Page 196 of Secret Shifters Next Door

Another woman sat nearby, laughing at the redhead and the little boy. She was equally beautiful. My smile slipped a little. I wanted something like that. Friends. Family. A place to belong. My happy mood started to seep away. I usually didn’t envy people. I had plenty of money, a safe place to live, and a fun job. But right then, I realized exactly how lonely I was.

The redhead straightened and glanced in my direction. She threw up a hand and waved. My eyes widened in confusion. Did I wave back? Was she really waving to me? Did I actually know her from somewhere and had forgotten? No way, not possible.

“Hey, Miles,” the woman called.

As she called out the name, a shadow fell across my right side. I stiffened and slid my eyes to the side where I found Miles. He towered over me as he stared down into my face. The look in his eyes was intense, almost overwhelming. I couldn’t get over how powerful of a force he was.

“Uh,” I grunted.

“Hi.”

“Hu…hi.”

Miles grinned and moved around the bench to sit next to me. The warmth of his body seemed to wash over me. The mental image I’d had back in the restaurant flashed again, and I blushed. If blushing was a sport, I’d have won a gold medal for America a dozen times over.

Prying my eyes away from Miles, I looked back over at the two women and the child. The redhead smirked at Miles and went back to playing. Miles pointed at her. “That’s April, she’s Steff’s wife. The other lady’s name is Harley, she’s married to Tate, and that’s their little boy Tory. Steff and Tate are two of my best friends. I started the security firm with them and our other friend Blayne.”

My melancholy increased. “I guess it’s nice to have close friends like that.”

Miles turned toward me, and I looked at him. The expression on his face was a combination of concern, confusion, and worry. “Don’t…wait, hang on. Don’t you have any friends?”

I shook my head and gave a one-shouldered shrug. “No. I’m weird. People don’t stick around when someone’s weird. It’s the same with dating. Nobody wants to be around someone that odd.”

Miles sighed, and I could have sworn he growled. A deep rumbly sound came from his chest. When I glanced at him, he looked super pissed. Had I said something wrong?

“You aren’t odd, Celina.” He looked me in the eye. “Sure, you’re shy and a little awkward, but that doesn’t make you weird or odd. You’re perfect the way you are, and if people can’t see that, then they don’t deserve to be in your life.”

My breath caught in my throat, and I had to blink rapidly to prevent myself from tearing up. I couldn’t remember anyone in my entire life sticking up for me like he had. He’d said all the things I’d always wanted someone to tell me. It had been so long since anyone had said I was worthy of more than loneliness that it was hard to even understand or accept.

Miles shook his head. “I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with such shitty people. Maybe all you needed was to come to Lilly Valley. This place is kinda like a melting pot of odd. I know you said you were leaving soon, but I think you’d really be happy here.”

All I could do was nod. I had to swallow hard to find my voice. “Thank you,” I whispered.

He nodded toward the women again. “My friends are like my family. Their wives over there? Family. Their kids? Family. I had to leave home when I was younger. For a long time, I was lonely, too, but then I found my friends. They found their families, so by association, their families became mine. We’re one big, odd mixnow.” He pierced me with that intense gaze again. “You could fit in here.”

What did that mean? Before I could ask, Miles stood. “I need to get back to the office. I came out to get lunch when I saw you sitting over here and thought it would be nice to chat. I wanted to apologize for ditching you so abruptly last night. I had something…um…well, something really important I needed to do.” He made a face and grinned awkwardly. “A couple of things, actually. So, to make up for that, would you like to come over to my place for dinner tonight?”

Surprise hit me like a hammer. Dinner? At his place? “I’d love to,” I blurted, then had to fight to keep my hand from covering my mouth.

Miles smiled happily. “Awesome. Have a great rest of your day, Celina.” He turned and waved to the two other women.

I looked over, then realized they’d been watching us the entire time.

They waved at me, and I held my hand up in a timid greeting. Grinning, they started to get ready to leave. I watched Miles walk away for several long seconds before letting my mind slip back to the words he’d said a few moments ago. Could I actually fit in here?

TEN

MILES

Seeing Celina at the park had been the highlight of my day, and I felt a hell of a lot better after apologizing for leaving so abruptly last night. The only problem had been hearing how lonely she was. In the short time I’ve known her, I found her to be cute and charming, funny and beautiful. It hurt my heart to think that someone as great as Celina was ostracized by society for being different. Hopefully, my little pep talk had helped.

My mind drifted to the hunter trouble we’ve been dealing with. Things had been fairly calm for weeks now, but the second I walked into the office, I knew the quiet times were over. The tension in the air was palpable. Tate saw me as soon as I walked in and nodded for me to come into the back. I followed, anxiety building in my stomach and chest. The guys were gathered in my office. Blayne and Steff both looked nervous.

“Okay, what’s happened?” I asked.

“My brother called while you were out,” Steff said. “The attacks have started again.”

“Hunters?”

---