Page 91 of Tanner

TJ rested his forearms on the table. “Nothing starts tonight. No forms. No calls. No meetings.”

Tanner gave a rough laugh. “That supposed to calm me down?”

“It’s supposed to tell you what tonight is.”

Tanner’s mouth tightened. “And tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow you make contact.”

“You mean I cooperate.”

“I mean you do what you have to.”

“That’s the same thing.”

“No.” TJ’s voice stayed level. “It isn’t.”

Tanner’s fingers tightened around the glass. “It is when they’re the ones deciding what happens.”

TJ didn’t argue. “They make decisions, yeah. That part is true. What matters now is whether you give them a reason to treat you as someone trying to do this properly or someone they have to chase.”

Tanner shook his head. “You make that sound simple.”

“I didn’t say it would be simple.”

Miles took a mug from the cupboard and put it on the counter and began making Tanner a drink even though he knew he wouldn’t drink it.

“You’re already doing some things right. Food in the house. Her room sorted. Daycare lined up. Doctor on the list. That matters.”

Tanner’s head came up. “How do you know about the doctor?”

“I told him you were handling things,” Miles said before TJ could answer. “Not your whole life.”

“Nobody reasonable is looking at this as you against the world unless you turn it into that.”

Tanner rubbed a hand over his mouth. “Right.”

“You ran because you panicked and that was a bad move, but you came back. That matters too.”

Miles placed the mug in front of Tanner and pushed the drink toward him.

Tanner glanced at it. “I said no.”

“Drink it or don’t.”

Tanner said nothing after that, but he wrapped both hands around the mug anyway.

Upstairs, a floorboard creaked and all three men looked up.

Then Savannah’s voice drifted down. “Tanny?”

Tanner was out of the chair before either of the others moved. “I’ve got her.”

TJ watched him go and let out a breath. “That’s what I mean.”

Miles looked toward the stairs. “Yeah.”

They heard Tanner upstairs then, his voice lower and steadier than it had been with them. A few quiet words. Savannah answering him. The bed creaking. The sounds of him settling her.