Page 124 of Let Me Be the One
Tanner said nothing, but he stood too.
The length of the admittedly small kitchen spanned between them. “Right now,” she said, “I happen to like myself.”
His voice emerged as a rough whisper. “No reason you shouldn’t.”
She wasn’t about to get drawn in again. “If you and Sutter and my parents don’t see me for who I am, I don’t care.” In truth, she cared too much and it disappointedher because she should have learned by now. “I see myself. I like and respect the person I am.”
“With good reason.”
“You should go.”
“No.”
Her mouth dropped open. “What do you mean, no?”
“You’re pissed, I get it. But I rearranged my day to be with you, so I’m not budging and you’re in no shape to throw me out.”
Flabbergasted, she stood there fuming until he slowly closed in.
“I told you once already, I more than like you. Hell, Callie. If you stay around I’m going to love you.”
Whoa. She stared up at him, hoping she’d heard him right. “But—”
“Forget the property,” he said, before she could bring it up. “Now that you’re here, I don’t want you to leave.” Gently, he framed her face in his hands. “I didn’t tell you about my plans at first because they didn’t matter. I figured you’d move on soon so I was only delayed. Then I got to know you better. Not just the princess who seemed so untouchable, the girl I’d idolized through school.”
“I wish I’d gotten to know you then.”
He shook his head. “No. Hell, no. Everything might have been different. I’m glad you didn’t know me. You said you like who you are now. Well, I feel the same. That scared, pathetic kid I was—”
“You wereneverpathetic,” she insisted.
He lightly kissed her for that. “My point is that I’m a better man now. Faults and all, I’m the person I want to be, the man I want you to know.”
Damn, those tears were back again. “I have greatrespect for the person you are.” Even knowing it was too soon, she said, “I think I started falling for you that very first day.”
Humor and satisfaction made his dark eyes gleam. “Was it my big…chain saw?”
She laughed. “Your chain saw, your sexy body, how you are with Blu and Addie. That first morning we shared coffee, I realized how different you are from anyone I’ve ever known, and how different I am with you.”
His mouth twisted. “I unloaded on you and that’s not something I ever do.”
“Maybe even then,” she teased lightly, “you knew you were the one for me.”
Breathing a little deeper, he put his forehead to hers. “I want to be—if you’ll let me.”
“Yes.” Whatever she had to do, even if it meant handing over the house to him for free, she’d do it, because Tanner meant that much to her. Who he was, what he did for others and how he did it, made him the most lovable person she’d ever known. “Anything you need.”
He tunneled his fingers into her hair. “I need you to please let me help you to the couch.”
“Being with you like this, hearing what I want to hear, it made me forget my leg.” Now that he’d mentioned it again, the ache intensified.
He huffed a soft laugh. “Well, I haven’t forgotten. Come on.”
* * *
FOR THREE DAYS, Callie hobbled around, hampered by discomfort as she eased back into her chores. Feeding the chickens was the hardest part because of the heavy bucket to carry, but she was determined to push herself.
And what a fit Tanner had. Addie, too.
