Chapter 4
Tanner
“I can’t believe you just set me up like that,” I grumbled to my mother as I sat her damn apple fritters on her kitchen counter.
Her eyes widened as she answered, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She knew exactly what I was talking about, and her innocent expression wasn’t fooling me. “You sent me to Sweet Mornings knowing full well that Hannah was helping her mom out today.”
I loved and respected my mother, but this stunt was way out of line.
“Oh, Hannah was there?” she asked, trying to keep up her pretense.
I turned to face her, but she wouldn’t quite look me in the eyes.
I glared at her. “You knew she was there. Cut the innocent act, Mother. You and Joy planned this. You wanted the two of us to meet face-to-face. The question is…why? What was the point?”
I was still mulling over Hannah’s statements, and I wasn’t sure what to think.
I’d spent the last seven years assuming she’d taken off with another man.
It was the only explanation I could think of for her quickly leaving town like that without a word.
Fuck! Had I really been ignorant about her motivations all those years ago?
The Hannah I’d known wasn’t a liar, but then again, from the moment she’d up and left like that, I’d assumed I hadn’t ever known the real Hannah.
My mother finally met my gaze, and she looked irritated as she dropped the pretense. “It was time, Tanner. The people in this town have treated Hannah poorly since she came back to Crystal Fork. They’re assuming that she broke your heart.”
“She did,” I informed her.
Mom rolled her eyes. “No one would know that judging from your behavior after she left. You never discussed it. Even mentioning Hannah’s name after she left was off-limits. I love you, son, but you’re an idiot sometimes.”
I frowned at her. I was thirty-nine years old, and in all of those years, my mother had never called me an idiot. “I didn’t want to talk about it.”
It had taken me years to even open up to my brothers about my suspicions that Hannah had left me for another man, and my broken heart wasn’t something I’d really wanted to discuss with my mother.
I was bitter and angry right after Hannah had left. Anything I would have said back then wasn’t something for my mother’s ears.
“You didn’t want to talk about much of anything except business,” she told me. “Hannah was supportive of you and patient. But there’s only so much a woman can handle before she’s just…done. I won’t claim that I know everything that went on between you and Hannah, but I was here, Tanner. I saw the obsession you and your brothers had with KTD Remington. There was no room for anyone or anything that would distract you three from your goals. There was no room for Hannah in your life anymore.”
“That’s not true,” I said angrily. “I loved her. I was going to marry her. We were building a life here in Crystal Fork.”
“Hannah was trying to build a life here,” my mother said, disgusted. “You were never here, and when you were here physically, your mind was someplace else. You can’t take a woman for granted for that long and not expect her to feel unappreciated and unwanted. She moved back here for you, Tanner. Because you needed to move here when Kaleb established the headquarters here. Her career opportunities were limited, but she loved you.”
I raked a frustrated hand through my hair. “I know she had a thriving career in New York. I told her I’d make that up to her somehow.”
Hannah had built a huge clientele at a salon in Manhattan. She was well known there for her creativity and her variety of skills. She’d had her own ambitions, and she’d worked her ass off to get trained in every up and coming trend in the market.
“And how did that ‘making it up to her’ thing go for you?” she questioned drily.
I leaned back against the kitchen counter and tried to remember what exactly I had done to make it up to her.
Honestly, I didn’t remember talking about it with Hannah after we’d moved to Montana.
“I don’t recall,” I said truthfully. “She was working at our salon here.”
“And she hated it,” Mom informed me. “Hannah was up on all of the latest techniques and skills, and Tina was, and still is, old school. If Hannah suggested anything, her ideas were shot down immediately. You know this town doesn’t really like change. People who want services that are more creative go to Billings.”
“She should have talked to me about it,” I said thoughtfully.
“She did,” my mother answered. “I think your favorite response was to tell Hannah to do whatever made her happy. You were never listening to her, Tanner, and that went on for a very long time. Can you really blame her for finally giving up? Plants and flowers need some kind of attention to thrive. Relationships are no different. Your father and I were married for decades, but we never forgot to be available to listen to each other without distractions. If you don’t, a relationship will wither and die.”
I pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and sat at the table. “Shit!” I cursed. “Is that really what happened? I thought that Hannah had found someone else. She just…left. Without a single word.”
For once, my mother didn’t bother to scold me for cursing.
She sat down across from me with a somber expression. “She was withering and dying, Tanner. She had to do something to save herself. There was never anyone else. She was crazy in love with you.”
I wanted to stay pissed off, but none of this was Mom’s fault. “I wish I would have known this seven years ago.”
