it until it’s over and gone and you have no chance of ever getting it back.”
I almost lost it . But he couldn’t talk about it with his dad. This … thing was too awkward, too strange. He just met his dad’s eyes and nodded. “I’m not going to let it go.”
Chapter Seven
He’d stood here.
Just here, a hundred times.
Maybe even more.
At the foot of his mother’s empty grave, waiting, wondering, hoping for answers that just weren’t going to come.
For the first time, he stood there without feeling the weight of all those questions, all that anger.
“I don’t think you’d want me to keep carrying all that around,” he said, while a breeze kicked up, blowing his hair back from his face.
He sighed and then looked away. “Screw that. You wouldn’t want it. I was wrong. You’d probably kick my ass if you could see how I’ve been acting all this time.”
He couldn’t undo it, though. All he could do was go forward.
“I’m going after Ali.” He paused as the words hung there, tentative and soft. Then he nodded. “Yeah. That is something you would like. I love her.”
Closing his eyes, he let himself smile. “I don’t know how I’m going to handle any of that, but I love her and we’re going to make it work.”
He waited a few more minutes, might have said something else, but a fat, heavy drop of rain came down, fell on his nose. He shot a look up at the leaden sky and blew out a breath. “Good-bye, Mom.”
He turned his back on the grave and strode out of the cemetery, but instead of heading straight to Ali’s, he cut down by the river as the rain started to come down harder.
Miles down the river, far, far outside of sight, something, buried for years, shifted.
The car, pushed out of place after a year of heavy rains, started to drift.
* * *
Tate stood on Ali’s porch. Although he had a key, he didn’t go to the back door. He lifted a fist, knocked.
He had the words he wanted to say, and he was going to get them out. No matter what.
She opened the door, giving him a puzzled smile.
“I thought maybe I could take you out on a date,” he said, while rain dripped down his face.
“Ah … well, the boys are here.” She looked past his shoulder to stare out at the pounding rain. “It’s raining kinda hard.”
“I wanted to take you out. The boys. All of us.” He swiped the rain from his face as Joey and Nolan appeared in the doorway, one on either side of her. They grinned up at him.
“Take us where?”
“On a date.” He reached out, hoping she didn’t see how his hands were shaking, just a little. “What do you think, guys? Can I take your mom out? You two?”
They didn’t even blink. “Yeah! Let’s go!”
They whooped and darted into the house while Ali continued to look at him, bemused. “A date,” she murmured, while he moved up and caught her hips in his hands.
“A date.”
He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth, sighed as her scent, warm and sweet, flooded him. The remnant ache in his heart faded.
“Tate, you’re going to get me all wet again. You know that?”
“Yeah.” He lifted his head and stared down at her. He frowned and stepped back, looked down.
She caught him, looping her fingers in his belt loops. “I don’t care. So … tell me, what are we doing on this date of ours?”
“I have absolutely no idea.”
She laughed and pressed her mouth to his. “That sounds absolutely wonderful.”
Find out what’s next in the Secrets & Shadows series with e-novellas
Break for Me
Long for Me
And the first print novel in the series
Deeper than Need
Coming soon from St. Martin’s Press
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shiloh Walker is an author of romantic suspense and paranormal romance. She has been writing since she was a kid. She fell in love with vampires with the book Bunnicula and has worked her way up to the more … ah … serious vampire stories. She loves reading and writing anything paranormal, anything
I almost lost it . But he couldn’t talk about it with his dad. This … thing was too awkward, too strange. He just met his dad’s eyes and nodded. “I’m not going to let it go.”
Chapter Seven
He’d stood here.
Just here, a hundred times.
Maybe even more.
At the foot of his mother’s empty grave, waiting, wondering, hoping for answers that just weren’t going to come.
For the first time, he stood there without feeling the weight of all those questions, all that anger.
“I don’t think you’d want me to keep carrying all that around,” he said, while a breeze kicked up, blowing his hair back from his face.
He sighed and then looked away. “Screw that. You wouldn’t want it. I was wrong. You’d probably kick my ass if you could see how I’ve been acting all this time.”
He couldn’t undo it, though. All he could do was go forward.
“I’m going after Ali.” He paused as the words hung there, tentative and soft. Then he nodded. “Yeah. That is something you would like. I love her.”
Closing his eyes, he let himself smile. “I don’t know how I’m going to handle any of that, but I love her and we’re going to make it work.”
He waited a few more minutes, might have said something else, but a fat, heavy drop of rain came down, fell on his nose. He shot a look up at the leaden sky and blew out a breath. “Good-bye, Mom.”
He turned his back on the grave and strode out of the cemetery, but instead of heading straight to Ali’s, he cut down by the river as the rain started to come down harder.
Miles down the river, far, far outside of sight, something, buried for years, shifted.
The car, pushed out of place after a year of heavy rains, started to drift.
* * *
Tate stood on Ali’s porch. Although he had a key, he didn’t go to the back door. He lifted a fist, knocked.
He had the words he wanted to say, and he was going to get them out. No matter what.
She opened the door, giving him a puzzled smile.
“I thought maybe I could take you out on a date,” he said, while rain dripped down his face.
“Ah … well, the boys are here.” She looked past his shoulder to stare out at the pounding rain. “It’s raining kinda hard.”
“I wanted to take you out. The boys. All of us.” He swiped the rain from his face as Joey and Nolan appeared in the doorway, one on either side of her. They grinned up at him.
“Take us where?”
“On a date.” He reached out, hoping she didn’t see how his hands were shaking, just a little. “What do you think, guys? Can I take your mom out? You two?”
They didn’t even blink. “Yeah! Let’s go!”
They whooped and darted into the house while Ali continued to look at him, bemused. “A date,” she murmured, while he moved up and caught her hips in his hands.
“A date.”
He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth, sighed as her scent, warm and sweet, flooded him. The remnant ache in his heart faded.
“Tate, you’re going to get me all wet again. You know that?”
“Yeah.” He lifted his head and stared down at her. He frowned and stepped back, looked down.
She caught him, looping her fingers in his belt loops. “I don’t care. So … tell me, what are we doing on this date of ours?”
“I have absolutely no idea.”
She laughed and pressed her mouth to his. “That sounds absolutely wonderful.”
Find out what’s next in the Secrets & Shadows series with e-novellas
Break for Me
Long for Me
And the first print novel in the series
Deeper than Need
Coming soon from St. Martin’s Press
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shiloh Walker is an author of romantic suspense and paranormal romance. She has been writing since she was a kid. She fell in love with vampires with the book Bunnicula and has worked her way up to the more … ah … serious vampire stories. She loves reading and writing anything paranormal, anything
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