Tanner
"Wow." Zoe moans, eyes closed as her head drapes over the edge of the hot tub. "This must be what heaven feels like."
I can't help but smile because I just had the same thought as I watched her bikini-clad body sink down deep into the bubbles. She's an absolute goodness, those curves stealing the air from my lungs every damn time I see them.
"Not perfect quite yet..." I grab the two Whiskey Sours I made us and I climb in beside her, handing one glass to her as I settle in. "There we go..."
She smiles, pressing her lips to the rim of her glass and drapes her legs across my lap. "Whiskey, huh?"
"I thought we could both use it after the day we had." I chuckle, sweeping a piece of runaway hair behind her ear.
"It must feel really good on your knee, too." Zoe's lips curl into a smirk despite her best effort to hide and she's very obviously proud of herself.
"Well, that's not subtle at all." I chuckle. "Although you're right. It does feel nice."
"Are you going to tell me about your appointment or do I have to suffer through the anticipation a little more?"
I roll my eyes, not quite ready to admit the blow. There are so many other things I'd rather be doing in this hot tub than talking about this, but if I know Zoe, she's not going to let up until I give her what she wants. "You're acting like this is a life or death thing, Zo. I told you it's just a tweak."
"Is that what your doctor said?" She eyes me carefully.
"In so many words, yes. For right now."
Zoe presses her lips together. "What exactly does 'for right now' mean?" Jesus, she isn't letting up.
"It means that if I don't slow down, then I'll reinjure it and might have to have surgery again." I finally admit. Hearing the words out of my own mouth stings more than I thought, and I pause for a second to let it sink in for both of us.
Zoe doesn't say a word, letting me sit in the realization.
"It's not going to come to that, but it's a possibility. And if Morgan gets wind of it..." I can't even finish the sentence.
"Tanner, your health is way more important than your position at the firehouse." Her voice is firm. "I wish you'd focus on that, because your boys don't need a hero firefighter for a dad, they just need their dad. If you're not a hundred percent and something happened on a call"
"I know." I clench my jaw, quickly cutting her off. The last thing I need is another lecture about this today. "And I'm going to do everything that Dr. Keller says to make sure that I'm good to go. I promise. You don't need to worry about it anymore. Now, I want to hear about how things went with Ruiz. How was your meeting?"
If I have to be in the hot seat, so does she.
Zoe's face falls flat, defeat pooling in her eyes as she darts them away. "It was pretty good."
I put my hand to her chin, angling her face toward me so our eyes lock. "The truth."
Biting her lip, she let out a heavy sigh. "They don't know where he is and they probably won't. Ruiz thinks he fled to Mexico by now and is long gone."
Of course he did. Pussy took the coward's way out, which was probably his plan all long. What I would give to get my hands on him. If he was any kind of man, he would have stayed here and faced it.
"What about his family? They've got to know something." I ask. "Didn't he come back here to San Diego for them?"
Zoe lets out a sharp laugh, gently shaking his head. "Oh, you mean the family that has multiple restraining orders against him? No, he never came back here for them. Ruiz said he can't even find a location for them because of the extent of the restraining orders."
"Jesus, Zoe. So what now? I thought you said Ruiz told you you could go home."
"He did." Her voice is quiet. "My house is cleared, and he doesn't think there is a threat anymore."
"No threat?" That's almost laughable. The lengths this bastard has already gone to to interfere in Zoe's life prove he's a major threat.
"He's probably right, Tanner." She says. "Especially if he fled to Mexico. He obviously knew I would know it was him the second I found that ring, and that the cops would be onto him. He might be an asshole, but he's not stupid. He knows if he gets caught, he'll go away for a long time and he isn't going to risk that."
I guess Zane's stupidity is a matter of opinion. What if he's just lying low until the right moment? What if she's right, and he knew the heat would be on him, so he's just waiting for it to die down to make his next move? I don't want to scare Zoe, but I don't like how casual she's being about all of this, either.
"So they're just not looking for him?" I grit my teeth. What the hell, Ruiz? I thought she'd be in good hands with him, but now I'm second guessing that, too.
"No, they are. Ruiz said he's got reports out to all the surrounding police agencies to keep an eye out for him, so if he does try to come back, they'll be able to pick him up. He just doesn't think it's very likely that he will."
I run my fingers through my hair, shaking off some of the water. Zoe has underestimated this guy for a long time already, and it feels like that is exactly what's happening again.
"I think he's right, Tanner. This is ridiculous. I can't let him affect my life this way anymore. If he was still here, he would have tried something. You're a trigger for him, and if he knew I was staying here, it would have set him off. He's got to be gone by now."
"You really feel comfortable with that?" I don't, but it's not my decision and I have to respect that.
Zoe nods with the slightest bit of apprehension. "He said they're doing everything they can, and I believe him." She puts her hand to my cheek gently. "If I let this control me, then he wins."
"I know you feel like that, and believe me, I get it. But it's only been a few days. Can't you give it a little time and lie low?"
"That's not really in my nature." She grins, clicking her tongue. "And you, of all people, should understand that."
"I do." I don't have much room to talk in this department, and we both know it. In my heart, I feel like she's rushing to get back to normal, but I also get where she's coming from. "I just don't want to take any chances. I'd die something happened to you."
Zoe softens. "I promise you, I'll be careful about it and I'll follow all of Ruiz's recommendations. He said they'll have extra patrols around both my house and at work."
"You're sure you wouldn't be more comfortable staying here? I'm sure Ruiz would agree that it's the safer option. At least until a few more weeks pass. Or months..."
"Are you asking me to move in with you?" The smirk on her face is so damn cute,
"I, uh.. I guess I am... in a roundabout way." The words are out of my mouth before I really even know what I'm saying, but the longer they're out there, the more right it feels. What the hell are we waiting on, anyway? Maybe this can be a good thing that comes out of this mess with Zane. Maybe it's the catalyst we need.
When she doesn't answer right away, my defenses go up and I wonder if I've made a mistake.
"Tanner, I want to say yes. I love being here with you and the boys, and it already feels like home to me." She starts. "But I'm still trying to figure out how to be okay on my own. And I feel like I need to do that before I commit to moving in here. Trust me, that's my goal. I want to be with you—I want to be here, with you—but I don't want to rush it because of shitty circumstances. I don't want to move in here because I feel like I can't take care of myself. It needs to be the right timing."
Sometimes it really sucks having to grow up and be a responsible guy. Part of me wants to convince her that there is no time like the present and that we aren't rushing into anything, but I know it's bigger than that. As much as I want her here, she's right. Timing is everything.
"Fine." I lean forward, resting my forehead against hers. "As long as your promise that that's what we're working toward, I'll support whatever you need to do and we can take all the time you need. I love you and I'm not going anywhere."
"I love you, too, Tanner. And this is exactly what I want. I can't even tell you how happy it makes me to hear that it's what you want, too." A smile curls onto her lips as she brushes the softest whiskey kiss against me, her hands creeping into my swim shorts. "Now what do you say we table all of this heavy conversation and take advantage of my last night here for a while..."
I've got it so fucking bad for this girl, and she knows it.