Page 155 of Wildest Dreams

“Have you bought a place yet?” Tanner’s dad asks, his eyes flicking my way briefly in a silentextraquestion.

Namely: are you two going to be livingtogether?

Tanner rolls his shoulders, setting his cutlery neatly on his plate. Hisemptyplate. The man is simply unstoppable. I shovel in another forkful of potato salad, borderline swallowing it whole in order to speed up.

“Haven’t bought a place yet,” Tanner admits, his voice deep as he drops his gaze to mine. He moves his hand from my knee so that he can splay it over my lower back. “We haven’t… spoken about it yet. Ash’s plans are still up in the air.”

“Oh?” his mom asks, eyes kind as she leans forward, paying me her full attention.

Tanner nods down at me, encouraging me to open up a little.

“Well,” I rasp, looking down at my lap to refold my napkin, “I’m going to be working for my family’s business – they’re in real estate. But I want to be part of a division that they don’t really have yet. So, careerwise, I’m up in the air.”

My cheeks heat up and Tanner’s hand strokes me harder.

“The job is partially remote,” Tanner rumbles, his eyes on mine when I look up at him from my napkin. “And Ash knows that if she chooses to she can move in with me when I get my place.”

My heart stumbles in my chest because we haven’t talked about this before.

But I tuck a curl behind my ear and nod before returning to the green beans, not sure yet how to respond to such an obvious offer of commitment. Of generosity.

Exclusivity.

A sudden knock at the front door has the two dogs immediately jumping to their feet, Cookie bolting in through the open patio and Cobie shooting a look to Linc. When he gets the nod of approval Cobie instantly chases in after her, the sunlight streaking across his fur like a bright flash of caramel.

Tanner’s eyes flick to his mom’s, his irises sparkling as she smiles back at him.

“Is that…?” he asks, laughing as she nods her head.

“Christ,” Wyatt says, shaking his head and grinning. He jerks his thumb toward his brother and says, “This guy and his love for cobbler. You’d never guess it from looking at him, would you?”

Tanner gives my waist a squeeze as he moves to stand, eyes on mine after a gentle kiss to the cheek.

“They ordered in dessert,” he murmurs. “I’m gonna grab the door, okay?”

I nod up at him and he leans down to press a kiss to my forehead, not a hint of embarrassment on his face as his parents and brother stare at us in awe-struck silence.

Which is fine, because I’ve turned red enough for the both of us.

When we hear Tanner opening the front door, accompanied by the happy yips of his dogs, Wyatt tips his chin at me and says, “Wait until you try this cobbler.”

I can’t help but drop my chin into my palms, eyes on my empty plate as I laugh.

“He’s actually already had me try it,” I admit, scrunching my nose in happiness.

Wyatt shoves his chair away from the table, eyes crinkling as he chuckles.

“You’re shitting me,” he grins.

“Wyatt,” his mom laughs, slapping one of his biceps to try and prevent further swearing.

Ten seconds later Tanner steps out of the patio doors, holding the tray of piping hot cobbler in one hand while the dogs jump around his legs, making him place his steps carefully so as not to step on them.

He runs his other hand over the khaki cap sat backwards on his head, which he must have picked up during his trek through the kitchen. He looks laidback and way too hot to handle.

When he catches me staring he smiles at me and winks.

His dad glances up at him as he swaps the cute gold-trimmed dinner plates for dessert ones.

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