14. Yuri and the ex-husband
Chapter fourteen
Yuri and the ex-husband
“ U h… Can I add… Do you have flowers?” I winced, standing outside my truck as Tim loaded up my seat with grocery bags.
“Flowers?” He whirled around like a gossip-hungry nun, staring at the scandalous sinner confessing their weekend activities.
“Yeah.” I gritted my teeth, trying not to tell him to fuck off. None of your business… But Tim was the one with a wife and three kids. Out of everyone, he’d know flowers. And Aurora accused me of knowing everything. I could build a complex table. I could stalk, kill, and strip a deer without ruining a single slice of it. I could spice jerky and keep a house spotless, but I couldn’t for the fucking life of me figure out if anything I was doing was romantic. She was my first relationship. I’d had fuck buddies before. I was always surprised how many people wanted to fuck cryptids. But Aurora? She was real. We were real, and she deserved romance .
Even if that was fucking me.
“What kind of flowers?” Tim packed the last bag in my backseat. “You want flowers that apologize for killing your possum or flowers that say I think of your smile when I wake up in the morning?”
“That was one time! ” I snapped.
“To be fair, Gerald’s possum does—-did look like a big ass rat,” Tim chuckled, dusting off his hands on his slacks. “Are these perchance going to Aurora Murphy?”
I glared at him through the sunglasses, debating eating him and getting rid of the one friend I had in this town. I sighed, “Yes.”
“I knew it. You two looked real cozy in the parking lot the other day, so I was wondering when you’d ask for more cake. I can add cake-”
“Just flowers… please.” My left eye twitched.
Tim chuckled to himself. “Alright, alright, no need to get snappy on me, Yuri. How many flowers? You want a bush or just a little? What kind of flowers does she like?”
Suddenly, I went blank, as if I couldn’t remember a single fact about the woman I’d been talking to non-stop for two weeks. As if she wasn’t at my cabin every three nights. As if her scent didn’t linger on everything I owned. Oh wait.
“Wildflowers. Her perfume—it’s always like daisies, like field flowers. Nothing massive, something really small but colorful?” I pulled my sunglasses down, looking at Tim desperately.
He beamed. “I got just the one. One moment.”
And that was how I ended up with a small but fragrant bundle of wildflowers. I kept them precariously placed on my dash as I raced back home. Why hadn’t I thought this through? Fuckwit! Yet, my self-degradation aside, I was pumped full of purpose. Determination. I was going to make it official. Is that something people even do now? Old Gator, strange mating rituals? I wasn’t sure what drove me to do it, but I needed to hear her say yes. Say yes to me, say yes to us.
I hopped back in my truck and sat the flowers in the free seat. The drive to her mother’s farm took less time than I needed to get my head back on right. It was loose and full of angry wasps wanting out of my ears. Suddenly, for no reason at all, I pulled out my phone. Inches down her driveway, I opened the app. We hadn’t used it in days, not since the hunt. Instead, we just used regular texting and calling. Yet, when I opened it, the heart beat for a moment before asking, Do you want to tag Aurora?
I pressed the button as I pulled into the driveway. Parking next to the farm vehicle, holding the flowers behind my back, I hoped she wasn’t out in town for some reason.
Thankfully, voices filled the air as the barn doors on the left side of the farm opened. “Just one moment, Mom. I think… Yuri? ”
The blush on her cheeks was all I needed. I crept closer, trying not to be awkward with the flowers behind my back. “Surprise, Dollface.”
“What are you doing here?” She giggled, frolicking up to me. She sprung up into my chest, wrapping her arms around my neck. I caught her in my right arm, clutching the flowers safely in the left. Her kiss was bliss. She hummed happily against my mouth. Slowly, I set her back on the ground. Blistered tomatoes for cheeks with a toothy grin, she made my heart beat rapidly.
I pulled out the bunch of flowers from behind my back. She gasped, eyes wide, as I snuck a kiss to her cheek. “Figured a girl like you could use some flowers and a night off.”
“Oh?” She took the flowers tentatively, her big, green eyes peeking up at me. “And what kind of girl is that?”
“Mine?” I asked this time, studying her face for any hesitation.
She grinned, shyly glancing down to the flowers before sniffing them. After a minute, she caught my gaze again. “Your girl? You know, I could get used to this. Being pampered, surprised with flowers…hunted in the woods.”
I stole another kiss to her cheek, pressing my luck and kissing closer to her ear. Aurora shivered as I tugged on her lobe. “You should get used to it.”
