Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
“ P leeeeease,” Zane begged, clasping his hands at his chin and batting his lashes at Shiloh.
She closed her eyes and hung her head, trying not to laugh. Good parents didn’t laugh when they’re kids were being stinkers, right? Refusing to go to bed was a total stinker move, but dang, the little guy was just so cute! How was she supposed to be serious at a time like this?
“Bud, come on,” Granger said a little more sternly than before. “Stop whining. It’s time to go to bed.”
“It’s just five minutes,” Zane demanded.
“Hey, look.” Shiloh put a hand on Zane’s shoulder and bent over so they were eye to eye. “You gotta listen to your dad, Zane. He’s a good guy, and he’s doing things to help keep you healthy.”
“I always miss everything,” Zane pouted.
She squeezed his shoulder. “No, you don’t. You’re giving your body a chance to grow. It needs lots of sleep, and right now it needs time to put those four tacos you ate to good use. I’ll bet by morning you’re going to be like five inches taller than tonight.”
Zane rolled his eyes. “That’s not how it works.”
“But sleeping is.” She gave him one last hug. “Night, Big Z. I’ll see you soon.”
Zane huffed but finally obeyed and went down the hall.
“Be back in a minute?” Granger said, his voice tilting up at the end as if asking a question.
Shiloh smiled, feeling a little fluttery sensation in her stomach. “I’ll be here.” She was still tired. Exhausted was a better word. But the idea of just a little bit of alone time with Granger was too good to pass up.
He’d finally crossed that line, turning their less-than-a-week fake relationship into something real, and Shiloh, like any normal woman, wanted to give it a shot.
She also didn’t really want to be home alone…but she wasn’t going to admit that to Granger. He was already being uber-protective with her.
Sitting on the couch, Shiloh sighed and let herself relax, leaning her head back against the cushions. Granger had a nice couch. Soft, worn just enough to be comfortable…Shiloh opened her eyes and looked around for a pillow.
“Men,” she grumbled. “Never a decoration around when you need it.”
“Decoration?”
Shiloh almost bounced right off the couch. “Geez, Granger.” She put a hand on her chest, her heart racing against her palm. “Wear a cowbell or something.”
He stood in front of her, giving her a frown-smile combination. “Cowbell? Really?”
Shiloh swallowed and nodded jerkily. How did the man look so good this late in the evening? His hair was wind tossed, he’d changed his shirt, which had been covered in grass, and Shiloh caught a hint of fresh laundry and just a touch of facial hair was visible from his five-o’clock shadow.
No man was supposed to be that good looking.
“Mind if I join you?” Granger asked, his voice quieter and lower than a moment before.
Shiloh forced a tight smile and leaned back again, trying to pretend her stomach wasn’t quivering, and patted the seat beside her. “It’s your couch.”
Granger’s hazel eyes never left hers as he sat down, leaving only a couple inches between them.
“Did Zane put up a fuss?” she whispered.
Granger turned toward her, putting an arm on the back of the couch. “Not much. He was pretty worn out, but he doesn’t like to admit it.” Granger’s head tilted and he slowly reached out with his free hand to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. “Kind of like someone else I know.”
Shiloh laughed softly. “I’m an adult. I’m not supposed to take naps.”
Granger dropped his hand and shrugged. “I think the older I get, the more I want them.”
“Speaking of age…” Shiloh raised an eyebrow. “If we’re going to get to know each other, do you mind if I ask your age?”
“Going straight for the big questions?” He dropped his arm from the back of the couch and folded both of them over his chest. “I’m thirty-one.”
“Wow…you had Zane pretty young then.”
Granger nodded. “I married Ella right after our freshman year of college.”
Shiloh nodded, her mind whirring with other questions, but unsure how appropriate they were.
“Go ahead,” Granger urged.
Shiloh looked his way.
“Ask,” Granger encouraged. “It’s not like we don’t both know I was married before.”
Shiloh took a deep breath, clasping her hands in her lap. “I don’t want to overstep my boundaries.”
One side of Granger’s mouth curled up. “I’m kind of hoping to keep less boundaries between us, if you hadn’t already guessed that.”
“Okay.” Shiloh shook her hair back. “Where is Ella now? Is she involved in Zane’s life?”
