27. Shiloh
Shiloh
I never knew girl talk was so freeing. Don’t get me wrong, Cross is my person and my best friend, but there are things I can tell Tyler that I don’t quite feel right telling him because, well, at the end of the day, he is a guy, and he doesn’t get the sappy stuff as much as I would like.
Also, Tyler has been off for the past few days, and I wanted to get to the bottom of that.
The day Verge and Cross went to practice and to pick up Love, she seemed extra quiet and reserved, which is not like her.
She’s typically on and goofy, like Cross is, and I feel like she may need some girl talk too.
We went to breakfast as usual before heading out, and now we are in the truck heading that way. Tyler is still oddly quiet, so I finally just ask.
“Okay, bitch, spill. What's up with you?” I ask, using her term of endearment to get her out of her head.
She glances at me, pursuing her lips, and her lips twitch upward, but I can still tell something is off, and she shrugs. “Nothing, I’m good.”
“Tyler, come on, you are usually nothing short of happy-go-lucky, just like Cross. Something is off. You have been quiet too much lately,” I argue.
She slumps in her seat, searching the road before she says, “Pierce has been harassing me the past two days. He noticed Cross and I kissing at the last rodeo, and he’s been harassing me ever since. Especially the past two days.”
“Why does he care? Y'all are divorced,” I ask.
“Not by his choice,” she replies, putting her free arm on the door and sighing.
“Does Cross know?” I ask.
“Yeah, I don’t keep anything from him. He knows.”
“I’m sorry, girl.” I frown, not really knowing what else to say.
I do, however, worry about this weekend now with how he tried to get me trampled last weekend.
He doesn't seem to be above seriously hurting someone just to prove a point or get his damn way. His daddy being the town's favorite defense attorney can help him in cases that probably, to some, would seem impossible to get out of, and that scares the shit out of me. Hell, his dad got away with fucking murder unscathed. I’d venture to guess he’d be able to do the fucking same for his one and only son.
I then start to worry about her safety and say, “Don’t walk around alone at this rodeo, even if it’s to the fucking bathroom, okay? ”
“We will travel in packs for sure,” she replies as her eyes go distant.
“Tyler, I’m here if you need to talk about anything, which is the reason I asked to ride with you now. One, because I knew something was off, and for two, I need to talk to you.”
“I know, girl, I appreciate it. He’s just fucking scary. He may seem like a pussy to everyone else, but that man…” She stops, swallowing before she glances at me. “He’s fucking evil, Shiloh. Him and his dad. He scares me, and not much scares me.”
I put my hand on her shoulder to assure her. “Nothing is going to happen, Tyler. We have four grown-ass men with us, okay, and Cross nor Verge will let him near us,” I pause before I say, “And don’t let Cash fool you. He may be reserved, but he will throw down if he needs to, same as Beau.”
She sighs again, then straightens in her seat before she says, “Okay, enough about me. What are you dying to spill your guts about?”
I twist my fingers and smirk. “Verge told me he loved me last night.”
“Shut up, how sweet.” She smiles a genuine smile at me, then looks back to the road. She then wiggles her brows, laughing before she says, “And then what?”
I slump in my seat, feeling awkward before I say, “We went to sleep.”
“Come on.” She laughs, then looks at me, seeing that I’m serious, and says, “Oh shit, you really did just go to sleep.”
“I’m a virgin, okay?” I say, and I can feel the heat climbing up my neck, radiating all over my face.
“And? That’s not a bad thing, Shiloh.” She laughs.
“Well, are you?” I ask.
She laughs before she says, “Well, no, but.”
“I mean, I’m not ashamed, just embarrassed. I just want to be sure, you know?” I replied.
“And that's awesome, girl. I thought I was sure when I was with Pierce, but we see how that went.” She laughs.
“Have you and Cross?” I ask, and immediately regret it. Is that too much to ask? I don’t have a lot of experience with girl talk, and I don’t exactly know what is fair game and what isn’t in personal lives.
“I mean…” She laughs.
I close my ears, laughing, before I say, “I changed my mind. I don't want to know. He's basically my brother. Barf.”
She belly laughs, and her eyes water at my reaction before she says, “I love him, you know? He’s quite possibly the best man I’ve ever been around. He’s gentle and he’s kind. He may be a damn goofball, but I’m glad to say that he’s my damn goofball.”
