by Mysti Parker
She watched for Ty's reaction. He was smiling and rocking from side to side. She loved to see him happy, and she had to admit, Tanner's arm felt good wrapped around her like that. She had to resist the urge to melt into him, to be reminded of how her curves fit against his after all this time.
Reluctantly, she pulled away from him and dragged her personal flour canister over. "No, I think I'll whip up some cupcakes while the pizza bakes. We need dessert, right?"
"I never turn down dessert." His gaze traveled down her body and back up again as if he were eyeing the most delicious cake ever made.
On most normal days, she needed no recipe, but damn it—Tanner Mann had pulled the stopper that kept her common sense in place. Sighing, she opened her cabinet and carefully read the yellowed, batter-stained recipe taped on the inside of the door. Their basic yellow cake recipe had served them well from the start. Moist and buttery sweet, it complemented any flavor of icing perfectly.
Paige muddled through and attached the bowl to the mixer. She flipped the switch. The paddle whirred through the batter. This was her favorite part, watching the yolky ripples, the tiny bubbles floating to the top and popping, the rich, sweet aroma wafting up from the bowl. And then the shrill beep of the oven timer interrupted the moment.
As Paige bent to take the pizza from the oven, she felt Tanner's eyes on her. He had turned around in the chair, his elbow relaxed on the back. The soft expression on his face and warmth in his eyes said he had witnessed her cupcake trance, but not in a laughable way. It said something else. That he got her. He understood her passion for this business. Why else would she keep struggling with this place? It was hard work. She'd gone from being Beach Pointe's valedictorian to its black sheep. Her reputation now hung solely on the thread of her baking talent. She could have chosen from a hundred other jobs that would have earned her a lot more money. But nothing made her quite as happy as baking. She'd always wanted to put that talent to use and own her own business. She loved this town and wanted to give back even though things hadn't worked out as she'd planned. Tanner's plans hadn't worked out either. Had their computer shop not burned down, he'd have probably never come back. But then again, why move back here? He could have gone anywhere to start over.
As she rolled the pizza cutter through the steaming sauce and cheese, her gaze drifted to the table, where Tanner and Ty had started another set of coloring pages. Tanner asked him about Iron Man and the other Avengers, and Ty actually responded, albeit barely above a whisper.
Smiling, Paige got a two liter and filled three glasses with ice. Then she brought the paper plates and pizza to the table.
"Hey, Ty, let's put the coloring away now until we're finished eating," she said.
Sometimes he didn't like stopping whatever he was doing. Sometimes it ended in a fit. But this time, Tyler closed the coloring book and set it aside without so much as a frown. Tanner put the crayons back in the box while Tyler grabbed a slice of pizza and plopped it on his plate.
"Smells awesome," Tanner said. "Love me some pizza."
Ty chuckled. He hadn't started eating yet. That could often be a challenge, too. Tanner picked up a slice and bit off the end. Ty watched wide-eyed as the mozzarella stretched from Tanner's mouth until it finally broke off and dangled down his chin.
Ty busted out a belly laugh. He grabbed his pizza and gnawed off a giant bite, laughing around a mouthful as the cheese stretched and wobbled like a swinging bridge. Smiling, Paige poured some soda and sipped it. Wow. This felt kind of...normal. It was the kind of thing she'd wanted with Tanner before everything changed. It worried her—she'd been happy before, but every time it had come crashing down.
Paige's phone rang beside her with the songbird ringtone that meant her mom was calling. She picked it up and hit accept. "Hey, what's up?"
"They got him."
"Him as in Vic?"
Tanner reached over and rested his hand on hers, gently squeezing her fingers.
"Yes. He wasn't anywhere near us, thank God. They found him about three hundred miles north. He was hiding in a barn, asleep. The farmer had gone out to check on a horse that was about to give birth and found him. Pinned his arm down with a pitchfork and held a shotgun on him until the police arrived."
Relief washed over Paige, bringing hot tears she had to blink away. She covered her mouth with one hand to hold in the sob building in her throat. Tanner took her hand in both of his and nodded. His warmth and encouragement helped her swallow the emotion back into submission.
