Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 55491 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 277(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55491 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 277(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Of course, one of the bottles slipped out and fell to the sidewalk, breaking. Beer spurted out in a foamy mess.
Remy looked down in shock and then burst into tears.
“Don’t move,” I barked because she was in bare feet, and there was glass in front of her.
She may have been a shifter pup who could heal swiftly, but I still didn’t want her to get hurt in the first place. Especially when it would mean more tears.
Of course, my bark turned her crying into a full wail.
I jogged over and scooped her up, but Joy was right beside me.
“Look at all that foam!” Joy exclaimed, like Remy was doing a science experiment instead of melting down over an accident.
Remy stopped crying and gaped at her.
Joy’s luscious lips were stretched in a giant smile. She pointed at the foam on the sidewalk with her eyes lit up. “Isn’t it amazing?”
Remy wasn’t sure if she should buy it.
Joy winked at her. “When I was little, I loved to shake up a can of soda before I opened it to watch it spray. Have you ever done that?”
Remy shook her head slowly.
Joy took the two remaining beer bottles from her hands and set them on the ground before reaching for her. “Come here. I have a can of grape soda at my house. Let’s try it.”
Just like that, the problem was solved. Remy reached for Joy, who went into her arms and the two of them disappeared into Joy’s house. I stood there staring at their backs, and Johnny and Colton stared at me.
“Fuck off,” I growled when they walked over.
“How long have you known?” Colton demanded.
“I said, fuck off,” I snapped.
“Known what? Ohhhhh.” Johnny was a little slower to catch on. He jerked his thumb in the direction of Joy’s house as I squatted to pick up the glass shards. “She’s his mate? I thought he was just being a dick, as usual.”
“Definitely his unmarked mate,” Colton replied. “Why else would he ask us over to help and then try to kill us when we get within five feet of her?”
“I figured it out this morning,” I admitted with a grumble. “Last night, I was too revved up from her almost getting killed by that tree.”
Johnny grinned. “Did you guys…”
I stood and took a menacing step in his direction. “I will fucking kill you if you even mention her again.”
Johnny laughed and stepped back, his hands up in defense.
“Let’s go get that tree off the house,” Colton said. “We won’t even talk to her.”
“Good.”
“But you’d better,” he tossed over his shoulder.
“Seriously. Fuck off.” I stomped into my house to dispose of the glass shards and get a broom.
When I got back, Johnny and Colton were on Joy’s roof, lifting the felled tree away from the house.
I glanced around quickly. If any human saw them, we were fucked because they were demonstrating way too much strength up there. Then again, there was no easy way to fake lifting a tree off a house, and with their shifter ability, they could do it quickly and easily. We didn’t need to wait for the slow-as-fuck repair guys.
“All clear below?” Colton asked me as they held the giant trunk.
“Yeah. Right here.” I stood below, so I could redirect it if necessary. The last thing we needed was for the guys to throw the tree trunk off Joy’s roof and onto mine.
The guys started swinging it. “On three. Here it comes–one…” –they swung it in my direction, then back– “two…three!” They heaved the trunk off the roof.
I let it fall safely between the two houses, where it broke into a few more manageable pieces.
From Joy’s back porch came the high-pitched sound of Remy’s shrieked delight and the fizz from an open soda can.
Everything inside me went gooey soft.
Joy was with my pup, just like she had been the day I met her. Easily entertaining her. Making friends. Communing.
Colton and Johnny jumped off the roof without using the ladder. They really should be more careful during daylight.
“She’s good with her, huh?” Colton asked, also having heard the girls.
I tried to hide the riot of emotion ping-ponging in my chest. My throat closed. “Yeah. Seems like it.”
“Of course, she would be. Fate picked her for you.” Johnny slapped me on the shoulder. It made sense he’d understand because Emma, his mate, was an identical twin, and while she and her sister looked exactly the same, even had the same DNA, he knew his mate.
I couldn’t say anything. I had arguments in my head about why it might not work and how I didn’t know how to make her love me, and what if Remy got hurt, but I didn’t want to share any of that with these jackals. I frowned.
“Aw, look,” Johnny cackled. “Even having a mate makes Wes grouchy.” He quickly dodged back in case I took a swing at him.