Page 64 of Make Me Trust Again (Bluebonnet Creek #3)

Pulling the door open, I’m assaulted by Shadow’s tongue as she sniffs and licks at my face.

“I’m fine,” I mutter, rubbing her between her ears before I push her back to the passenger seat so I can slip inside.

My brain is still going over the interaction as I make my way back home, that feeling of unease crawling under my skin and making me feel unsettled.

I don’t bother going to my house when I park, but instead, I go straight to the cottage to find Rose and Kyle sitting at the dining table and working on his homework.

My shoulders relax the moment I lay my eyes on the two of them, that vice grip clutching at my stomach easing away, if only slightly.

They’re fine.

For now.

Rose’s back is to me, so Kyle spots me first and grins widely.

“Hey, Chase!”

“Hi.”

Rose turns around, smiling softly. “How’s your mom?”

My brows furrow in confusion, but then I remember I was there earlier. It somehow feels like it was longer than that.

“Today’s a good day.” Leaning down, I press my mouth against the top of her head, inhaling her sweet scent. “What are you guys up to?”

“Homework,” Kyle grumbles, clearly unhappy. “I have to read.”

His nose scrunches, and I can’t help but chuckle. “Reading, the horror.”

Rose nudges me with her elbow. “Don’t encourage him.”

I school my features. “I wouldn’t dare.”

The look Rose shoots me tells me she doesn’t believe me one bit, and it’s not like I can blame her.

“Am I done now? Please? I wanna go play with Teddy and Shadow before dinner.”

At the mention of his name, Teddy’s head peeks up, tail wagging.

“I guess you can. I need to go and start on dinner if you want to have that pizza.”

“Yes.” Kyle glances at me. “Don’t let her put veggies on the pizza, okay?”

His serious expression has me chuckling. “Sure thing, buddy.”

“Hey, how is it fair that you two are ganging up on me?” Rose asks, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Boys win!” Kyle giggles as he runs out to the backyard, Teddy and Shadow following after him.

Rose pokes me in the chest. “You should be on my side.”

“Sweetheart, I’m on your side. Except when it comes to pizza.”

“Why don’t I trust you?” she mutters, her brows pulled together.

I slide my hand around her waist and pull her to me. “I promise, next time, I’m picking your side.”

“You better.” Her hands slide over my chest and onto my neck. “We’ve missed you.”

My chest aches at her words, and I don’t have it in me to burst her bubble and tell her about John. I don’t want to upset her.

“I’ve missed you, too.” I gently brush a strand of hair out of her face. “What are you doing this weekend?”

Rose tilts her head back slightly. “Umm… I don’t know. I’ll probably be home. Why?”

“Apparently, this weekend is Founder’s Day. They’ve been setting up stands and games when I was on my way home.”

“It’s already that weekend? Dang it. With everything going on, I completely spaced out.” She shakes her head. “I guess I could call Sav, see if they’re going, and maybe meet up with them for a bit so the boys can play together. We went last year, and Kyle really enjoyed the rides.”

“Or we could go together,” I suggest, watching her to see her reaction.

“Go?” Rose blinks slowly as if she isn’t sure she heard me correctly. “Together? As in us?”

She points her finger at me before shifting it to herself, and I can feel the corner of my mouth tilt upward. “Yes. Us.”

“You want us to go to the town fair? All three of us?”

The corner of my mouth tips upward. “I think I just said that.”

Rose tilts her head to the side. “You’re aware that there are going to be people out there, right? Like a lot of people.”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

Seriously, what is she trying to do? Get me not to go?

“You don’t like people,” she points out as if I don’t already know that.

I cross my arms over my chest. “Do you not want to go with me?”

Maybe that’s the real problem here. She mentioned going with Savannah, so maybe she doesn’t want us to be seen together.

“No,” she says quickly. Rose nibbles at the corner of her mouth for a moment, a trace of uncertainty on her face as she glances away. “I’m just trying to figure out if you really want to go. You hate people.”

“But I love you.”

Her head whips in my direction, those big blue eyes flaring wide.

“I thought you and Kyle might enjoy it. However, if you’d rather go just the two of you, that’s fine, too. It was just a suggestion.”

Before I can take a step back, she grabs my arms. “No. I—” Her face softens, and she gives me a small smile. “I want us to go. All three of us together.”

I lift my brow. “You sure?”

Rose nods. “I’m sure. Better question is, are you sure?”

“I can deal with crowds for a few hours.”

“I’m not talking about crowds. People will talk.”

“So?”

“They’ll talk about us. There will be gossip and speculation.”

“Let them talk all they want. I don’t care about them. The only thing I care about is what you think. Nothing and nobody else matters. Just you.”

That smile grows bigger. Slowly, she slips her finger under the chain on my neck and pulls me to her, her mouth brushing against mine in a slow kiss. “I love you, too, Chase Williams.”