Chapter 34
SHADE
“What was your favourite trope?” Millie asks the room.
Standing in front of six women, she confidentially holds her list of questions in her hands and demands everyone’s attention.
The meeting has gone slow for me, but I could have left at any time.
I didn’t read the book they’re all here to discuss, yet I’m still sitting on a beanbag chair Shelly brought with her, just so I don’t miss seeing this side of Millie.
It’s clear from the way she holds herself up there that this is comfortable for her.
Speaking in front of this crowd—regardless of its small size—she keeps her chin up and shoulders back, her voice strong.
The soft-spoken, blushing woman who I know from our quiet moments is the opposite of this one.
And I know why that is and where it stems from without needing it explained to me.
This is what she’s used to. Back home, she’s always this person. The one with impenetrable armour and a smile that could send a grown man tripping over his feet. It’s how she was raised. And before she came here, this is the only version of herself anyone saw.
It’s unfair for the world to miss the other side of her when I know how beautiful it is.
“I liked that she fell first, but he fell harder,” Maggie announces to the room. “That’s how it should be. Give me a simp any day.”
Shelly barks a laugh while Millie just stares at both of the older women with wide eyes.
Maggie’s silver hair isn’t tied back today, and she’s not wearing her diner apron, which almost had me choking on my tongue when I saw her get here earlier.
I still don’t know how the girls convinced her to leave the diner long enough to join the meeting, but it made Millie happy, so I didn’t bother asking questions.
“That’s exactly what he was,” Lacey howls, pointing at Millie. “What was it you said to me? That she could have made him drop to his knees and bark, and he would have?”
My brows shoot up to my hairline as I stare at Millie, her hands hiding her face now. Lacey laughs like a goddamn hyena, loving pulling this reaction from her. I chuckle lightly, crossing my arms over my chest.
“That’s good, actually! Maybe that should be a trope,” Shelly states, snapping her fingers and pointing at Millie.
The other women in the room laugh in agreement, bringing up the idea of choosing a book for next month based around that entirely. It’s odd, sitting here and listening to this conversation, knowing that next month isn’t even guaranteed with Millie.
The thought is enough to sour my stomach, turning my smile into a deep scowl.
“It was a late-night thought!” Millie defends herself, dropping her hands.
Shelly simply shakes her head. “Don’t take it back now. It’s a hit. What do you think, Shade?”
Everyone turns to me expectantly. A pair of curious, soft blue eyes are the ones I fixate on.
“What do I think about what?”
“About a man who is so down bad for his girl that he’d drop to his knees and bark like a dog if she asked him to,” Lacey says, slightly exasperated.
“Is that supposed to be the ultimate test of how much a guy is willing to do for someone?”
“Careful with your answer, Shade. I would hate to have to ban you from the diner,” Maggie warns.
“This is my house, you know?”
Millie’s lips twitch before she butts in. “Shade isn’t the type of guy to bark.”
“But he gets on his knees?” Shelly asks, and I can hear the smirk in her voice.
The red creeping up Millie’s throat and to the tips of her ears has me putting an end to this conversation. If she gets any more embarrassed, I’ll have to bark just to distract her, and I don’t know if my pride could handle that right now.
“Wouldn’t you like to know, Shelly,” I drawl, patting the beanbag. “Ask your husband to act like a dog, and then come back to me to share how it went.”
Millie clears her throat, the red softening as she smiles at me with a silent thank you.
“Let’s get back on track. Is there a specific part of the book that was your favourite? Anyone?”
One of the women who I don’t know all that well—Katie, maybe—blurts out something about a cowboy dropping his hat on the head of the woman he’d been chasing all book. An array of sighs and high-pitched praises fills the living room.
I bite my tongue, letting them have this moment of swooning. It’s a real rule, as far as I know. The whole wear the hat, ride the cowboy thing. Rowe made that a whole thing when we were teenagers. He used it to his advantage a few too many times.
“Is that the epitome of romance for you all, then? Barking men and cowboy hats?” I ask.
Millie stares at me, the corner of her mouth twitching just enough to give her away. “Go ahead and find out. You don’t have a hat, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t try your hand at barking.”
“Not gonna happen, princess.”
She shrugs her shoulder, blowing me off. “Fine.”
“What a disappointment,” Maggie sighs dramatically.
“Don’t you all have your own husbands to make do these things?”
Shelly shakes her head. “It’s not the same.”
“Plus, I don’t have a husband. Millie and I are single and now miserable on top of it,” Lacey adds.
My chest heats as I stare bluntly at Millie.
I wait for her to feel the weight of my gaze before slowly looking back at me.
She rolls her lips, her posture softening slightly.
I spread my legs, smoothing two palms down them in invitation.
Then, I wait to see if she’ll take the bait despite the audience.
It’s reckless sitting with her on my lap like this, but the beast pounding at my rib cage doesn’t give a shit what any of these people think. Not now that it’s heard the words “single” and “Millie” in the same sentence.
She hesitates to move, doubt flickering across her expression.
