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“Right. I’ll be back to turn your light off.”

“Okay.”

Everly ran back down the stairs. It was ten after nine now. Tanner had said that he’d text before he called, and there was no way that she would have rushed saying goodnight to Ashton.

She picked her phone up off the kitchen counter and smiled when she saw his message.

Tanner: Ready when you are. Take your time. I’ll be here.

A rush of warmth filled her chest. That,I’ll be here,part made her heart happy. The thing was, she believed him. It might seem like just a little detail to anyone else, but to her it meant the world.

Everly: Give me ten minutes? Ashton’s reading and I need to say goodnight and turn his light off before I call you.

Tanner: Take all the time you need. Ten minutes or an hour; I’ll be here waiting.

Her hand came up to cover her heart. He was making it hard for her to convince herself that this phone call should be about leaving things on a good note – and saying goodbye.

Everly: I won’t be long.

She’d already left Ashton’s clothes out ready for morning. While she was waiting to go up and turn his light off, she went through the fridge to see what she needed to stock up on. She’d decided that they might as well stay here at her mom and Joe’s place for the week. As much as she enjoyed her independence, their house was more comfortable than her townhouse and besides, she hadn’t remembered in time to call about changing the school bus. It’d be stopping here in the morning to pick Ashton up.

She tried to focus on making a shopping list, but her mind kept jumping ahead to how her phone call with Tanner might go. After ten minutes, she set the pen down having only written,milk and bananas.

She crept up the stairs. As much as Ashton liked to read at bedtime, he was the kind of kid who needed his sleep. She wasn’t surprised to find him already fast asleep. The sight of him clutching his book – with the cowboys on the cover – to his chest did funny things to her insides. Tanner had come right out and said that he wasn’t ready to be a father, but…

But nothing. She tiptoed into the bedroom, and gently kissed her son’s head before turning off the lamp on his nightstand.

“Goodnight, sweetheart. Love you,” she whispered.

Her heart filled up and overflowed when he muttered, “Love you, Mom,” as he rolled over onto his side.

When she went back downstairs, she closed the living room door behind her. The last thing she wanted to do was wake him up. She certainly didn’t want to have to explain who she was talking to.

She sat down on the sofa, phone in hand. Her mouth went dry when she pulled up Tanner’s number. All she needed to do was tell him she understood why he’d reacted the way he had and to apologize for not having told him about Ashton from the beginning.

She swallowed. It sounded so simple, but … She jumped up and went to get her earbuds. Her hands were too shaky to hold the phone to her ear, and with Ashton in bed, she didn’t want to put Tanner on speaker. When she sat back down with her earbuds in her ears, she had no excuses left. So, she chickened out and sent him a text instead.

Everly: All done.

Tanner: Can I call now?

She let out a short laugh.

Everly: Yes please.

She let it ring twice before she swiped to answer.

“Hi.”

A lump formed in her throat when she heard his already familiar voice say, “Hey, darlin’. I … Listen, Everly. I’m sorry. Thanks for letting me call you.”

“Aww, Tanner. It’s not your fault, is it? I should’ve told you from the beginning.”

“No, I understand why you didn’t. You’re a mom. You have to be careful. I get it.”

“Thanks. But while that was true in the beginning, you were… I thought…” She squeezed her eyes shut, wondering how to explain it.

“Can I say it?”