Francie squeezed his hand and he turned to her. She was beautiful—fresh faced, with her hair pulled into a high ponytail. There were two bright spots of color on her cheeks, and he knew she could hardly wait to see Maddie. But like him, she realized he might be in for a fight. There was just no way of knowing until Vivian opened the door.
He’d talked to both Luke and Judd last night. They were both set to move back to Marietta. Judd was in the process of getting his hub changed to Bozeman and would sublease his apartment in Indianapolis. Luke would be done with his tour in December and would hopefully be home in time for Christmas. Among the three of them, Maddie would have a close, stable family unit who’d do anything for her. If that wasn’t a sticking point for Vivian, he didn’t know what would be.
Ham glanced over his shoulder. “Five hundred and forty? That the address?”
“That’s it,” Tanner said, watching the houses pass by one by one.
“Here we are. Looks like that beige one with the white trim.” Ham pulled over to the curb. “Should I wait?”
Tanner pulled out his wallet and handed him a twenty. “No, man. That’s okay. Keep the change.”
“Thanks, sir. You folks have a nice visit, okay?”
“Next time you’re in Montana, look us up,” Francie said.
“Will do.”
The air outside the car was humid. A big, beautiful coconut tree in the yard shivered in the breeze, and as they walked up to the deck, a gecko scurried underneath their feet. Francie jumped, covering her mouth before she screamed.
He laughed, pulling her close. “Welcome to Hawaii.”
She held his hand as they walked up the steps and came to a stop at the door.
“You ready?” she asked.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.
After a few seconds, Vivian opened it wearing a genuine smile.
She wrapped Tanner in a perfumey hug, then pulled away to look up at him. “Handsome as ever.”
“Hi, Aunt Viv.”
She turned to Francie and hugged her, too.
“It’s good to see you again, Mrs. Craig,” Francie said.
“Vivian, please.” Her smiled faded as she took them both in. “Rob’s at work. We’ll see him at dinner. Maddie’s riding her bike but should be back any minute. I haven’t said anything.”
Tanner nodded. “Thanks for that. She’s a sucker for surprises.”
Vivian wrung her hands together. “She’s a sucker for a lot of things. Her brother, for one.”
“Vivian…” Tanner began.
“I know what you’re going to say. We’ve been over it and over it, and I still think this is the best place for her.” She paused, staring into her yard where every different kind of flower imaginable bloomed. “But I underestimated how much she’d miss you. How much she loves Montana. I was wrong to brush that aside, and I’m sorry.”
“I miss her, too,” he said.
“We’ve done everything we can think of to make her feel at home here. Taken her to the beach and the park. Introduced her to neighbor kids and set up movie dates. But she’s barely wanted to come out of her room. She’s been so withdrawn. It’s heartbreaking, really.”
Tanner couldn’t stand the thought of Maddie sad. He should never have sent her away. He should’ve kept her close and told her she’d have a home with him for as long as she wanted one. He should’ve been the father she never had. But one thing he’d learned these last few weeks, was that regret got you nowhere. He’d made a mistake. And now it was time to make it right.
“I know it’s hard,” he said. “Figuring out the right thing always is. But she’ll have a good home with us, Aunt Vivian. It’s where she belongs.”
She opened her mouth to reply but stopped and looked over his shoulder.
He and Francie turned to see Maddie standing at the end of the stone pathway. She was holding her bike up by the handlebars. Her helmet, which looked too big, drooped toward one eye as she stared at them in utter disbelief.
“Tanner?”
He broke into a grin, and the heaviness that he’d grown so used to since she’d left lifted from his shoulders.
She dropped her bike and ran to him. He’d barely gotten down the steps before she launched herself into his arms. Catching her, he swung her around in a full circle, her gangly legs flying off to the side. Her hair was damp from the mist, but her skin was warm and soft. Like a baby’s. He remembered helping her learn how to ride a bike. He remembered cleaning up her knees after she’d fallen and telling her it was going to be all right. He was there. He’d always be there.
He stopped spinning her, and came to a stop on the walkway, holding her close as she cried against his chest. She weighed barely anything at all.
After a minute, after she’d calmed some, he set her back down and held her by the shoulders. “Hey, you.”
“Tanner.” Her glasses were knocked crooked and she reached up to straighten them. “And Francie, you too?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, honey,” Francie said.
Tanner glanced back at the two women standing on the porch. Vivian sniffed and wiped her nose with a Kleenex. Smiling, Francie put an arm around her. It was a moment he knew he’d always remember.
Maddie reached for his hand and held it tight, as if she were afraid he’d yank it back again. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“Hey,” he said. “I’ve got something for you.”
“What?”
He pulled a purple striped sock from his pocket and handed it over.
“My other sock! These are my favorite! Where’d you find it?”
“In Charlotte’s bed.”
Maddie grinned.
“I think she stole it on purpose,” he said. “She’s been sleeping with it since you left, like a blankie.”
“Charlotte. Did you feed her some cheese? Please say you fed her some cheese.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’ve been feeding her cheese, and now she expects to sit at the dinner table like a person.”