I smile at her, loving the thought of him being so good to her when she clearly deserves someone good. “He really is the best. Has he told you if he loves you?” I ask.
“Yeah.” She smirks, scrunching up her nose.
I’m so happy for both of them. Cross has never really been serious about anyone.
He’s had a few flings, but never has he really seemed as if he wanted to settle down.
She’s right, though, he is a good man. As silly as he is, he will do anything to keep the people he loves safe, and he can be a real sweetheart when he needs to be.
Just like the night he knew I was upset in the bar, he came to me and wrapped his arms around me and told me it was okay.
He knew Verge would be good for me as much as I wanted to fight it and literally pushed me to him, and now, looking back at that, makes my heart warm. He may know me better than I know myself sometimes.
Along the drive, we carry on in more girl talk, and as we drive, I look out of the window, so happy that this girl beside me came into our lives when she did. She very well is on her way to being the sister I never had.
After we got the horses settled, we all went to the motel and got changed to go to dinner.
We also made sure Love was settled in the motel before we headed out for dinner.
We stopped that morning to buy her a kennel.
Although super smart, she is still a puppy who likes to chew on just about anything.
Tyler insisted we go to a line-dancing-type bar like we did the first night we all met because she said Verge and I needed a do-over since I had, and I quote, a stick up my ass that night.
We are now headed to a dance hall/restaurant called Whiskey River. Once we get in, we all sit together, talking in light conversation. I see Tyler stiffen as she looks out to the dance floor to see Pierce.
“Fuck,” she says.
Cross puts his arm around her, and his eyes darken when he sees him. Verge then follows their line of sight, then looks back to me and asks, “Something I should know?”
I look at Tyler, wondering if I’m to divulge the information she shared with me in the truck.
“Look, I don’t mean to cause you all any more trouble, but he’s my ex-husband, and even though our divorce is final, he’s still very possessive and has been harassing me for days,” she says, looking defeated.
Cross pulls her eyes to his and kisses her before he says, “No one is blaming you or upset with you about this, we all got your back, baby.”
Cash looks out to the dance floor with his jaw ticking, and it surprises me; not much pisses Cash off.
I do know that Cash hates Pierce as much as we all do, though, so I guess I’m not too shocked.
Well, couple that with the fact that he almost hit me and had me trampled, so I take it back. I suppose I’m not too shocked.
“Wanna dance, baby? We can really piss him off,” Cross asks, swinging his arm around Tyler.
She twists her fingers around, looking nervous, but reluctantly says, “Okay.”
The look in her eyes has me uneasy, though. I know Pierce has always been a prick, but I’ve never really been scared of him until the night he tried to pin me up against her trailer and hit me.
Verge looks at me, holding out his hand, and asks, “Let’s go with them.”
I smile, taking his hand. As we stand, I look back to Cash. “You know there are plenty of pretty girls out here. Go ask someone to dance,” I smile, hoping like hell he will actually do it.
“I’m good, sis, you all go ahead.” He smiles, but per usual, it doesn’t meet his eyes, and my heart bleeds for him.
“I think I’m gonna go try my luck at that blonde over there and see if she wants to dance,” Beau smiles, clapping Cash on the shoulder before he says, “Looks like she has a friend. You sure, man?”
“I’m good, I'll watch the table for us,” Cash replies, tilting his beer back, looking around the bar, and his eyes lock on mine one last time before he nods, and I decide to quit beating a dead horse.
Much like mom, I am starting to get the feeling Stella was it for Cash, and it breaks my fucking heart because he is so worthy of love.
Both him and mom. But the difference between him and mom is Cash doesn’t have a family of his own yet.
He was so young when Stella passed away, and it seems as if he hasn’t been living but just going through the motions to get by day by day.
It’s too soon for him to hang things up, and I so wish he would get back out there.
They say time heals all wounds, but that’s far from the truth.
It’s been six years, and he hasn’t so much as asked another girl to dance.
Verge leads me out to the dance floor where the song “Ride,” in the style of Chase Rice, plays. He spins me around, pulling me close, his eyes searching the dance floor as his hand lands on the small of my back.
“Don’t fucking leave my sight this weekend, Shi,” he mutters as his eyes still look anywhere but me.
“Verge, he’s not going to hurt me, it’s Tyler I’m worried about,” I tell him.
“You let Cross worry about Tyler and me worry about you,” he says as we spin around the dance floor.
“Verge.” I go to protest, and he brings his eyes back to mine.