Chapter 14

Chloe: Tanner and I made up!

Ash: YAY!! Finally!!

Chloe: And I skied!

Ash: Wait…what? How? When?

Ash: I’m looking out the window and there’s no snow

Chloe: Indoor ski school dummy

Chloe: And it was awesome!

Ash: Good for you!

Ash: Is that how you wooed him? With your skiing skills? Lol!

Chloe: Nope. I wooed him with my words and then dazzled him with my skiing skills.

Chloe: I was very impressive and persuasive

Chloe: You should be proud

Ash: I am! And you’re back together!

An almost obscene amount of heart emojis followed.

Ash: Where are you now? Still up at the lodge?

Chloe: I’m home now and waiting for Tanner to get here.

Chloe: I picked up some Chinese food so we’re having a late dinner.

Ash: I’m really happy for you, Chlo. I know that had to be hard for you to go and see him.

Chloe: It was, but I had some great motivation to do it. The timing was perfect.

Ash: Ooh…I’m intrigued. What happened?

Chloe: How about we talk tomorrow? I’ve got a few more things to do before Tanner gets here.

Ash: Wear the sexy underwear! Promise you’ll wear the sexy underwear! Trust me, you can never go wrong with sexy underwear!

Chloe: It’s incredibly weird that you keep saying that, so stop it.

Ash: I’m simply speaking the truth.

Chloe: Yeah, well…the sexy underwear was the first thing I put on when I got home, so…

Ash: LOL!

Ash: Good girl!

Ash: Go and have some great makeup sex and we’ll talk tomorrow.

Ash: But not about the sex.

Ash: I seriously don’t want to know.

Chloe: Oh, but the underwear was okay to talk about?

Ash: Yes. That’s allowed. Now go have fun.

Ash: I love you!

Chloe: Love you too!

As soon as she put her phone down, she heard a car door slam and knew it was Tanner. She quickly ran into the bathroom and fluffed her hair and put on another quick coat of lip gloss and hoped she looked as sexy as she thought she did.

By the time she stepped out into the living room, Tanner was knocking on the door. And when she opened it, his eyes went wide.

Just like she hoped they would.

She had on a navy blue silk robe and only the sexy underwear under it. The robe gaped slightly so the lace of her bra was showing and, from Tanner’s reaction, it made an impression.

A sexy impression.

I kind of like my inner vixen…

“Hey,” she said, her voice a bit husky. “I picked up Chinese food. I hope that’s okay.” Stepping aside, she motioned for him to come in.

Once inside, he shut the door, his eyes never leaving her. “You can think about food right now?”

A small smile tugged at her lips. “Well…I didn’t want to just pounce as soon as you walked in the door…”

In the blink of an eye, Tanner scooped her up in his arms and strode right for her bedroom. “Pounce any time you want,” he said, placing her down on the bed. “And while I appreciate you picking up dinner, we can definitely reheat it.”

And then he was kissing her and they were tugging at his clothes and it was wonderful madness. He was crawling over her on the bed as his shoes fell to the floor. His sweater got stuck for a moment and they laughed before he sent it flying.

“I’ll work on my jeans while you lose the robe,” he told her with a hint of a growl of frustration. It took less than thirty seconds for him to be down to just his boxer briefs and her to her underwear, and that first touch of skin on skin was practically orgasmic.

Moaning, Chloe pressed herself against him. “I love this. You’re so warm and hard and wonderful. I missed this.”

Tanner was kissing his way along her jaw, her shoulder, her breasts…his hands doing their own wicked things as they moved over her. She writhed beneath him, torn between slowing things down so they could savor it or simply staying at this pace and going wild so they could take the edge off.

Going wild won out and nearly wore her out.

Minutes later, they were a breathless tangle of limbs, and she’d never felt better. Humming softly, she kissed his shoulder. “That was a much better way to start off the night than just having dinner.”

Beside her, he chuckled. “Absolutely. But now I’ve worked up an appetite.” Then he glanced at her. “And I’ll be the first to make the joke that it was too short to work up an appetite, but I still did.”

Chloe laughed with him before sitting up. “It might have been short, but I think we were extremely enthusiastic. Our appetites are well deserved.” Sliding off the bed, she picked up her robe and slid it on. “I have everything warming in the oven, so…”

He was pulling his briefs back on. “I’m going to grab a pair of sweats from my bag, and I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

Walking over to him, she kissed him softly on the lips. “Deal.”

