Page 27 of Billionaire Unforgettable: Tanner

“Which is the only reason I’m telling you to let him prove himself,” she answered. “He was good to you for a long time,until he lost his head over his company. He has his head on straight now. All of those boys have been there for Millie since their father died, and they do a lot for the people in this town. It took a while, but they all grew up. How did it go when you saw Tanner last night?”

“He acted like the old Tanner, sort of,” I admitted. “In fact, he was probably more thoughtful than he’s ever been, but it’s impossible for me to forget what happened, Mom. The breakup wasn’t entirely his fault. I needed to grow up, too. But it was a really painful time in my life that I’d like to just forget.”

“I don’t think you’ll ever completely forget it,” my mother mused. “But better memories with him now might help drown out the old stuff. Tanner hasn’t dated another woman since you two broke up, Hannah. Maybe he never really showed it, but I think he was probably heartbroken, too.”

I looked at her in surprise. “He hasn’t been with anyone?”

I hated myself for asking for that clarification, but I wanted to know.

Tanner had a very healthy sexual appetite, and it was hard to believe that he hadn’t been with another woman for that damn long.

She shook her head. “Not that I know of, and Millie would know. She’s itching for grandchildren. She’s hopeful now that Kaleb is married, but I think she’s given up on Tanner and Devon.”

“It’s not like he hasn’t dated because he’s been pining over me,” I said drily. “It’s been over seven years, Mom.”

She raised a brow. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yes,” I said emphatically. “He just wants to be my friend. He’s trying to help set the record straight in this town.”

“And do you plan on letting him be your friend?” she probed.

“I’m going to ride bikes with him today. He has extra bikes at his house,” I said reluctantly because I knew she’d misinterpretthe outing as something more than what it was. “But that’s it. I miss my bike, and I’d rather not be twiddling my thumbs in my apartment.”

“You still think he’s hot, baby girl,” my mother informed me.

“Mom,” I groaned. This wasnotthe kind of conversation that I wanted to have with my mother.

“Don’t deny it,” she insisted.

“There isn’t a single woman in the world who wouldn’t think that Tanner Remington is attractive,” I argued. “But that doesn’t mean that I want to jump in bed with him again. It just means that I’m not blind.”

“I think that’s why you’re afraid of being friends with him,” she said. “I think you’ve forgiven him for being a jerk, but you’d rather avoid that lingering attraction. Honestly, I don’t blame you for being cautious.”

“Don’t you think it’s wiser to avoid him?” I asked curiously.

“Not necessarily,” she disagreed. “Always doing the safe thing can make you miss out on opportunities in life.”

“What does that mean?” I asked her, perplexed.

She reached out and took my hand. “That means that you need to figure out for yourself how much risk you’re willing to take in your personal life, baby girl. I don’t want to see you get hurt again, but I want to see you happy. That’s a tough spot for a mother to be in. There’s a big part of me that wants you to stay safe, but there’s also part of me that wants you to be fearless so you get everything you deserve in life.”

I squeezed her hand. “Well, I don’t want Tanner Remington. He’s my past, not my future.”

She smiled at me. “Then let him be your friend. Have fun with him. You haven’t done anything for yourself since you left Seattle. You’ve been too busy taking care of me. I feel guilty about that.”

“Don’t,” I told my mother adamantly. “You’ve taken care of me for my entire life. And you’re so stubborn that you didn’t let me do very much when I was staying here with you after your surgery. You also had a lot of friends who were eager to take care of anything you needed.”

Mom sighed. “Living in a small town can be exhausting sometimes. All of the gossip and everyone knowing your business. But it also has advantages. People help each other in Crystal Fork. It’s not like that in the big cities.”

Crystal Fork was an interesting town.

The people here were loyal to each other when one of their own needed help.

On the other hand, they had no problem gossiping about each other.

“There isn’t a lot to do in this town except trade news about each other,” I said jokingly.

My mother rose and picked up her dishes to take them to the kitchen. “I suppose that’s true, but I’ve always liked the security of knowing my neighbors.”

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