“I can’t. I have class,” she firmly says.
“Tomorrow’s Saturday, Jersey. If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable.” I turn and walk away, not giving her a chance to come up with another argument. I hear her huffing behind me, but I don’t look back. She needs some tough love, and if Britton isn’t enough of a hardass to drag her out of her shell, I will be.
When I get back, Britton’s door is cracked open, and her legs are hanging out. “Well?”
“We’re all staying at the clubhouse,” I tell her.
“How did you manage to convince her to go along with that, LoneStar?”
“Easy. I took the choice out of her hands. And from now on, I want you to call me Tanner.”
“Tanner?” she echoes, looking confused.
“Yeah. Tanner. The name my mother gave me.”
“Oh. Okay, Tanner it is. I like it. It’s manly. Makes me think of a cowboy,” she says with a smirk.
“That’s because in my heart, I am,” I laugh.
“Giddy up,” she drawls, holding her arms out for me. “Give me a ride, cowboy.”
“All night long, baby. Once you’re up for it and have been released by the doctor, I’ll give you the ride of your life.”
“Bronco bull style, Tanner?”
“Damn right,” I answer.
She blushes and fans her face which has me grinning from ear to ear. My dick takes notice but I push that to the back of my mind and ignore him because even though he’s begging for some attention, it doesn’t mean he’ll get any. For now, she’s off limits but when she’s been given the green light, there’ll be a rodeo happening in our bedroom. I will lasso her and tie her to me for eternity.
CHAPTER
NINETEEN
Britton
I’mgrateful not to be confined to bed, at least, not by doctor’s orders. If Tanner had his way, though, I wouldn’t leave it for the rest of this pregnancy, and that would test my patience fast. We already clashed this morning when I insisted on joining everyone else for breakfast instead of staying tucked away in the room like a hermit. In the end, my stubborn streak won out over his, and I got my way.
Jersey keeps glancing up at me through her lashes as she tears her toast into tiny, fragmented pieces. Normally, I wouldn’t think much of it, but her hands are shaking which gives me cause for concern. I lean back in my chair and keep my eyes on her, waiting for her to look at me with more than a quick glance. When she finally does, I widen my eyes in silent question.
Her brows draw together, and she gives a slight shake of her head. The silent exchange tells me she’s holding it together, even if she’s struggling to do it. I release a heavy sigh, wishing I couldfigure out a way for her to get over the hump of anxiety she lives with on a daily basis.
Her folks really did a number on her.
She has no self-esteem and thinks everybody is out to get her. I’ve spent hours with her, trying to convince her otherwise, but nothing I say seems to penetrate.
Tanner leans over, asking me, “She really doesn’t do well with a large group of people, huh?”
“She’s a work in progress,” I tell him, not wanting to share her personal business with him. If she wants to open up and talk about her past, that’s up to her to do. My loyalty to her isn’t double-sided. I’m her confidant and there’s no way in hell I’ll give her any reason to doubt my loyalty to her. Even if that means keeping some things from the man I’m trying to build a life with.
“We’ll get her there,” he states as he bends sideways and gives me a peck on the temple.
“We’ll do it together, huh?” I ask, teasing him. “When did taking care of Jersey and helping her blossom become a ‘we’ thing?”
“You consider her as part of your family, don’t you, Britton?”
“I do, and she is,” I confirm. “She’s the sister of my heart.”
“If she’s your family, then that makes her mine too,” he declares.