Strolling into the kitchen, she smiled at the already set table before picking up the oven mitts and pulling the covered dishes from the oven. She’d gone with a small variety of stuff she knew they both enjoyed and set them on the table before pouring them each a glass of wine.

“Wow,” he said as he walked in, looking shirtless and yummy. “I didn’t expect you to go to so much trouble. I would have been fine just putting plates in the microwave.” He accepted the glass she handed him. “Actually, I would have been fine with some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”

“Not me,” she countered as she sat down. “I was starving when I left the lodge. I grabbed a bag of pretzels and a bottle of water from the gift shop on my way out just to tide me over.”

“I had a ham and cheese sandwich on my way there this afternoon. My plan had been to grab a burger and fries to go from the restaurant and eat it when I got home. This is so much better.”

It was crazy how a simple conversation made her feel so happy.

Pulling the lids off of everything, she said, “Help yourself.”

As he began putting food on his plate, he asked, “How’s your mom doing? I’ll bet her recovery sped up once she got home.”

“It did, but only because she couldn’t wait for my dad to leave,” she said with a laugh. “He was the one staying with her and I really thought some sort of weird reconciliation was happening there, but it turns out they know they aren’t right for each other. Now they’re just friends and…I’m getting used to it.”

“That’s great! And if your dad being there motivated her to get up and around faster, then…even better!”

She agreed. “Apparently it didn’t take long for Dad to remember what a handful Mom could be, and for Mom to remember how Dad never did things the way she liked them. Still, his heart was in the right place and it helped me, Ash, Billie, and Levi a lot. We all struggled with finding the time to be there for her, and for a few weeks, we didn’t have to worry as much.”

“Is your dad still here or did he go back home?”

“He’s back home now. As much as he says he’d like to move back here full time, his heart is back in Laurel Bay. My Uncle Shane has a pub there—it’s really a Donovan family pub, but he’s the one who inherited it—and my dad’s worked there with him for a long time. I think this trip here was more to test the waters and see if he could handle being back here and if we’d really accept him back into the family on a more permanent basis.”

“And? Would you?”

“I think so. His relationship with my mom was so strained for so long that I think that was the last thing holding him back. Now that Levi’s married and he and Jade are planning to start a family any day now, Dad’s motivated to come back more often. Once Ash and Reid get married, I’m sure he’ll be here more than back in Laurel Bay.”

“And when you and I get married, he’ll definitely want to be here.”

“Exactly.” Gasping, she stared at him. “I mean…what? Did you just say…?”

Reaching across the table, Tanner took her hand in his. “I’m not asking you to marry me right this minute, Chloe, but someday I will. I love you. This is where I’m meant to be, and you’re the woman I’m meant to be with.”

Tears stung her eyes. “Oh my goodness…I love you too.” Then she was gently tugged out of her seat and found herself in Tanner’s lap while he kissed her senseless. It took several moments before they broke apart with goofy grins on their faces. “This is turning out to be quite the spectacular day.”

“Mm-hmm…” He kissed her throat and then groaned before giving her a tiny shove to go back to her seat. “Food. We need to eat before it gets cold.”

“Fine, but…”

“No, buts,” he interrupted with amusement. “Let’s talk about something completely neutral so we can eat and then go back inside and work up our appetites again.”

“Good thing I picked up dessert too,” she said with a wink.

“You’re killing me. But I love it.”

Even though she felt herself blushing, it wasn’t out of embarrassment. “So…neutral topics. Why did you want to teach at the ski school?”

He took a bite of his meal before responding. “It’s not really appealing to me like I thought it would be. When my student Alex mentioned it to me, it sounded like it could be a great way to ski before the season started, but I think I’d rather have my weekends and evenings free and then just ski when I want to during the actual season.” Another bite. “Although teaching you tonight was great, it was more because it was you.”

“Aww…you’re sweet. And I don’t think I would have felt as comfortable with another instructor. Being with you made me want to succeed even more.”

“See? A great team.”

“Definitely.” She took a bite of her shrimp and broccoli. “It might not be a bad thing to do once in a while. It’s good to have a hobby or even something for a small secondary income. I have an Etsy shop where I sell some stuff and it feeds my artistic and creative side while giving me some extra money. It’s not anything I’d like to do full time, but sometimes it’s just fun to do something a little out of my regular routine.”

“I don’t think you ever mentioned that before. What do you sell?”

The funniest part of this conversation was that it was something she never discussed. “I call it my secret side-hustle. Art is something I’ve always enjoyed and I know I’m good at.”