She giggled, and the sound was like a bell. He’d missed that laugh. He hadn’t realized how quiet his house had been without it.
She looked from him, to Francie, to Vivian, and back again, her smile fading. “What’s going on, anyway?”
This was it. The moment he’d come here for. Vivian made her way down the steps, her heels clicking hollowly on the wood panels. Francie followed, ready to give him her support. Ready to fight alongside him if necessary. He loved her so much right then, because other than his brothers, he’d never had anyone stand up with him before. She was tender, fierce, lovely. The entire package. And she was his.
He turned to his aunt, a formidable woman in her pressed slacks and immaculate blouse. She used to intimidate him when he was little. But he’d also looked up to her, respected her because she was someone who knew what she wanted and didn’t stop until she got it. She’d be a tough adversary. But that was the thing—he didn’t want her to be an adversary. He wanted her to be family. He wanted them all to be family.
Steeling himself, he opened his mouth to tell Maddie he’d come to take her back, but Vivian spoke first.
“Do you like it here, sweetheart?”
Maddie frowned and looked down at her feet. “I do.”
“But you like it better in Marietta, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Tanner tells me he wants to raise you,” Vivian said. “I can see how much he loves you. Would you like to go back with him and Francie?”
Maddie broke into a ridiculous, toothy smile.
Francie walked up beside Tanner and hooked her arm in his. He covered her hand with his own as he watched his aunt.
Vivian smiled slowly, her eyes bright. “My sister may not have been perfect. But she managed to have four beautiful children who love each other very much. Your uncle and I don’t want to come between you. We only want what’s best. It’s clear now this is it.” She loo
ked at Tanner then and reached up to touch his face. “I misjudged you. You’re going to make a wonderful father.”
Maddie wrapped her arms around his waist, and he could feel her heart beating, fast like a bird’s. He felt the sun’s warmth as it broke through the clouds, and damn if there wasn’t a rainbow forming right behind Vivian’s house.
They all turned and looked at the same time. Maybe it was his mom. He’d never been one to believe in signs or fate, but today, he thought he might. He knew he could thank Francie for that, standing quietly beside him. And Maddie’s sweet smile. And the confident look in his aunt’s eyes.
Today was the first day of the rest of his life.
And it was a good one.
Epilogue
Francie stood with Tanner’s arm firmly around her waist. He was holding her strongly, fiercely. As if she were his. And she guessed she was, officially.
They watched from Francie’s porch as Maddie and Colton made their way down the sidewalk, the crispy autumn leaves skipping haphazardly across Bramble Lane. It was early yet, but there were already some ghosts and goblins making their way from house to house for candy bars and the occasional dreaded toothbrush. The air was chilly and smelled of wood smoke. Francie breathed it in, feeling utterly blissful in the moment.
Tanner looked down at her, his face a study in big brother worry. “You think they’ll be okay?”
She smiled. “I think they’ll be more than okay. Maddie’s entire basketball team will be there. Plus about four chaperones. They’ll have a blast. It’s only a few blocks to the movies, and we’re picking them up after so they won’t even have to walk in the dark, remember?”
“But The Lost Boys? Too freaky?”
She leaned into his side. “It’s vintage Jason Patrick. Trust me, she’ll thank you later.”
His eyes were a dark chocolate brown in the fading evening light. The beginnings of a beard graced his jaw and neck, making him look rugged and unattainable. Then she remembered she’d attained him. Every tall, dark, handsome bit of him. He was hers, and she was his.
His lips curved slowly. “How would I do this without you?”
“You’d do just fine. You’re learning. We both are.”
They looked up when Maddie stopped and waved from down the dusky street. “Love you!” she yelled.
Francie’s heart swelled. There’d be a time when she’d be too embarrassed for this kind of thing. But she wasn’t now, and the fact that she was still very much a little girl, despite how much taller she’d gotten over the summer, made Francie want to cry.
Tanner waved back as they watched the kids turn the corner and disappear out of sight.
Then, squeezing her waist, he nudged her toward the door. “I got two extra bags of candy, but it looks like we’re gonna be inundated. Pizza should be here any minute, though. Ready for the movie?”
“I’m ready for some light necking. Maybe more.”
“Oh, yeah?”
She laughed as he leaned down to nuzzle behind her ear. His beard tickled the sensitive skin there and gave her chills. Yeah, okay. So maybe she hadn’t been kidding about the necking part.
They headed inside with Charlotte at their heels, Tanner flipping on the porch light as they went. But before they could close the door, the soft purr of a car pulling up to the curb stopped them.
Francie turned to see her mother getting out of her sleek, midnight-blue Audi. She held something wrapped in foil, as she walked around the car and stepped onto the curb in her trendy calf-length boots.
“Mom?” Her stomach tightened. She’d found peace with a lot of things lately, her relationship with her mother being one of them. It would probably always be complicated. But the days of Loretta controlling Francie’s every move through her upbringing and resulting guilt were over. They’d negotiated an unsteady truce a few weeks ago, but Loretta hadn’t met Tanner yet. Francie had been protective of their newborn relationship, and even though she was so proud of him it hurt, she hadn’t wanted to subject him to her mother’s judgements just yet.
