Page 54 of Reckless (Adventures in Love 3)
“No, you go out with your girls. I’ll pick him up from your mom and take him home. He and I can hang together,” he tells her softly, and her entire body melts against him.
“Thank you, but I also kind of want to take a nap, so I can do that with him.”
“Are you sure?” he asks, and she nods.
“All right.” He wraps an arm around her waist and kisses her forehead.
“Are you guys going to be here long?” Cybil asks Tanner, walking over to him for a kiss.
“A couple of hours. We want to get the rest of the shelves painted so that you girls can start getting things set up.”
“All right, well, I think Jade and I are going to head back to the house to hang out with Mom for a while before we need to get ready for this evening.”
“I should be home before you leave.” He kisses her.
“All right, we’ll let you guys get back to work.” Cybil lets him go, and I go to give my dad a hug, then pull back to look at him.
“Thanks for helping out with everything, Dad.”
“You’re welcome.” He gives me a squeeze, then lets me go, and I turn toward Maverick and bite the inside of my cheek when I find him watching me with his fist clenched.
“Later,” I whisper, and he lifts his chin ever so slightly. I know I shouldn’t be happy about the fact that he seems to be having some type of internal battle, but it does make me feel better to know I’m not alone in my feelings. I think that both of us are about ready to crack under the pressure of keeping things between us quiet, and really, I don’t know which one of us is going to break first. I do know that the two of us are going to have a whole slew of questions to answer when it does happen.
Sitting at the counter in Cybil’s kitchen, I smile as I watch my mom, who is sitting on the couch with Claire on her lap, the two of them laughing as my mom sings a song that I can remember from my childhood. As she claps Claire’s hands together and rocks her back on her knees, Claire giggles, the sound making me long to have a moment just like this, watching my mom with my own child.
Before my mom had a heart attack, I always thought I would have forever with her; there was never a time limit. Now I know that at the drop of a hat either of my parents could be taken from me, and as much as I hate knowing that, it’s made me appreciate the time I have with them so much more.
“Okay, I think I’m ready to go.” Cybil steps into the kitchen wearing a pair of dark jeans, a tight cream top with flowy sleeves, and brown pointy-toed bootees with a high heel on her feet that match the material tied around her waist.
“You look amazing.” I scoot off my stool, then smooth my hands down the front of my jeans before I walk to where I slipped off my pumps and put them back on.
“Me? Look at you.” She comes over as I adjust my top, which might be pointless. There is no real way with the deep V-neck cut of my bodysuit to avoid cleavage, but I also don’t want my boobs hanging out all night.
“You both look beautiful.” Mom stands with Claire and comes to join us. “So what is the plan for the evening?”
“We’re going out to dinner; then after we eat, I think we’re going to one of the local bars. Really, Margret hasn’t told us much,” Cybil says, taking Claire when the baby reaches for her. “I’ll have my phone on if you need me for anything.”
“We’ll be just fine,” Mom says, holding her hands out to Claire, and not surprisingly she goes right back to her. “You two just have fun.”
“It will probably be an early night.” I slip on my jacket and grab my bag off the counter.
“Stay out as long as you want.”
“Long gone are the days of us partying all night.” I kiss her cheek. “Hopefully Dad will be here soon to keep you company.”
“I’m pretty sure that your dad is holding Tanner hostage.” She shakes her head. “He wants to help him and the guys get as much work done as he can before we have to go back home.”
“Yeah, well, I would like to spend some time with you guys. It’s been a whirlwind since you arrived, and I feel like I’ve barely seen either of you, especially Dad.”
Her face softens. “Tomorrow I’ll make sure that he doesn’t make any plans in the morning, and we can all have breakfast together.”