"It's okay," he whispered. "You're safe."
She sniffed and nodded back.
"Paige? Honey, are you still there?" Rhoda asked.
"Yeah, I'm here. Thanks, Mom. We're..." She took a shaky breath and smiled over at Ty, who was on his second piece of pizza and a record-length cheese stretch. "We're just having pizza—Ty, Tanner, and me."
"Oh!" Rhoda exclaimed, followed by a long pause and then, "Good. Tell you what—I'll come over and stay with Tyler while you two go out, or if he's in a good mood, he can have a sleepover with Grammy."
She couldn't remember the last time her mom had offered to come to their place. They hadn't had many sleepovers there either, since she often remarked that Ty made her too nervous.
"That's not—"
"Nonsense. You haven't had a real date in ages."
"But Ty had a rough morning. I'm not sure it's a good idea."
"Morgan told me what happened at the creek. I think you owe Tanner a date at the very least. I've been looking on that website you told me about for games to play with Ty. I have some I know he will like."
Her mom wanting to play with Ty and surfing the internet? Apparently, today was meant for a boatload of WTF surprises.
"I don't know..." Paige's cheeks warmed. She ducked her head and glanced at Tanner.
He and Ty were having a cheese stretching contest. Tanner's cheese broke first. He laughed and held up his hand. Ty gave him a nice, loud high five. It was like Tanner had brought him out of his shell. Could there be something there she could hold on to? She didn't want to hook up with him just so he could be her “baby daddy,” whether he was or not. Sure, it would be easier to keep the bills paid with two incomes, but that would be a shitty foundation for a marriage. But if things didn't work out again, she didn't want Ty to be upset if Tanner suddenly wasn't in the picture anymore.
Shit, now she'd put marriage and Tanner in the same thought process. Not happening. But just one date? What could it hurt?
"I'm getting my keys," Rhoda said in a sing-song voice.
Paige heard them jingle on the other line.
"Okay, fine. So long as it's okay with Tanner."
He turned to her at the mention of his name. His upper lip was all curled up, holding a pizza cheese mustache. Ty giggled.
"What?" Tanner asked.
Paige covered her mouth again, but this time to keep from deafening her mom with her laugh.
"I'm down for whatever," he added, whipping his tongue out like a frog. He slurped up the cheese, sending Ty into a full-on laughing spell.
"Looks like it's a go," Paige said.
"Good, I'll be over in a few minutes."
"Okay, see ya." Paige hit end and took a big bite of pizza, chewing happily.
"So, what am I down for?" Tanner asked. "I know I said whatever, but I don't do ballroom dancing unless you like tripping and falling a lot."
"No dancing. But what are we going to do on our date?"
"Date?" A wide smile swooped across his face and crinkled at the corners of his blue eyes. "Had I known a pizza cheese mustache would do the trick, I'd have done it already."
Ty nodded. "What's a date?"
"A date is where two people go somewhere to be alone for a while," she explained. "Just to talk and have fun. Mommy wants to go on a date with Tanner." It felt really weird to say that after she'd hated him for so long. "We won't be gone long, but it may be past your bedtime before we get back. Grammy's coming over to stay with you
. Or if you want, you can go have a sleepover at Grammy's. Which would you like best?"
Paige had learned to prepare Ty for any changes in routine, as much as possible. She also gave him choices that fit within those plans. That way, he felt a little more in control and usually responded much better.
Ty's forehead wrinkled while he stared at his sauce-smeared plate. Maybe it wasn't a good idea after all.
Tanner glanced between mother and son. "I'll take really good care of her, buddy. I promise."
With a resolute sigh and shrug, Ty slid off the chair and came around to Paige. He climbed on her lap and gave her a brief, but tight, hug. "Can I pack my bag?"
"Yes. Do you want your Iron Man backpack or your Batman one?"
"Iron Man. Do I still have to brush?"
"Yes, you still need to brush your teeth. You can take your red or blue toothbrush."
"Blue." He hopped off her lap and held up his hand. Tanner gave him a high five and ran back to their bedroom.
