“Of course, I just missed you.” Steven wrapped his arm around her, and squeezed her side.
Chapter 2
“You staying here, or coming home with me?” Tanner asked Jackson. They had decided Jackson would move in with him. He had inherited his parent’s house when they passed. It was four bedrooms, so he had plenty of room. That would give Jackson some privacy too. Diana wasn’t a ‘loving’ mother.
“Going with you. Mom, we’re leaving.” Jackson called out.
“I thought you were moving in here.” Diana didn’t look happy.
“It would be easier to stay with Tanner. We have a lot to do to get our business going.” Jackson shrugged, then they left. They rode in silence to his house. He hadn’t been back since the funeral, and was worried how bad it would be.
“What the hell?” Tanner said. When he opened the door, he was assaulted with the smell of fresh baked cookies. When he flipped on the light, the house was spotless. He walked over to the kitchen counter, and found a whole plate of chocolate chip cookies.
“Um, yeah. I gave Sophia my key to the house after the funeral. She’s been coming in and keeping it clean.” Jackson said rubbing the back of his neck.
“Soph has been cleaning this house for six years?” Tanner didn’t know what to think.
“Yes. She left everything as it was, just kept it clean.” Jackson told him.
“She even stocked the fridge.” He said seeing it full of food and even a case of beer.
“That, I didn’t know about.” Jackson said grabbing cups for milk.
“Did she seem okay to you?” Tanner was worried about her.
“What do you mean?” Jackson had a confused look.
“Did you notice her stuttering, or the fact that her lip started swelling?” Tanner had watched her tense up when Steven appeared.
“She doesn’t stutter.” Jackson shook his head.
“Have you ever seen her eat only a salad?” Tanner asked him.
“No, but maybe she was trying to shut mom up.” Jackson shrugged, and looked at him. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but she whimpered several times during dinner, and the one time she looked at me, she had tears in her eyes.” Tanner ran his fingers through his hair.
“You okay?” Jackson asked him.
“I feel like something is wrong. Will you give me her address? I don’t think I can sleep until I talk to her.” Tanner knew he sounded crazy, but his gut instinct had saved them many times in the army, maybe it was his Native American heritage that caused it.
“You got a feeling?” Jackson was serious now. They had always followed his feelings. Tanner nodded, and Jackson rattled off her address. “Call me if you need me.”
Tanner had to see her, talk to her without Steven there. She had seemed happy until he showed up. She had definitely grown up since he had been gone. The last time he saw her, she was sixteen. She had been in the awkward stage, she had braces, and was starting to fill out more. She had always had a plumpness to her, but now it had shifted to all the right places. Something had felt right when he hugged her. When he pulled in, he only saw her car. He knocked on her door and waited.
“Soph, it’s Tanner, open up.” He called after the second knock.
“What are you doing here?” She asked opening the door.
“Can I come in?” He didn’t want to have this talk on the door step.
“Sure, is Jackson with you?” Sophia asked stepping back from the door.
“No, he gave me your address.” Tanner looked at her, she had on sleep shorts and a tank top.
“Oh, can I get you anything?” Sophia smiled at him.
“No, thanks. Can we sit on the couch and talk?” Tanner couldn’t believe how nervous he felt. Sophia nodded, and sat cross legged on the couch. “Jeez, what happen?” He asked seeing the bruises on her leg.
“I-I…” Sophia tried to pull her shorts leg down, but he bent over and pushed it farther up.
“Are there anymore?” He asked tracing the bruises. When she didn’t answer, he looked up at her. “Soph, are there more?” She nodded and he exhaled slowly. “Where, show me?” He watched a tear slip down her cheek when she shook her head. “Honey, show me.” He wiped the tear away.
She leaned away, and he thought she was going to refuse. Instead, she lifted the tank top a little, and tugged down one side of her shorts. She had large bruised on both sides, and down her hip. Sophia was the toughest person her knew. It broke his heart to see her like this.
“Sophia, how did this happen?” He knew, but he needed her to tell him. She started to cry, so he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. He let her cry for a while, when she stopped, he tried again.
“I need to know everything.” Tanner pressed a kiss to her forehead and she nodded. As she told her story, she started to shake. He pulled her onto his lap and held her close, offering whatever comfort he could. No one should be abused, but he was seeing red right now.
“Your lip?” He asked softly.
“When he kissed me at dinner, he bit it.” She took a deep breath, and looked him in the eye.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He whispered rubbing her silky hair.
“I started to in the hall, but he was there.” She answered.
“I need to call Jackson.” Tanner wasn’t looking forward to this call.
“No.” Sophia shook her head.
“Soph, you know I have too. I’m going to stay right here.” She buried her head in his neck as he pulled his phone out.
“What is it?” Jackson answered on the first ring.
“Steven left bruises on her.” Tanner said softly as Sophia whimpered.
“I’ll be right there.” Jackson promised.
“No. I’ve got this.” Tanner pulled her closer.
“Then bring her here.” Jackson told him.
“Soph, you want to stay at my place.” Tanner whispered looking down at her.
“I have to work tomorrow. I need to stay here.” Sophia looked up at him with those big green eyes.