“Your classroom seriously blew me away the first time I saw it. I enjoy drawing too, but I rarely found an outlet for it.”

“That’s how I felt. I always had a sketch pad lying around in case inspiration struck, but about two years ago, I decided to get serious about it. I took up painting, but I also do a lot with pen and ink, and I do pictures of all kinds—landscapes and seascapes, but also a lot of character-driven stuff, especially superhero and sci-fi stuff. I’m also a seamstress and have a shop for custom costumes for cosplay. My goal was to build up my online inventory so I could generate enough income so I could buy a house sooner rather than later.”

“Chloe, that’s freaking amazing! Can I see your stuff?” Then he glanced around. “And are you still set on buying this place or are you maybe open to waiting and buying something else? Maybe something bigger that would be perfect for us and a family?”

“Tanner, I…”

“I know, I know…I’m getting way ahead of ourselves, but…I’m just excited about all the possibilities! Like…between the two of us, there is no end to what we can accomplish!” He popped half of a dumpling into his mouth. “Can we look at some of your stuff now? Is it here, or can we grab your laptop and look at it?”

She knew he wasn’t going to let up until she showed him something. “One of the guest rooms is set up as my studio,” she explained as she stood. “Come on. We’ll finish eating after we look.”

“Awesome!”

At the door to the guest room, she let out a long breath and opened it.

It was one thing for random people online to look at her stuff, but it was another when it was someone you knew and loved.

Leaning against the door, she turned on the light and then…stood back and watched. Tanner slowly walked around the room looking at the canvases hanging on the walls, the costumes on the dress forms lining one wall. There was stuff everywhere and honestly, this was only a small portion of her portfolio.

“Chloe…I…holy crap. This stuff is amazing!” He went back over to the wall of canvases. “Do you think you could do stuff like this on snowboards?”

“Um…what?”

He nodded. “Some of these characters would look amazing on boards. If you’re interested, I’d love to work with you on something like this and maybe create our own line of snowboards. You could sell them in your shop or we can find other outlets—even the pro shop up at Summit Ridge! We could even…” Muttering a curse, he stopped. “Sorry. I do this sort of thing. I get an idea and then I run with it without thinking. This is your stuff and I’m already trying to horn in on it. I…damn.” Raking a hand through his hair, he walked out of the room.

Of course, he didn’t go far; she found him in the kitchen sitting back down.

“You weren’t horning in, Tanner. I kind of love how your mind works. I’m a little of a think-inside-the-box person. But you? To you, the sky’s the limit! I’ve never dreamed that big. And listening to you talk made me feel like…I could do this!” Sitting down, she laughed. “Then I thought, why didn’t I think of that? It’s a vicious cycle. But again, this is what makes us…”

“A great team,” he said, looking visibly relieved. “Thank you for being so gracious. I had a total flashback to that first teacher meeting and…”

“Yes, you horned in there like a big fat steamroller,” she teased. “But this is different. This is you wanting to work together, not take over and show off.” And with a wink, she added, “I like this guy so much better.”

Fortunately, he laughed. “Yeah. Me too.”

The weekend passed in a flurry of making love and making art.

And damn if it wasn’t the most satisfying time of his life.

By Sunday night, they had gone through Chloe’s portfolio and picked a dozen designs they wanted to try on boards. The brand that Tanner was a spokesperson for had a line of snowboards and he was ready to pitch his idea of a line with her artwork on them. They just needed to come up with a name for them so they each got credit. At first, she said she didn’t need her name on them—didn’t want that kind of attention on herself—but the more they talked, the more he could tell that it was something she was afraid to ask for.

So…he was going to make damn sure it was going to happen for her.

The week at school had been great, and their field trip was an incredible success. The students all had an amazing time and he had watched Chloe put more than a handful of kids” minds at ease when they were scared to go down that tiny hill.

When the weekend rolled around again, they made plans to have dinner with her family on Saturday. While he wasn’t someone who was normally intimidated, he had to admit that being back with the Donovans made him feel a little self-conscious. Reid had never really given him any grief that day at school, but considering her family had had an intervention with Chloe because of him, he figured he was going to get the stink eye from at least one or two of them before everyone just accepted him back.

That had him a little on the defensive even as he walked into Jade and Levi’s house with a smile.

“Tanner! It’s good to see you again!” Jade said, accepting the platter of fresh veggies and guacamole Chloe had made. She shut the door and motioned for Chloe to head into the kitchen and then stepped in Tanner’s path to stop him. “I can see that you’re a little tense, and I want to put your mind at ease. No one’s going to say anything out of line because of the temporary breakup. It’s none of their business. So please go inside and relax.”