A giddy, flirty giggle rose from her as she batted at my chest with the back of her free hand. “Stop! There’s a pregnant cow in there that needs help. I can’t be flustered and help my mom tug a cow out!”
“Never,” I growled, tugging on her lobe again. “Say yes if you want this. If you want me. I just need to hear you say it, know that you want to be mine.”
Aurora twisted to catch my lips. Lingering against my lips, she croaked, “Yuri… I’ve been yours since you found me at the library.”
“Mmm, but not in the woods?” I teased, unable to help myself as my blood rushed through my veins. I’ve been yours? It shouldn’t have made my stomach clench or my shoulders sag, but it did.
“Well, I wasn’t sure you were even real until that day.” She pulled back, sniffing the flowers again. “This is beautiful, by the way. Thank you. Can you put them in a vase in the kitchen? I really should get back to helping my mom, but then we can take the night off if you want?”
I nodded, taking them from her. She bounced cutely on her toes, kissing me on the cheek before rushing back to the barn. I lingered, replaying her words over in my head. Vase! Now! I scrambled toward the house, as if suddenly remembering what she’d asked me to do. It took me a moment of guessing which cabinet was more likely to have a vase or jars in it. After filling a mason jar full of water, I stuck the flowers in.
“ Ah, shit! Grab her! Grab her! ”
Never was there a better summoning call as I bolted out of the house and rushed into the barn. My sweet but sadly weak Aurora was dangling off the neck of a very pregnant cow while her mother was two elbows deep in her backside. The cow looked ready to charge, which would end up with many things in the wrong place.
“Yuri!” Aurora yelped. “Help!”
I was already bounding over the gate of the barn into the pen, grabbing hold of the cow. The beast grunted, mooing an upset symphony into my ear as I helped ease her back where she needed to go. Aurora scrambled back to her mother, helping her tug out a calf. Despite the momma cow’s best efforts, she wasn’t strong enough to beat me in a shove-off. I kept her firmly in place as the Murphy women helped birth a gooey baby.
“Sorry, he was coming hoof first and twisting up her guts. Was gonna hang himself with her insides if we didn’t stop him.” Ms. Murphy toweled off the baby. “You can let her go now. She’ll figure it out.”
I stepped away from the panting bovine. She turned around slowly before her attention fell to the calf, all the bad attitude gone.
Aurora beamed up at me, using her elbow to open the pen. “Thanks.”
“Anytime,” I chuckled. “What were you going to do hanging off her neck like that?”
“What? I thought I could hold her!” Aurora huffed, leading the way out of the barn.
“You and what arm muscles?” I teased.
“I have muscles!” She glared at me but ended up breaking out into a fit of giggles. “Butthead.”
“Your butthead,” I corrected and surged with pride as she flushed once more.
“Come on, butthead.” We left the barn. Aurora stopped by the massive spicket outside the building, flipping it on. Chickens came flocking to see what was going on as she tried to keep them out of the rushing waterfall. I sat back on my heels, peeking back into the barn to check on her mother. Doctor Murphy was already out of the pen, peeling a plastic parka and gloves off her body.
“How is it you’re the one who wrestled the cow, but I’m the one covered in goo?” Aurora tossed her head back, laughing as she tried to wash her hands under the running faucet. It took her a minute or two before she gave up. She groaned and flipped it off. “No good. Gonna need a real shower. Do you mind hanging out for a bit? Once I’m scrubbed clean, we can head to your place for dinner...and maybe dessert?”
I cocked a brow, surveying her from head to toe. Her cheeks turned tomato red, which I enjoyed a smidgen too much. “And what are you making for dinner?”
“Oh!” She chortled, stepping away from the faucet toward the porch of the farmhouse. “Au contraire, mon frère! You are making me dinner. After that butthead comment, you’re gonna make me whatever I want!”
“Am I now?” I growled playfully, reveling in how easily she shivered.
“Yes! And you’re going to make me some steak and potatoes and some sort of vegetable.” Aurora purposely tossed her dirty, hay-filled hair over her shoulder. I let her saunter ahead of me just so I could watch her swing those dangerously wide hips. Goo or no goo, I’d peel those jeans off her ass and eat her just the way she was. However, I respected her desire to have clean fingers and would keep my feral lust carefully tucked away… until after she was scrubbed clean .
“How did I get myself roped into this?” I carefully poked her with the back of a claw, stepping up to the door she held open for me. I loomed over her like a dark cloud, and she locked eyes with me, mischief sparkling in her green gaze.
Her voice dropped low into a whisper. “Because I’m making dessert.”
