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“Sterling? That would have been the middle of the night in New York,” I say. “He said he was happy with everything last time I was over there. The project’s finished.”
“He is. He couldn’t sing our praises loud enough,” Tanner says as he reaches for the jug of water in the center of the table and pours one.
“So what? You two just chatting about the weather?”
I look down at my phone as an email pings through from the car dealership, letting me know that Sophie’s replacement has arrived. I crack my knuckles as the image of her trashed one surfaces from my memory. Nothing’s happened in the few days since then. But I’m going to be damn glad once this case she’s working on goes to trial and is over.
“I don’t know why he was up so late. But he called to tell me he’s recommended us to a business associate of his. Could lead to a big contract.”
“That’s great,” I reply absentmindedly, drumming my fingers on the glass table.
“He also said thanks for the blow job you gave him as an added thank you for choosing us.”
“Good, that’s good.”
Something hits me in the side of the face.
“Hey!” I snap my eyes from the rolled-up ball of paper that lands on the table and over to Tanner’s face.
“You upgraded the security systems at your house and hers. It’s all logged with the police. And she says she has it handled,” he says, leaning back in his chair.
I arch a brow at him. “So if it happened to Rach—?”
“Yeah, I’d kill the fuckers if I got the chance.” Tanner grimaces.
“Exactly.” I huff out a breath and push my hands back through my hair as I lean over the table. “I bet this shit only gets worse, doesn’t it?”
“The worry?” Tanner snorts. “Yeah. Sorry, Buddy. You wait until those babies are born, then you’ll feel like you’re barely holding on to your sanity if they so much as sneeze. Then there’s the temperatures, and the viral rashes… and before you even get to that, you’ve got the birth and everything that can go wrong there.”
He curses as his earlier paper missile smacks him right between the eyes.
“You know what, though? You’ll never change a thing. You’ll look back at bachelor Drew Harper and wonder how you even existed without all of them dictating your life to you every day.”
“Yeah. I’m already there.” I run a hand around my jaw.
And he’s right. I wouldn’t change a damn thing.
“That the place you’re viewing tonight?” He gestures to the property listing of a large modern glass-fronted house on my laptop screen. “Nice.”
“Yeah. Safe neighborhood. A straightforward commute to Sophie’s office. In the catchment area for the best school for miles.”
I click through the images of the house, gym and pool house, and large garden so that Tanner can see. One of the bedrooms has a vaulted ceiling. I’m already planning how we could decorate it. It’ll be perfect for the nursery.
“You don’t need to tell me. It’s two streets away from us.” He smirks.
“The one negative factor.” I smirk back.
Tanner rolls his shoulders and leans his head back in the chair. “It’ll be nice. The girls will like it. They can walk hang out, and you and I can run together in the mornings.”
My usual sarcastic comeback about spending more time together outside of already working together every day fades from my tongue and I simply tip my head in agreement. It sounds pretty fucking nice. Suburban dad life—swapping out drinking whiskey in a bar after work with friends for having a drink at home while the kids play together. Tanner might be the only one with kids at the moment. But Sophie’s over halfway through the pregnancy already, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Rose and Dax followed soon, then maybe even Maddy and Logan.
“As long as you don’t sulk when I whip your ass. You know I’m the faster runner.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Tanner chuckles. “Better hope you get the house so I can make you eat your words.”
“Bring it on.” I grin. “Bringit on.”
“What do you think?” Nerves skate up my spine as Sophie wanders around the master bedroom and over to the wall-to-wall glass doors that lead out onto the balcony.
