was no great hardship. The way I saw it, that was one less thing tying him to that town. And with Mav out of the apartment, Tanner had lost his party buddy. Again, not a huge issue since he hadn’t been going out much, even before Nana’s stroke.
I deleted my snarky response because that wasn’t what my boy needed. He’d called me Daddy, and he only did that during scenes or when he was feeling especially vulnerable. I picked up the phone and pressed the call button.
Tanner picked up on the first ring. “You didn’t have to call. I’m okay, promise.”
The fuck if he was. I could almost picture him curled up on the couch, his favorite blanket tucked under his chin. “What’s going on, baby? Talk to me.”
“I hate it here,” he admitted. Yep, definitely far from okay if he couldn’t even pretend he wasn’t miserable.
“Do you want me to come and get you?” I offered, already pulling up the travel site on my computer. Now that the club was open, I was between projects. I purposely hadn’t started working on any other acquisitions because I wanted to have time to spend with my boy whenever he decided he was ready to commit to being with me one hundred percent. “I can send you a list of things to get ready and have a shipping pod delivered so we can pack everything up when I get there.”
“Not yet.” My heart fell at the same time I felt anger welling up in the pit of my stomach. It was ridiculous that he was pushing back on this. He’d said he wanted me to make the decisions, but if he wasn’t ready, I couldn’t force him to do anything he’d resent me for in the future. “I just want to make sure she’s really okay, and then I’ll be ready.”
“Sweetheart, what’s this really about?” I closed the lid of my laptop to keep from booking a ticket despite his objections. “The doctors released her and said she’s as good as new.”
“But what if she has another stroke and I’m not here?” He sniffled, and I wished I was there to pull him onto my lap and reassure him that wasn’t going to happen. But I couldn’t because there were no guarantees. “Or what if next time it’s a heart attack or something else? Or what if she falls?”
“What if she’s stubborn enough that she refuses to let anything bring her down and you’re putting your life on hold for the worst-case scenario?” I pursed my lips, knowing what I was about to say could easily cause an epic meltdown. “Tanner, if your Nana heard you talking like this, she’d whip your hide. Do you think she’d be happy knowing you’re refusing to liveyourlife because you’re waiting for something to happen to hers?”
“No,” he mumbled, and I knew I was starting to get through to him.
“If something’s going to happen, it’s not going to make a bit of difference if you’re here or there,” I pointed out. My stomach flipped, hating the idea of anything happening to her almost as much as Tanner did. Nana was a grandmother to all of us, whether we were related to her or not. “Ifshe has more health problems, I promise you we’ll be on the first flight out to see her. I don’t care how much it costs; I’ll get you there as fast as I can. But I’ll be there with you to make sure you’re okay.”
“I like the sound of that,” he admitted.
Holy shit. That almost sounded like progress.
Neither of us spoke for over a minute. I closed my eyes, imagining that I could feel Tanner’s soft exhales against my cheek. “Would you really send me a list if I said okay?”
“I will do whatever you need, if it means getting to wake up with you in my arms every day,” I promised.
He grunted. “Anything?”
“You name it, and I’ll do it,” I confirmed.
“Can you find Mav? I haven’t heard from him in a while and I’m worried about him.” Okay, so that wasn’t what I was expecting, but itdidfall under the heading of anything. “I know he was seeing someone, but he was being cagey the last time I talked to him. I’m worried he might be in trouble.”
