Page 57 of Make Me Trust Again (Bluebonnet Creek #3)

School started a couple of weeks ago, and since then, we’ve gotten into a routine of sorts.

Rose worked while he was in class, and then when they got home, he had to finish his homework before he could come over so we could train Teddy together.

The little guy’s pretty smart and catching on to things quickly, so I hope that soon we can start training him to alert Kyle to sounds.

I’ve been doing some research on the best way to approach it; now, it’s all about teaching Kyle how to do it.

I want Teddy to see Kyle as his handler and not me.

Kyle sits down on the floor cross-legged, his little pouch with dog treats around his waist. Teddy has already wandered off, sniffing around the room.

Kyle glances at me, and I give him an encouraging nod, so he pats the side of his leg twice.

The sound reverberates in the air. Teddy’s ears perk up, and when his gaze connects to Kyle, he repeats the motion, two taps.

“Come,” he says, verbal command accompanied by the sign.

Taking a bottle of water, I take a sip as I watch Teddy walk to Kyle, who’s extended his hand, but Teddy ignores it, wanting to play. Instead of getting frustrated, Kyle shakes his head. “Sit.”

Teddy barks in protest, so Kyle repeats the command and, after a moment, the dog makes a circle around himself and sits down. Kyle gently gives him a treat, which Teddy takes. He repeats the command a few times before switching to the next one.

Moving closer to the two of them, I crouch down, and Kyle glances at me. “He’s doing really well.”

“You both are doing amazing so far. How about we try something new? Did you bring your ball?”

“Yes.” Kyle slips his hand into his pocket and pulls out the ball, and immediately, Teddy’s tail starts wagging excitedly. “What now?”

“We’ll start easy. What’s the sign for touch?” Kyle touches his middle finger against the back of his other hand. “Good. Show him the sign, say touch, and then touch the ball with your free hand.”

Kyle’s face is all serious when he nods. “Okay. Teddy, touch.”

He does exactly as I said, but Teddy just wiggles around, waiting for Kyle to toss him the ball. So he repeats it again and again.

“He thinks we’re playing,” he mutters, his shoulders slumping a little.

“That’s fine. He’s still young; it’ll take time. You just need to practice more.”

“Teddy, touch. Like this, touch.” He repeats the motion, which gets him a bark from Teddy. “ We’re not playing. Touch.”

Just then, Shadow passes by the younger dog and presses her snout against the ball, making Kyle laugh. “Good job, Shadow.”

He slips his hand into his pouch and pulls out the treat, handing it to her. Shadow takes it and glances at Teddy almost as if she wants to gloat, and the younger dog doesn’t miss it either.

“Tell him again.”

So he does. Teddy shifts his attention to the ball and slowly comes closer, lifting his little nose at the ball, not quite touching, but definitely a step in the right direction.

“Touch.”

Finally, after what feels like forever, Teddy presses his nose to the ball for a split second.

“Did you see that? He touched it. Good boy, Teddy,” Kyle praises excitedly, giving the dog some treats. He manages to touch the ball a couple more times before I call it quits. “C’mon, dinner will be ready soon, so it’s time to go home.”

“But Chase! He did it. Can we stay a bit longer? Please?”

“No.” I shake my head. “He touched the ball, and he got his reward. If you can, you always want to end the lesson on a good note.”

Kyle lets out an exaggerated sigh. “I guess.” He extends his hands, and Teddy comes to him, nuzzling into his neck. “You’re a really smart boy, Teddy.”

“You’re not so bad yourself.” I ruffle his hair a little. He tilts his head, leaning into my touch slightly, those big blue eyes fixing on me.

“You think I can get as good as you?”

The corner of my mouth tips upward slightly. “I’m sure you can get even better.”

A smile spreads over his mouth. Smoothing my palm over his hair, I pull back. “C’mon, let’s get you home.”

Kyle puts Teddy on the ground and gets to his feet. Together we make our way out of the barn, when I feel a hand tug at my arm. “Hey, Chase?”

His voice is low, almost tentative.

“Hmm?” I look down to find a distant expression on his face that has me slowing down.

For the most part, Kyle has returned to the cheerful kid I’ve gotten to know, but every now and then, I see glimpses of that darkness that’s too big for a boy of his age. It’s buried deep inside, but so far, he hasn’t brought it up. Not with Rose, and certainly not with me.

His gaze is lowered, and I can see him worrying on his lower lip as he thinks. He’s always doing that when he needs some time to process things. It’s as if he isolates himself so he can think in peace, so I let him.

