Page 93 of Tanner

I lean over to kiss his lips, thanking him for letting me into his life. Now, I just hope I’m enough to help him with the next chapter of his life and the impossible decisions he has to make.

20

HARPER

“He has three offers. That’s tremendous in his field, but being top of his class would do that. Two of the companies are here in the city but one is in Stamford. That’s only a train ride away.”

Willa is telling me about Ryan’s internship opportunities for the spring. He’s getting his master’s degree in financial forecasting from Columbia and wise to line up some work while he’s in school to up his chances at a position when he gets his degree in May.

“The guys are so smart to take the five-year program. Is Tanner lining up anything for after graduation?” she asks from her seat in the teacher’s lounge.

I don’t bother telling her that Tanner isn’t getting his master’s. He’s only enrolled to bide his time. “He has a few things lined up. So, you and Ryan are dating now?” I grab a doughnut from the bag Willa is holding out to me. I love that she brings me food.

“We’ve been out about five times. I like him. We’ll see how it goes.”

She continues to tell me about their last date, which was to dinner and a movie. It’s so proper—the two of them following the traditional line of dating. A hook-up at the bar, a meetup with friends, and the required three dates before she went to bed with him.

It’s a far cry from my and Tanner’s relationship. It’s been a whirlwind, to say the least. In the time it’s taken Willa and Ryan to go on their three dates, Tanner and I have been virtually living together. We stay at his place most nights and make time for our friends at least three nights a week. I work; he goes to school. He cooks; I clean up. We paint, we read, and we make love.

Once the dust of Austin’s accident settled, we have been talking more about his family. Tanner is so self-assured, yet I don’t think he realizes just how much he seeks the validation of his brothers. He’s brilliant. I read some of his term papers and found the man to be far more than the creative I’d thought he was. His analysis is impeccable. He’s incredible with numbers, and he’s even taken finance classes for the hell of it.

I had him go over my finances, and he showed me a few places where I could better invest my money. He even suggested I look to reinvest the money from the sale of my apartment to a new place in Long Island City because the property value is on the rise.

It feels like an eternity ago that I was sitting on April’s couch, moping over the state of my life, when she forced me to get up and go out with her. How my life went from such a mess to the happiest I’ve ever been is amazing.

It’s all Tanner.

Speak of the devil …

My cell vibrates, and I hold a finger to Willa, asking her to pause as she talks about what she’s going to wear to her date with Ryan tonight. Tanner doesn’t usually call when I’m at work.

“Change of plans tonight,” he says. “My dad’s in town.”

I nearly fall out of my chair. “Your dad is here? In New York?”

“My stepmom is here, too.” His tone is a mixture of annoyed and perplexed.

“Did you know they were coming?”

“No.”

I let out a whistle at his clipped tone. “Are they here often?”

“To socialize, yes. Unannounced and wanting to have dinner with me? No.” I can picture him running a hand through his hair and the scruff of his jaw. “We have to be there at seven.”

I swallow down a bite of doughnut way too big for my throat. “We?”

“I’ll pick you up at six.”

“Six?” My voice cracks.

“I have a bottle of scotch I plan to drink first.”

I would think he was joking if it wasn’t for the serious tone.

We hang up, and I look up at Willa, who has her hands up as she does a wiggly dance in her chair.

“You’re meeting the parents!” Her excitement would be normal if this were any other relationship.