Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(82)

“There’s no reason not to believe it,” he offered. And with everything he had, he hoped it was true.

She nodded. “Are you really okay?”

He considered telling her about his newly found family member, but she had enough to worry about.

“I feel better just seeing you.” He smiled.

He moved in another few inches. When she didn’t back up he brushed her reddish-blond hair off her shoulder and let his hand linger against the

soft curve of her neck “Are you okay? Between your sister and the tattoo stuff, it can’t be easy on you.”

“It’s not,” she said. “But I’m not cratering. As a matter of fact, I’ve talked Della and Kylie into teaching me to fight.”

“Fight, fight?” he asked.

“Yeah, and don’t look as if you don’t think I can do it.”

“No, it’s not … You just never seemed interested in that kind of stuff.”

“Well, I’m interested now. I think it might be hard to kill someone, but at least I’ll be able to protect myself.”

He grinned. “With your tattoos, you’ll really look like a badass.”

His phone chirped with a text. “I’m sure that’s Burnett. I should go.” He inched back to the door.

She came a little closer. “Are you coming back with Burnett?”

“It depends on what happens.”

She glanced up. He glanced down. Her lips looked so fresh, so sweet. “I really wish you’d just come back with him.”

Her request brought part pleasure, part pain. “I really like that you want me to. But I can’t come home until this is finished. I need you to

understand that.”

She nipped at her lip. Holy hell, he wanted to kiss her. He dipped his head.

She did one slight shuffle back.

Damn that hurt. “Are we … still good?”

The second it took for her to answer felt long, empty, and it left a hole in life’s plans.

She finally nodded. “Yeah.”

“Can I kiss you?” He didn’t like the insecurity in his voice, but that slight shuffle away had seemed intentional.

“A hug,” she said. “Before we … I need to … I … soon.”

She hadn’t made a lick of sense, but “soon” sounded promising.

“I’ll take a hug.” He moved closer, didn’t stop until his tennis shoe bumped the toe of her pink flip-flop. He folded her into his arms.

She melted against him.

Soft where he felt hard.

Warm where he felt cold.

Whole where he felt incomplete.

Perfect where he felt broken.

He buried his face into her hair and inhaled. She smelled like flowers, vanilla, and berries rolled into one. She’d smelled like that the

first summer camp when he’d met her. He was pretty certain he’d been in love with her since then.

She stirred slightly in his arms.

He didn’t want to let her go. Ever.

Yet before he played the forever card, he had to fix what felt broken inside him. Only then could he truly be someone she deserved.

*

Alone, Miranda had studied longer than her agreement required. She’d even made up a jingle about algebra to help her remember. Crazy as it

was, singing helped. Della was going to love hearing that.

Then she walked around the cabin checking under beds and behind furniture, calling, “Here armadillo, armadillo, armadillo.” Chester and Socks

kept circling her, probably confused by her come-here-kitty voice.

Not that the voice helped. She never found the armadillo. Unfortunately, she did find a few mummified hairballs.

Kylie had texted to say she and Della had gone with Burnett and wouldn’t be home until real late. This was why Miranda wanted to learn to

fight. She wanted to help, too.

Then she remembered … She texted Kylie back asking if Shawn was with them.

He hadn’t been. Which meant Miranda had a job to do. A job that was … even less desirable than removing crusty hairballs.

Miranda had only done the breaking up thing with one guy in her entire life. Herold Hanker. He’d been devastated, which made her devastated.

How could she not be when he’d gone on a hunger strike, claiming he’d die of starvation if she didn’t take him back? And yes, he’d skipped

lunch but then their kindergarten teacher had passed out Girl Scout cookies. Obviously, Herold loved Thin Mints more than he did her.

Still, she hated the thought of making someone feel as if they weren’t good enough. It hurt. She knew. She’d lived with that feeling for as

long as she could remember.

Knowing Shawn was hot on the chase of another girl should have eased her guilt. It didn’t.

His interest in another girl made her mad.

The thought of breaking up with him made her feel bad.

One sentiment didn’t nullify or lessen the other. Guilt and anger didn’t play well together.

What was she going to say? I’m so sorry I don’t want you in my life, but how dare you want someone else in your life before I walked out of

yours.

Well, that wouldn’t work.

Postponing it wouldn’t make it any easier, so she wrote him a text. Then deleted it. Deleted the next three. She’d even written one just