Junie still couldn’t quite believe any of this was real.
Just this afternoon, she’d been deep in Little space at Rainbow’s Edge, surrounded by her stuffies and crayons. And now here they were, at The Post to eat with the entire Daniels family. Not that she hadn’t eaten with them a thousand times. But now he was acting as her Daddy. And somehow, that made it very different.
The lively noise of conversations bounced off the warm log-and-brick walls. The Post only opened one night a week because it was run by the American Legion to raise money for their charities. The people of Wilder were always up to support a good cause. Not to mention, the steaks were awesome, so finding a table could be hard. Even though the steak house stayed loud, it wrapped around Junie like a big, chaotic hug that somehow felt safe.
Long wooden tables were packed with locals, laughter ringing up to the rafters. Tanner kept his big hand on Junie’s lower back as they walked in, guiding her through the crowd toward the big table where the rest of the Daniels clan already gathered. The steady pressure of his palm sent little sparks up her spine and made her feel claimed in the best possible way.
Tanner pulled out a chair for her at the big family table and sat down right beside her. He immediately draped his strong arm along the back of her seat like he couldn’t stand not touching her. His thumb brushed slow circles on her shoulder, and she melted a little inside at the casual possessiveness of it.
Her mind kept drifting back to earlier that afternoon. The way he’d carried her to the bedroom like she weighed nothing. The firm, delicious sting of his hand on her bare bottom when she fussed about taking a nap. And then… the way his mouth had devoured her until she shattered so hard she saw stars.
She could still feel the echo of it between her thighs, a sweet, secret ache that made her cheeks burn every time she shifted in her seat. Heat pooled low in her belly just thinking about it, and she pressed her thighs together under the table, hoping no one could tell.
She snuck a glance up at him. He looked so big and confident sitting there in his worn jeans and button-up shirt, dark hair still slightly messy from her fingers earlier. Her Daddy. The word whispered through her mind and sent another warm flush across her face.
Here in the middle of this loud, loving family, with his hand on her and the memory of his mouth still tingling between her legs, she felt small and safe. Part of her couldn’t believe this was real. But the steady weight of his arm and the way his eyes kept finding hers told her it was.
“Look who finally showed up!” Boone called out.
“Just in time, too,” Chance said with a grin.
Junie blushed but smiled shyly as the table erupted in warm greetings. Voices overlapped, chairs scraped, and someone even let out a whistle. Within minutes, they had pulled her right into the lively banter. When Ruby teased her about stealing Tanner’s heart, all she could do was laugh.
She loved it. Okay, it was a little weird sitting with them as something other than Tanner and Kenzie’s friend. But it didn’t appear to seem strange to anyone else. Not a single person at the table actedlike it was odd. They just made room for her like they always had, but this time it was different.
They were so loud and affectionate with each other. Then again, the Daniels family never did anything halfway. They teased hard, loved harder, and made you feel like part of the pack the second you sat down. For so long, she had felt like she was watching from the outside, wishing she could be a real part. Now here she was, planted right in the middle of them, with Tanner’s arm resting on her shoulder.
He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze like he knew exactly what she had been thinking. She glanced up at him and caught that soft, protective look in his eyes that always made her stomach flutter.
Hank Whitaker stomped over to their end of the long table, faded Legion cap pulled low, order pad in his weathered hand. “Alright, lovebirds, what are we havin’ tonight?” He eyed Junie first, bushy eyebrows raised. “Don’t tell me you’re one of them well-done people, darlin’, ‘cause I don’t deliver that message to Walt. He’s testy about his steaks, so if you want ‘em well done, you’re gonna have to tell him yourself.”
“Stand down, Marine,” Tanner said with a lazy grin. “She knows how to order a proper steak. Rare ribeye for both of us, loaded baked potatoes, and we’ll each take two desserts, one for now, one for later. Whatever Sophie’s got fresh back there.”
Hank gave an approving grunt, actually scribbling it down without argument. “Now that’s what I like to hear. Finally, somebody at this table with sense.” He shot Tanner a look. “Took you long enough to bring her around proper, son.”
Junie bit her lip to hide her smile as Hank shuffled off, hollering the order toward the kitchen window where Walt was already cackling about something.
Boone reached across the table with his big hand and snagged the last golden-brown roll from the basket. Tildi’s eyes narrowed instantly.
“Boone Daniels, I swear, if you eat that roll I will?—”
“You’ll what, Bluebelle?” Boone grinned, already tearing the roll in half. “Put me in timeout? You tried that last week, darlin’. Didn’t work out for you very well, did it?”
Tildi blushed, but leaned forward, pointing her fork at him like a weapon. “I had that roll picked out the second Sophie brought the basket over. I’ve been eyeing it the whole dinner. You’ve already had three!”
“Two,” Boone corrected, popping a piece into his mouth with zero shame. “And I’m a growing boy. I need my carbs.”
“You’re thirty-eight years old,” Tildi shot back, lips twitching with laughter she was trying to hide. “If you eat three rolls, the only thing growing will be your belly.”
From across the table, Chance snorted into his sweet tea. Joy hid her smile behind her napkin.
Tildi turned to Junie with a dramatic sigh. “Do you see this? My Daddy is a six-foot-two roll-stealer.”
Tanner chuckled beside her and gave her thigh a warm squeeze under the table that sent another flutter to her tummy.
Boone held the remaining half of the roll just out of Tildi’s reach, eyes sparkling. “Tell you what, babygirl. I’ll trade you this half roll for a kiss. Right here. In front of everybody.”
Tildi’s cheeks flushed pink, but she lifted her chin stubbornly. “You think you can bribe me with a kiss after you stole my roll?”
