Page 49 of Shelter for Tanna

She stared up at him. “You really do mean that, don’t you?”

“I do. After all the time I’ve spent alone, it feels incredible.”

“Don’t you miss your alone time?”

He chuckled. “Not nearly as much as I miss you when I’m not here or you’re not there. Doll, there’s nowhere I’d rather be than with you. Nowhere.”

Tanna laid her cheek on his chest and sighed, her arms wrapping even tighter around his waist as his encircled her. They just stood there in the kitchen that way, and she was overwhelmed with how comfortable it was. Loving Braden was easy, and having him in their lives felt natural. “I’m so in love with you,” she whispered to him.

“And I’m so in love with you, little girl. You’re the answer to all my prayers.” Kissing the part in her hair, he whispered into it, “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you or these kids. Nothing in the world. You’re everything to me.”

“Let’s go in the living room and spend some time with your friend. Come on.” Taking his hand, she pulled him toward the front of the house and they joined Dean there as Max entertained him with tales of a frog he’d found outside. As usual, Daniel was a mere presence, quiet but smiling, as they talked. Sascha lay right at Dean’s feet, and Tanna was pleased to hear Max ask several times if he could pet the dog. At one point, Dean gave Sascha a command and the dog hopped up onto the sofa next to Daniel. Then he dropped his head in the boy’s lap, and she watched her older son beam with delight. Dean explained to them how he’d been training for three weeks via online chat and video presentations, and how easy it was to interact with Sascha when he’d arrived the day before, even though his working commands were spoken in German. He also told them that the kennel had a reputation for turning out world class dogs that can detect drugs, bombs, other kinds of explosives, and cadavers for law enforcement and the military, but search and rescue was a little newer to their training, and they were anxious to see how Sascha would do in the field. Daniel asked a lot of questions, and Tanna thought it was fascinating.

The evening was pleasant, and Tanna was glad Dean was there. He and Braden seemed to really enjoy each other’s company, and he was a genuinely nice guy. It was about eight o’clock when Dean announced, “I suppose I should be going. Sparky’s kids will be going to bed and I don’t want to disturb them.”

Braden chortled. “Yeah, that would be bad. Once you get them in bed, you don’t want them to have an excuse to get out!”

“Yeah. Guess I’ll see you tomorrow at the station?” Dean asked as he stood.

“Absolutely. Good to see you, man.” Tanna watched as they hugged each other with plenty of back slapping, and Dean gave her a hug that almost lifted her off her feet before he headed out. They stood in the doorway and watched him and his new best friend until his rental car was out of sight.

The tall firefighter that was hers turned and wrapped both arms tightly around her. “Thank you for making him and Sascha feel so welcome. I love you.”

“I love you too, and it was my pleasure.” She pulled back and grinned up at him. “Let me get the boys in a bedtime mindset and we can have a little peaceful down time until we have to turn in.”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll finish up in here. Go see to them. Tell them I’ll be in to say goodnight in a few minutes,” he said as he turned back to the sink.

It took almost no time to get both boys into their sleeping attire, their teeth brushed, and into their beds. She told Max goodnight and turned out his light, then crossed the hallway to Daniel’s room. He was sitting up in bed when she got there, and he patted the side of the bed, inviting her to sit down. “Have a good day at school?”

He shrugged. “Like always.” He didn’t say anything else, and she could tell something was up, but she let him sit there and waited to see what he’d say next. “Is Braden going to stay around?” he finally asked.

Tanna kissed her eldest son on the cheek. “Yes, baby. I think he is.”

“Good. We need him, Mom. I’d really like to have a dad again. You know, Dad was sick too much the last few years before… I’d just like to have a dad.”

“Know what I want? I want you to look around at school and see if there’s something you’d like to participate in. You know, like academic team or basketball or?”

“I’m too short for basketball,” the boy announced.

“Okay. So maybe baseball?” There was a flicker of something in his eyes?excitement??and Tanna was hopeful. “You could apply to be a manager for the football team or basketball team. There are bound to be some clubs. What about science club? You like science.”

“Yeah. Science club would be cool. But there’s a fee for joining and then I’d have to have a way home, and Max would be here alone, and?”

“Just get some info on it, Daniel. Find out what days and how much. If it’s a day when Braden’s off work, maybe he’d take care of Max and help get you home.”

The young man’s eyes lit up. “You think he would?”

“I think he’d be glad to. I think he’d enjoy doing that for you. He…” Should she say it? “He loves you boys and he wants to do things to help you.”

“I love him, Mom. He’s the greatest. And he’s so good with Max. Things are always better when he’s around.”

“You’re right. They are. So you should ask him about?”

“Hey! You ready for bed?” Braden asked as he stepped into Daniel’s room.

“Yeah. Probably should get some sleep. Hey, Braden, do you think you could maybe watch Max in the afternoon if I join the science club at school?”

“As long as it’s on a day when I’m off work, I’d be glad to! You just find out all about it and we’ll talk about it. Even if I’m working, I may know somebody else who could help out. I bet my mom would be glad to.” When Braden leaned down and gave Daniel a hug, it took all of Tanna’s strength to keep from bursting into tears.

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