Page 56 of Come Back to Me

“Someone has to watch out for you.”

“Someone? Been looking out for me and Zee since we left home, bud,” I rasp, though I’m not offended.

I mean, I’d be crazy to be.

Sure, I’m a modern woman and all that jazz, but having a dude like this one watch out for me could come in handy if I get a stalker.

Or if I need help bringing in shopping.

Or if I need to change a tire. Not that I have a car, but it’s good for a woman to plan ahead.

A soft hum escapes me. It drifts into a longer note then cuts off when I realize what I did.

The prospect of Cody with a hydraulic jack and a lug wrench has another couple notes falling free.

“That’s pretty.”

I blink at him. “Huh?”

“That... song? Chord? Is it going on Colt’s album?”

My throat bobs. “No.”

It’s going on his.

Not that he knows he’s getting one.

Embarrassed, I hunch my shoulders. (I’m so freakin’ weird sometimes.) “Sorry, my mind drifted away from me.”

He shrugs. “I liked it.”

When my cheeks blossom with heat, I know I’m going to croak.

(But what a way to go!!!)

Deciding a graceful retreat would be for the best, I mutter, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. You will.”

Scuttling away, I don’t look back.

If I did, I’d see him rubbing his chin, his gaze locked on me.

And if I’d seen that, I’d probably be questioning how right it is to leave for one date when all I’m thinking about is what musical arrangement he’d inspire if he kissed me…

Cody

“Everything’ll be okay. You know that, right?”

Her gaze doesn’t drift away from the window.

I’ve never had a sister-in-law before, so the last thing I want is to fuck this up, but?—

“You can’t promise that.”

My cheeks gust at the soft words. When I take her family history into consideration—both parents dead before she was legally an adult—I can see where she’s coming from.

And that isn’t takingmyfamily history into consideration either.

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