Chapter 17

Icould tell by the way my sister kept eyeing me that it was only a matter of time before she cornered me. The last thing I needed was for Paisley to overhear her doing so. I made a show of going out to the barn to check on the horses since I haven"t seen them in a while. It didn"t take June five minutes to come waltzing in—just like I knew she would.

"What"s going on?" She puts her hands on her hips, ready to square off. She might be a pain in my ass sometimes, but I appreciate the fact that she's trying to protect Paisley.

"Nothing." I shrug, not sure how much I should say. Paisley hasn"t told her, and I don"t want to spill all of her secrets. It"s fucked because I'm basically being a hypocrite since I"ve been digging them up myself. When it comes to this, I have no solid ground to stand on.

"Jackson." She rolls her eyes at me. "When I was drunk, you talked me into helping you get her back to your place." June pulls an apple out of her purse, taking a bite before offering the rest to Penny Loafer. The horse eats it all in one bite.

"She didn"t need to be staying at the motel."

"I"m not saying I don"t agree with you there, but I asked Elliot about what happened to Paisley"s room."

"What did he say?" That little shit. I gave him enough money to keep his mouth shut, but my sister can get information out of most people if she wants. I'm sure he crumbled like a cheap chair once June got her hooks in him. I"m surprised she hasn"t gotten more out of Paisley.

"He didn"t have to say shit. His ears turned bright red, and I knew."

"Why don"t you know more about Paisley?"

"Because I told you. She"s damn skittish. I think if she tells me too much and something spooks her, I"ll never see her again." June pulls out another apple while walking down the stalls. "Is she in deep trouble?"

"No."

June"s brows pull together. "Then what?" I can see the worry all over her face.

"Well, fuck. She is, but she isn"t. Her family has a lot of pull, and they"re not too happy that their daughter isn"t doing as she"s told." I fist my hands at my side, thinking about what it is exactly they want her to do. They'll have to kill me before I'll ever allow them to marry Paisley off to some asshole.

June cocks her head, thinking over what I said. "Tell me something." Shit, here we go. "Did you come here because of her?" I don"t respond, not keen on lying to my little sister. "Damn it, Jackson."

"I"m not fucking with her."

"Oh," she barks with a laugh. "Paisley is blushing like a schoolgirl, and you"re telling me you"re not?—"

"Don"t." I cut her off. She knows I didn't mean it that way, but she is pushing to see the reaction she'll get. Now she has one. June's brows rise in surprise at my reaction.

"This could blow up in your face." Her words ring too true. Of all the things I've done in my life, thinking about Paisley finding out the truth and leaving me are the only thoughts that have ever kept me up at night.

"I know." I run my hand down my face. This is the only way for now. I need to get shit sorted out with the parents and the rich prick they promised her to. Once that's done, I can come clean.

"Are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into? Paisley is the kind of girl who wants love and probably a few kids." June leans up against one of the stalls. "I didn't think that was something you'd ever want." Neither did I. Not until I laid eyes on Paisley.

"I don't know what I want."

"You better figure it out, and quickly," June snaps at me.

"Didn't know," I correct. "I know I want her. There's not a single doubt about that." The rest is only the details, but I think details are pretty damn important when it comes to women.

"Then get her to open up to you." June makes it sound so easy. I can do interrogations, but that's not going to work here. "Hey." She chucks an apple at me. I catch it before it nails me in the face. "You open up, and I bet she'll bloom for you."

"June Bug." My dad walks into the barn. "Your mom is looking for you."

"Why? She knows I can't cook." June scrunches her nose. "She's got Paisley now."

Paisley had slipped right into the kitchen, up to my mom, when we got here. I had to leave the kitchen because seeing her with the apron on, fluttering around put too many fantasies into my head—not all dirty, but enough that I wasn"t going to be hanging around with a hard-on.

"She broke a few dishes." My dad smirks.

"What?" I start walking toward the barn doors. My instincts kicking in.

"She's fine." My dad's hand comes down on my shoulder.

"I love Paisley, but I've never seen a more clumsy person." June laughs. "I'll go check on her. You two do man things." She motions between Dad and me.

"Man things?" There has never been a time when June wasn't putting herself right in the middle of what was going on. I didn't know there were man things to be had around here.

"I don't know. Tell war stories." June pauses. "Wait, do you have some you'll tell me?" I shake my head. "Damn it," she mutters, leaving Dad and me alone.

"She even wants gossip and information from a battlefield." Dad laughs. That's true, but I also know my sister just wants me to share with her. I often put space between myself and the family. I had to live that shit. I don't want them to have to hear it.

"I saw the greenhouse. When did you do that?"

"A few months ago."

"I would have come out and helped."

"You would have gotten busy and hired someone to build it," my dad corrects. "June and I did it. I knew your mom would appreciate it more if we did it ourselves."

"Sorry." What else can I say? He's not wrong. I frequently cancel plans to come home. There is always something that comes up. And I let it.

"Don't be sorry." Dad takes his hat off. "I think that might change anyhow. A woman can do that to you. Make you feel like you fit." His words hit me squarely in the chest. "But you always fit here, Jackson. What you did out there has nothing to do with who you are here. I think it's time you came home for good." I feel an unfamiliar tightness in my chest that is creeping up my throat.

"She might not want to be home with me when she finds out the truth," I admit. Not that I wasn't a bastard this morning when I came inside her, thinking she'd be mine forever if I put my baby inside her.

"Nothing worth having is ever easy." He puts his hat back on. "Everything in life is hard before it"s easy."

Falling for Paisley had been easy. Keeping her is what will be hard. Not that that's ever stopped me before.