She felt the gentle weight of Tanner’s hand at the small of her back. He knew exactly how she felt. Ironically, he usually sided with Loretta. Give her another chance. You could both use a fresh start… All families deserve that, right? Maybe that was his own peacefulness showing through. He’d finally forgiven his mother for everything she’d done and not done when he’d been a kid, and the result was that he was a much happier man. A man who was able to let go of the past and move toward the future.
She knew she could learn a thing or two from him.
Loretta smiled, holding up the tinfoil mystery package. “I brought caramel-covered apples. Your favorite, remember?”
Despite her knotted belly, Francie smiled back, feeling a rush of affection for the only mother she’d ever known. Flawed or not, she was her mom.
“Of course, I remember. Thanks, Mom.”
Loretta walked up the steps, her heels clicking on the wood, as Charlotte came trotting out to meet her. Tanner lunged forward and grabbed her collar before she could thrust her nose in Loretta’s crotch.
Francie gave her a hug and took the apples. Drawing a deep breath, she glanced over at Tanner. This was it. No more pretending, no more protecting. This was her life. And it wasn’t perfect. It was messy and layered, and she loved it with all her heart.
“Mom, I’d like you to meet—”
“Tanner.” Loretta’s glossy pink lips stretched into a smile. Not a beauty-queen smile. A real smile. Something coveted, because Francie recognized it for what it was. Genuine.
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” she continued.
Tanner leaned down and gave her a hug. His hugs were one of his newest and best qualities. They had the ability to melt even the frostiest of hearts. Although, her mom didn’t look frosty right then. Far from it.
Loretta laughed, obviously expecting a hand shake, or something just as formal.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Tate,” Tanner said, pulling away.
“Loretta, please.”
“Loretta.”
She glanced over at Francie and her eyes were a little sad then. Something brief passed over them—maybe regret for time lost, or the realization they hadn’t fully understood each other until just recently. Francie could only guess. But that’s how she felt right then. And her chest warmed.
“I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to come by, Tanner,” Loretta said, looking back at him.
“No worries. We’ve all been busy.”
“That’s not it.” Her tone wasn’t clipped, but there was an assertiveness there that Francie hadn’t heard before. It was a stark contrast to the honeyed voice that always told her to put her shoulders back and smile. Smile no matter what.
“If I’ve learned anything from my daughter these past few weeks,” she continued, “it’s that we all need to say what we feel more often. Even if it’s not the most comfortable thing.”
Francie put her hand on her mom’s arm.
Loretta smiled, but didn’t take her gaze off Tanner’s. “So I’m going to be honest and say that when I found out how she felt about you I was skeptical. I’m not proud of that, but I was. For reasons I can’t even explain to you right now. At least not in any way that makes sense.”
Tanner watched her steadily, his eyes kind. “You don’t know me. Maybe you had reasons to be skeptical.”
“I know enough. I know that you’re a hard worker. I know that you’re choosing to raise your little sister. I know that you’re an important member of this community, and that my daughter loves you. That’s really all I need to know.”
Francie swallowed the sizeable lump in her throat and looked up at Tanner. He was one of the toughest people she’d ever met. But there was something in his expression that said even after how far he’d come, maybe he needed to hear that right then. Maybe he’d needed to hear it all along. Not just the man, but the boy from so long ago.
She pictured him reading from The
Catcher in the Rye, with his dark mop of hair falling over one eye, and his voice that kept stumbling. And she knew she’d started falling in love with him that very moment. On that chilly fall day that wasn’t so different from the evening they were standing in now.
Tanner pushed the door open farther and stepped aside, his house, his heart, finally an open book. “We’ve got pizza coming,” he said. “Why don’t you stay awhile?”
The End
The Harlow Brother Series
Book 1: Tanner’s Promise
View the series here!
Book 2: Luke’s Gift
Coming soon!
Book 3: Coming soon
More books by Kaylie Newell
Christmas at the Graff
2018 RITA® nominated for Contemporary Romance: Short
Buy now!
Falling for the Ranger
Buy now!
Keep Up with your Favorite Authors and their New Releases
For the latest news from Tule Publishing authors, sign up for our newsletter here or check out our website at TulePublishing.com
Stay social! For new release updates, behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, and reader giveaways:
Like us on
Follow us on
Follow us on
See you online!
About the Author
For Kaylie Newell, storytelling is in the blood. Growing up the daughter of two gifted writers, she knew eventually she’d want to follow in their footsteps. While she’s written short stories her whole life, it wasn’t until after her kids were born that she decided to shoot for the moon and write her first romance novel. She hasn’t looked back since!
Kaylie lives in Southern Oregon with her husband, two little girls, two indifferent cats and a mutt named Pedro.
Visit Kaylie at KaylieNewell.com
*
For the latest news from Tule Publishing, sign up for our newsletter here or check out our website at TulePublishing.com
Tanner's Promise Page 16
