Page 21 of Make Me Yours
I headed for the truck, my gut tight with something I couldn’t name — unsettled, yet steadier than I’d felt in weeks. Monique’s words and the slip of paper in my pocket weighed on me, heavy as lead.
Yet it was the picture in my mind I couldn’t shake: Lilly with Sunny’s leash in her hand, me with Grace’s reins in mine, the four of us moving forward together, sunlight on our backs instead of shadows at our heels.
Easton was waiting by the curb when I pulled into the Harley lot, helmet tucked under his arm. His grin stretched from ear to ear as he slid into the passenger seat. The new jacket he wore smelled of fresh leather.
“Man,” he said, shaking his head, “it’s like flying without wings. You twist the throttle, and the whole world just drops behind you. The roar, the wind—hell, I swear I was born for it.”
I half-laughed, half-grunted. “Sounds like you already signed the papers.”
“Working on it,” he said. “Gotta move some things around, but it’s happening. And the Montana Riders—they’re solid. Brothers. They’ve got each other’s backs. Camping in themountains, riding cross-country, the whole deal. It’s the life, Sawyer. Pure freedom.”
The word stuck like a burr.
Freedom.
He said it like it was easy, like you just signed your name on a line and rode off into the sunset. My mind went to my SEAL brothers, the kind of bond Easton was trying to find. We had it, all right—tight as a steel cable—but it was forged in blood, and every knot in that cable came at a cost.
I missed them every damn day, but I couldn’t forget the weight of carrying them, too.
My phone buzzed against the console. One glance at the screen, and my chest cinched.
Lilly: Can’t tonight. Headache. Nothing to worry about.
I stared longer than I should’ve, thumb hovering like maybe I’d type back something stupid. Relief flickered—Monique was right, maybe space would help me sort my head out. But underneath, disappointment cut sharper than I wanted to admit.
Maybe even hurt.
Easton caught the look on my face. “What’s wrong, man? You look like somebody stole your damn horse.”
I shoved the phone back down and started the engine. “My date canceled. Maybe for the best.”
I kept it vague. Didn’t say her name. Couldn’t.
Easton chuckled, still high on test rides and chrome dreams, filling the cab with talk about wind and roads and a future that looked wide open. I let him carry it, eyes fixed on the highway ahead.
The road blurred into a long gray ribbon, and all I could feel was the echo of Monique’s words pressing in, tangled up with Lilly’s text, leaving me caught somewhere between relief and wanting more than I should.
I had to find a way to make her mine.
Chapter Nine
Wanting Isn’t Having
Lilly
Morning light spilled through the front windows ofBloom & Vine, painting the rows of flower buckets in gold. Usually, the familiar perfume of the shop settled my nerves before a busy day. Today, though, the sight only made my shoulders ache. Everywhere I turned, blooms waited to be trimmed, and ribbons spilled from drawers like ribbons always do—tangled, demanding, endless.
Marianne’s order for Friday filled half the counter with scribbled notes and supply lists. Ferns on stands. Bouquets for every table. Enough to turn the entire ranch into a magazine spread.
I pressed my palms to the wood and told myself I could do it all. I’d done more with less. But the truth was already prickling at the back of my neck: there was no way I’d pull this off alone.
I grabbed my phone and scrolled to Emma’s name. She always teased me about procrastinating, but she never said no.When she answered, her voice was warm and cheerful, the complete opposite of how I felt.
“Let me guess,” she said before I even asked. “You’ve overbooked yourself again.”
“Marianne ordered half the cooler and more. I could use another pair of hands if you’re not busy today.”
She laughed, a sound that always made me breathe easier. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes. The Lovelace Historical Society is closed today. I’ll even bring coffee and a yogurt parfait, since I know you didn’t eat breakfast.”
