Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
“ S hiloh…”
Shiloh stretched, snuggling back into something very comfortable. She was so tired.
“Shiloh. Sweetheart, wake up. We’re here.”
Why was someone trying to get her out of bed? She didn’t have a roommate. Serenity was gone.
“Shiloh, honey?”
Honey! Shiloh’s eyes flew open, and she jerked against a seatbelt, immediately remembering where she was. “Oh my gosh. I totally fell asleep. I’m so sorry.” Her jaw cracked on a yawn before she could hold it back.
Granger chuckled. “Sorry to wake you, but I gotta move your seat to get Zane into his.”
Shiloh waved him off, yawning again. “I’m so sorry. I don’t usually sleep in cars.” She fumbled with her seatbelt, and Granger leaned in, doing it for her.
The smell of grass and the outdoors swept over Shiloh, and she fought her instincts that said to push his help away. With his head so close to hers and his gentle working of her seatbelt, Shiloh realized that maybe it wasn’t so bad to let someone do things for her once in a while.
“Watch your step,” Granger said, leaning back and holding out his hand.
Shiloh took the offering, but didn’t get out right away. “I can do it myself, you know,” she said softly.
Granger’s boyish grin was delectable. “I know.” He closed his hand around her fingers and leaned in. “But I like helping, anyway.”
“As long as you know.” Shiloh held onto him as she climbed down from the massive truck, which was absolutely not built for women with shorter legs.
Hmph.
“Dad!” Zane came bursting out of the front door and nearly splatted at the bottom of the steps.
“Whoa.” Granger held out his arms and snatched his son up as soon as Zane got close. “Dude…you’re gonna break the other arm if you’re not careful.”
Zane didn’t seem to hear his father, instead wrapping his arms tighter around Granger’s neck. So tightly, in fact, that Shiloh began to wonder if Granger could breathe.
Granger held onto his son with one arm and rubbed Zane’s back with the other. “Did you have a good afternoon?” he asked.
Zane didn’t answer right away, and Shiloh could have sworn she heard the little boy sniffle.
“Zane?”
Finally, Zane brought his head up and wiped his nose on his sleeve. “I like Serenity. She’s nice.”
“Yes, she is,” Shiloh agreed.
Zane’s head whipped her direction. “Shiloh! You’re okay!” Kicking his legs, Zane scrambled down and lunged over to wrap his arms around Shiloh’s middle.
Shiloh had no problem hugging the boy back. She bent over a little and tucked him in tight. Was there anything better than a child’s unreserved hug of affection?
When Granger stepped in and put a hand on her lower back, Shiloh realized there was something better. For just a moment, she felt as if all was right with the world. That she was with the very people she was meant to be with.
The strength of the emotion startled her and she almost pulled back from all the stimulation, but it didn’t take long for her to shake off the shock.
This wasn’t something to run away from…it was something to run to.
“How did it go?”
Shiloh looked up, giving her friend a weary smile. “Hey, Ser. Thanks for watching Zane.”
Serenity’s smile grew a little more genuine as she nodded. “He’s a doll. And his ability to count my inventory is legendary.” She winked at Zane who had finally let go of Shiloh. “He’s welcome to come help anytime.”
“Got a head for numbers?” Granger teased, and Zane shrugged. Granger looked up at Serenity. “Thanks again. Sorry it took so long.”
“I’m happy to help anytime,” Serenity assured them. Her red eyebrows were pulled together, and her lips pinched, letting Shiloh know that Serenity had a lot of questions and was frustrated she wasn’t getting answers.
Shiloh carefully raised a hand and pointed to Zane’s head, indicating that they couldn’t talk until Zane wasn’t around. No way was Shiloh spilling the story about Arthur with little ears listening.
Serenity nodded, but her furrowed brow didn’t change.
“We’re gonna go make dinner,” Shiloh announced. “I’ll call you later.”
Serenity relaxed just a little. “Okay. As long as you’re okay?”
