Page 106 of Cautious Love

“But I’m from the wrong side of the tracks,” she mutters, looking anywhere else but at me.

“We don’t have train tracks in Paxton.”

She takes a breath and looks up at me.

“You’re sure you want me to go?”

I dip my chin.

“What if they don’t like me?” she asks, and I hate how small she sounds.

“Impossible.”

She snorts. “Pretty sure June and I have never gotten along.”

“I would like to think that you’ve both left your teenage angst behind.”

Shiloh groans.

“Baby, you can keep looking for all the excuses, but you’re not going to find one. I want you to come. So unless you have something else going on…” I trail off. I don’t want to force her into anything, but I think it’s time. The way I feel about her is anything but ordinaryortemporary. It’s time she falls into the fold of my favorite people. “What if I have to work?” she asks.

I give her a look, and she shrugs. “It’s true, I might have to work.”

“How about you call off work, or find someone to pick up your shift?”

“But they might need me,” she mumbles.

I lean down and kiss her again and again, mapping her heated skin with my lips.

She sighs, drawing her hands through my hair, and a groan rumbles in my throat.

I graze my nose on her jaw, stopping at her ear. “ButIneed you, Shy,” I rasp into her ear.

She visibly shivers in my arms and takes a nervous breath.

“Okay, fine, I don’t have to work.”

I chuckle. “That’s what I thought.” I find her mouth again, and carry her back to bed.

Chapter 27

Shiloh

Turningbackandforthin the bathroom mirror, I question if this was the right outfit. I didn’t want to wear shorts. A dress felt too formal, but jeans don’t feel adequate for my in-laws … sort of.

I feel severely unprepared and out of place. I’m not meant to be connected to a family like his. They’re decent, normal,stable.I’ll just bring chaos into their lives, and I don’t want to do that.

I should have left after Grey beat me.

“Criminal, are you ready to—”

Ledger cuts off and looks at me. I haven’t worn this vest in a long time. I think I wore it to the rodeo years ago.

Instead of a necklace, I used an old bolo tie that used to be my dad’s.

“It’s bad, isn't it? Should I do a dress instead?” I ask him, but nod to myself, and slip past him in the doorway.

“Yeah, I’ll go change into a dress, then we can—”