Page 76 of Cautious Love

I frown and give her a look. “Get back to work, Daisy.”

She grins and salutes me, even though she did it wrong. “Yes, sir.”

“If only it was that kind of smile,” I mumble to myself.

My relationship with Shiloh will be built on a foundation she can trust. That’s how I’ll do right by her, not by taking her to bed … even if I want to.

After I get my paperwork finished for the morning and emails checked, Luke walks in and closes the door behind him, and I do not like the look on his face.

“What’s wrong?” I ask him.

“Nothing, but these people are intense. Will is in. Kensington Sr. likes that he’s dirty, so it will play in our favor. We ran into each other,” Luke says with hand quotes, “At Perry’s and he clued me in.”

“Is he okay?” I ask.

“As far as I know, and Kate is all over him,” Luke says.

“Monday, we’ll hopefully have our reason to get a warrant for the wiretap.”

“About that…” Luke says trailing off.

“Speak your mind, we need to make sure we can do everything to keep our people safe.”

“Yeah, I think this operation is bigger than we assumed. Have you considered calling in the DEA?”

I wince. We don’t have the manpower. I already knew that, but I don’t know who knows who, and if I start asking the feds questions, who is to say it wouldn’t get back to Kensington’s mobster. When I call the feds, I want to hit Kensington quickly — blindside them.

“I have a friend in the DEA. I’m waiting for the right time.”

“I think that time might be now,” Luke says.

I nod. “I don’t disagree, but we have to wait until Monday.”

“Alright,” he sighs.

“Are you doing okay? I know you’re on backup and it’s a lot.”

Luke shrugs. “It’s fine. I just want this to be over.”

“Me too.” My mind goes to Shiloh, and if we go any deeper, I’m afraid this might make everything worse for her.

On the drive to the ranch, I wonder if I should have invited her. Part of me said no because we need to figure out what we are. But the other part of me wants to include her in everything. It’s important that my family likes the woman I’m dating, or I suppose in this unusual case — married to. I haven’t exactly made dating a huge priority. A few here and there, but none of them have been important enough to me to have even the slightest desire to introduce them to my family.

We’re a lot. I know that. Shiloh comes from a small family, and mine is nothing short of overwhelming, andloud. But they're mine, and I love them fiercely. I can only hope that she would like them too, despite our past in this town.

She’s changed, hell, I’ve changed. I haven’t been living in the past but I know it’s time for Shiloh to move forward, so it’s inevitable that I do too.

I turn onto the gravel road and drive up to the main house. The only thing that stopped me from inviting her is because we haven’t been on a date yet.

I’ve been wracking my brain trying to come up with something that gives us a chance to enjoy each other’s company and not worry about someone from Shiloh’s circle running into us or someone from mine, mainly a family member butting in.

My first though was make dinner for her, but that seems to simple and not special enough. She deserves something special, and thought out for her.

I turn off the engine and sit there for a second. I could drive us into the next town over. That’s not out of the question. But with the op we’re running, I can’t help but worry that I might be needed, and being thirty to forty-five minutes away isn’t helpful to my people.

Or maybe I should ask her what she wants, but I’d like to surprise her. I don’t want her to think about anything, and all she needs to do is show up. But considering our situation, maybe it’s not a bad idea to ask for her opinion.

Pulling out my phone I start to text her and hesitate, slipping it back in my pocket. I don’t want her to see me as a man who isn’t capable of asking a woman out on a date or incapable of planning it. I can marry her, but I can’t date her? That doesn’t make sense. But I don’t want to make her uncomfortable either.