My lips parted, forming an O as his words slipped over me, fighting away that chill that had stuck to me like a splinter beneath my skin since I left the shop. “You can’t know that for sure.” My chest expanded on a deep inhale. “Tanner, this is something that keeps following me around, dogging every step I take. Just when I start to settle and lower my guard, she pops up from whatever hole she lives in to remind me there’s no escape. She’s never going away.” I shook my head sadly. “I can’t ask you to take that on.”
He caressed my neck in that way I loved, the way that made me feel so damn safe. “You don’t have to ask me. I’m doing it anyway.”
My eyes flared wide as panic set it. “Tanner, no. You can’t do that. If you pay her, she’ll never leave you alone. She’s a goddamn leach. The worst kind of bottom feeder there is. She found out I was with you and all she saw was dollar signs.”
His expression never changed, never wavered. “Last night changed everything,” he stated. “As far as I’m concerned youbelong to me as much as I belong to you, and I take care of what’s mine.” His thumb brushed against my jaw. “I get that you felt you needed to carry this burden on your own to protect your family, but we’re a team now. It’s you and me. And I’ll be damned if I stand by and watch as someone tries to take advantage of you.” He pulled in a deep breath, determination etched onto every inch of his face as he said, “I have a plan.”
My tongue came out, swiping across my bottom lip nervously as I nodded in agreement. I didn’t know what his plan was, and I didn’t need to. I trusted the man in front of me with everything in me. Most especially my heart. “What do you want to do?”
“Well, you aren’t going to like it, but it starts with you telling your siblings what’s been going on.” He arched a brow, that dominant expression that was usually reserved for the bedroom taking over. “No more secrets. We’re getting this out in the open. Today.”
Oh hell.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Tanner
To say the past hour and a half had been rough would have been the understatement of the century. After our talk, Holly had texted her family, asking them to meet us at the cabin. Once they arrived she dove right in, confessing everything she’d been keeping to herself for the better part of a year. How their mother had reached out to demand money. How she’d continued to pay, even going so far as to drain her savings to keep that vile woman satisfied so she wouldn’t go after her siblings.
As hard as it was, I had to sit back and let her handle it, offering my silent support as Holly admitted her mistakes to the people she loved most in the world. As much as I wanted to take on the weight that had been loaded onto her shoulders, that was the part she had to take care of herself. And she was. Despite everything, she showed a strength that left me in awe of her. I’d never met someone as resilient as Holiday Bradbury, and witnessing it first-hand only made me love her more.
The emotions that filled the cabin like dense fog ran the gamut from anger—her brothers—all the way to sadness—from her sisters, Sunny and Gypsy.
At one point, I nearly lost my grip on the self-control I was struggling to hold on to. It had taken everything in me to keep from jumping in and punching Raylan in the face when he let his anger fly, snapping at Holly in a tone that had me curling my hands into fists so tight I thought the skin around my knuckles would split open.
The man in question paced the room like a caged lion. “Just when I think those fuckers are gone from our lives for good, they pop up like fucking cockroaches.” He pinned Holly in place with a furious glare. “I can’t believe you’ve been keeping this to yourself. I can’t believe you gave that bitch money! What were you thinking?”
That was the last straw.
“That’s enough.” The room went silent at the bass of my voice, seven sets of eyes landing on and following me as I moved to Holly, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her into my side. She sniffled and tried to be discreet as she wiped her eyes, but I didn’t miss the dampness that clung to her lashes. This was costing her. And she was done paying the price alone.
“I understand you’re angry.” I looked directly at Raylan. “All of you have every right to be. But you need to direct that anger at the correct target, and that’s not your sister.”
I felt eyes on me coming from the corner of the room near the fireplace, and when I looked over I found Marco, standing sentry, ready to jump in and protect at any moment. He’s been quiet the whole time, observing. But as his hazel eyes locked on me, I saw appreciation in them. He dipped his chin, and something that felt a hell of a lot like pride made my chest swell. That man had been the first line of defense for the Bradburysiblings for years, and I got the sense he was accepting that I was now there to stand beside him, offering even more protection.
Raylan’s expression shifted from anger to remorse. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said softly. “I hate the thought that you’ve been alone in this.”
“I wanted to protect you,” Holly replied, her voice wavering slightly. “The way you guys have always protected me.” Her eyes landed on each of her brothers and sisters. “You guys fought to find your happiness. You’ve found your partners and started families of your own, and I didn’t want her to take that away.”
“We’re stronger together.”
That came from Gypsy. She was the closest thing their family had to a matriarch, and when she talked everyone listened. She’d sacrificed everything for her siblings without a second thought, and from the look on her face, I knew she’d have gladly done it over and over again.
“That’s the one thing about this family that’s always been true. We’re stronger together. We’re a team.” She stood from the couch and walked over to her youngest sister. “I love you, and I appreciate you wanting to protect us all by yourself, but that’s not how we work. We take on the worst as a whole. That’s how we win. You understand me?”
Holly’s throat bobbed on a swallow as she nodded. “I understand.”
Gypsy inhaled, resoluteness steeling her spine, and as I watched her put herself back together, I finally understood where Holly got her strength. “All right, then. Now that that’s settled we need to figure out what we’re going to do.”
I gave Holly a squeeze, looking down at her and silently communicating to make sure we were on the same page. When she nodded, I spoke up. “If you guys agree, I’m pretty sure I know how to take care of this situation once and for all.”
Gypsy’s head twisted in my direction, and when her eyes met mine, I saw acceptance, clear as day. “What do you have in mind?”
“I want Holly to text her back. Tell her you have the money and that you want to meet up.”
“You think that’s a good idea?” Sunny asked, her expression fierce. “I don’t want Holly to have to face that woman.”
“She won’t be. Holly’s staying here, I’m the one who’s going to face her.”
