When he kicked the door closed behind him, their kisses slowed. They were deeper, their breathing rougher, as he slowly lowered her to her bed.
This time they didn’t talk. They didn’t need to. He’d told her everything she needed to know.
He loved her, he worshiped her. He wanted to take care of her.
And she’d let him, with every sweep of his lips and feathered touch of his fingers, lifting her up into a place where words weren’t needed anymore.
When it was over, she lay in his arms in a post-sex haze, smiling at him as he softly stroked her hair.
“Can I stay?” he asked her.
“Yeah. All night.” She grinned at him. “I’ll even make you breakfast in the morning.”
He lifted a brow. “What will the neighbors say?”
She leaned forward to kiss him. “I don’t give a damn.”
Tanner grinned, sliding his arms around her waist and pulling her to his body. “That’s my girl,” he murmured against her lips. “Now let’s give them something to really talk about.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
“Are you ready for this?” Tanner asked, taking Van’s hand in his as they walked along the creek.
“As I’ll ever be.” She smiled at Tanner, but her stomach still felt funny. Like she hadn’t eaten for days when she’d just had a second helping of chicken pot pie at the diner. Tanner was carrying their things – two fold up chairs and a cooler with drinks inside, looking completely at ease with himself. He gave her a crooked grin, the corners of his eyes crinkling up, and she felt his warmth washing over her.
Which was a good thing, because summer was almost over, and there was a hint of fall in the air as they walked. The smell of ripe apples wafted in the breeze, and pieces of corn drifted from the fields as the harvest came to a peak. Last night, Zoe had begun to plan her Halloween outfit, even though school had only just gone back.
Or at least it seemed that way.
Swimming pools were closing up, orchards were opening for picking, and the busy summer season at the drive-in was coming to an end.
They wouldn’t close up completely. She’d spent the past few weeks planning their winter program, which would mean opening only on Friday and Saturday nights. Scary movies in October, some long-awaited blockbusters in November, and then their holiday movie season. She smiled at the thought of it.
“You’re here!” Zoe said, running over and giving Van a hug. Then she grinned up at Tanner, who put the chairs down and ruffled her hair.
“Hey, kid.” He smiled.
“How was your playdate?” Van asked her. Another change, as if this season didn’t have enough of them. Zoe was finally being asked over to her friends’ house. Probably because they loved hanging out at the drive-in whenever Van invited them over.
“Playdates are for babies.” Zoe frowned. “I went to a friends for dinner.”
Van bit down a smile. Her sister was growing up. “Did you have fun?”
“Yeah. Milly has this amazing jungle gym. It’s as big as a house. We made a den at the top of it and pretended it was a tree house.”
“See.” Tanner winked at Van. “Not playing at all.”
They found a spot with the younger crowd, pulling open the chairs and putting their refreshments on the shared table at the center, before Tanner poured them both a glass of lemonade.
It had been his idea to come here tonight. People didn’t stare as much as they used to. Gossip had moved on since that night at the drive-in where her mom had told everybody about Johnny Fairfax being her father. They were too busy talking about the size of Maddie’s baby bump – she was at least as big as Regan Laverty was before she gave birth to her little girl, who had perfectly round cheeks that Van had already fallen in love with.
“Hey!” Becca shot to her feet, running over to give Van a hug. “It’s so good to see you. It feels like forever.”
“We saw you on Sunday,” Tanner said dryly. “That was what, five days ago?”
Becca wrinkled her nose at him. “Like I said, forever.” She looked around. “How’s your mom doing?”
“Good.” Van nodded. “She has a job interview next week.” There had been ups and downs since she came home from rehab, but she was so much better than she had been. There were still days when she couldn’t even get herself out of bed, but she’d kept her word and hadn’t drunk a sip of alcohol to try to ward off the misery. She’d even started AA.