Page 48 of Tanner's Forever

“Thanks, Dad.”

He gives me a small wink before heading back to the grill to flip the meat. I may have gotten stuck with a shit mother, but my dad more than makes up for it.

And he seems to think me dating again is a good idea. Between him and my friends, they’re making it hard to come up with new reasons why this whole thing is a bad idea.

Unlocking my phone, I pull up the message from Tanner once again, ready to respond to it.

But instead, I opt for something a little naughtier. I walk inside the house to bathroom that used to be mine. Now, it’s just a guest one that never gets used. After locking the door behind me, I look in the mirror and try to make myself look halfway presentable. I pull my hair down out of its bun and run my fingers through it to fluff it up a little. I can’t decide if I look sexy or just plain crazy.

Oh well. Either way, I’m going with it.

I then undo the buttons on my flannel shirt, exposing my bra underneath. It’s not one of my cutest ones, but it’s also not one of the rattiest either.

The next five minutes are spent with me trying to perfectly adjustthe girlsto pull them from the top of the bra and make them look decent. Then, I take about thirty photos of myself, hoping that just one of them looks good.

When I settle on one that I don’t hate, I type:

I miss you too. Maybe our talk tonight will be a little more interesting.

Taking a deep breath, I gather up all my courage before hitting SEND. I put down my phone as I button my shirt back up. Before I can even finish, it rings.

“Hello?” I answer in a low voice.

“Babygirl, are you trying to make my dick hard for the rest of the day?”

“Maybe,” I say as I feel my cheeks blush. “Did it work?”

“Fuck yes, it did. I’m going to be sneaking peaks at that picture all day long.”

Hearing him say he likes it gets me all tingly inside. “Maybe tonight, you can return the favor.”

“Oh, I’m going to do more than that, beautiful.”

I’m not sure what that means, but it gets me excited. “Well, you better get back to work so that you can finish on time.”

His laugh fills the other end of the phone. “Okay, babygirl. Miss you. Call me tonight.”

“Miss you too,” I say before hanging up.

Okay, who am I? I’m taking sexy pictures in the guest bathroom of my dad’s house and sending them to a boy. Like a dang teenager.

Oh, who am I kidding? I didn’t do anything like this when I was a teenager. I was much more of a good girl back then.

I guess it’s time for a rebellious streak. Thirty-three isn’t too old for that, right?

“Momma, can we read another one?” Joey asks.

“Sweetheart, this was number five. That’s your limit for the night.”

“But I’m not tired.” He draws out the last word so long that he lets out a yawn at the end of it.

“You sure about that?”

“Mmm-hmm,” he replies, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

“We will read more tomorrow, I promise,” I tell him with a kiss on his forehead. “Now, lay down, so I can tuck you in like a little burrito.”

He huffs a little, but he’s so tired that it doesn’t take much convincing. Spending the evening at my dad’s wore all the kids out. The big two passed out before Joey since Joey insists that we read a stack of books every single night.

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