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“You must have read my mind. That’s exactly what I was referring to. A fluke accident that could have been much worse.”
Tiana sighed. “I was so thankful that Tate quit the night Luke got hurt. It’s fucked up, but I used to worry about them so much. I wasn’t even around to help when everything happened.”
“This is unusual for both of us, sunshine.” Though I could sit all day in the window seat and hold her, it seemed like she was still processing some things. “I have some things to take care of in my office. Do you want to relax for a little while by yourself?”
She let out a long breath. “Yeah, I’m not sleeping very well. I think some time alone might be good to rest.” Tiana retreated from my lap, moving herself into the seat. “I’ll work on the stuff you asked me.”
“All right. If you need anything, my office is two doors down on the right.”
“Thanks, Dane.”
“You’re welcome.” I left her at the window, thinking of how sweet she looked sitting there. I’d do anything to chase away the worry and fear causing her stress, but we would take it slow.
Tanner would be perfect in the role of her Daddy, and if she could forgive me completely, I might be pretty great for her, too.
Tanner
Pacing along the length of one of the break rooms at the firehouse, I stopped and stared at my brother. “Are you serious?” Jesse nodded, simply waiting for me to connect the dots. “I knew something was wrong with Tiana, but I had no idea it was this bad.”
“Do you think I’d be here during your shift if it was butterflies and rainbows?”
“Point.” I jabbed my fingers through my hair. “Anything else I should know?”
Jesse let his head fall against the back of the couch. “I spanked her.”
“Did it help the situation?” I trusted Jesse more than anyone else in the world, but it made me wonder if I’d picked the wrong path at her parent’s house. She obviously needed a release more than I realized. I should have done more to help her work through whatever she was keeping inside.
“Yeah, she cooperated afterward. Something must have gotten through that thick skull of hers.” Jesse glanced up at me, scratching his chin. “I think she is terrified to take that leap and be in a relationship with you. Tiana adores you, man.”
“What makes you say that?”
“She asked me if I was going to marry Tate, and I reversed the question about you.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “And?”
“And the answers were the same. Even though she’s going through hell, you have always been there for her. She’d marry you in a heartbeat.”
“We fell out of touch for a few years. I’d give her everything, man, if she’d let down some of her barriers. Dane cares about her, too.”
“I saw it all over his face today. The limited information I shared with him absolutely gutted him.” He nodded. “It was the same thing I just told you.”
“What happens now?”
“Right now, we’re playing a waiting game. Either this criminal gets picked up somewhere between California and here, or maybe he turns up somewhere else.” Jesse stood up. “I have instructed Tiana to tell me if she sees him or receives any sort of communication from him or anyone that associates with him.”
“All right. Sounds like a plan.” I thought about how scared Tiana must be. I had a few hours left to my shift or I would drop everything and go home.
Dane accidentally predicted that Tiana was indeed moving into our house. If she provoked him, throwing her brat around the way she had done to me, he would likely respond. Then again, according to more than one person, my brother’s hands weren’t light when it came to discipline. Maybe his handling of her released some of her trepidation with opening up about things on her mind.
“I hated dropping her on your doorstep, however you live in a fortress,” Jesse announced. “It’s the safest place for her at the moment, short of a safe house.”
“Do you think Tiana would be safer in an actual, police sanctioned one?”
“Not necessarily. I’ve seen secure locations breached. As long as she follows instructions, everything should be okay.” Jesse put his jacket on. “Besides, there’s no guarantee this dickhead will ever be found or brought to justice.”
“Right. At some point, Tia will have to get back to what she was doing, but I hate that our little buttercup is so stressed out.” I could likely talk her into following rules at the house to stay safe, but I wasn’t sure about dynamics. If she had strong feelings for me, then she might be the missing piece to why Dane and I hadn’t been able to forge a relationship with another partner. It was like we had been waiting for her. “Uncle Jesse has a nice ring to it.”
“Let her get used to you and Dane first.” His observation hit hard, as if Dane and I ending up in a relationship with Tiana was a solid bet. I wanted to pick his brain more and figure out what she’d said to lead him in that direction. “But she did throw a ‘Sir’ at me.”
