Page 113 of The Promises We Were Never Meant To Keep

I woke up naked.

Oh. Fuck.

“Uncle Tanner!” Mabel screams her excitement. I flinch.

Oh, fuck. Again.

Tanner steps inside holding two boxes of pizza. “I brought rations.” Tanner winks at me even as he catches sight of Holt standing behind me. “Figured it’d be a treat after the stint you’ve had.”

“We were just talking about ordering pizza.” Holt moves close. Too close. His heat is too much.

I want to shed my sweater, but my shirt is an abomination.

I shimmy away and clear my throat. “Um—come in.”

“Yes, Uncle Tanner, come in!” Mabel takes his free hand and pulls him into the kitchen.

Owen’s brows pull in as he watches me. I do my best to clear the anxiety from my expression so that my observant son won’t read into my discomfort at being here, between my ex-lover and husbands’ brother, and my late husband’s best friend want-to-be-current-lover, in the house I shared with that dead husband.

My life is a mess.

Tanner slides the pizza boxes into a candle on my counter, making room on the island. I’m too overwhelmed by the presence of these two men in my home to worry at the clutter on my counter.

“If I eat pizza, can I have a cwasont?”

“Yes.”

Mabel drops her hands on her hips to negotiate. “But no cwust.”

“Crrrrrust,” I correct, but I’m too stimulated to engage in negations with my little lawyer in training. Her auntie Willow would be proud. “Just eat some pizza, Mabel.”

Tanner chuckles and flips the lid of a box. “Extra olives.”

Owen smiles, but I don’t miss the way his eyes move between the two men. “Mom’s favorite.”

“I know.” Tanner winks at Owen as he flips the second box. “And for the second lovely lady, we’ve got ham and pineapple.”

Mabel claps, her smile beaming as she blinks happily up at her uncle. My stomach knots.

Owen doesn’t respond as he moves to the cupboard. He pulls plates down for everyone and I slide a ham and pineapple piece onto a plate for Mabel. She carries her plate to the couch and plops down. Duke scurries to take his place beside her.

I see her take a bite and settle in to watch Shrek enter the castle where the dragon princess Mabel loves, resides.

“Thanks for dinner, Tanner.” I slide a piece of pepperoni with extra olives onto my plate before I take a giant bite.

I nearly moan. I haven’t eaten anything but soup in too long.

When I open my eyes, I find both men are looking at me with way too much intensity. I wash the lump in my throat down with my maple latte and croak, “Eat.”

Tanner and Holt slide pieces onto their plates. Owen looks to me. “Can I go to Colton’s tomorrow after school?”

“Uh, sure.”

Mabel appears with an empty plate. “I’m ready for my cwasont.”

I raise a brow. “Where’s your crust?”

“I ate it.”