Paige sat there, mouth agape, until Tanner reached over and gently lifted her chin to close it.
"This has certainly been one heck of an interesting day," he said, then lowered his voice. "So they caught Vic?"
"Yes." Paige rested her elbow on the table and saddled her cheek in her hand. "If he'd have come here, I don't know what I would have done. I'd probably kill him."
"I won't let anyone hurt you. You know that, right?"
So many times, those kinds of promises were just words. Rhetorical and meaningless. Not this time. He meant it. Determination lit a fire in his eyes.
"I know," she whispered. "I can only imagine what you must have seen in Afghanistan. This must seem like some over-hyped reality show."
A soft smile played on his lips. "Yeah, I saw some bad shit. But, that doesn't make this any less real for you. I don't know your asshole of an ex, but I know he never deserved you. If he couldn't see how awesome you are, how good a mama bear you are, he must have been blind or dumb as fuck."
That made her chuckle, but she put a finger to her lips. "Shh. I try not to curse around Ty. He repeats things for days on end. He got stuck on shit once. Talk about embarrassing, pushing the cart with a toddler who's chanting, 'Shit, shit, shit' down the toilet paper aisle."
Tanner snickered and glanced down the short hallway. "He's a great kid. I don't know how you've done it all alone."
She realized something then. "I'm not really alone, I guess. There's mom and Morgan and even your sister. They've been there for me through it all."
"I'm sorry I wasn't, but if you'll let me, I'd really like to be."
Paige took both his hands in hers. She'd always liked his hands. But a few years and a lot of work had made them stronger, rougher, capable of doing so much more than when they were seventeen. "Do you mean that? I mean, if he's not really yours..."
"That doesn't matter. Yes, I'd like to know for sure, mostly for Ty's sake so he knows his family history, but I know you don't need to share DNA to be a dad."
Her eyes welled with tears. She blinked them back. "I have an idea for our date."
"What?"
"You can help me make cupcakes."
His lips formed an O. "Consorting with the enemy now, are you? Like a double agent."
"We'll see. Get a spatula."
"That may be the sexiest, weirdest thing a girl has ever said to me."
Rhoda finally arrived, and Tyler ran from the bedroom with his Iron Man backpack. He was excited, rocking on the balls of his feet and smiling.
"You two have fun." Rhoda hugged Paige and whispered in her ear, "You still have birth control?"
Paige's eyes widened. "Mom!"
Rhoda chuckled, then held open the door for Tyler.
He gave Paige a hug and Tanner another high five before walking out. Paige watched them drive away from the back stoop.
Tanner's gentle hands settled on her shoulders. "He'll be okay."
"I know, he's just..."
"Growing up, learning to adapt?"
"He's my baby."
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "He always will be. Now let's make those cupcakes."
Chapter Fifteen
Garrett gripped the back of Morgan's seat and the door handle as she fishtailed the Jeep into her apartment parking lot Dukes of Hazard style. His heart skipped more than a few beats. If they didn't smash into something, he'd likely have a traumatic cardiac event and die before he ever saw her completely naked. She slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop right against the curb. Garrett caught his breath, finally exhaling when he realized they were still intact. He unbuckled his seat belt, suddenly feeling lightheaded. Not from Morgan's stunt driver impersonation, but from knowing he actually would have her naked in about ten seconds. Soon as she turned off the key, they looked at each other, smiled, and scrambled out of the Jeep.
Morgan sprinted across the sidewalk and up the stairs like a gazelle outrunning a cheetah. Garrett followed and almost tripped as he bolted up the steps two at a time. Not exactly cheetah-like grace, but he didn't care, so long as they could get some relief after this insane race. Morgan fumbled with her keys until she unlocked her apartment door then threw her arms around him. They kissed frantically, nearly falling across the threshold. He kicked the door shut behind him, grappled blindly for the deadbolt, finally found it, and turned it. Morgan grabbed the hem of his shirt, wrestled it over his head, then tossed it aside. It caught on the branches of a plaster tree sculpture. She flung her blouse to the ground. He peeled her tank top off and slung it onto her couch. She took off her bra and threw it. The bust of some dead guy caught it; one of the cups covered his eyes.