Granger shook his head and turned away, staring at the wall. “No. She left several years ago, declaring that we got married too young and it held her back. She wanted to be footloose and fancy free before she was too old to enjoy it, so she signed away her rights and left me with a toddler who doesn’t remember his mother.”
Shiloh’s heart physically ached at Granger’s description. Who in the world could leave behind wide-eyed Zane? Or Granger, for that matter? Even though they might’ve had a rough start as a couple, Shiloh had known from the beginning he was a good guy. Everything he did for Zane screamed it to the world.
“Where is she now?” Shiloh asked thickly.
“Last I knew, she was somewhere in the Caribbean, enjoying life on a cheap beach.” Granger glanced at Shiloh, then stiffened “Shiloh…” He reached out and cupped her cheek, wiping at tears Shiloh didn’t realize she was crying.
She wasn’t a crier.
“I’m sorry,” Shiloh hurried to say, wiping at her face, but Granger stopped her hands. “I don’t normally get emotional like this.”
Granger gently set her hands in her lap, then used both of his to cup her face. “It’s been a tough day,” he said, as if to explain her behavior. “But even so…thank you.” He gave her a weary smile. “I don’t think I’ve had too many people cry over me in my life.”
“No family?” Shiloh asked.
“Mom is gone, and Dad mostly keeps to himself,” Granger explained. “He’s a good guy, but he’s living several hours away. We don’t see him very often.”
“Oh my word,” Shiloh said. “That’s so sad.”
“No more tears,” Granger said in a grumpy tone. “Not for me at least. It’s not like you had an ideal childhood. You mentioned a bit of it this afternoon, and I’m in awe of all you’ve made of yourself.”
Shiloh shook her head. “But to have family and not be close is harder than having no family at all.”
Granger dropped his hands and leaned back against the cushions. “We make do. Besides…having Jett, Tate and Luca as uncles are enough family for just about anyone.”
Shiloh laughed thickly and wiped at her face. “True enough.” She sighed. “I better get home. It’s clear I’m a mess and need to pull myself together before I do something I’ll regret.”
“Like?” Granger teased.
Shiloh gave him an arch look. “Like start kissing you because it would appear my self control is gone, so if I started, I’m not sure how well I’d be able to stop.”
Granger swallowed hard. Seriously, this woman was going to kill him before he made it twenty-four hours dating her.
Shiloh laughed softly. “You look like you’ve got something on your mind, Granger.”
Clearing his throat, he stood up and offered her a hand. “Don’t ask, and I won’t tell.”
“What if I want to ask?” She took his hand and slowly stood up, stopping much too close to Granger for his comfort.
“Then I might have to plead the fifth.”
Shiloh put her hands on his chest, and Granger was sure she’d be able to feel his heart pounding against her palm. “That’s a wimpy answer.”
Granger leaned down. “My brain isn’t always up for a discussion.”
Shiloh bounced a little, stealing a quick peck, then grinned as she stepped to the door. “Walk me to my car, thinker man. I’ve got to get my beauty sleep.”
Rubbing the back of his hot neck, Granger hurried over and opened the front door for her. “I don’t like you going home by yourself.”
“Well, you’re not coming with me,” Shiloh said with a laugh. “I’m afraid I’m a bit of an old-fashioned girl, Granger. Take it or leave it.”
He stopped her departure and gently wrapped his hands around her waist. “I’ll take it,” he said, his voice involuntarily going husky. Geez, she felt good.
How long had it been since he’d held a woman in his arms? Since he’d felt the curve of a small waist or run his fingers through long hair?
Part of him wanted to say it had been too long, but Granger wasn’t sure that was true. He hadn’t been ready. Pieces of him were still unsure if he was ready.
Ella had carved a chunk out of Granger’s soul and burned it to ash and it had taken all these years for him to be willing to try again. He wasn’t sure how much was him being ready and how much was simply Shiloh being who she was.
Shiloh tilted her chin up, her golden brown eyes bright in the moonlight. “You sure about that? I’m a lot. Everyone says so.”
Granger gave into his desire to touch her hair again. It was so thick and so soft. It didn’t make any sense that the two of those adjectives were describing the same object, but he liked it. A lot.
Shiloh closed her eyes and sighed as he ran his fingers along her scalp.
