Page 55 of Everlasting Love

I quickly follow her and gently trap her between the door and my body before she has a chance to open it. I drop my head close to her ear and whisper, “Are you okay?”

She keeps her head forward and I hate that I can’t see the emotion in her eyes. She’s always been so easy to read when I can see the cobalt of her irises. “Yeah. I just need to get moving or I won’t make it to the park and back in time.”

“You sure that’s the only reason you’re running?” Her body stiffens, and I draw in a breath of her wildflower scent.

“I’m not running.”

“If you say so.” I step away from her body and grip the doorknob. She stands straight, stepping away from the door so I can open it. “You go take your photos.”Before I stop being a gentleman.

“If you change your mind, just shoot me a text. Jas and I can come back after school and help you pack,” she says, still not making eye contact, as she heads out the door.

“I’ll be fine. Thanks for the boxes, and I’ll see you over the weekend.”

Toby liftsone end of the couch while I grab the other. “You know I could have hired movers for you, and we could be down at the pub grabbing a beer instead.”

I chuckle. “Yeah, I know, but this way I get to make you sweat.”

“I sweat plenty when I’m doingthingswith Cass,” he answers without missing a beat and my eyebrows shoot up in surprise. He doesn’t normally share any private information about himself and Cass.

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, well we can’t all work up a sweat that way.”

“You could, bro, if you pulled your head out of your ass.” I take the stairs backward, making sure I take each step carefully—I don’t need to break my damn neck—and keep my lips sealed. “This is the perfect opportunity for you to get up close and personal with my sister-in-law.” He wriggles his eyebrows up and down like a comedian.

If he knew I’ve already been up close and personal with his sister-in-law, he wouldn’t be on my case right now but I don’t kiss and tell. She doesn’t deserve to be gossiped about behind her back—even if Toby is my best friend. “Shouldn’t you want the best guy possible for your sister-in-law instead of encouraging me to go after her?”

I honestly don’t know how I’m going to keep the lines drawn between Vi and me while I’m living with her. I’ll have to stay out of the way as much as possible. I can see a lot of hours spent atThe Bunkerin my future. Toby’s in between tours at the moment, so he doesn’t even need me because he dedicates his time to his family by being a stay-at-home dad for Daisy and Poppy while Cass runs her florist shop. Maybe Nix has some work to keep me busy.

He stops suddenly and I almost drop my end of the couch. “Are you fucking serious right now?” he snaps, pulling me from my thoughts. “Youarethe best possible guy for Violet and Jasmine.”

“Yeah, I’m fucking serious right now. Areyoufor real?” I snap back.

“Of course I am. Look, I know your dad wasn’t great and things at home weren’t what they should have been when you were growing up and even now. I alsodon’tknow everything that happened while you were away and I can only imagine the shit you saw and the horrible things you had to do. Iknowyour timeaway changed you. I’d have to be fucking blind not to notice and even then the changes in you would be impossible to miss.” Hurt and disappointment flash across his face and guilt swirls in my gut that I still haven’t fully opened up to my best friend about my time overseas. I’m not ready to tell him everything. “But Shane, and hear this my friend, you are the best man I know. Violet and Jasmine would be lucky to have you in their lives, and you deserve to have them in yours. I mean it.”

My stomach drops, and my heart thuds in response as I swallow around the lump that’s taken up residence in my throat. All I can do is nod and begin moving again. What can I say? I don’t deserve his belief in me after what happened to Cass.

We load the couch onto the back of the truck and Toby rubs his hands on his jeans. “Well, that’s the last of it. Do you need to do anything else here?”

“I’ll quickly do a last check to make sure I have everything and lock up. I’ll meet you at Rose’s.” Where the girls are spending time together. Rose insisted that I store my belongings in the garage to save money rather than pay for a storage unit. Like opening her home to me wasn’t generous enough. She’s even refusing to take any rent money but I figure I can do chores and maintenance around the house and buy the groceries to help out.

Toby heads toward his car and I call out to him, “Thanks, man.” He nods at me. “For everything.”

He pauses at the door of his black Impala. “Promise me you’ll think about what I said.”

I draw in a deep breath and blow it out. “I’ll think about it.” Considering that’s all I’ve done since I met Violet and Jasmine, it’s not a lie.

I pullthe rental truck up in front of the Phillips’ house and climb out. Poppy and Jasmine race down the front steps wearing enormous smiles, and toward me like they haven’t seen me for months. “Shane!” Jas calls out as she runs. These girls certainly know how to make a man feel special and welcome. I chuckle as they throw themselves at me in greeting and pick each of them up to carry back inside.

Rose is waiting inside the front door wearing a smile and holding a beer. “Welcome home, Shane. Come in and take a break, then we’ll all help unload the truck.” My heart skips a beat. She’s always made me feel welcome in her home when she certainly had reason not to. I still can’t believe she never held me responsible for Cassia’s attack.

“Thanks, Mrs. Phillips.”

She frowns at me. “Rose, please.” I nod and place the girls on their feet inside the door, then take the beer from Rose’s outstretched hand. “I made some snacks. Come and eat. You must be hungry.”

I follow her through to the rear of her home where Cass and Vi are laughing about something and Toby’s bouncing Daisy on his knee. The room is noisy and boisterous and while I enjoy my quiet solitude, the light mood of the room pushes the edges of my lips up into a grin.

Vi catches my eye from across the room and winks at me, then follows my path across the room with her eyes. I tip my chin at her and pull up a chair at the opposite end of the table as far away from her as possible. Rose places a cheese ball in the center of the table and Cassia and Violet climb to their feet tohelp her add various plates of cheese, fruit, dips, and crackers to the spread.

“Help yourselves, everyone.” Rose glances around the table, then brings additional drinks for everyone. Once she’s satisfied, she takes a seat at the table. “We’ve cleared out as much as we could from the garage for you. I hope there’s enough space for your things. If not, we can stack some stuff in the corner of Poppy’s room. She won’t mind.” She signs as she speaks so Poppy knows what’s going on.

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