“Does he know where you live?” Tanner was worried about her after seeing the bruises.
“I don’t think so.” She scrunched up her nose. “The one time we went out, we met at mom’s.”
“Then, I will stay here with you.” He kissed her forehead and she smiled.
“Yo, Tanner, what’s going on?” Jackson yelled through the phone. Tanner had forgot he was still on the phone.
“Sorry, she never told him where she lived, since she has to work tomorrow, she wants to stay here.” Tanner told him.
“I’ll come stay with her.” Jackson said.
“No, I told her I would stay here tonight with her. I’ll come home when she leaves for work.” Tanner wouldn’t be able to sleep if he left her tonight.
“You sure? I don’t mind running over there.” Jackson sounded confused.
“Yeah, I’m good. We’ll talk when I get home tomorrow.” Tanner answered and hung up.
“Tanner, you can go. I’ll be fine here. He doesn’t know where I am. I know I kinda broke down on you, but I promise I am fine.” Sophia told him as she tried to pull away from him. For whatever reason, he wasn’t willing to let her go, so he tightened his arms around her and kept her on his lap.
“I’m not leaving you. Even if I did, Jackson would be here with in minutes. Stop squirming, and relax.” Tanner said as he handed her the remote that was sitting on the arm of the couch. “Here, find something to watch.”
With a huff, Sophia took the remote as she flipped through the channels. She stopped on one of the Lethal Weapon movies, and he smiled. Jackson and he used to watch these all the time. He let his mind wonder as she settled against him. She had always been in his life. Even the six years he didn’t come home, she was there. She sent him care packages every time she sent Jackson one. When his parents passed, he figured that would all stop, but Sophia made sure he had what he needed, even though he never wrote her back. With
her on his lap, he realized that while Jackson was his best friend, she was his tether.
She had made sure he knew everything that was going on. She told him when something shut down. Sophia had written him at least once a month. She told him about college and her class, and how bad her mom was getting on to her. She never asked why he didn’t write back. She never told him she was taking care of the house for him.
“Hey, Soph?” He said softly.
“Hm.” She looked up at him.
“Thanks.” He whispered and watched her green eyes cloud with confusion.
“For what? You’re the one taking care of me.” Her smile was soft, but beautiful. He had never paid attention to it before.
“But you have been taking care of me for years.” He couldn’t believe he had never noticed before.
“What are you talking about?” She twisted so that she was looking at him without straining her neck.
“You sent me letters and packages while I was gone, and took care of the house for me. I’m sorry I never wrote back.” He felt like a jerk for never responding.
“Tanner, it’s okay. I knew you were busy. Jackson rarely wrote me. I wanted you to know what was going on here. I didn’t mind cleaning the house. If you need help with… cleaning it out, I would be happy to help.” Sophia bit her lip, then winced. He knew it had to be sore. He wanted to kill the man for hurting such a precious person.
“I didn’t know.” He whispered.
“Didn’t know what?” Sophia had always been easy to read, but had she always been this adorable?
“I didn’t know you were taking care of the house.” Tanner swallowed around the lump in his throat. “I couldn’t bring myself to come back before. It hurt too bad knowing they wouldn’t be here. I guess I should go by the cemetery too. I never even saw the headstone.”
“It’s nice. I put fresh flowers out last week.” Sophia’s eyes had a shimmer to them like she was fighting tears.
“You went to the cemetery?” He had never thought about how it might affect her.
“I go once a month.” Sophia nodded looking down at her hands.
“You were close to mom.” It was a statement, not a question. He was beginning to think she was closer than he realized.
“Y’all did abandon me with her a lot.” She tried to joke.
“Soph.” He lifted her chin so she was looking at him.
“I went over every week when y’all left. They missed you. Your mom taught me all of her recipes. We made stuff to send y’all. I was actually there before the accident. Your dad was taking her out, she was so excited.” Her voice broke and the tears fell down her cheeks.
“Sophia.” He breathed her name.
“I know, big girls don’t cry.” She smiled wiping the tears away.
“Something tells me you’ve been holding those tears in for a while.” His heart broke knowing she had been alone trying to deal with everything.
“I didn’t think you would come home. I thought when you left the army, you would sell the house and move away.” He could see the trace of hurt she tried to hide in her eyes.
“I wasn’t ready to come home before now. I expected the house to need a lot of work when I came home.” Tanner had the fleeting thought that holding her like this, and talking like this should be awkward. It felt right, she fit in his lap. Her head just below his chin. Without thought he leaned in and kissed her forehead. She had a confused look and he thought he had made her uncomfortable.
“I thought you had told Jackson to have me watch the house.” Her words gave him hope that she was oaky with him being so close.
“No. When I walked in, I was amazed. The cookies tasted just like mom’s. I would appreciate it if you could help me go through their stuff, but I understand if it’s too much to ask.” Tanner had felt like he was drifting for a while now, but being here with her made him feel like he was home.
“I can help anytime I’m not working.” She smiled at him.
“Alright, big girl, watch the movie. You have cried enough tonight.” He smiled down at her.