She shook her head. “You weren’t ready to listen, and I’m not sure it would have made a difference back then. Your head was somewhere else.”
“I loved Hannah,” I protested.
“But you didn’t learn to appreciate what you had,” she shot back. “I’m sure you thought you’d have plenty of time to spoil her and listen to her in the future, after you’d built KTD into a mega holding company. But putting love on hold indefinitely wasn’t fair to her, Tanner. Now, she’s back in Crystal Fork and being treated horribly for something that wasn’t her mistake.” She let out a long sigh. “Maybe I shouldn’t have set you up, but I guess I was hoping that if you two started being friendly, people would treat her better. Forgive me?”
I let out a long breath as I nodded. “I understand why you did it. But next time, just talk to me first.”
I couldn’t stay angry at my mother for something I’d done.
To be truthful, I probably was a major dick to Hannah, and I hated myself for that.
For years, she’d been my rock, and I’d taken that for granted.
She’d always been there for me while KTD was growing in New York.
There had been times when she’d come home from a long shift at work, and then get dressed up to go wherever I needed her to be as my date while I was climbing the ladder on Wall Street.
She’d made my career her priority, but when had I been there to support her hopes and dreams?
Hannah and I had been together for so long that I hadn’t appreciated all of the things she’d done to build my career.
“When Dad died,” I said slowly. “I realized how much I’d always taken for granted.”
It had never occurred to me that he could suddenly die one day from a heart attack and not be there anymore.
My father’s death had been a punch to the gut for me and for my brothers.
Since then, we’d all learned a huge lesson about letting our company rule our lives.
Mom reached out and gently touched my forearm. “You’ve all changed, and I’m grateful for that. I’m proud of all of you, and I know you have good hearts. You just got lost in your phenomenal success for a while. Everyone makes mistakes, Tanner. Don’t beat yourself up forever for that.”
“I lost track of the fact that Hannah was my entire life,” I drawled. “I’d say that was a pretty huge mistake.”
“It’s not about the mistakes we make in life, Tanner. It’s what we do about them after that mistake is made that matters.”
She was right, and I was going to fix this situation as soon as possible.
Hannah needed to be treated right in this town, and I was going to make damn sure that happened.
“Has she gotten a job yet?” I asked my mother. Obviously, she knew far more about Hannah’s life than I did.
That was another thing I was going to resolve as soon as possible.
“Tina has been treating her like dirt,” my mother answered sadly. “But I’m not sure she’d go back there anyway. Joy said that she’s doing freelance jobs right now. Most of them are out of the area since she isn’t highly regarded here in Crystal Fork. She had a very successful business in Seattle. A partnership with two other cosmetologists. They went to the clients for events, most of them large weddings for some very important people. Those three girls built up quite a reputation. Joy said they were so busy that they took on contractors to do different events across the state. Hannah sold her third of the partnership to move back here to Crystal Fork, so I don’t think she’s hurting financially. I’m sure that wasn’t an easy decision for her, but being close to her mother was her priority after Joy’s heart attack.”
I wasn’t surprised that she’d made that choice. The Hannah I’d known had always put other people first.
I also wasn’t shocked that she’d been incredibly successful in Seattle.
Hannah was highly intelligent and hardworking. One of her biggest assets was her ability to connect with people.
She was also very capable of being a savvy businesswoman.
Unfortunately, I’d never put as much faith in her as she’d always put in me.
But obviously she’d thrived just fine without my support.
“I know that look, Tanner,” my mother said in a teasing voice. “What are you thinking?”
I grinned at her. “I’m thinking it’s time for Hannah and me to become friends. I hate the fact that people in this town need my approval to treat her right, but if that’s what it takes, I’ll happily do it.”
Mom sent me a doubtful look. “That might not be as easy as you think. She’s going to be wary.”
I shrugged. “Then I guess I’ll just have to prove to her that I’ve changed.”
Truthfully, I had changed.
I knew what my priorities were now.
Yeah, I still worked hard at our offices in Billings every day, but I knew when to stop working and pay attention to what was really important.
My brothers and I owned one of the biggest holding companies in the world, and we were all billionaires.
When our father had died, we’d all realized what we’d sacrificed for that kind of success.
We’d all decided to get a damn life and spend more time doing what was important to us.
We usually didn’t let much time go by without talking to Mom and spending time with the people we cared about.
I wished that I had learned that lesson before Hannah had been forced to leave.
“Do you think she’ll believe that you’ve changed?” Mom questioned.
“She’ll believe it,” I said gruffly.
I was going to put my single-minded stubbornness toward something important this time, and I didn’t plan on failing.