Good—they didn't need any witnesses for this love frenzy.
Shoes flew off, pants next. They left a weird trail of discarded fashionwear behind them as they raced to Morgan's bathroom. She opened the shower door in a rattling rush of sliding glass then cranked on the water.
Garrett braced for impact and caught her as she threw herself on him again. Thank goodness they weren't atoms—it was about to get nuclear hot in here. They kissed drunkenly, lips flying over each other's faces, until Morgan broke free and hopped into the shower.
Steam billowed from inside. It was a huge shower—odd for such a little apartment. But he couldn't complain. This ceramic-tiled space with two shower heads and a generous built in seat had a lot of pleasurable possibilities. Garrett started in, but then remembered something practical, even though it put the brakes on their wild spontaneity. He'd completely forgotten to bring a condom.
"Hey, um, do you..." He gestured at his shrinking erection.
Morgan shook her head, eyes wide and panicky. At this rate, they might as well call it a night.
"Are you..." She glanced down. "Clean?"
"Yeah. But aren't you worried about..." Apparently, they'd adopted a language like his parents once had, composed of unfinished sentences, single word answers, and grunts.
"Not at all." She grabbed his hands and pulled him into the shower. Crowding her breasts against his chest, she whispered, "I'm on the pill."
He hardened right up again. There was nothing quite so uninhibited and sexy as knowing he didn't have to put a barrier between him and his lady's honey pot.
As soon as she slid the door closed, she locked lips with him and backed him into the shower stream. The hot, pulsating spray hit his back. Garrett gripped her ass with both hands. Her smooth, slick skin against his fingers enticed him to pull her closer. His erection settled into the juncture of her thighs. He didn't want to rush this, no matter how much his manhood wanted to plunge in headfirst.
Morgan broke from the kiss long enough to pump a squirt of body wash into her palm. It had a girly, fruity kind of smell, but he couldn't have cared less if he ended up smelling like a grapefruit. He already reeked of vinaigrette.
She kept his erection captured between her thighs while she soaped up his chest. Her long, slender fingers made sudsy circles on his pecs. A delicio
usly wicked smile curved on her lips as she watched her work. He didn't mind playing the part of clay at the whim of his sexy sculptor. But he felt a little left out.
"You're not nearly wet enough," he said and spun her around until she was under the water spray.
She closed her eyes and let her head fall back. Her soapy hands slowed their work, meandering in random patterns on his chest. Water drenched her brown curls; rivulets ran down her face, shoulders, and breasts. It poured off her hardened, pink nipples. He let go of her butt and latched onto those ivory beauties with both hands. They were firm and full and fit perfectly in his palms.
Garrett got a squirt of the body wash and lathered up her breasts. The added slickness had them sliding beneath his fingers so he couldn't get a good grip, but he didn't need to. He made circles around her nipples and worked his way out, kneading their slippery fullness until her mouth opened with a soft moan.
Her body shifted back, and her fingers replaced the warmth of her thighs on his shaft. He'd been too focused on this mission to realize she'd gotten another pump of body wash. Eyes focused downward, she wrapped her fingers around him, sliding down, then slowly back up, squeezing when she reached the head. Then she quickly slid back to the base. She did it again and again, rinse and repeat, until his hips involuntarily thrust against her hand.
He grabbed her wrist. "It's up to you, but baby, I'm about to come, and I'd really rather be inside you."
Morgan let go with a teasing smile and a tilt of her head. "If tonight goes the way I imagined it, you'll have a lot of options to choose from. But..." She glided her slick hands up his sides, making him shiver from head to toe. "Since you're my guest, I should be hospitable, shouldn't I?"
She turned around and braced herself with both hands on the rear wall where the glass blocks let in a scant amount of the remaining daylight. This must have been where he'd seen her silhouette while jogging. Excitement jolted straight to his groin. And then she lifted one leg and set her foot on the seat, arching her back until her booty winked up at him.
