Page 38 of Why Not Forever?

I cut off that thought and drop my gaze to my coffee.

“I was just wondering. You look like you do, but I don’t know when you find the time. You work even more than I do.”

That’s saying something. I put in sixty-hour work weeks. I make sure everyone else limits themselves to a maximum of forty-five, because we can all get caught up in it if I don’t.

He turns back to the stove, scrambling the eggs in the pan. “I go during my lunch break.”

“You take a lunch break?” I ask, knowing my dad doesn’t.

“Every day. Richard talked to me about it once. Not that he was telling me to stop, or anything.” He casts a glance over his shoulder again. “That would be against HR regulations.” He winks and returns to cooking. “We were talking about taking breaks. He’d mentioned he rarely has time, probably trying to guilt me into working through my lunches as well. I told him I make time for it and usually work out. When I get back to my desk after, I find my mind is clearer and I’m more productive.”

I snort. “I bet Dad loved that. He’s all for increasing productivity.”

Tanner scoops some eggs onto a plate and sets it in front of me with a smirk. “He really does. He’s not the only one who can manipulate people.”

“If you learned from him, you learned from the best.”

He gets the toast from the toaster and sets it in front of me with butter, jam, and peanut butter, letting me choose what I want, then he dishes out his own.

“The difference between us is, I only use my powers for good.” He sets his plate next to mine along with his own mug of coffee and comes around to sit.

I tilt my head to the side as he does. “You’re different from how you were in university, though. It’s like you smoothed your edges.”

He shrugs. “I couldn’t have lasted long in the business world—at the level I wanted to be at—if I didn’t.”

“Hm.” I eat some of the eggs. As usual, they’re light and fluffy and absolutely delicious. Because, in addition to being gorgeous, my husband can cook.

“Hm, what?” he asks.

“Nothing. I just—” I cut off again, not sure I should say this, not sure I should reference how I’d liked him back in our college days. It’s become an unspoken agreement not to bring up the past. Eventually, when he waits patiently for me to continue, I finish the thought. “I liked your rough edges.”

He cuts a look at me, but I don’t meet his gaze. “You did?” he asks.

I nod. “You weren’t like any of the guys I’d met before. Everyone was always either so polished and perfect, or else rebelling against their parents.” I sigh. “It’s stupid to complain about how I was raised. I had so much given to me that other people didn’t have. But that’s the experience I had. That’s also one of the reasons why I don’t date many men.” I move my eggs around on my plate. “I guess I just noticed that you’ve become more polished. My dad has kind of rubbed off on you a bit.”

Tanner takes my hand, stopping my movements.

“You’re right,” he says. “I’ve learned a lot from him. Including some things I’m not exactly proud of. I moved my way up by being exactly what I needed to be. But I promise you, Vic, I won’t ever lie to you. I won’t try to manipulate you.”

His eyes search mine, and I see nothing but sincerity in them. He’s so close, his body heat warming me while his hand holds mine. It’s at moments like this when we’re sitting next to each other, him without a shirt on, and I remember the kiss from our wedding. I fight to keep my eyes on his, but they drop to his lips for just a second and I really want to know if that kiss has been plaguing his thoughts as much as it’s been plaguing mine.

After a moment, I swallow and nod, forcing myself back to our conversation.

“I promised at our wedding that I would trust you. You’ve more than earned it.”

He smiles, and it’s his real one, not the one he uses to be charming or the one he uses when he’s teasing me about something. He nudges me with his shoulder and we go back to eating.

I sip my coffee and eat my breakfast, distracted every few minutes by the bare arm that brushes mine. When Spencer lived here, he would also walk around without a shirt on. It never once bothered me. My best friend is good looking. Objectively, I know that. But seeing him without a shirt was like looking at my brother, Liam, without a shirt. Tanner, on the other hand, has me torn between screaming at him to put some clothes on or running my hands over those pecs and abs to see if they’re as hard as they look.

“Vic?” he says, and I’m suddenly aware that he’s asked me a question.

I replay the last several seconds, trying frantically to recall what he’s said and not giving away that I was thinking of feeling up my husband.

“Plans for the weekend?” he repeats with a smile.

“Right. Uh. There’s a wedding tomorrow, and I was going to go shopping with Adalie on Sunday. Why?”

Shortly after our wedding, Adalie and Nate announced their engagement and that she’s pregnant. She’s going to have her baby a couple months after Lis has hers.

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