Chapter 20 #3
“Let me get this straight—you accidentally bought the town where your son’s ex grew up?” I ask.
“I did. And he ran into her the very first time we came here, right after I told him about the wildly impulsive thing I did.”
“Wow. That is wild.”
He goes on to explain about the custody battle Lindy was having with her sister over Jo. “I suspect their expedited marriage was something more of an arrangement at the start, though neither of them has ever admitted it to me. Even if it was, very quickly, it became more than that.”
I ask about James, Collin, and Harper, and as Tank talks about his children finding their significant others, Evie falls asleep in my arms, still gripping Tank’s finger.
We talked about our children the night of our date, but he goes deeper now, sharing some of the fears and worries he’s had over Pat’s impulsiveness, James’s stubbornness, and Collin’s struggle with his business and finding his identity.
“I worried more for Harper earlier and less for her now that she figured out she was in love with Chase,” he says with a chuckle. “I can’t wait for her to meet you.”
Though things have been great with Tank’s sons and their significant others, I worry slightly about Harper. Not for any good reason. Maybe just because I would hate for her not to like me.
Tank asks about John and Chelsea, and I confess that I think John is too serious and works too much. I don’t say I think he’s too much like his father in some ways.
“Chelsea and Mason are doing great together, and my only issue is trying not to pressure them about when they’re going to give me a grandbaby,” I say. “Evie can maybe help tide me over for a little bit.”
“She’s amazing,” Tank says. “I wasn’t sure how I would feel—like if it would be similar or different from Jo. I was a little nervous, to be honest. I just didn’t want to … love her more somehow. Or have Jo feel like I did.”
I’ve seen Tank with Jo a time or two from a distance.
When I was leaving the wedding after dropping off the cake, I remember hearing Jo squeal and seeing Tank swing her around on the dance floor.
Even then, I remember the way it made my chest burn.
Though it’s nothing compared to how I feel in this moment, with one of Tank’s arms wrapped around my back and Evie’s tiny fist curled around his finger.
This ordinary moment feels like more.
It feels, I realize, a little bit like forever.
“I have no doubt Jo knows how much you love her. Your heart seems to have the capacity to love deep and love wide,” I tell him. “And what’s more, you make no attempts to hide it. You carry that love around with you and wave it like a banner so everyone can see.”
From my peripheral vision, I can see him working to swallow. Maybe I should give it a rest with the compliments, but I can’t seem to stop. As much as people seem to love Tank right back, I do wonder how often they tell him so. It feels vitally important right now to say the words out loud.
“I think the way you give and the way you love so fully is one of the most attractive things about you, Theo Graham.”
“Thank you.” His voice is low and rough. He brushes his lips over my cheek, scattering sparks over my skin. “What other things do you find attractive?” he asks, now teasing. He shifts, flexing so that his pecs practically burst through the thin tank top.
I shake my head with a little laugh. “I honestly haven’t found anything I don’t find attractive about you. Which is kind of off-putting, actually. You do have flaws, don’t you?”
He stares at me seriously. “Hundreds. Should I list them for you?”
“In alphabetical order, please.”
“Buckle up,” Tank says. “Starting with A we have—”
Laughing, I hold up a hand. “No, seriously. Stop. I’m sure you have flaws. We all do. I’d rather just experience them as they come. You’re not going to scare me off, Theo.”
“I wasn’t trying to,” he says. “But maybe you should know my weaknesses. I mean, I don’t want to hide anything. You should know up front what you’re getting into here.”
Careful not to shift Evie, who is almost asleep, I lean over and kiss Tank on the lips. Sweet and slow. Pulling back, I say, “I’ve got a pretty good idea what I’m getting into. And I think I’m fine with the risks.”
Pat and Lindy’s two dogs, who had been curled up quietly across the room, suddenly jump up, barking wildly and bolting for the back door.
The noise startles Tank and me apart and wakes up Evie.
She lets out a loud cry, but settles when I lift her and tuck her against my chest, rubbing her back gently. In moments, she’s asleep again.
“Speaking of things that are attractive,” Tank says, brushing a strand of hair back from my cheek.
“Were we?”
He continues, ignoring my question. “I really like the sight of you holding my granddaughter. A lot. Would you want to do this again—without the panic? I can’t promise there won’t be poop.”
I laugh softly and drop a kiss on the crown of Evie’s head. “I feel very good about it. Even if there’s poop.”
The back door bursts open then and Jo comes flying in, stopping herself when she sees the baby asleep. The dogs circle around her ankles, and she pets them both absentmindedly, her wide eyes moving from her sister to me, to Tank.
Jo’s gaze stops there and, tilting her head to the side, she says, “Grandpa Tank, why are you wearing a crop top?”