“I think I’m ready to really give this a try,” he whispered. “Like I mentioned earlier.”
Shiloh’s eyes popped open. “Maybe, but what you said earlier was also under duress. We need to agree when we’re in a rational state of mind, not when we’re afraid someone is hurt.”
He shifted his fingers into her hair again, sliding in and stopping when he cupped the back of her head. “I’m not under duress now.”
“True,” Shiloh agreed.
“And I’ve already offered my thoughts.” Granger felt a sudden trickle of panic. “You, on the other hand, keep changing the subject.”
Giving him a look, Shiloh slid her hands up his arms and wrapped them around his neck. “You should know by now, that if I don’t want to do something, I don’t do it.”
“I’d still prefer to have the agreement in words,” Granger said, pulling her in flush.
Shiloh grinned. “Granger Lowery, landscape architect, father and most importantly, my employee…”
He snorted.
Shiloh’s smile was completely unrepentant. “I’d like it very much if you also became my boyfriend.”
“I can be a lot,” Granger said, quoting her earlier warning. “Everyone says so.”
She gave him an amused look. “I’ve seen you through the house windows,” she said. “Anyone willing to play shoot-out with a little kid while he’s weeding an urban jungle is far from ‘a lot.’” She tapped her nails on the back of his neck. “Stick with me, kid…I’ll teach you what that phrase really means.”
“Okay, how about this?” Granger took a deep breath. “I’m a package deal, Shiloh. I haven’t dated anyone since my ex left me, and I’m not about to leave my son behind. If you’re willing to give this a try, you have to take both of us.” Granger had no idea if this was how other single parents entered the dating scene, but he knew he needed to lay some ground rules.
Not that he was afraid Shiloh would turn up her nose at Zane, she’d already proven herself in that area, but so she knew that this was a full-time gig.
“There isn’t someone else to take him. He’s with me every day, every weekend, every morning, and every afternoon,” Granger continued, his throat growing tight. “He’s got to be my first priority at all times…” He cleared his throat. “And that includes when I’m dating someone.”
Shiloh, to her credit, never faltered in her smile. She rose a little higher on her toes and dropped her voice. “And that’s why you’re an amazing father, Granger. Zane knows he’s loved, and he knows he’s safe.” She dropped back down, her smile starting to tremble. “I know how the opposite feels, and I would never ask you to set him aside. Truth be told…” She grinned. “I liked him before I liked you.”
Granger let his head fall back, partly so he had a minute to let relief wash over him and partly to give Shiloh the reaction she was looking for. “We definitely can’t tell Tate that I lost to my first grader.”
“I don’t know…” Shiloh mused. “I think his reaction would be pretty?—”
Granger cut her off the best way he knew how. He might be a little behind in this kissing gig, but then Shiloh melted against him. Maybe he wasn’t doing quite so bad.
“Are you going to make a habit of interrupting me?” she whispered when they finally separated.
“Only when necessary,” Granger said, his voice just as low as hers.
Shiloh turned her head sideways and laid it against his chest. Granger took the invitation and rested his chin on her head. They stood together, breathing and soaking in the silence.
Granger lost track of how long they stood there, but when she sighed and straightened, Granger still wasn’t ready to let her go.
“I’ll be by the house around lunch tomorrow,” she said, stepping back and breaking their hold completely. “Will I see you there?”
Granger nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets so that he didn’t reach for her again. “I always check on my other projects first thing in the morning, then Zane and I will be there weeding.”
Shiloh smiled. “I’m starting to think the weeds will never end.”
“They will,” Granger assured her, hoping she caught his deeper meaning. “All the nasty things will be rooted out eventually. Then we plant the flowers.”
Shiloh was almost to her car. “I like flowers,” she said. “I’ll look forward to that day then.”
“Will you text me when you get home?” Granger was a little afraid to ask, hoping she didn’t think he was pushing too hard. But sending her home to an empty house had his stomach on edge.
Shiloh smiled softly, her hand on her car door. “Alright. But just this once.”
Granger nodded, and she drove away. He hadn’t known Shiloh very long, but he was already in deep. It felt, very distinctly, like the car took a piece of his heart when it drove away. If things went sour in the relationship, he was in serious, serious trouble.