My gaze darts to the cottage, but Rose hasn’t come out in search of Kyle just yet, so I wrap my arm around his and guide us to the steps of the back porch and sit down, so we’re at the same level. The dogs chase one another, while I wait for Kyle to lift his gaze before asking.

“Is everything okay?”

Kyle nods. “It’s just…” He lifts his shoulders in a shrug. “We’re doing a career day in school this year.”

“Okay,” I say slowly, unsure where he’s going with this.

His gaze darts over my shoulder as he shifts, twiddling his fingers in front of him, clearly nervous. “It’s my turn to bring somebody next week.”

He glances at me again, so I nod. “That’s usually how career day works. Did you tell your mom? I’m sure she’d love to come.”

I’m sure that Rose will jump on this if he tells her. But even before I finish, Kyle’s already shaking his head. “I don’t want her to come.”

His words have me pausing for a moment. Kyle’s a good kid.

Not just that, he loves his mom. I find it hard to believe that he doesn’t want her to come.

Does he want John to go with him? It’s entirely possible.

Kyle wants his dad’s attention and approval, but dammit.

How the hell do I get him to go, when he can barely show up for Kyle when it’s his weekend at his father’s place?

He was supposed to pick him up this past weekend, but once again, he ditched him without a word.

My mind is reeling with all the possible ways I can make this happen for him, that I almost miss Kyle speaking to me.

“—you come?”

I blink, unsure if I heard him correctly. “What?”

Kyle’s shoulders slump a little. “I mean, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to.” He shrugs again, his words coming in a rush. “But it would be so cool. You could bring Shadow and show everybody the tricks she can do. It would be fun.”

The ringing in my ears grows louder as my heart speeds up, and I just stare at him, completely dumbfounded.

I never expected him to ask me— me , of all people—to come talk to his class.

It makes no sense. Not just that, what business do I have going into his class and talking to his friends?

I don’t even like people; I’m no role model.

Just the thought of going out there scares the living shit out of me.

Kyle’s gaze falls, the disappointment clear in his voice. “It’s fine. Forget about it…”

They’re just kids, for fuck’s sake, Williams.

He’s just a kid, and he’s asking this one thing of you.

He starts to turn around, but I wrap my fingers around his arm and hold him in place. “I’ll come.”

Kyle blinks, clearly thrown off for a second.

“If you’re sure that’s what you want, I will come.”

His mouth falls open. “For real?”

“Sure thi?—”

Before I know it, Kyle’s body slams into me, his arms wrapping around my waist, squeezing tightly. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You’re the best, Chase!”

My heart is thundering inside my chest as if it’s going to come out as Kyle pulls back. His eyes are shining brightly at me, a big smile on his face as he watches me.

I don’t remember the last time somebody’s put so much faith in me. It’s unnerving. I lift my hand, rubbing at my chest, where I can feel a weight pressing in on me. But if Kyle notices something’s off, he doesn’t mention it.

Shortly after, I walk Kyle back to the cottage. He and the dogs are running in front of me, and they burst into the house without stopping.

When I get to the door, I find Rose standing in the hallway, Kyle crouched down to wipe Teddy’s paws. “Chase said he’ll come to my class for career day.”

“Did he now?”

“Yes, I asked him.” His gaze meets mine. “Right, Chase? I asked, and you said yes.”

“He’s right.” I lean against the doorway, my gaze locked on Rose’s as she turns to me, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. She has it pulled up in a ponytail, but a few strands are curled around her face, making me want to lean down and kiss her neck.

“I told you so! I’m going to wash my hands!” Kyle announces as he jumps to his feet and dashes for the bathroom.

I push from the doorway and go to her, pressing my lips against hers. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Her cheeks flush as she looks up at me, a trace of worry in her eyes before she blinks it away. “You don’t have to do that, you know?”

“I don’t mind.” I shrug. “Except if you don’t want me to?”

“No.” She shakes her head quickly. “That’s not it. You’re not really a people person.”

I tilt my head at Shadow. “She is.”

The corner of Rose’s mouth lifts up. She glances toward the bathroom door before she rises on the tips of her toes and presses her mouth against the corner of mine. “Thank you for doing this.”

“It’s not a problem.”

Her fingers graze over the back of my head. “You want to stay for dinner?”

“I was exercising before Kyle came, so I probably stink. Not really the best dinner companion.”

“You don’t stink.” She scrunches her nose exaggeratedly as she sniffs me, her tongue darting over her lower lip. “Nope, definitely not. So, what do you say? I made a roast.”

How can I say no when she’s looking at me like that?