Page 56 of Make Me Trust Again (Bluebonnet Creek #3)

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

CHASE

Shadow runs back to me, a stick between her teeth, and drops it on the ground before turning her serious eyes to me, something that looks almost like an accusing glare shining in her dark eyes as she nudges me with her snout.

“I know.”

I pat her between her ears, but she’s having none of it. Instead, she walks around me and grabs my shirt, tugging slightly.

She’s been like this the whole day. I hoped taking her out for a walk would help, but she’s been insistent that we go back. Not back home, back to them.

Shadow knew something was off, and she wanted to be with Kyle. I had to physically hold her back so she wouldn’t go after them.

“They want to be alone.”

I can still feel Rose’s whole body go rigid under my hand. See the color drain from her face as she looked at the woman who brought Kyle home.

Because, yes, this was his home. Here. With Rose. And Shadow and Teddy. With me.

We’re engaged.

Rose was clearly thrown off by the news.

But is it because it’s so sudden, or because she still has feelings for the asshole?

I can’t tell. For the first time since I met her, I couldn’t read her clearly.

But whatever it was that she was feeling, she pushed it down and turned her whole focus on Kyle, who was completely closed off.

Those big blue eyes that are always so full of excitement and life are completely empty.

He’s like a shell of the boy he usually is.

Something happened this weekend, and I have a feeling there’s more to it than just the fact that his father brought another woman and her kid into his former home, and there is nothing I can do to change that.

Another tug, this one sharper, snaps me out of my thoughts. It’s followed by a loud bark in my good ear.

Sighing, I push to my feet. “Fine.” I point my finger at her. “But we’re going home. It’s late.”

I swear that dog rolls her eyes at me as she dashes for the woods.

Shaking my head, I follow after her. My steps are slow, and painful tingles spread through my leg.

It’s been a long day, and I’ve spent the better part of it trying to work on clearing my old room.

I needed something to keep me busy and occupied so I wouldn’t go to them.

Every so often, Shadow looks over her shoulder to make sure I’m still keeping up behind her, but as the trees start to spread out more, instead of continuing back home, she detours toward the cottage.

“Fucking hell, Shadow,” I mutter, running my hand over my face and into my hair before letting it drop.

She’s doing what you’ve wanted to do this whole time. What are you afraid of, Williams?

Everything.

I’m afraid of everything.

I’m worried that I’m overstepping some boundary.

That I have no right being there with them.

I’m worried that the reason they’re so upset is because of some old feelings, which only pisses me off more.

John O’Neil doesn’t deserve Rose and Kyle.

He’s an asshole of epic proportions, a petulant child who refuses to let go, refuses to stop hurting people he’s supposed to love.

Then do something about it.

My legs are moving before I can think too much about it, pushing through the narrow pathway until the cottage comes into view.

I step out of the woods just as Rose opens the back door, dressed in her PJs.

Her confused expression meets mine, but then it drops down as Shadow brushes past her and into the house.

“What—”

“She’s been worried,” I explain as I move closer.

Rose turns to me, a small smile appearing on her face for a split second before it disappears again. “She and I both. Give me a moment.”

She walks inside and goes to the door that leads to Kyle’s bedroom.

She crouches down and pets Shadow on the head, her mouth moving as she tells her something I can’t decipher before cracking the door open enough so the dog can slip inside.

She leaves the door slightly open before she returns to me.

“How is he?” I ask, my hand cupping her cheek.

Rose leans into my touch, letting out a soft sigh. “Quiet. I tried asking him what happened at his dad’s, but he didn’t want to talk about it, so I let it go. He just now fell asleep.” She worries on her lower lip. “Am I doing the right thing? Should I have insisted he talk to me?”

“You’re doing the best you can.”

Rose shakes her head. “It doesn’t feel like I’m doing enough.

He’s hurting, and I don’t know how to help him.

It was easier when he was a baby. He would cry, so I would hold him or feed him or change him, and he’d be happy.

But the older he gets, the more independent he is, the more it feels like he’s holding his thoughts and feelings in, and I can’t do anything to take his pain away. ”

Tears gather in her eyelids, making her eyes glisten in the dim light. Cursing slightly, I grab her face in my hands and press my lips against the top of her head. “You were there for him, that’s all that matters, sweetheart. He’ll come to talk to you when he’s ready.”

