Chapter 21
“What’s all this?” Opal walked out of the room, carrying Kye. She stared around at the food in amazement.
“This is Tanner restraining himself, apparently,” Lilac replied dryly as she put away another bag of groceries.
“There’s enough food here to feed an army for a month.”
“Really?” Tanner said, eyeing the bags of food skeptically. “This is as much as Mia used to get when we were all living on the Ranch.”
“How many brothers do you have?” Opal asked.
“A lot. I’ve lost track.”
Whatever.
He was such a liar.
She reached down to put the milk in the bottom of the fridge. As she stood up, the room spun slightly.
“Lilac? You okay?” His arm went around her.
Okay? No, she didn’t think she was at all. Ryleigh was sick and not with them. Lilac had gone over to see her before, but Linc had told her that she was sleeping.
He’d been kind of cold and standoffish, which had hurt. Because she’d been starting to think of him as a friend.
She’d likely been fired from her job at the diner. And she didn’t know how she was going to earn the extra money they needed to fix Sugar.
Oh, and Tanner thought he was claiming her. God only knew what that meant exactly, but she had a feeling her life was about to change.
“I’m all right. Just stood up too quickly.”
“Right. Sit down. I’ve got pizza.” He ushered her over to the table.
“Pizza!” Opal put Kye down on his blanket on the floor, before digging into the pizza.
Lilac wished they could get him more things—stuff that other babies had. But they needed every cent at the moment.
However, she knew what the polite thing to do was. Even if she’d never have bought all these name brand items. What was Tanner thinking?
“How much do I owe you for the groceries?” she asked as Tanner grabbed a piece of pizza. “And for Ryleigh’s visit to the doctor?”
He froze.
That was a strange reaction.
“What did I say?” she asked.
“You’re not paying for the groceries,” Tanner said in a low growl. “Or the medical bill.”
“But . . . you can’t just buy us all this stuff and pay for the doctor.”
“I can. And we already had this conversation.”
They had?
“I’m claiming you. You’re mine. I take care of you. This is part of that.”
“You can’t just buy me stuff. The pizza is enough. All of this . . . it’s not being restrained, Tanner.”
“I’m a Malone.” He shrugged. “We don’t like restraints.”
“That’s a shame,” Opal drawled, finishing up her fifth piece of pizza. Where she put all of that, Lilac had no idea. She was still picking apart her first piece.
Tanner gave the bits of pizza on her plate an annoyed look. Then he turned to wink at Opal. “Well, we like to use restraints on other people.”
“Thank fuck. I wouldn’t want to think that such a hunk of man candy was a dud in the sack.”
“Opal,” she groaned.
“What? Just looking out for you, my friend. She could use a good fucking,” she told Tanner. “Help relax her.”
“Opal!” she shouted.
Kye let out a cry and she immediately felt terrible. She grasped hold of her head. Why couldn’t she get anything right?
“Lilac, hey. It’s all right,” Tanner said soothingly. He lifted her onto his lap.
“Shit, babe, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Opening her eyes, she saw Opal watching her worriedly.
“I’m fine. Sorry.”
“I’m going to take Kye for a walk,” Opal said, getting up.
A walk? She glanced out the window.
“It’s not that warm out,” she said worriedly.
“Don’t worry, babe. I won’t be long.”
Picking Kye up, Opal bundled him up in a warm blanket and stepped outside.
“She shouldn’t walk around outside in the cold with him,” she said. “I’m going to go get her.”
Tanner wrapped his arms around her. “She’s giving us a moment to ourselves.”
She was? Oh. She should have realized that.
“Opal can be thoughtful.”
“Yeah. She also doesn’t have much of a filter, does she?” he said.
Lilac snorted. “No. Sorry about everything she said. I hope you’re not embarrassed.”
“I’m not embarrassed,” he reassured her. “But I don’t like seeing you upset.”
“I’m fine. I just . . . I shouldn’t have yelled like that. I upset Kye.”
“Kye is fine. He knows that he’s got three women wrapped around his little finger. Lucky kid.” He winked at her.
She shook her head. “I really think I should pay you for the groceries.”
“And I think you should shut up about that before I spank your ass.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Tanner Malone!”
“Yes, baby?”
“You can’t tell me to shut up or threaten to spank my ass for wanting to pay for groceries I’m going to use.”
“Are you?” he asked seriously.
“Am I what?”
“Going to use them.”
“Well, yeah.” She frowned, not liking where this was going.
“Are you eating, baby?” He rubbed his hand up and down her back.
“Yes,” she told him.
“Three meals a day? Snacks?”
She pressed her fingers together. “I’m doing the best I can.”
Shit.
She hadn’t meant to say that. Or in that tone. It was a mix of longing and sadness. Of regret.
God. She had so many regrets that she didn’t even know what to do with them all.
“Shh, baby. I know you are. Shh.” He pressed her face against his chest and rocked her back and forth.
The front door opened, and Opal stepped in. “Sorry, Kye needs a bottle. Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Everything is good.” She climbed off Tanner’s lap, surprised that he let her. She walked over to Opal and gave her a gentle hug, before taking hold of Kye. “I’ll get the bottle for him.” Then she glanced at the clock. “Shit! I’ve got to get to Dirty Delights. I’m going to be late.”
How could she have forgotten about work?
Idiot.
She handed Kye back to Opal and rushed to her suitcase by the sofa.
“Whoa. Wait.” Tanner reached for her, but she shook his hand off. “Lilac, I think you should call in sick.”
“I can’t call in sick. I’m not ill!”
“You don’t look that great to me, babe,” Opal said as she made Kye a bottle. He was really starting to fuss. She should help with Kye. But she had to go to work. She likely only had one job left and she had to keep it.
“Lilac, I don’t want you going to work tonight.” Tanner took hold of her shoulders, holding her still.
Panic started to eat at her insides. “I have to go. And you can’t stop me.”
He eyed her for a long moment. “Fine. You can go.”
So gracious of him to allow her to go to her job.
“But I’m going as well. I’ll be there all night, making sure you don’t push yourself too hard.”
She sighed but didn’t argue, knowing this was the best compromise she would get.