“What?! Just because you’ve held me hostage all these years, I’m still a virgin?”
Fresh gagging noises as they head out the backdoor, Ethan calling to Eric, “Grab my food and meet me outside. I can’t take it!”
Eric runs back for the abandoned sandwich as I comically announce, “I have sex!”
“Stop it!”
He disappears outside and I follow them. “Sex sex sex!”
“Oh Gawd,” Ethan groans. “You are killing me. I just can’t. I mean it.”
We plop onto the patio furniture under the beautiful umbrella. Ethan cradles Kaya and gives her Charlie’s breast milk in a bottle, “Here ya go Princess. Almost as good as if Mommy was here, huh?”
“I swear, seeing you with a baby is pretty much the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, Ethan,” I whisper, in awe.
Eric’s mouth is full as he demands, “Bahamas!”
“Don’t snap at me! Lord!” Between bites I explain, “You know those montages you see in the movies, where the woman comes out in a different outfit with the guy outside the dressing room? That was us in all the stores, since we didn’t bring suitcases. We were both wearing our outfits from the fundraiser.”
“Save me the clothing descriptions,” Eric mutters. “Remember who you’re talking to here.”
“Oh right, you probably want to hear about snorkeling with dolphins in Atlantis.”
They stop chewing, jaws dropped and food showing. “No way!”
Ethan mutters to Kaya. “Oh sorry, baby. Here ya go. That’s it.”
“Atlantis isn’t real of course, but they’ve constructed one, sunken and everything. And the dolphins’ habitat is because during Hurricane Katrina all those years ago, sixteen dolphins were stranded. They created this wonderful place for them. Totally thriving. New generations born. Tanner and I swam with them. It’s not an amusement park or anything. It’s an eleven acre lagoon with seven connected pools, where they really live! So amazing we went back another day and paddle boarded with the frigging dolphins, too!”
My brothers exchange a look as Ethan mutters, “I’m having a hard time hating Tanner.”
“I want to swim with dolphins.”
“Ever been to Turtle Island?” Ethan asks.
“No, where’s that?”
“Fiji. I’m taking Charlie there one day.”
“She’s going to love that!”
“I know I can’t wait.”
“I wanna come.”
“What? No, you can’t go.”
“Take all of us!”
“Eric, you’re out of your mind.”
“I’m serious!”
I stamp my foot, “Hello! Remember me? The intervention?”
My brothers eye me and settle back in for the rest of my story.
But I’m over it now. “You know what? Forget it. I don’t have to tell you everything. All you need to know is that I love him. He loves me. It was so much fun I can’t begin to describe it, despite the fact that my voice is very flat right now, I have never had more fun in my life. And I think the most telling part of how compatible we are is that Tanner and I would be sitting on the patio, him talking to his employees and me researching office spaces for my new real estate agency, and it felt very natural and easy. We fit.”
Ethan’s eyes glitter with excitement. “You're going to open your own place?”
Biting my lip I grin, “I think I might.”
Whooping, Ethan rises up and dances with his daughter, barefoot in the sweet-smelling grass. “You hear that, Kaya? Your auntie is a businesswoman now!” He looks at me and somberly asks, “What makes you think you can do it, Emm?”
Fire shoots out of my skull. “Because I was born to do this! I work harder than anyone, definitely harder than I ever saw Cora work, and I’m very good at…oh, you’re messing with me.” My shoulders relax.
With mischief in his eyes, Ethan smirks, “Got you good.”
Eric chuckles, “Should’ve known better.”
“Well it’s a sensitive subject!”
Ethan resumes dancing, “I can still get your auntie all riled up when I want to! Weeeeeee fun fun fun. Never gonna grow up!”
CHAPTER 39
J AKE COCKER
T he knock at my front door is right on schedule. Irritating. Opening it I give Tanner’s expertly tailored suit a slow appraisal. “Don’t you ever wear jeans?”
“The occasion called for greater respect than that.” He motions with his sharp chin to my black slacks and button up. “I see you agree.” I’ve got no tie, collar unbuttoned to a comfortable level. In all those months he was in Atlanta a decade ago I never saw him out of a suit. Reminds me of my brother Justin, somber fucker who’s hard to like. I was prepared, that’s why I’m wearing this.
“Take off your shoes,” I scowl, trying to get the image of him with my little girl out of my head.
It would have been so much easier if she’d picked some kid, not a powerful man like this whose horns I’ve already locked with.
He bends to straighten his shoes next to mine and Drew’s on the tan mat that lives there for this purpose. “Thank you for agreeing to see me.”
“Since my daughter hasn’t called I had no choice.”
A dark eyebrow lifts, “You could just go over to her apartment.”
I grunt, “And see you there in a robe? No thank you.”
“For the last two weeks I’ve been in California. I’m sure she’d love to hear from you, but you’re both equally stubborn.”
Crossing my arms I’m about to tell him he’s wasting his breath, but Drew’s voice interrupts me.
“Tanner, so good to see you,” her sweet southern drawl sings with urgency just behind it. “Come away from the door and make yourself comfortable. We have some cucumber lemonade waiting outside.” She locks eyes with me, warning not to push Emma even farther away by blowing this.
“I need something stronger than that,” I announce.
Tanner says, “I’m with you.”
Surprised, Drew wrings her hands, “You’re already agreeing on something! How nice!”
A smile flashes on my face despite my struggle to stay pissed. I love my wife beyond anything in this world and her ingrained sweetness to this day, charms the fuck out of me. “Drew, you’re ridiculous,” I say under my breath, squeezing her hand as I head for
