Page 98 of Home in the Country
“You okay?” Marlee whispers as she pulls back to look at me.
“Yeah, I just—”
“We love them because you love them.”
“I wouldn’t say IloveTanner.”
“Yet.” She grins. “You don’t love himyet,but you will.”
Pulling her tight against me again, I rock us back and forth in a dramatic fashion until she giggles and Waylon pulls her into his arms.
“Get off my girl. You got your own,” he says, but he’s smiling too.
Tanner comes out carrying a bowl in each hand as Mama talks his ear off. His expression is relaxed as he nods along with whatever she’s saying.
Until he looks up.
A couple dozen people stare back at him, and his body visibly tenses while he sets the bowls on the picnic table. I kiss Fallon on the forehead and walk over and throw my arm around Tanner’s shoulders.
“Hey everyone, make sure you come introduce yourself to Briggs’s dad, Tanner.”
I meet the eyes of everyone gathered today to drive home the point. Hank smirks and so does Isla, my father nods approvingly, and Briggs runs over to launch himself at us.
“Oof!” I say and bend over. “Did you get stronger from the last time I saw you?”
“Well, aren’tyouhandsome!” Miss Thelma sashays over and sticks out her hand. “I’m Miss Thelma.”
“Tanner. It’s lovely to meet you, ma’am.”
“Do I look old to you, son?” Tanner’s eyes widen in panic, and I hold back a laugh.
“No, Miss Thelma, you look lovely,” he says with a nod toward her white Capri pants and pink shirt with cat faces all over them—Louise’s face to be exact.
“Otto, Louise hasn’t been sneakin’ into your bed again, has she? I was awful sorry about that.”
Tanner’s eyebrows slash down and Miss Thelma catches the look and points to her shirt.
“Louise is my cat, and Otto is awful allergic. She usually sneaks out to sleep with Case, but I guess he wasn’t home, and you can’t blame a girl for wanting to cuddle with a big strong man, now can you?”
Tanner’s mouth opens and then closes before he clears his throat. I arch an eyebrow at him, and the tips of his ears turn pink.
“Miss Thelma?” Sorren asks with so much charmI’malmost flustered.
“Oh, hello, Sorren.” Slipping her arm into his offered elbow, he leads her toward the food.
“Wow,” Tanner whispers, and I’m not sure if he means his interaction with Miss Thelma or Sorren.
“He’s straight.”
“Oh, I didn’t…I mean, I know…I wasn’t—”
Squeezing his shoulder, I give him a nod. “I know, man. Just relax. Let’s get a beer.”
On the way to the cooler, I introduce him to my siblings and some of the other friends and neighbors that came.
“You guys are a lot,” he mutters from the side of his mouth after taking a long pull from the bottle Waylon hands him.
“But we’ll love the fuck outta you.”
