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I giggled against his mouth. “She needs the apartment, even more than you do right now.”
Tanner sighed and touched his lips to my forehead. “Yeah, yeah.”
“Besides, I wouldn’t let you take me home tonight, anyway.”
His eyebrows lifted as he leaned back in his seat. “No?”
“Nope. The last time I gave myself to someone, he threw me away like yesterday’s trash. I won’t ever let that happen again. The next time I’m with someone, it’s going to be someone worthy of me. Someone who will treat me, and my body, like I am something special.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” He took my face in his hands, and stared straight into my eyes. “Because you deserve to be worshipped, my sweet girl, and I plan on showing you exactly what that feels like.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, I felt it. The smallest seed had been planted deep in the soil outside my heart. If I allowed it to remain there—if I let the sunshine in and watered it—it would sprout leaves and twist its vines around my fortress.
Or maybe it already had.
Nine
Tanner
“Can we watch Moana?” Khloe asked. She was jumping on my bed in zebra footy pajamas.
“Not tonight, Squirt. I have plans.”
“With who?”
“A girl named Charlotte.”
Khloe stopped jumping and bounced onto her bottom. “Who’s Charlotte?” Her big round eyes watched me in the mirror as I pulled a T-shirt over my head.
“A girl I know.”
“Where are you going with her?”
“To the movies.”
“Can I come?” She fell to the floor onto her knees and begged with her tiny hands in front of her face. “Can I, Tanner? Please?”
“Not tonight. It’s almost your bedtime.” I ruffled her hair before tossing her over my shoulder.
She squealed as I carried her into her bedroom and flipped her onto her bed.
She giggled as Mom walked into the room. “Mommy, Tanner won’t let me come to the movies with him. He’s going with a girl.”
Mom’s eyebrows shot up, but she didn’t ask me about it. “He probably won’t let you come with him because it’s your bedtime.”
“See? Told ya, Squirt.” I leaned over to kiss her on her forehead. “Good night. Sleep tight.”
“I love you, Tan-Tan,” she called.
“I love you, and I’d love you even more if you stopped calling me Tan-Tan.”
“You know she only calls you that because you can’t stand it,” Mom called as I left Khloe’s bedroom.
I winked at her before closing the door.
I trotted downstairs and slipped my wallet into my back pocket.
“Going out again?” Dad called from the living room.
