26. Verge #2
“So?” I ask, curious about what is about to come out of this guy’s mouth. There is never a dull moment with him around, and I have grown to enjoy his comic energy.
“So, how did your date go? Did you sweep her off her feet?” He asks, sitting back, watching the road.
“It went well, thanks again for helping make that happen,” I say.
“You got it, man. You’re good for her,” he says, pushing my shoulder.
“Now all we gotta do is find Cash a damn girl. Well, and Beau, but It’s not Beau I worry about.” He laughs.
“Worry about?” I question.
“Yeah, he hasn’t been the same since his girl Stella passed away about six years ago,” he says.
“Damn, that’s rough, how did she pass?” I ask.
“Car accident, hit and run, he’s never been the same.”
“I don’t think I would be either,” I reply.
The thought of losing Shi that way so suddenly makes my stomach churn, and I now know why Cash has such a haunted look in his eyes.
I haven’t even told Shi I love her, but the thought of losing her feels as if my heart would be ripped right out of my fucking chest.
“Anyways, don’t say anything, I’ve probably said too much, my mouth always gets ahead of my brain,” he says, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“No, not my place,” I reply. It’s the only thing I can think to say as my mind still spirals at the thought of losing my girl.
We carry on in lighter conversation as we drive back to Shi’s house.
As we pull in, everyone is walking out of the barn except Tyler, who is still riding one of her horses in the arena.
Once we step out of the truck, I can no longer avoid the craving to smoke.
I grab Love out of the truck, holding her in my arm as I reach in my pocket for my smokes.
Placing her on the ground, Jake comes up sniffing her, and she playfully nips at him, and I chuckle with my cigarette between my lips before I light it and take a pull.
Ah, sweet nicotine. Thank God.
“I’m gonna go see what Tyler is into,” Cross says as he throws his bag over his shoulder, making his way to the arena, and I nod.
Shi comes up to me, and before I can pull her in, she stops at Love with a smile beaming from her face. She bends down, petting her, and I laugh. “Seems as if I’ve been replaced.”
She smiles at me. “This may be the cutest damn puppy I’ve ever seen.”
She picks her up, scratching her ears and kissing her head before she steps closer to me.
I blow smoke out in the opposite direction, licking my lips and smiling at her with Love.
She then presses up on her tiptoes, still clutching Love under her arm, as she lays a kiss on my lips.
She steps back, looking at Love and then me, and asks, “What’s her name? ”
“Love,” I state plainly, taking another pull on my smoke.
“Love? What’s that from?” She asks.
“My hometown in Colorado is Loveland, just thought it suited her.” I shrug, dropping my cigarette to the ground and putting it out before picking it up to throw away.
“That’s cute. I like it.” She smiles.
Cash walks up with Beau and Liz behind him, and everyone gushes over the new puppy, even Liz.
After a while and dinner, we all go our separate ways to get some shut-eye.
As we walk out to the loft, Love follows, and I’m shocked at how quickly this pup has picked up simple commands.
She knows heel, sit, lay down, and stay, it’s wild.
As we walk to the loft, I ask Cross before him and Tyler head into her trailer, “Did you have this dog trained? No way she’s this smart on her own. ”
“Mom has been teaching her simple commands, she’s also potty trained and she will bark at the door if she needs to go,” he replies as Tyler walks into the trailer.
“Thanks, man.” I reply, and Shi and I make our way up to the loft with Love on our heels.
Once we shower off and get ready for bed, I’m so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. I pull my shirt over my head and plop down in my boxers, and Shi laughs. “Rough practice today?”
“No, it was great, I'm just exhausted.” I reply.
She lays down beside me in my t-shirt again, laying her leg across me and her head on my chest. Her hands roam my chest, tracing tattoos and scars that she has yet to ask about.
Love then jumps on the bed, laying between us, and we both laugh, petting her.
She then finally settles at the end of the bed, circling three times before she lays down out at our feet.
“How was your day?” I ask.
“Good, Tyler is actually really good at heeling. We had a good time. Beau and Cash did pretty good today too.”
“Good enough to beat y'all this weekend?” I tease.
“Oh, not that good.” She laughs, beaming with confidence.
She then gets quiet for a second, I assume mulling over her words, before she says, “So Loveland is your home town?”
I sigh, rubbing my head and nod before I say, “Yeah.”
“You good with going back tomorrow?” She asks, sitting up, laying her hands on my chest, looking me in the eyes.
“As good as I can be.” I reply, trying to make light of the situation. Trying to mask the feelings I’ve honestly been trying to avoid because I don’t want to get too in my head about it.
She nods and hesitates before she says, “You know I’m here if you ever need to talk, right?”
“I know, baby. Let's just get some sleep, okay?” I smile. I know it probably seems fake, but I really don’t want to talk about this right now, I’m too tired.
I put my hand on her face, looking at her eyes, then down to her lips, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, and pull her in slowly for a kiss.
I kiss her like I may suffocate without her lips on mine, and she kisses me back with just as much intensity.
Once she pulls back, she lays her head back down on my chest over my heart, and I think back to what Cross told me about Cash in the truck, and my heart feels as if a vise has been secured around it and the words are bubbling up inside of me.
The thought of ever losing her, although we haven’t even been together that long, scares me more than it should.
I then put my arm around her to her face and tilt her head up to mine.
She looks up at me with questions in her eyes and I just take a fucking chance.
“I…I think I love you, Shi.” I tell her, and Love sits up, ears perked, and she giggles at her, then looks back at me.
“You think?” She questions with a smile playing on her lips, and that smile makes worry of saying it too soon evaporate.
“I know I love you, Shi, I just worried it was too soon to tell you.” I reply.
She puts her hand on my face, tracing the scar that leads from my ear to my jaw before she says, “ I love you too, Verge. I tried to fight it, but something about you pulled me in from the moment I ran into you two weeks ago.”
I put my hand on the nape of her neck, searching her eyes before I pull her in, kissing her deeply again.
I want to show her in more ways than this that I love her, but not tonight, there’s no rush, and I want her to know that and feel confident in that.
I know some men may just tell a girl they love her just to get in her pants, but that’s not why I told her.
I told her because it’s the fucking truth, and the thought of not saying it when tomorrow is never promised just wasn’t sitting right with me anymore.
I do fucking love her, and I’ll be damned if she doesn’t know it.
She then pulls back again, laying her head on my chest. I wrap my arm around her, putting my lips to her head and letting them linger there, smelling her lavender shampoo before I let sleep take over me.