“Goooooo!” someone yells as two people—who I belatedly realize are Otto and Briggs—run in through the side gate and take cover behind the small shed.
“Son of a—” Tanner bites out, jumping up from his seat and racing toward a wicker storage chest, dumping the lid and the cushions onto the pavers before pulling out several foam dart blasters. “I’m sorry about this,” he huffs even though a smile tugs at the corner of his lips.
Two darts are fired in rapid succession as Briggs does a combat roll and hides behind an oversized bush.
More darts are fired as Tanner hands me a couple of blasters and some extra darts and then it’s on. Pure and absolute madness erupts in the fenced-in space.
Briggs giggles and dives back toward the shed when Tanner ambushes him, Tanner’s training obviously kicking in as he lands several shots in Otto’s direction. I also get hit with darts because I’m so turned on by how sexy Tanner’s competence is in this fight that it takes me a minute to remember what I’m supposed to be doing.
My size doesn’t help me in this game as I try to stay low and run behind the chairs Tanner and I were sitting in when this whole thing started. Briggs chances it and tries to recover some darts from the lawn as Otto covers him with the few darts he has left while Tanner and I empty and reload as fast as we can.
By the end of it, there’s no clear winners, but we’re all breathless and laughing and collapsed on the grass in a sea of foam darts.
“So Deacon, this is my son, Briggs, who you met, and his bonus dad, Otto, whom you also know,” Tanner starts with a wave of his hand. “Guys, Deacon and I aredating.” He finishes before looking apologetically at me. “Saying you’re my boyfriend sounds weird, and so does partner.”
I snort out a laugh and shake my head. “We’ll work on labeling our relationship to your liking later.”
Briggs grins like a fool at Otto who also wears a wide smile. “I told you it was a good idea.”
Tanner laughs, leaning one hand behind him as he beams at his son. “Of course this was your idea.”
“We had to go to three stores to find enough darts because Big Rigg didn’t want to wait to order some online,” Otto says, ruffling Briggs’s hair.
“I was sick of waiting,” the boy says, his eyes vulnerable as they meet his father’s. “I wanted to meet him.”
Tanner’s mouth opens and then closes as he releases a heavy breath. “I told you that I’d introduce you?—”
“But it’s beenforever,” he whines. “Didn’t you want to meet me?” he says, turning those wide, innocent eyes on me anddammit, how am I ever going to tell this kidno?
“Technically, I did meet you,” I offer but he huffs and shakes his head.
“That doesn’t count. Mom and Uncle Wren were bein’ weird and you said you were dad’sfriend.”
“Still not a lie.” I grin and then chuckle when Briggs rolls his eyes.
“I like this better,” he says, plucking blades of grass from the earth. “Now we can hang out and have guys’ night like when Mom goes to Aunt Hannah’s or something. Oh! And Thanksgiving! You’re comin’, right?” His gaze bounces between the three of us, and Tanner nods.
“We’re working out the details,” he concedes before catching my eye. “I hope you’re ready for all the codependence and chaos this town has to offer.”
“I can’t wait,” I tell him and still,no lies detected.
36
TANNER
I’m still laughing as we stumble back inside the house, my heart lighter than it had been after talking with my father. And Briggs—I could not love that boy more if I tried.
He orchestrated the best surprise for the sweetest reason. I didn’t realize just how much meeting Deacon, officially, meant to him, and honestly, the relief feels good.
All of it feels good.
In a matter of minutes, a truly difficult day became one to remember and one I’ll look back on with a smile instead of the tears that had threatened in the moments before the first shot.
With promises of dinner and a team effort gathering and distributing darts back to their respective weapons, Otto and Briggs took off for home, leaving Deacon and me alone.
Again.
“You have a great kid,” he says, his hip resting against the island, an amused expression on his face, “and I think I’m flattered to have been ambushed.”
