Page 58 of Wanting You

With one knee on the bed, he slowly moved over her. “Are you going to tell me, or do I get to find out for myself?” Then he was kissing his way up her throat and along her jaw before settling in on her lips.

After that, it didn’t matter how he found out. All he knew was that he was exactly where he wanted to be and with the woman that was becoming everything to him.

Life was pretty damn good.

Chapter Ten

For a week, everything was a bit idyllic. As much as she hated that they had to have that talk, it made her feel stronger and more confident in their relationship. Heck, she felt stronger and more confident than she ever had in any romantic relationship, and it was a great feeling.

Outside of school, life for the Donovans was chaotic. Her mom was doing okay in rehab, but she was very vocal about going home. The key problem was finding someone who could realistically stay with her all day and all night because they couldn’t afford twenty-four-hour nursing care for her.

So on Saturday afternoon, they all met up at Jade and Levi’s house to discuss the possibilities and to work out a schedule where everyone took a night staying at Marie’s house. It wasn’t ideal, but it made the most sense. When she’d mentioned it to Tanner, he asked if she wanted him to go with her, and while it hadn’t been something she’d initially thought about, she had agreed.

Now, walking up to the door with Tanner’s hand in hers, she felt like a peer to her siblings—like she could walk in there and not be the baby of the family, but an equal.

Which was silly because having Tanner with her really didn’t change anything, but he bolstered her confidence. And when dealing with the Donovan family and the craziness that went with them, she definitely needed it.

“Chloe! Tanner! Hey!” Levi said as he opened the door. “Come on in! Everyone’s in the kitchen right now.”

They followed and it was crazy how loud such a small group of people could be. They were greeted with a round of hellos and Chloe put the bowl of guacamole and the bag of chips she’d brought with her down on the kitchen island. Levi poured them each a drink, and everyone helped themselves to some snacks before they all went and sat down at the dining room table.

“I’m so glad everyone could make time for this today,” he began. “I know the last several weeks have been trying for all of us, but Mom’s going to be coming home soon and I think we really need to all be on the same page for it.”

“I think we’re being a little overdramatic,” Ashlynn said. “By the time she comes home, she’s going to be in much better shape than she was in the hospital. I don’t think she’s going to need round-the-clock supervision like you’re all thinking.”

“That very well may be,” Billie commented. “But it still doesn’t hurt to be prepared just in case. Obviously, we all work during the day, so we can’t be there for her.”

“Well, I kind of can,” Levi volunteered. “Not every day, but I do work from home a lot. So if I needed to, I could just as easily work from Mom’s house.”

“Let’s call that Plan B,” Jade said, patting his hand. “The things your mom is going to need help with, she might not want her son doing for her.”

It took Levi a minute, but then he realized what she was saying. “Ah. Gotcha. Okay.”

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing for us to each take a turn sleeping over,” Chloe said, wanting to contribute to the conversation. “But I know that I have to leave early in the morning, and Billie would have to leave even earlier unless you changed your baking schedule.”

“Which I could do if I had to,” Billie agreed.

“My schedule’s a bit more flexible,” Ashlynn begrudgingly chimed in, “but we all know that Mom and I still aren’t on great terms. I don’t want to be the one to hinder anything because we’re arguing.”

“Well, I think you can be mature enough to have a little self-control,” Levi said. “And things have gotten better between the two of you, but we all know that Mom can be a little…you know…um…you guys know what I’m saying.”

“She’s a pain in the ass,” Ash finished for him. “Sheesh! Just say it, Levi. She’s not here. She can’t hear you.”

Before he could respond, the doorbell rang and he jumped up to answer it.

“My mom has offered to help a day or two during the week,” Jade offered. “She and Marie have become friends, and I have to agree with Ashlynn. I don’t think this is going to go on for as long as we all first thought.”

“Has anyone reached out to her friends?” Tanner asked, and then kind of seemed to regret saying anything.

“It’s fine,” Chloe assured him. “That was a great question.” Then she looked around. “Have we?”

“I know I haven’t,” Billie said. “But I could easily make some calls and see if anyone’s available to help. It might make her feel better if she’s surrounded by friends instead of more nurses. You know how they’ve been making her cranky.”

“Everything makes her cranky,” Ash mumbled.

Voices came from the entryway and Chloe glanced in that direction, wondering who else could be here. “Did Levi invite Patrick and Marissa?”

Jade shook her head. “They’re not planning on coming back to town until after the new year. Marissa said it’s too hard to travel back and forth so much with the baby. Plus, there isn’t anything they’re really needed for here that they can’t do over a video call.”

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