He almost sagged to the ground. “Thank you, Jade. I was kind of afraid I was going to get the third-degree from at least one member of the family. I wasn’t sure who, but…”

“That was never going to be Levi, I promise,” she assured him. “Chloe put everyone in their place a few weeks ago. We all thought we were helping her, but it turns out she helped all of us to see that we need to respect each other a little more.”

“I really wish I would have been able to see that,” he said. “I’m so proud of her for standing up for herself like that.”

“We all are.” She smiled. “Maybe hitting pause on your relationship wasn’t a bad thing. But we’re all really glad you’re back together.”

“Believe me, no one’s happier about that than I am.”

Her smile grew. “Come on. Everyone’s in the kitchen. Including my parents. I don’t think you’ve met them yet. We’re just waiting for Ronan. He was driving up this morning, but we haven’t heard from him yet.”

“I hope he’s okay…”

“You hope who’s okay?” Chloe asked when he joined her in the kitchen.

“Oh, um…Jade said your dad’s on his way here, but no one’s heard from him yet,” he said and hoped he wasn’t speaking out of place.

“He just texted me a few minutes ago,” Marie said as she walked over and hugged him. “He stopped for gas and should be here in ten minutes. And apparently he’s bringing a bunch of food from the pub.” She rolled her eyes. “We have food here. Why he felt the need to bring food like that on a five-hour drive is beyond me.”

“Mom,” Levi said wearily. “How about we just be thankful that he wanted to bring anything?”

“Fine. Whatever. But we can all cook just as good as Kate can,” she murmured.

“I can’t!” Ashlynn said proudly. “And I will never turn down anything Aunt Kate makes. I wish some of her food traveled better. Or that we lived closer so I could go there and eat more often.”

Marie mumbled something under her breath before walking out of the room.

“Mom is not a fan of Aunt Kate’s,” Ashlynn told him with a sly grin. “And sometimes it’s just fun to poke the bear.”

“Maybe a little less poking,” Billie said as she put a bowl of chips on the table. “We’re supposed to be having fun today, remember?”

“We’re having fun! And for me, sometimes having fun is poking at Mom.” She shrugged. “You can’t control how people enjoy themselves, Bill.”

Now it was Billie’s turn to mumble something and walk away.

“I’m not sure how fun this is,” Chloe said, glaring at her sister. “Can’t you just play nice? Why the poking?”

“Because after everything Dad did for her, she still picks on him. That makes me want to pick on her to prove a point.”

“I don’t think she’s getting that point.”

“Maybe.” Then she looked at Tanner. “So, I hear you taught my sister how to ski! I’m seriously impressed.”

Wrapping his arm around Chloe’s waist, he held her close. “She did a great job all on her own. I was just there to talk her through it. With a few more lessons, she’ll be ready to hit the slopes with the first snow.”

“I really can’t wait,” Chloe said happily. “I hope we can do a family ski day. How fun would that be?”

Ashlynn grinned from ear to ear. “I still can’t believe I’m hearing you say that! Heck, I never thought I’d hear you say it!”

“Me either, and yet…I am!” She snuggled closer to him. “I mean, none of us will be able to do what Tanner does, but we can all have fun and then sit around the fire and drink cocoa. It will be great!”

In the distance, the doorbell rang. “I got it!” Levi called out.

“I’m surprised Dad came back so soon,” Chloe said. “I figured we wouldn’t see him until Thanksgiving at least.”

“Yeah, I thought so too, but Levi said he wanted everyone here for dinner today. Like we don’t get together enough?” Ashlynn mused. “But maybe they want to discuss the holidays? You know, to make sure we’re all on the same page since there’s more of us?” Again, she looked at Tanner. “Are you going up to New York for the holidays or will you be here?”

“Um…the plan is to be here. My parents are coming down. At least, they are for Christmas. I think they’re staying home for Thanksgiving.”

“I wish I could meet them before Christmas,” Chloe said with a soft sigh. “With the pressure of the holidays, it’s hard to really have any quiet time to sit and talk.”

“Maybe I’ll see if they can come down a few days before so we can sort of ease into Christmas. What do you think?”

“Wait…so are you spending Christmas with Tanner’s family or ours?” Ashlynn asked.

