Yes, my boy had an exhibitionist streak in him, but he was oddly shy when it came to anyone he knew overhearing him begging me to let him come. Lucky for both of us, I knew this now, and I’d come armed with a gag. There was no way in hell I was going to be able to wait until we were home to sink deep into his body.
Home. Fuck, that felt good to think about. My house had always seemed big and lonely, like it was just waiting for someone to come along and share it with me. No, not someone: Tanner. It had always been Tanner.
I gave my boy five more minutes of dozing as I closed my eyes and savored the weight of his body on top of mine. This felt like another new beginning for us. I’d promised he was mine and that I wasn’t letting him go, and tonight, he’d know how serious I was about that intention.
“Hey guys, I hate to bug you, but Pat is on his way over with Nana,” Haley called out from the kitchen. It was still weird hearing everyone talk about Pat and Lillian as anything other than a unit. Since Nana had kicked Tanner out of the house, telling him it was time for him to get on with his own life, his dad had stepped in to help out with Nana more frequently. Lillian had to love the hell out of that.
“Is Lillian coming tonight?” Again, strange thing to ask, but it wasn’t my business to pry into their lives. I was proud of Pat for finally standing up to his wife and forging a relationship with their son, despite her criticism.
“Of course,” Haley grumbled, flopping into the chair next to me and stealing what was left of my beer. “But I swear, if she tries saying one fucking thing about Tanner, I have no problem kicking her ass out. This isn’t her house, and I’m not going to put up with her cutting him down anymore. I should have said more before…”
“But you were trying to make a good impression on your future mother-in-law,” I finished the sentence so she didn’t have to come up with what she would think was a shitty excuse. Was it fair to someone she claimed was one of her closest friends? Nope. But I understood. Again, this was a group of people pleasers, and they’d always do what made others happy, even if they were miserable. I squeezed Haley’s hand. “Having your support now is all that matters. He’d have been pissed if you tried standing up for him before because he thought it was his battle to fight.”
“Logically, I know you’re right, but that doesn’t make me feel any better.” She tipped back the beer and drained the bottle. I was surprised she wasn’t switching to the hard stuff to help her get through the night with the monster-in-law. While we’d been hanging out this week, she’d complained about how Lillian was already hounding her about having kids becausesomeoneneeded to carry on the family name, and it obviously wasn’t going to be Tanner. The thing was, Haley and Deegan were united in not wanting kids right away, if ever. But no one had shared that bombshell so far. “You do realize there’s still time for you to make a clean break, right? It’s too late for me, but you don’t have to be stuck with this bunch.”
“That’s a lie,” Tanner mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “He’s stuck. I’m not letting him go.”
“It’s not stuck if I’m exactly where I want to be,” I pointed out as I combed my fingers through his outgrown hair.
Haley responded by making gagging noises. Tanner flipped her off and she threw a hand towel at him. “God, I was never that lovesick over Deegan. Maybe we’re doing things wrong.”
“Nah, you just didn’t have the right parts to fall in love with the better Fincham brother,” Tanner quipped. “I still don’t know what you see in him, but I’m happy you were silly enough to marry him.”
The front door opened, and Nana’s voice echoed through the house. I couldn’t help but smile because it was good to see how she’d recovered since the hospital. Tanner jumped off my lap and rushed into the house to meet her. Haley pulled another chair over, this one a solid folding chair rather than part of the outdoor furniture set. It was cute to see how they all jumped into action when the real matriarch of the family appeared.
“Nana, it’s good to see you.” Okay, sotheyincluded me. I held out a hand, steadying her as she cautiously took the two steps down to the deck. I bent down and kissed her cheek, then recoiled when she scowled at me.
“What’s this I hear you’re taking my boy to the other side of the world?” Her lips remained pressed in a tight line as I escorted her to her seat.
“I am, Nana. I would apologize about that, but I can’t move back here,” I explained.
Something shifted in her expression, and there was a glint in her eyes before she threw her head back and laughed. She patted my cheek. “You’re too easy, Ryan. You always were. I’m happy for you. It’s about damn time you make an honest man out of him.”
My eyes widened, wondering whether Deegan or Haley had spilled the beans to her. It was supposed to be a surprise. “I’ll always do my best by him.”
“I know you will.” She was winded by the time she sat down, but that likely had to do more with trying to walk and talk at the same time rather than failing health. She nodded at the chair next to her and I sat. “Everyone knows he’s always been special to me. If I didn’t think you were capable of treating him like the treasure he is, I wouldn’t have kicked him out of the house. Deep down, he wants to take care of people. Don’t let him get so wrapped up in making you happy that he forgets his own needs.”
“Never.” She wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know, and I was looking forward to helping him find a way to balance what he thought he was supposed to do and what he trulywanted.
“Good boy.” While Tanner changed and freshened up after his shower, Nana and I talked a bit about her recovery, including the fact she was considering giving up the house. There was no way she’d shared that with Tanner. If she had, he’d have lost his mind. To him, that was home more than the house where he was raised. His grandparents’ place had always been his sanctuary.
Nana smiled when Tanner joined us and settled on my lap. I hugged him tight, grateful that he was comfortable enough to stick close to my side.
He stiffened when his mother arrived. When she noticed us, her nose turned up and she visibly shivered. God, she was a frigid bitch sometimes, and time only seemed to make her caustic personality worse. I patted Tanner’s thigh. It was time for her to realize she wasn’t going to treat him like shit on the bottom of her shoe anymore.
I stood and whistled to get everyone’s attention. Tanner’s eyes were practically bulging out of his head.What are you doing?he mouthed. I held out my hand, drawing him closer to me. “Thank you, everyone, for being here tonight, and thank you to Haley and Deegan for hosting this family dinner for us.”
“Anything for you,” Deegan called out from the grill. Our eyes met, and he gave me a quick nod.
“Thanks, brother,” I responded. We’d called each other brothers for a long time, and now, we would be as long as Tanner gave me the answer I wanted. I turned to face the man who’d captured my heart when he was still a boy. “Tanner, the past few months have been a wild ride. I’m pretty sure Deegan never expected this when he asked me to drive you to the resort for their wedding, but I owe him for that request. If things had happened differently, we might not have had the chance to clear the air. And I might not have realized how much I’ve always loved you.”
Tanner swallowed hard. He swayed slightly, warning me that he was holding his breath. I slipped an arm around his back to steady him, leaning in to whisper, “Breathe, sweetheart. You have a bad habit of forgetting to do that sometimes.”
That got the response I was hoping for and Tanner chuckled. “What in the hell are you doing?”
Instead of answering him, I kissed his cheek. I turned, trying to find Pat. He was keeping his distance from Lillian, who was perched on one of the rattan chairs as if it was her damn throne. And her face was still puckered like she’d sucked on a bag of lemons. Part of me wished she hadn’t come, just so I didn’t have to worry about her shitting on what I hoped would be a memorable day. Seeing that everyone was accounted for, I turned my attention back to Tanner.
“I know we haven’t been together long, but it feels like our entire lives have been leading to this moment. When I look around my house—ourhouse—I realize that you’re the piece that’s kept it from feeling like home to me.” My hand shook as I reached into my pocket. “I know I promised I wasn’t going to rush you into anything you’re not ready for, and I still mean that. There’s no deadline, but I want you to know that you’re it for me. Until now, you’ve been the man I’ve measured all others up to and they’ve fallen short. For the rest of my life, I want you to be the only man. Tanner Patrick Fincham, taking you home with me is only the first step in the rest of our lives. Will you take the next step and marry me?”
