"Alright, bud, why don't you go get your blanket and head on up? I'm gonna clean this plate up so Harlan doesn't have to."
I said the words dramatically as I turned to give Harlan a look, letting him know he better not argue with me about this. I wanted a second alone with the other man—one in which my boy would not be eavesdropping.
My boy. I was already claiming him in my mind. It wouldn't be long before I slipped and said the words out loud.
Tanner bobbed his head quickly, then shot off the stool to go in the living room. I worried for a second that he would fall and crash, but he didn't. Thank goodness for small favors from the universe.
The second he was out of the room, I turned to Harlan, who was waiting for me.
"What do you need, Simon?" he drawled.
I shook my head. "Don't try to play mean with me. I know how you truly are."
Harlan smirked. "It's always fun to mess with people, though," he said in response. He then waved his hand as if to tell me to get on with it.
"I want to have something made for Tanner for tomorrow. Something to eat, something he'll enjoy."
Harlan tilted his head. "You're the one giving him the gifts," he whispered.
I tapped the counter twice instead of verbally confirming his answer. He took me in for a moment longer and then said, "Soup. It should be soup."
A smile bloomed on my face as I sat up straight. "Then let's do it. You tell me what you need, and I'll make it happen."
He waved a hand. "You don't need to do anything. We all love him here, and if it means that you and he grow closer—which again would keep him here—the better it is for everyone. Besides, it'll earn me bonus points with my husband."
I laughed heartily because he was right. Griffin loved when Harlan did stuff for others. It turned him on like nobody's business, and we'd all seen how gooey he'd get for the other man.
"Well then, I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. I appreciate your help with this. If you can have it ready by lunch tomorrow, that would be great."
"I'm on it. Don't you worry about a thing."
As I left him standing there and went upstairs, I accepted that maybe I didn't have to do everything on my own. Maybe being alone was fine for a short while, but community was what I truly needed.
I had found it at the Coleman Ranch, and now I believed I was closer to finding even more people to add to my life.
CHAPTER
NINE
Tanner
I could admit that I didn't truly have a plan when I asked Simon to come stay the night with me.
All I knew was that I wanted him close by. I didn't want to wake up in my bed alone, and he had been such a comfort from the start.
The crush that I'd had on him was alive and well, tearing me open and laying me bare at his feet.
Except he wasn't letting me stay there. I felt comforted with him, like he was lifting me up and keeping me close.
Every second I spent with him was magical, in a sense. And the moment he stepped through my bedroom door last night, I felt even more of myself fall into place.
"Hey, bud," he'd said to me as he closed the door gently behind him and came over. "Is there enough room for me in there too?"
I'd shifted over and patted the empty space.
He didn't hesitate to crawl in with me, slipping under the blanket and holding his arm out as if to allow me to lay on top of him.
While I'd hoped we would be close in the bed together, I didn't expect him to want to cuddle.