“I just thought we’d all spend it together,” Chloe replied. “At least Christmas Day.” Then she waved her off. “This is all the stuff we need to discuss with everyone over dinner. Thank God Levi thought to get us all here for it.”

After that, everyone ate and drank while spreading out and talking about how their week went. Tanner spent part of the time simply observing but wondered about how he and his family were going to fit into the Donovan family Christmas. When he invited his parents, he just assumed he and Chloe would be together both days. Now he realized how unrealistic that was.

However, he needed to have at least part of Christmas Eve alone with her with neither family around. If everything went as planned, he’d have some first-run snowboards to give her as gifts. He couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when…

“Tanner!” Ronan said jovially, breaking him out of his reverie. “It’s good to see you again!”

Shaking his hand, Tanner said, “It’s good to see you too. How was the drive?”

“Long! My God, every time it feels like it takes a wee bit longer and I’m getting too old for it.” He sighed loudly. “I know it’s only a matter of time before I move back, but I just wish it didn’t take so much out of me to make the trip.”

“That’s understandable. My folks drove down here when I moved, and they both said the drive home felt like it took forever. They were originally going to fly home but changed their minds.”

Nodding, Ronan studied him. “Are we going to get to meet your family anytime soon?”

“That’s the plan. They’ll be here for Christmas, so I’m sure we’ll all be together at some point.”

“That’s good. Hopefully you’ll be with us for all of it. No need to stay at home with just your parents. The holidays are meant to be spent together. The more the merrier!”

“Well…”

“Look around this house. It’s huge! I’m sure Jade and Levi are going to open their doors to everyone for Christmas. Trust me.”

Tanner wasn’t going to argue; he’d simply prefer to wait and see and not make any assumptions.

Reid walked over and joined them and for several minutes they talked about skiing and how Chloe had learned and how there was now talk of a family ski day.

“Everyone? Can you join us in the living room?” Levi called out.

Tanner followed Reid and Ronan before sitting down beside Chloe. Jade and Levi were standing in front of the fireplace, along with Silas.

“We’re so glad you could all join us today,” Jade said sweetly. “I know we get together a lot and we see each other throughout the week, but there’s something extra wonderful about getting together just for fun.”

They all nodded.

“We wanted to talk about Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Levi said. “I believe Mom has offered to host Thanksgiving at her house as long as we all help with the meal, right?”

Marie nodded. “I have enough space and I love having everyone over. I just don’t think I can do the entire meal. So, if we can divide and conquer, we’ll be fine.”

More nods.

Billie raised her hand. “I had planned on hosting Christmas Eve. We can do a buffet since my dining room isn’t big enough for all of us to sit down and eat, but it will still be great.” She looked over at Jade’s parents. “You’re both invited, of course.” Then she looked at Tanner. “And you and your family too. The more the merrier!”

“I told you!” Ronan said, raising his glass.

“And we’d love everyone to be here for Christmas Day,” Levi went on. “We have the most room and we’re planning on handling dinner if everyone will contribute to appetizers and desserts like we usually do.”

Everyone nodded again.

“Aren’t we gonna tell them about the baby yet?” Silas said with a huff. “Why are we talking about food all the time?”

“Baby?”

“Baby? What baby?”

“Oh my God! Jade, are you pregnant?” The questions seemed to come from every corner of the room, and then suddenly everyone was on their feet congratulating Jade and Levi. Tanner stood back and let the family celebrate, feeling oddly left out.

For now.

There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he and Chloe were going to be celebrating these milestones in the future—maybe even this time next year.

And honestly, he couldn’t wait.

Just then, she was back at his side, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “This is amazing,” she said. “The first Donovan baby.”

Tanner pulled her into his arms.

“I’m so happy for them. I mean…look at them. Silas is so excited, my brother has that sappy smile, and Jade looks positively radiant.” She sighed happily. “This is the best news. The absolute best.”

Nodding, he continued to hold her. “It’s a definite cause for celebration,” he said.

As if on cue, Levi called out, “We have champagne chilling inside! And sparkling grape juice for Jade and Silas! Let’s move this into the kitchen!”

And for the rest of the day, every conversation was about the future and the good things to come. Tanner was in total agreement. The next year promised to be the best one yet.

Having Chloe with him and knowing all the good that was to come involved her—and was because of her—made him feel even luckier. His life had changed in so many ways in such a few short months, but it was all for the better.

He just couldn’t wait until they were all raising their glasses to them.

To her.

His Chloe.

And maybe to them being Couple of the Year.

That was a thing, right?