Chapter Ten
Tana paced in Torren’s living room, waiting for him to finish getting ready for Sunny and Aaron’s wedding.
After their crazy night shopping for dresses, he returned home, and she completely broke down when he walked through the front door.
The relief that she saw in Torren’s eyes showed her just how worried he was, and she hated the fact that her crazy past followed her to Harvest Ridge.
She especially hated that it was affecting him and her daughters, disrupting all their lives.
Torren seemed to understand that she was completely distraught from the events of the night and held her, letting her sob into his shirt until she felt like she didn’t have any more tears to cry.
“Thank you for the dresses,” she hiccupped.
Torren chuckled and kissed her forehead, and she honestly never felt so safe and loved.
The next morning, Sawyer and two other police officers showed up at Torren’s house to question her and Torren about the prior night’s events.
Sawyer looked just as worried about the whole situation as Tor did, and that didn’t fill her with confidence.
The guys wanted her to stop her entire life and stay hidden away in Torren’s house, not giving Matt a chance to get to her or the girls.
She had to admit that part of her wanted to let the fear of her ex hurting her girls consume her to the point of wanting to hide away, but then he would win.
She couldn’t let all those wasted years of being afraid of Matt keep piling up at her feet.
She was done hiding and looking over her shoulder.
If her crazy ex wanted to hurt her, then she would be ready for him.
Having Torren by her side gave her confidence that she had forgotten she possessed.
She was ready to take on the world and her ex-husband and let the chips fall where they may.
Her only concern was keeping Beth and Sarah safe.
Torren entered the room and whistled when she turned to face him. He went back to the store and picked up the dresses that she and the girls liked, even making sure they had the perfect shoes to match. He thought of everything, and she felt like a princess, even giving him a twirl.
“You look incredible, honey,” he growled.
As he walked towards her, she noticed the way his suit fit him just right, showing off his broad shoulders and chest. She knew what he looked like without his clothes on, and he was pretty spectacular, but Torren in a suit did wicked things to her girl parts.
She licked her lips, thinking about slowly stripping him out of the suit later.
Torren chuckled, “I’m pretty sure we are thinking the same thing, honey.
” He pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips against hers, taking her mouth in a hot, wet kiss.
“We need to get going, though, and we don’t have time for that dirty mind of yours.
” Torren released her, turning to find the girls who ran into the room, squealing about looking like princesses ready to go to a ball.
Everyone was feeling pretty and rightly so—it was a wedding after all.
“Ready?” Torren held out his hand, and Tana took it.
“Sure,” she said, her voice a little shaky.
Honestly, she wasn’t ready for all that today would hold.
She was nervous about seeing Torren’s friends again, and she was pretty sure that more than one of his ex-girlfriends would be at the wedding.
Hell, the bride was his ex-girlfriend, so there would be no avoiding Torren’s past. She knew that she had nothing to worry about—Tor proved repeatedly that he only wanted her.
She worried that others would find them an odd match or even find her lacking in some way.
“You look beautiful, baby,” he whispered in her ear, kissing her neck.
The girls made “yuck” and “gross” comments, and she had to laugh.
She was getting used to her daughters’ displeasure at her and Torren kissing or even holding hands, for that matter.
Her girls were so resilient, accepting Torren as a part of their lives.
She just worried that if things changed between the two of them, her girls would be the ones to pay the price.
They piled into Torren’s truck, and Tana couldn’t help but look around for any signs of Matt. She was hoping to go the whole day without causing a scene, especially for Sunny’s sake. It was her big day, and Tana would hate to ruin that for her or Aaron.
“Don’t worry, honey. Sawyer has us covered today,” Torren whispered.
“You won’t see them, but we have about six guards watching and tailing us.
He won’t get anywhere near us, but if he does, they will catch him.
” Trying to keep the girls in the dark about what their father was doing was nearly impossible.
When Matt locked her in the bathroom at her mother’s house, the girls were there.
But she explained to them that their dad was sick and needed to get some help.
She had a feeling that they knew something was up, but she didn’t go into detail.
The night the flowers were delivered to the dress shop, she sat them down and told them that they needed to be careful for a while, and that was why they had to stay with Torren.
Elizabeth asked if it was because her daddy was trying to hurt them again, and Tana found it hard to speak past the lump in her throat.
Torren was there holding her hand, right by her side, for the whole discussion, and she was grateful.
He helped her to tell the girls that their dad was in town and wanted to hurt their mother, but he also assured them that he and Mr. Sawyer were going to protect them and keep them all safe.
The girls didn’t even hesitate to believe him, even asking him to read them their bedtime story and tuck them both in bed that night.
Torren was quickly becoming the cornerstone that they were all leaning on, and she didn’t want to even think about what she would do without him.
“I’m sure you have everything covered, Tor. Thank you.” She squeezed his hand in hers, and he gifted her with his smile.
“I do, baby.” Hearing him say those words to her while they were on the way to a wedding did strange things to her heart.
“I just want you and the twins to have a wonderful time tonight. You leave all the worrying to me.” Tana nodded, smiling back at him.
She was excited to go to Sunny’s wedding.
She had never been to any weddings besides her own, and the chance to dance the night away and have fun was just what they all needed.
The wedding was being held at Sunny’s parents’ farm, and Tana had to admit that it was just about perfect.
The weather was gorgeous, and the simple white tent and wooden tables, and chairs lent to the whole rustic elegance that seemed to complement the couple.
She cried during the ceremony, which wasn’t a shocker.
She always was a sap for romance and happily ever after.
Being there with Torren made her secretly long for her happy ending—she was just afraid that she was asking for too much.
Besides, they only really just started dating, and even though they moved at what felt like lightning speed, she needed to remember that they didn’t know each other that long.
After the ceremony, they ate dinner, and just as the girls started getting antsy, the music started.
Aaron and Sunny danced their first dance as a married couple with little Sadie sandwiched between them, and Tana started crying all over again.
Torren handed her his hankie, and they watched as Tag led a very pregnant Piper onto the dance floor.
Poor Piper looked about ready to burst. She had a couple more weeks until her baby was due, but she still made the perfect Matron of Honor for her best friend, and Tag was Aaron’s Best Man.
When the DJ invited all guests to join in, Torren took Tana’s hand and yanked her up into his arms.
“Dance with me?” He looked almost shy about asking her, and she nodded her head, wanting nothing more than to be in his arms. The twins were pretending to be a couple with Beth, of course, taking the lead, and Sarah was happy to just be spun around.
“Are you having a good time?” Torren whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her back.
“Yes,” she breathed. He looked down into her eyes, and she could see all his pent-up desire staring back at her.
She shivered again, knowing that he was silently promising to spend the whole night tangled up with her in bed.
“We could just leave now,” she whispered against his neck.
Torren sucked in his breath, and she smiled against his skin, liking the effect that she seemed to have on him.
Most of the night, she felt as though they had a million sets of eyes on them— mostly female.
But now it felt like it was just the two of them alone in their perfect world.
“The girls will kill us if we make them leave without cake,” Torren said.
She couldn’t help her groan, but he was right.
Her twins loved their sweets, and if they came out of Sunny’s Buns Bakery, they were all in.
“Soon, though, baby. Soon.” Torren promised.
Tag and Piper sat out the next few dances, allowing her to prop her feet up.
Tana and Torren joined them at the table, and she was happy for the chance to talk to them.
She didn’t have the time to get to know Torren’s friends or brother very well yet.
She saw Tag whenever she visited the store, but she was looking forward to getting to know Piper.
“Any day now?” Tana rubbed Piper’s ginormous belly, and Piper laughed.