Page 116 of Rain or Shine

Fun.

Casual.

Respectfully… fuck that shit.

She was running when I met her, and she’s running now, but I’ll chase her to the ends of the earth if necessary. She’s it for me. From the first time I saw her, my soul recognized its other half. I’m not letting her go.

“She still ignoring your calls?” Lawson drops into the seat beside me at the fire.

He was here for a while but then left to put Max to bed. Max must have finally fallen asleep because now he’s back.

“She’s fucking stubborn,” I say, and Lawson chuckles.

“That girl is a lot of things, Shane. Stubborn, sure. Wild, definitely. Not one of them has scared you off yet.”

“Don’t I fucking know it. I just wish she’d answer the phone. Or a text. Anything.”

Lawson pops open his beer, his eyes on the fire. “Keep trying. She will eventually. People don’t always want to hear what you have to tell them, but you don’t want to live with never saying it. That’ll eat you alive with regret.”

I glance over; the fire casts deep shadows in Lawson’s strong facial features. His blond hair has grown a touch longer this past month, so it’s shaggy and hanging around his ears.

Lawson must feel me watching him, but he doesn’t meet my gaze. “I waited too long once. Hell, I waited too long plenty of times. Never said what I should have, and now I’ll die with those words inside.”

He doesn’t expand upon it, taking a sip of his beer and leaving it at that. I can’t help wondering if it has to do with Max’s mom. All I know about her is that she died the same day Max was born, and Lawson never mentions her.

“Is this where the pity party is?” East steps out of the bunkhouse with Aiden following him. “You two look like some seriously sad motherfuckers.”

I flip East off as he and Aiden claim the other two seats at the fire. East sets the six-pack between them, and they each grab a beer.

Aiden tips his chin at me. “How’s Harloe’s dad?”

“On the mend. Will was there this afternoon and said they’re going to be changing his meds. He needs to adjust his lifestyle, stop smoking, go on a heart-healthy diet, and all that shit, but he’ll be released in a few days.”

The guys are as relieved as I am. The Harrison family has been there for us every step of the way since we moved into Lanceleaf, and even though our lifestyles are a bit different, we’ve become friends.

When Will called, he also mentioned to me that Harloe hadn’t left her father’s side, but I don’t mention that to the guys. I can’t think about her right now, or I’ll get on my bike and ride to the hospital when she doesn’t want me there.

I need to focus on anything else, so even though I was going to wait to bring this up until later, with the guys all sitting in one spot, now seems as good a time as ever.

Leaning forward, I rest my elbows on my knees, eyeing the group. “I had a talk with Steel today.”

“Did he finally approve a new charter for Ironside Ridge?” Aiden asks.

When my eyebrows pinch, East shakes his head. “Come on, Shane, we all see where this is going. This shit can’t be managed from Vegas. It was only a matter of time before Steel realized that too.”

“Yeah, well, in this case, you’re right. He did.”

“Probably helps since you’re running it, and he trusts you,” Aiden says.

“That was supposed to be temporary.”

“Is it?” Lawson asks.

I scratch the back of my neck. “I thought it was. This wasn’t where I saw myself ending up.”

“It’s not where any of us saw ourselves ending up.” Aiden huffs out a breath. “That’s why we’re all here. We don’t fit anywhere else.”

That draws out a chuckle. East and Lawson both lift their beers in agreement.