Page 8 of Reaper
“I know! How’s everything at the vet’s office? I need to bring Cowboy down for some shots next month. I should call and book something.”
She grins. “We’d love to see Cowboy. He’s a German Shepard, right?”
“All eighty-five pounds of him.”
“Small for a shepherd then.” She smiles. “How are y’all doing?”
“Good. Dad is doing dad stuff, and I’m doing the farm thing. What about you?”
She blows out a heavy sigh. “Getting nervous about a wedding I have to go to next month. I’m not sure I’m going to have a date for this thing, and it always makes me nervous to go to something like that alone.” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and glances toward Reaper. “Wait, are you two dating? I’m sorry. We haven’t met.”
He moves his hand from my back and reaches out toward Clem. “Friend of the family. Great to meet you.” He glances down at me. “I’ll go grab the chicks and the salt lick. You two catch up.”
I nod and try not to get drunk on the way he stares down at me when he talks.
Clem narrows her gaze. “Holy shit, Mabs. That dude is hot!”
I suck in air through my teeth. “Yeah, but totally off limits. He’s my dad’s best friend, and even if he weren’t, he’s kind of a bad boy. I’m not sure Mama would have approved.”
Clem laughs. “Your mom would have wanted you to be happy. Do you like him?”
I glance toward Reaper who’s standing in an aisle staring at salt licks with a bag of feed over his shoulder. I try not to share my feelings with anyone, but with Clem, words just spill out. “I mean, look at him. What’s not to like?”
She tilts her head to the side. “Seriously. The way he looks at you… seems like y’all have a connection already. Are you close?”
I chew at my bottom lip, a little excited that someone else sees what I’ve been feeling.
“I mean, I think we’re close, but really, it wouldn’t matter. He’s my father’s best friend. If Reaper and I got together, Dad would shoot him. End of story. And you’ve heard of the Anti-Heroes MC, right? They call him Reaper for a reason.”
Clem shrugs. “All I know is feelings are feelings. I let the wrong one get away a long time ago and now, I think about him every single day.”
I forgot Clementine used to date a guy in the MC. I can’t remember who. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything bad about the MC. I like those guys. It’s just my dad…”
“You’re twenty-five years old, Mabs. At some point you’re going to have to break out of this and do what’s best for you, or you’re going to start regretting things.”
When Clementine speaks, it’s like my mother is talking to me. Not because they were friends or because she smells the same, though I’m sure that adds to it, but because Clementine sees me. She listens, and she encourages me to do what makes me happy. That’s exactly what my mom did. Even though she knew that vet school would pull me away from the family, she was pushing me to go after it.
‘One life is all you get, Mabel. You’ve gotta live it.’ She’d say that to me every chance she got.
Reaper stands by the register with the feed, the salt lick, and the chickens in hand.
“I should run. Call me later if you have time. I’d love to catch up more.”
She squeezes my hand and pulls a leash off the rack in front of her. “I’ll call you tomorrow and set up lunch. Go get back with this giant you’re lusting after.”
I smile and make my way toward Reaper who hands me the chickens with a grin. It’s hard to believe this is the same man that does all the violent things that need to be done for the MC.
“How was your visit?” He tosses the feed into the truck bed and opens the passenger door for me, helping me up inside the truck. It’s a long step and his big hands guide me as I move. I don’t want the touching to end. I want to hop down from the truck and have him help me again, and again, and again.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen. The door closes and I blow out a heavy breath, centering myself before I peek into the box at the fuzzy little chicks chirping away. I think I’ll bring them inside tonight and familiarize them slowly to the outdoors. I don’t think that’s the way most people do it, but it’s what I’m doing. Hell, truth be told, these chicks might be the closest thing I ever get to a family of my own. So, I’m going to enjoy it.
“Good,” I finally say. “Clem is like the nicest person ever. I always wanted to be a veterinarian. It sounds so fun snuggling animals and helping sick ones.”
“Why don’t you? If you started classes now, you’d be finished in what… five or six years?”
I roll my eyes toward him. “I can’t start school like that and leave my father. He’d lose it.”
“We talked about this, little cat. You have to start doing things for yourself.” We’re out on the street when Reaper grips hold of my hand and squeezes it inside of his. I want to lean against his warmth and disappear into his world of wildness.