“That was unexpected,” he said.
“It was,” I replied. “But it was a happy surprise. I missed your scent, your feel, your arms around me. I have been up for days thinking about you. I haven’t been able to get past any of this. I am glad my father is back in my life, but I never meant to have you leave it. After spending this time apart, I realized just how strongly I felt for you. I want to make sure that we are honest with each other from this moment forward.”
“I agree,” he said. “Our relationship has gotten out of control, and it was ruined by all the secrets and lies. I don’t want any more lies, even with Dean. I want to make sure we’re on each other’s side instead of working against each other. I know that everything was very stressful for you when your father showed up, but I never want to be in that situation again with either one of you. You are so special, so beautiful, and I have been completely lost thinking that I was going to completely lose you from my life.”
“I don’t want to go anywhere,” I said, hugging him tightly. “I just have never felt this close or attached to anyone in my life. I honestly need you in every way possible.”
“So where does that leave us?”
I stood there and looked up at his charming smile, unable to even think about walking away from him at that point. We already knew that the most important thing was to be honest with each other, which should eliminate a lot of the stress in our relationship. However, I still had my father to think about, and because of me, he thought I wasn’t seeing Tanner anymore. It was the last lie that needed to be cleared up, and it was going to be a tough one because I had already made up with my dad. Either way, I needed to make things right with him to feel comfortable about dating Tanner at all.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I need to straighten all of this out with my father. He deserves honesty as much as we do toward each other.”
“I agree,” he said smiling. “Dean deserves that respect, especially after everything we’ve put him through.”
“Okay,” I said taking in a deep breath and stepping back. “I am going to go ahead and take the rest of the day off like I was originally going to do anyway. I need to formulate my plan to talk with my father.”
“Go relax,” he said smiling. “Everything is almost back to normal. The only thing left to do is talk to your father, and then, the decisions can be made from there. Either way, I want to talk with you when everything has come full circle. Can you do that for me?”
“Of course,” I said, feeling like I was starting to have a partner and not just someone fighting against me.
I kissed him on the nose and made sure my clothes were straight before leaving the office. Lily didn’t even look up when I left, and I assumed that we had been quiet enough. I walked into my office and grabbed my purse, looking over and blushing as I caught Tanner staring out of his doorway at me. I felt like I was on cloud nine, even though there were still some serious issues to resolve.
I climbed into the elevator and watched as the doors closed, feeling my heart beating wildly in my chest. As soon as the doors had slid shut, a huge smile spread across my face, and I leaned my head back against the elevator mirror. This whole situation had been such a roller coaster of emotions. I couldn’t wait until it was all over, and I could go back to my life, could bring Tanner into my life permanently and not have to wonder from hour to hour whether we were seeing each other or not. The suspense had to be over.
Chapter 29
Tanner
I watched as Ava left her office, chuckling to myself at how much her cheeks blushed when she realized I was watching her. It was like everything that had happened over the last couple of weeks had finally began to settle. There was only one more conversation that needed to happen in order for Ava to feel comfortable with us becoming an official couple. I hadn’t meant to sleep with her, and in fact, I was completely prepared to say goodbye to her, but as she sat there, showing how much I affected her, I couldn’t help it. I lost all ability to control the situation, and I begged her to stay. I didn’t regret it, though, I knew that if I didn’t go all in and do my best to let her know how much I wanted her in my life, I would never feel at ease if things didn’t work out. There was still a chance that things could backfire, but I was ready to put myself on the line and wouldn’t let my fears of commitment or love get in the way of attempting to keep Ava in my life.
Ava, at that moment, was staying with the company, but I knew it was confusing for her, and she wouldn’t feel comfortable making any decision without letting her father know the e
ntire truth. At the same time, I needed to make peace with Dean, let him know how much I cared for his daughter. He would never go along with any of it if he still harbored such a strong animosity toward me. I got up and closed my door, wanting privacy when I made this phone call. I knew there was a good chance that Dean was going to either not answer at all or turn me down for the chance to talk, but I had to give it a shot. If Ava talked to him before I had a chance to make things right as his friend, I might lose her before I even had a chance to try.
I dialed Dean’s number and listened as it went to voicemail. I hung up and sat there, staring at the phone, trying to figure out what to do next. I didn’t know where he was or where I could find him, and I wasn’t going to show up at their house in case Lindy was there alone. She didn’t like me, and I really had never been very fond of her either. A face-to-face with her was not something I was interested in having at all. I picked the phone back up and dialed him again, hoping he would get the hint that it was important. To my surprise, he answered the phone.
“Tanner,” he said, not sounding too excited to hear from me.
“Dean,” I said in a kind voice. “I think that it’s important that we get together and talk. Not only do I want to try to work through all of this, but I need to talk to you about Ava as well.”
“Is she alright?”
“Yes,” I said calmly. “Yes, sorry, she’s fine. This is a more personal conversation.”
“Alright,” he said with a sigh.
“How about lunch in an hour? We can meet at that deli you like on Ninth,” I suggested.
“Sounds good. I will see you then,” Dean said, hanging up the phone.
He never was a big talker on the phone, and I was pretty sure his shortness also had something to do with the fact that he wanted to see me killed. I finished a few things up at work and headed out toward the deli, taking a cab to not look so pretentious. When I arrived, Dean was standing out front, early as usual. I got out of the cab and walked up, shaking his hand and leading him into the deli. We ordered some sandwiches and took a seat at a table in the back corner. Immediately, we sprang into conversation.
“Listen, Tanner,” Dean said. “I am not going to be angry about this forever, it isn’t worth it. I have forgiven my daughter, and I can learn to forgive you as well.”
“That is amazing news,” I said letting out a deep breath. “You are and always have been my closest friend. We only just made our way back to talking terms, and I don’t want to lose that progress. I think that it’s important that we start having a full disclosure policy. Lies have caused a lot of issues for everyone.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” he said, lifting his coke and tapping my glass.