Shiloh smiled and nodded. “Just peachy.”
“Dad, I’m hungry.”
“Me too,” Granger agreed. “Let’s get in your seat, huh? After you tell Serenity thank you.”
“Thanks, Serenity!” Zane called, then climbed up into the truck much faster than Shiloh had managed to climb down.
She wasn’t jealous of a six-year-old. Not a bit.
“Shiloh?”
She shook herself from her grumbling and worked her way back up into the seat she’d vacated just a few moments before.
Grinning, Granger leaned over and buckled her in again, then glanced at the back seat before stealing another peck on his way leaning out the door.
“Thief,” Shiloh teased quietly.
“I’ll add it to my resume,” Granger said with a smirk, then closed her door.
It only took seconds for Granger to be buckling into his own seat and getting the truck back on the road.
“Is Shiloh eating dinner with us?” Zane asked from the backseat.
“Actually—”
“Yeah…I thought we could make some tacos. Whattya think?”
“I love tacos!” Zane shouted, kicking his legs and hitting the back of Shiloh’s seat.
Shiloh gave Granger a little glare. “Since when was I coming for dinner? I thought we were getting my car.”
“We are getting your car,” Granger explained. He smiled innocently at her…a little too innocently. “And then your car is coming to my house for dinner.”
“Do cars eat tacos?” Shiloh asked back with a smile to match his.
“They eat gas,” Zane supplied seriously. “Or diesel.”
Shiloh shook her head when Granger laughed. “Glad to see his education isn’t lacking.”
“You heard Serenity,” Granger replied. “The kid’s got a head for math. Our public school system is doing well, apparently.” He leaned a little toward Shiloh. “And he also knows how to show a lady a good time, so give the kid a chance, huh?”
Shiloh huffed. “Do I have a choice?”
Granger’s smile dropped. “You always have a choice.” He glanced in the rearview mirror. “We’re just hoping you’ll choose us.”
Granger hadn’t meant for that to sound quite so permanent, but now that the words were out, he didn’t exactly regret them, which was actually a problem.
It was too soon to be talking about anything other than possibly eating dinner together and trying to keep Arthur away.
Even the kiss at the office was too early. Granger needed to slow things down, or they’d end up regretting this whole thing. He needed to think of Zane and spend time getting to know Shiloh on a deeper level than her gorgeous face and figure.
“Please, Shiloh?” Zane begged from the backseat. “My dad makes the best tacos.”
“The best?” Shiloh asked, her eyes fixed on Granger.
Her gaze bore into his head, but he kept quiet, letting Zane do the convincing. He’d be better at it, anyway.
“The best,” Zane reiterated. “He puts taco meat and cheese on the tortilla. It gets all melty.”
“Melty. Hmmm…I do like cheese,” Shiloh teased.
“Dad! She’s coming!” Zane shouted.
“Okay, buddy,” Granger said with a chuckle. “Good job convincing her.”
“It was the cheese.”
Shiloh’s laughter joined Granger’s. “He’s right. It was the cheese.”
Leaving one hand on the steering wheel, Granger reached over with the other and intertwined their fingers. “I’ll keep my fridge stocked.”
Shiloh’s laughter grew for a moment before the cab grew quiet once more. It only took another five minutes to get to the office, and Granger pulled over so he could walk Shiloh to her car. “Hang tight,” he told Zane, climbing out of the driver’s side door.
“I’ll just follow you,” Shiloh announced, grabbing her keys from her purse.
“Actually, I’d like it to be the other way around.”
Shiloh frowned and looked up at him. “I don’t know where you live.”
“Corner of 9th and Corbett. Do you know where that is?” Granger glanced around the small parking lot.
“Yeah,” Shiloh said carefully. “But why does it matter?”
Granger ran his fingers up and down her upper arm. He couldn’t seem to stop wanting to have a connection with her. He’d been fighting this for so long, now that the fight was over, it felt good to be making up for lost time. “I’d like to just say humor me, but I’m aware that’s not enough of an argument.”