Worry too. Still, I don’t back down. Having these women leave my place and spreading what happened here tonight around town doesn’t seem like a nuisance.
It’s the opposite, actually. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about a fucking cowboy from the stables planting his stupid hat on her head the next time she’s at the diner alone.
“Just take the seat already before someone else does,” Shelly mumbles under her breath.
Lacey giggles before Millie’s finally coming right to me. My princess glares across the room at where the owner of Shimmer Lake sits and grins at her. There’s no real heat behind it. There’s no chance for her to find any before I’m gripping her hips and pulling her down onto my lap.
She falls onto me, exhaling softly before leaning against me like it’s the most natural thing for her to do. I palm her thigh, trying to anchor her to my body before hovering my lips at her ear.
“Sit here first next time,” I murmur.
It’s been too many days since she’s been right here. She’s made it her mission to stay off my lap ever since she finished my tattoo and scurried into the bathroom the other day. I wouldn’t say she’s been hiding, but there’s been some tension between us that I’m chomping at the bit to erase.
She lowers her chin in a small nod. “Okay.”
Her list of questions is crumpled in her hands now, so I help her straighten it again before clearing my throat and asking the next one.
“How much would you say a found family dynamic adds to a good romance story?”
“You’re a doll for letting us have the meeting here,” Shelly says, patting my arm.
I lean my hip against the kitchen counter and cover her hand with mine. “Anything for you.”
“However, I am still a bit bitter that you took Millie from me. The camp has been too quiet without our morning visits.”
“I didn’t take her from you,” I argue lightly.
“Oh, don’t try it. She’s not staying at Shimmer Lake anymore, is she?”
“Don’t start complaining now. You wouldn’t have had this place for your meeting if it wasn’t for that.”
And even I’ll admit that it worked just fine. There was enough space, and I didn’t hear any complaints. Before the majority of women left, I even heard one of them ask if they’d be coming back here next time.
Shelly huffs. “Fine.”
“You could always ask her to stop by the grounds more,” I suggest, winking. “She’d do it if she knew you wanted her to.”
Fidgeting with the stack of sangria-stained, pink wine glasses beside the sink, Shelly says, “You’re right. Somehow, you’ve gotten wiser in the last few weeks.”
“I’ve always been wise.”
“Mm, but this is a different kind.”
“It’s all of the plants in here now. The air is cleaner,” I joke.
“I did notice the plants. And not the easy-to-care-for ones either. There’s not a single cactus to be found.”
“Millie’s got a green thumb. She likes to water them all every morning before work.”
There’s a scary twinkle in Shelly’s eyes when she smirks. “Is that so?”
I immediately wish I hadn’t said anything. I’ve made a grave, rookie mistake opening that floodgate. Especially after all but forcing Millie to sit on my lap for the last half of the book club meeting.
“Don’t make me dip on our conversation, Shelly.”
Her nails press into my arm when she tugs on me, keeping me in place. She narrows her eyes, scrolling them over every inch of my face.
“Are you serious about her?” she asks lowly, a fierce streak of protectiveness there.
“It’s hard to be serious about a woman who’s bound to leave.”
“Cut the shit with me. You’ve got feelings for her, right?”
I stiffen with discomfort. With a quick check for Millie, I force an answer up my throat when I don’t see her close enough to hear.
“Yeah, I do.”
“Give her a reason not to leave, then. Encourage her to stay.”
“You’re kidding me, right? Be serious, Shelly. If you want her to stay, then ask her yourself.” I clench my jaw in response to the shitty attitude I’m giving her. Forcing myself to soften as much as I can, I add, “I’m not going to force her to do anything.”
“I wouldn’t ever force someone to stay somewhere they don’t want to be, Shade. I’ve just grown to care for her and would hate to see her go back to the life she felt the need to run from in the first place.”
“I’d hate it more than you would. That doesn’t mean she’d be happy staying here forever either. This place is small. It’s got nothing to offer her.”
And there it is. The fear that’s been cramping my stomach for weeks.
If she chose to stay, this place might not keep her happy forever.
Shelly loosens her hold on my arm, patting it softly again. “It’s worth a conversation. You’ll regret it if you don’t and run out of time instead.”
The hair on my arms lifts when I hear Millie’s laugh. I turn away from Shelly instantly, needing to see for myself why she’s laughing like that. Lacey appears first, her arm linked through Millie’s as they sway down the hallway to a song playing from one of their phones.
Millie points at me, beaming so wide it’s got to hurt. “Dance with me!”
Before I answer, I steal a look at the four empty wine bottles on the countertop, confirming my suspicions. “I’m not a dancer, princess.”
“Not even for me?” Her lip juts out, and I curse.
Lacey lets go of her, skipping to Shelly and leaving me my opening. I swallow, accepting that I’ll never be the barking kind of guy, but if she wants dancing, I can figure it out.
I cross the room to her, keeping her pinned under the weight of my gaze. She doesn’t stop smiling, not even slightly. And when I take her into my arms and follow her lead, I think it even grows.