Letting my palms slide down her body, I take her hand in mine and pull her toward the swing. Sitting down, I tug her into my lap. “How are you feeling?”

Her jaw clenches, some of that fire returning. “I’m so pissed off! When Kyle didn’t want to say anything, I tried calling John.”

Something sour burns the back of my throat, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

I don’t want Rose anywhere close to her ex.

It’s irrational. They have a child together, of course, they’ll need to keep in touch for Kyle’s sake; however, the idea of her calling him makes my blood boil, and it takes everything in me to keep my voice casual. “You did?”

“Yes! I wanted to know what happened over there this weekend, but the asshole that he is sent me to voicemail. Or hell, maybe it was Lucy. I wouldn’t be surprised. They’re both a piece of work. I can’t say I’m surprised they ended up together; they deserve each other.”

My heart does this weird little flip inside my chest at her words. She’s clearly fired up about the whole situation. There’s a deep line etched between her brows as she continues to talk, but I can’t keep up because of the ringing in my ears.

Finally, she must see it because she tilts her head, her gaze zeroing in on me as she runs her fingers through her hair. “What?”

“So, you’re not upset by it?”

“Upset?” Rose’s brows furrow. “Why would I be upset? She can have him for all I care. Now, if she was to try something with?—”

Rose’s eyes widen as she bites into her lower lip, stopping whatever she wanted to say as the color creeps up her neck.

I slip my finger under her chin, tugging her lip out of her grasp. “Try something with?” I quirk my brow, my voice coming out raspy.

My question hangs in the air as the seconds tick by, that sizzling tension burning between us.

“Nothing. Forget it.” Rose shakes her head quickly and starts to get to her feet. “Do you want to drink something?—”

I grab her hand and hold her in place. “Try something with what?”

I don’t know why I’m being so insistent when she clearly isn’t comfortable telling me this, but I can’t let it go. I need to know what she wanted to say.

She squeezes her eyes like she’s in pain. “You, dammit!” Her curled fist connects with my chest. “All I could think about was her trying to flirt with you, and how I’d probably claw her eyes out. She can have John, but she doesn’t get to have you.”

Her words echo in the silent night, her chest rising and falling as she stares at me, her lips slightly parted. I lift my hand, cradling her cheek as I rasp out, “She doesn’t have me. She could never have me. Nobody could.”

Rose blinks, her fingers spreading over my chest. “You mean it?”

“She’s not you.”

“Chase…” Those delicate fingers slide over my collarbone and onto my nape, sending tingles running down my spine.

“Nobody is you, Rose.”

Nobody would ever be her.

Not for me.

There’s only Rose Hathaway.

And I’ll cherish every second of time I have with her.

Something shines in her eyes, and I can feel pressure building in my chest. Her lips part, but before she can utter a word, I press my mouth against hers, swallowing her words.

And then I muffle every sound and cry she makes as we take off our clothes, and I sink inside her until both of us are so spent, and she falls asleep in my arms. And then I hold her, watching her as she sleeps in my arms until I can see the first rays of sunlight peeking through the trees on the horizon.

Groaning, I curl my fingers around the bar in my hands and push it upward. My muscles are aching at this point, but I grind my teeth as I push through the last set, counting slowly in my head until I reach ten and am finally able to put the bar back in place.

My chest is heaving as I fight for breath, sweat dripping down my face. I close my eyes for a second as I try to even my breathing before I reach for the towel I left on the side and run it over my face. Blinking my eyes open, I’m met with big blue irises staring at me from above.

My heart kicks up a notch, the erratic heartbeat pounding in my eardrums not helping with the ringing in my ears.

“Fuck, kid, you shouldn’t sneak up on people.”

Kyle tilts his head slightly but doesn’t make an attempt to pull back. “I’m not sneaking around. I called your name, but you didn’t answer. You’re as deaf as me. And you shouldn’t be saying bad words.”

I wince slightly at the accusation. I’m totally schooled by a seven-year-old. “I’m sorry, I was just surprised.” I start to sit up, so Kyle pulls back, giving me a little room as he crouches down and unhooks Teddy’s leash. “Done with homework?”