Page 31 of You are the Reason

“Okay, my dark knight, let’s get this show back on the road. I’m starving.”

He steps back with furrowed brows at the new nickname I just gave him before he slaps my ass. I busy myself, whisking eggs and smashing some avocado with seasoning, whilst Tanner cooks fresh bacon. We are deep into a new and foreign domestic bliss when the app on his phone alerts him that someone is at the door.He glances down to see who it is on the camera as I hear the front door open.

“Brace yourself, Pip,” he says, possessively drawing me back into his arms.

“T, I’m home!” A bubbly female voice sings.

Footsteps travel through the house until a tall, thin, supermodel looking girl props herself up at the breakfast bar. Her mousey brown hair is perfectly highlighted around her face, falling down over her shoulders in bouncy curls. She must be a year or two younger than me.

“Welcome home, Sis,” Tanner greets her. “I wasn’t expecting you, does Mu—”

She sighs. “Mum doesn’t know I’m here, I just needed to get away for a few days. Anyway, it looks like a visit is well overdue.” Her kind eyes glance my way. “Are you going to introduce us?”

Tanner places his hand low on my back, guiding me alongside him, over to his sister.Sister… Wait, Emma? The one he mentioned whilst braiding my hair? He reaches out and drags her off the stool and into his arms, and she melts against his chest.

“Missed you, Squirt.” He looks at me before he continues, a sparkle in his eyes. “This is my girlfriend, Kinsley.”

“Girlfriend?!” she squeals, and almost knocks me off my feet, grabbing my hands and pulling me into a hug. “I’m sorry, but Tanner has never had a girlfriend, so this is kinda a big deal!”

Tanner just called me his girlfriend.

“It’s really nice to finally meet you, Emma, right?” I manage to say, and I think it comes out relatively calm.

“That’s me.” She beams. “Wait, did Tanner mention me?”

She’s giddy and it’s cute; she clearly idolises him. We get to know each other whilst Tanner finishes cooking and plates up three breakfasts, swapping out avocado for grated parmesan on Emma’s plate.

Tanner

Taking a seat at the breakfast bar next to the girls, I take them both in. The two most important women in my life are getting along like a house on fire. Which is surprising because Em is the complete opposite to Kinsley. She is loud and bubbly, and still so young. Even though there is only two years between them, she doesn’t have the life experience and maturity that Kinsley has.

Emma has had everything handed to her on a silver platter, it wouldn’t be how I would raise my daughter, but Mum and Dad treat her like a princess. She taps a card with unlimited funds, has a driver and access to a private jet. She is supposed to be over in LA studying fashion; yet she is here.

“When did you get back in the country, and how long are you staying for?” I pry, it’s not unlike her to drop in unannounced but since she moved out of the country, she normally communicates a little more than this.

“Can’t we just enjoy breakfast, Tanner. Please?”

She looks at me with those eyes; the same ones she has always used whenever she wants to get her own way. It works too, I don’t look back in her direction until we have all finished breakfast and Kinsley starts clearing our plates.

“Where’s Lana?” Emma asks. “Let her do all of this so we can go and catch up properly. I have been dying for real Melbourne coffee.”

“— Lana?” Kinsley cuts in.

“Lana only comes over twice a week to clean, I don’t need a live-in maid now that you’re no longer here.”

“Oh. Suit yourself,” Emma states, clearly confused with the fact I don’t have staff living here.

“We don’t all enjoy having people sniffing our ass all day, Em.”

Emma rolls her eyes, pushing past me. “I guess I’ll send Chris away once he brings my bags in then.”

Kinsley giggles beside me, then whispers, “Who’s Chris?”

I keep my eyes glued on Emma as she walks away. I can’t help but wonder what has brought her home? “Chris is her driver.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Kinsley

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