Page 28 of Shelter for Tanna

“What? You don’t want me to see your underwear?” he asked with a chuckle. When she didn’t smile back, he couldn’t believe it. “You really don’t want me to see your underwear, do you?”

“I just… Oh, fuck it,” Tanna mumbled and stomped away toward the bathroom, leaving Braden standing there, bewildered.

“Well then, son, let’s do some laundry, shall we?” Braden said as he turned to Daniel, but the boy didn’t move. “What’s wrong here?”

“You have to promise you won’t say anything,” Daniel whispered.

“Uh, okay. Promise.” What in the hell was going on? Daniel looked almost afraid as he grabbed a laundry basket and headed to the bedrooms to gather up clothes.

Ten minutes later, Braden understood. The boys’ clothes were faded but in good shape. He couldn’t say the same for Tanna’s clothing. Virtually every pair of underwear and socks had a hole somewhere, and her bras were worn out?there was no elastic left in them. And he got it. There was no money for new things for her, but she tried to keep the kids in clothes, underwear, shoes, and socks. As he sorted and threw things into the washer, his heart broke for her. She was barely hanging on, but she made sure her children had what they needed, regardless of her own needs. She was a good mother and a good person.

The washer was humming along by the time she wandered into the living room, her hair still damp and wearing a mismatched pair of pajamas. She didn’t say anything, just sat down beside Braden on the sofa and stared at her hands in her lap. He waited, and after five minutes he said, “Talk to me, doll. What’s going on in your head?”

“I guess now you know my dirty little secret,” she whispered low enough that the boys couldn’t hear her voice over the TV.

“I know you’re doing the best you can. I know you put your kids ahead of your own needs.” As he spoke, he saw tears dropping onto her clasped hands and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Sweetheart, you’re an amazing woman. Doing the best you can isn’t something to be ashamed of. It’s something to be proud of. Your boys go to school and aren’t made fun of because of their clothes. They’re clean and neat. A lot of kids don’t have that.”

“I know that, but I feel like such a failure.”

“Failure? From where I sit, you’re a hero, Tanna. You’ve been through more shit than most people ever have to deal with and you’ve come out the other side, strong and independent. You should see some of the train wrecks I’ve dated. You’re nothing like any of them.”

“I’m the one who has to hide her underwear.”

“You’re the one I want.” When her head snapped around and her eyes found his, he smiled. “I want you, Tanna, and I don’t just mean in the carnal way. I’m falling for you, but I’m falling for your kids too. I look forward to seeing them almost as much as I look forward to seeing you. I like being around them. You guys, you make me feel complete, like what I’m doing is actually worth something, like I’m not just entertaining myself anymore. Like I have a purpose that’s bigger than just a firehouse and a turn-out coat.”

“But you’re a real hero, Braden. You rescue people. You run into burning buildings. You’re ten feet tall and bullet-proof.”

“Nah. I’ve been hurt too. A lot.” A little chuckle bubbled up in his throat. “Honestly, the first time I met you, I figured I was going to get hurt again, but I wanted to know for sure because I felt drawn to you. I can’t explain it. I just know it’s right.” Tanna leaned in and pressed her cheek to his chest as his arm tightened around her. “This, all of this, is right. There’s no doubt in my mind. And I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Two green eyes rolled upward and stared into his. “Yeah?”

“I brought a bag with me.” He felt her tense. “Whoa! Before you say anything, I don’t expect to sleep with you. Wait. I expect to sleep with you, but I don’t expect tosleepwith you. Wait. That’s not working either. Sleep. No sex. Just sleep. You?in my arms all night. Is that something you’d be at all interested in?”

“That’s kinda not fair to you,” she muttered.

“I’ll decide what’s fair to me, and I think it would be very fair. Look, you spend this weekend at the house and I think that’ll all take care of itself. But for right now, the thought of leaving you here and going back to my empty bed makes me incredibly sad. Like, blubbering sad.” He made a silly frowny face and she laughed. “See? I’m so, so sad, like a pitiful little puppy. So I want to stay here if you want me to.”

Her head bowed and she nodded, still laughing. “Sure. That sounds amazing. I’d like that.”

“Good. Now, tell me about your day. And before you ask, I got tile up on one wall in the master bathroom. Not very exciting.”

“I had to call the cops because a guy threatened me.”

Braden could feel his heart hammering. “What?”

“I was doing a repo and the guy got really mad. But the cops were there.”

“I don’t care! What if he’d had a gun? He could’ve shot you!” What the fuck was Charlie thinking, sending her to do jobs like that?

“Part of my job, babe. I don’t have a choice. We all get our share of repos, and this was one of mine.”

“No. That can’t happen again.”

“It’s going to happen again. And again and again and again. That’s just the nature of the job.”

“Did you call the cops before you went?”

“Yeah. We usually have a cop there with us. I got there and waited until he came. The guy didn’t have a gun?he had a baseball bat.”

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