“Glad you’re learning,” Shiloh shot back.
“Point blank…I have more control from the back. If Arthur tried anything and you were behind me, I’m not sure how long it would take to notice or how long it would take to turn around and handle it.”
Shiloh’s shoulders fell. “You don’t even know him,” she said softly. “One perverted note doesn’t mean he’ll do something drastic.”
“It doesn’t mean he won’t either,” Granger argued. “A guy willing to cross that last line is obsessed.” He stopped rubbing and lingered over the spots he knew the bruises were. “A guy willing to harm a woman is a guy without morals, Shiloh. I don’t trust people like that.”
She huffed. “Fine. But it might take us longer to get there if I’m leading the way.”
“That’s fine.” He grinned. “Just don’t fall asleep, okay?”
She smacked his hand away from her arm. “One time. One little nap, and I’m never going to hear the end of it, am I?”
“I certainly hope not.” Granger rocked on his heels until she was settled safely in her car, then he jogged to the truck and got back inside. “Let’s go eat,” he told Zane.
The drive home was short and easy, and Granger was feeling much better by the time they got there. Shiloh was right. He didn’t know Arthur, so Granger wasn’t exactly sure what to expect.
Which meant he was expecting anything and everything.
“Tacos!” Zane shouted, barreling into the house.
Granger came out to the front of the garage to wait for Shiloh, who had parked to the side of the driveway.
“How can I help?” Shiloh immediately asked as she walked up.
“If I told you to sit and look pretty, what would you say?” Granger took her hand and led her through the garage and into the house.
“That you’re out of your ever-lovin’ mind.”
He grinned. Shiloh wasn’t going to make this easy. “Then you can chop lettuce.”
“But first!” Shiloh announced, getting Zane’s attention and letting go of Granger to put her hands in the air. “We wash up.”
Zane frowned. “Why?”
“Because there are germs everywhere,” Shiloh said, not the least bit perturbed by the whiny boy. Putting her hands on his shoulders, she turned him around and began gently pushing him farther into the house. “Now…lead me to the bathroom, Big Z. We can wash up together.”
As soon as Shiloh was out of sight, Granger dove through the main areas of the home, grabbing shoes and shirts that had been left on chairs, not to mention Zane’s toys and books.
Glancing toward the bathroom, Granger quickly shoved all the stuff in a side closet, praying he could close it.
Nothing let a man know how messy he was until he had a female in his home.
Their voices came just as he lunged for the kitchen. Geez. Did they ever do dishes around here? It felt like he did, but he certainly hadn’t that morning.
Yanking the dishwasher open, Granger groaned that it wasn’t unloaded. Now what?
“Oh. Want me to put those away?” Shiloh asked.
“You don’t know where they go,” Zane pointed out.
She put her hands on her hips and turned to the little boy. “Right. Tell you what. You can tell me where they go, and instead of chopping lettuce, we can help by doing a load of dishes. That way your dad is free to make his famous tacos.”
Granger felt heat climbing his neck, and he rubbed at it. He made a mental checklist of all the things he was going to have to make sure he kept clean if Shiloh kept coming over.
Like the bathroom she’d just come out of. He didn’t even want to contemplate how many pairs of Zane’s underwear were on the floor in there. Nor was Granger sure when he’d last cleaned the toilet, which never stayed clean for long with a little boy in the house.
Shiloh patted Granger’s chest and gave him a wink as she and Zane began to tackle the dishwasher with Zane giving instructions.
Sighing and knowing there was nothing to be done to save face now, Granger headed to the freezer to grab some hamburger.
Maybe he could wow her with dinner and it would make up for everything she’d seen since entering the house…maybe. Granger could always hope. Or he could simply wait until after Zane went to bed and kiss Shiloh until she couldn’t remember her own name, let alone anything else she’d managed to see.
He grinned with his back to Shiloh and Zane. That idea sounded good. He made a mental note to give it a good try as soon as the opportunity arrived.