“If you tell Jackson, I will have to kill you.” She glared at him, then wiggled around so she was facing the TV and had her head on his chest.
By the end of the movie she was asleep. Tanner knew she would be sore if she stayed like this, so he picked her up and carried her to bed. After pulling the blanket over her, he kissed her forehead, then went back to the couch. He was tired, but he found himself staring at the hallway to her room. No man should ever put his hands on a woman. Women should be cherished, although he could admit her mother may be an exception. Sophia was perfect. Her curves were generous, but that only added more to her appeal. It took a while, but he finally fell asleep. He didn’t care if he never slept, as long as she was safe.
Chapter 3
Sophia woke up confused. She had fallen asleep on the couch, but she was in her bed. She knew Tanner must have put her in bed. She got up and got ready quickly. She put her hair in a messy bun, then opened the bedroom door. The house was silent, so she assumed Tanner had gone home.
“Mornin’ Soph.” He said from the couch as she walked to the kitchen. She squealed in surprise and he smiled.
“Not funny. I thought you went home last night.” She put her hand on her chest to keep her heart from beating out of chest.
“I told you I was staying.” Tanner kept that smile in place.
“Whatever. I have to get to work.” She took a deep breath and went to the table where she left her keys.
“You want to come over when you get off?” He stood from the couch and followed her to the door.
“Why?” She needed some caffeine. Her brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders yet.
“To help me start cleaning out.” He shrugged.
“Of course, sorry I’m not fully awake yet.” She opened the door and he walked out, then waited for her to close the door.
“Be careful. I will see you tonight.” Tanner said then kissed her forehead. She nodded, then got in her car to go to work.
On the elevator ride up to her floor, it occurred to her that him kissing her forehead was odd. They had been friends forever, so maybe it was normal. Chad hugged her all the time. She needed to call him later and let him know she was okay. She had called him when she got home last night. Chad had wanted to come over, but she told him no, that she was fine.
Her day flew by. The floor was packed, and she was on her feet all day. Thankfully, they had a full staff today so that she wasn’t overwhelmed. Somedays it was like she was a tornado spinning from room to room. By the end of the day she was ready to go. She loved her job, but it could be stressful. As she drove to Tanner’s, she called Chad.
“Hey, Soph.” He answered.
“Hey.”
“You sound tired. Is everything okay? Did you sleep last night?” Chad could always read her.
“I’m good. Tanner showed up last night. He had put the pieces together and come to check on me. He stayed with me last night.” Sophia told him as she moved her neck side to side, trying to loosen the muscles.
“Tanner? I figured it would be Jackson.” Chad knew them, but not well.
“Yeah. Jackson wanted to come when Tanner told him what was going on, but Tanner said that he was going to stay with me.” Sophia yawned.
“You going home? Want me to bring over dinner?” Chad was such a sweetheart.
“No. I’m going to Tanner’s.” She told him.
“Am I missing something?” He asked.
“Huh?” She was almost to Tanner’s, thank goodness, cause her eyes were getting heavy.
“He stayed last night, and you’re going over there today. Did Steven try something?” She knew he worried so she rushed to reassure him.
“No. I’m going to help him go through his parents’ things.” She said quickly.
“Oh. Be careful, and call me if you need me.” Chad said as she pulled up at Tanner’s.
“Will do.” She hung up.
&
nbsp; “Hey Sis.” Jackson called walking out of the house.
“Hey.” She hugged him.
“Tanner told me about the bruises, but show me the ones on your sides.” He was being bossy, but she expected it. She lifted her scrub top, and heard him suck in a breath. “He will pay for this.”
“No Jackson. I have no reason to be near him again. I’m okay, just let it go.” Sophia urged.
“Fine, but if anything else happens…” Jackson started.
“It won’t. I’m fine.” She cut him off.
“Tanner is inside.” Jackson told her.
“Where are you going?” Aren’t you going to help?” Sophia had assumed they would all be working on it.
“No Soph. I loved his parents, but this is something y’all should do.” Jackson shook his head.
“Okay.” She nodded.
“Hey Soph.” Tanner came up and put his arm around her.
“Hey.” She leaned into him.
“I’ll be back later.” Jackson looked at them, he looked confused, but she was probably reading him wrong.
“Come on, Soph. Are you hungry? I can make you a sandwich before we start.” Tanner said turning her toward the door.
“No thanks. I ate a salad about an hour ago.” She said looking up at him.
“You need more than a salad, Sophia.” Tanner turned her to face him.
“Trust me, at the hospital that’s about all that is edible.” Sophia said then turned to see Jackson was watching them. She gave him a questioning look. He shook his head then got in his truck.
“If you get hungry, let me know. A magical pixie came in and stocked the kitchen for us.” He smiled holding the door open for her.
“A magical pixie you say?” She laughed walking in the door.
“Yeah, she can even bake, but Jackson ate all the cookies already.” He said stopping at the door to his parents’ room. “You sure you don’t mind helping me?”
“Come on, Tanner.” Sophia said slipping her hand into his. “We can do this.” He looked down at her and kissed her forehead, then opened the door.
“Where do you want to start?” Sophia asked him.
Sophia's Hero Page 2
