“Mmm hmm. Put your money where your dick is then, bub.”

And so he did.

Tate was finally a part of something bigger than just her small universe with her siblings. When Liv went into labor some days after Homecoming and baby Lise came into the world, Tate was a part of it. Lise wasn’t just the baby of someone she knew, Lise was a member of her extended family and she had to admit, seeing Matt hold the tiny baby made her heart sing.

Petal lost some of its unfriendly feel as Tate realized she had more there than she’d given credit for. She had friends other than her sisters for the first time. She had lunch with Maggie and Cassie, she visited at Liv’s, checking in on her and the baby. She went on shopping excursions with Polly. The past was letting go or maybe, it was the other way around and Tate was letting go.

In any case, the only real dark spot was her father. His unrelenting presence in her life and the increasing weight of the secret she kept.

Halloween came and Matt began to suspect something was wrong. Tate was tightly strung, more than usual and she’d even let him pay for half the mortgage that month.

He’d confronted her about it but she denied there was a problem. She’d come home late a few times in the last few weeks, clearly upset and he had a feeling it had something to do with the things people had said around town.

It had died down a bit as they’d been seen more regularly and the Chases had so obviously taken Tate and her siblings into their family, making it clear they believed in her.

Fury rode him when he thought about her being talked to badly by people who didn’t know what a remarkable person she was. If people couldn’t look at Tate and see how much she cared about him, about her siblings, they didn’t have eyes and they sure didn’t if they couldn’t see the way Matt looked at her right back.

They’d added on another bathroom adjoining the master bedroom, and another bedroom was being built to the other side of the kitchen. He found he loved coming home from work and making the place theirs. He also loved walking across the street from the station on the days he got off when she did, to come home with her.

Waking up with Tate nestled against him was the best feeling he’d ever had.

The weekend before Thanksgiving was the Harvest Dance at the Grange. A community fundraiser for the local food pantry and it happened to be one event Tate looked forward to.

Matt came home with a big white box and several smaller boxes, tossing them on the bed. “Just a little something, Venus.”

She grinned. Still uncomfortable taking presents from him, it got a little easier each time and it made him happy to do for her and her happy because who didn’t like presents?

He hopped on the bed and watched as she tore into the box and gasped, pulling out a beautiful deep blue dress.

“Matt, this is gorgeous.”

“I thought it would look dead sexy on you. Will you wear it tonight? There are shoes and a purse in the other boxes. Anne helped me with them to be sure they matched and all.”

“Yes. I was just trying to figure out what to wear and now I have the perfect thing.”

How she loved watching him there, on the bed. On their bed, eyes lazily taking her in but she knew he paid attention to everything she did. It made her feel wildly sexy, the way he devoured her with his gaze.

They’d begun to make a life together in her little house. It was theirs now, getting bigger every day. The chaos of the constant construction was worth it to see the space grow into a home for them.

Having him there made her happier than she’d ever been, than she’d ever hoped to be. At first, she expected him to grow disillusioned or impatient with her family and other commitments but he didn’t. He made room in his life for what was important to her and she found herself eager to do so for him.

Those times when they babysat for her nieces and nephew or Nicholas and baby Lise, she allowed herself to see their future as parents together. She wanted that with him very much.

Her father was a menace in her life, yes, but she’d do anything to protect this precious thing from his poison, from his evil, nasty darkness. She’d protect Matt because he meant everything to her and his family was too good to be sullied by the stain of her father. And she’d protect her own family too. At least he didn’t physically scare her anymore although despite not wanting to care, she wished he’d get help. His drinking continued and in the periods right after her mother ran off again, he got worse. She wanted him to get better, wanted a chance to mend things but she knew it would never happen. So she held what was truly precious close and would protect it with her dying breath.

Matt watched her as she got ready. Hard didn’t begin to describe the state of his c**k by the time she’d blotted her lips and turned.

“Man, you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he murmured, putting his hands at her waist. So perfect. She was soft and sweet, curvy, feminine. Her br**sts were showcased quite nicely at the neck of the dress and the skirt was full, coming to her knees. The shoes were sinfully high and whatever she’d done with her hair and makeup made her look glamorously pretty.

She blushed and he grinned. “Thank you. You do too. I love it when you dress up. I can’t complain about you in jeans but in a suit? I’m not so sure I even want to leave just now.”

“We could stay here. We could play senior prom. This could be the hotel room and we only have a few hours until you have to be home.”

She burst out laughing and hugged him. “I love you.”