“And what kind of dessert?” I didn’t want to ruin her fun, but it was a dietary restriction. I couldn’t eat any cake but the one stuffed in her pants.
“Strawberry shortcake.” She wiggled in the doorway to the porch, a smug look plastered to her face. “But I’m only bringing the strawberries.”
“And where’s the cream and cake coming from?” I narrowed my eyes at her suspiciously .
“You’re looking at it.” She giggled, flinging herself through the doorway and across the porch. I stuffed my hands deep in my pockets to keep from snatching her flirty ass mid-flounce. Stepping onto the porch, I let the screen swing shut behind me. As if she even had to ask. Of course, I’d make her dinner. It was my favorite thing to do! The thought of her sitting on my counter, kicking her short legs while she told me about her day? It was one of my favorite pastimes. In the last two weeks, I’d made her dinner a handful of times, and every time, I looked forward to the next.
Sinking into one of the rocking chairs on the porch, I memorized the farm. Her mom was a vet, but she kept open space for recovering animals. There were paddocks for everything. A bull lazily stood in the evening sun to the left while a horse munched on grass near the wooden fence to the right. The farm was sleepy and cozy despite the light yelling from goats in the back.
The sun slowly descended through the tops of the trees, illuminating everything in a burnt orange. Stars broke out along the skyline. I watched from the porch as an SUV rumbled down the long, gravel driveway. The sound of a loud stereo blasted before it was cut off as the vehicle parked directly in front of the porch.
Not where all the other cars parked off to the side or near the vet barn.
First red flag .
The second came as a tall, skinny man bounding out of the vehicle wearing loafers and pressed slacks. My jaw tensed, a scowl glued to my mouth. The newest arrival scanned the farm with a weaselly expression, like he was deciding between being disgusted or pained to be there—forehead pinched, lips curled downwards, and the most pretentious sunglasses I’ve ever had the misfortune of seeing.
Finally, he noticed me on the porch and jumped.
“Oh, damn,” he gasped.
“Evenin’,” I snarled, claws tapping against the arms of the rocking chair.
“They really make country boys ugly out here, don’t they?” He straightened his button down.
I leaned forward. “You want to run that by me again?”
“No, I’m fine. Uh, who are you?”
“Yuri. Who are you?” I rose from the rocking chair, watching him shrink away from the porch door.
“You might have, uh, heard of me? I’m Anthony. My wife, Aurora? Her mother owns this property.”
A dark sneer pinched up the scales around my muzzle. I lumbered out the door, ensuring it didn’t make a peep as I slid it closed behind me. “Funny you should mention that, Anthony . I heard you handed my girl a stack of divorce papers and told her to pack a bag. ”
Anthony laughed sheepishly, stepping back on the gravel a step. “You know how women are, big guy like you? We weren’t getting a divorce. We were just taking a break, just until she could get herself together. She’s had a little bit of a meltdown, but I’m ready to forgive her.”
Red painted every inch of my vision as I closed the distance between us. Teeth bared, I snatched him by the front of his pretentious shirt and pinned his back to the driver’s side door. “Forgive her? You’re an even bigger idiot if you think she owes the likes of you an apology. She told me what you said. Get your country bumpkin bullshit out of my house? And when she begged you to think it through, begged you to let her stay because she didn’t have anywhere to go, didn’t have any money because everything belonged to you, what did you tell her?”
“Please.” He winced, inching away from my open maw that craved to sink its teeth into his stupid little neck.
“ What. Did. You. Tell. Her? ” I roared, throttling him there against the door.
“I told her to eat shit and die like her bucktoothed father.”
I dropped him into the gravel of the driveway. Stepping back, I stared at the monster before me. I spat at the ground by his feet. “And I did not care for that.”
He scrambled across the rocks, fumbling to get to his feet. “She needs me. She’s just a simple girl; she needs a firm hand. ”
I raised a brow. “I’ve got plenty firm hands, but if you don’t pack your ass back in that tin can of yours and floor it out of here, you’re going to find out exactly how firm they are.”
“You can’t lay your hands on me,” he hissed.
“Wanna find out?” I fake-lunged at him, smirking as he shrieked and flung himself into the car. Anthony floored it down the driveway, not caring what he hit as he swerved across the gravel. I stood by the porch door, watching patiently to ensure he didn’t turn back around. Spineless little shit.
The door creaked open behind me, and I jumped. Spinning toward the porch, I faced a damp haired Aurora in a robe. “Everything alright? I heard not goat screams.”
“Yeah, some punk came down the driveway, took one look at me, and ran home with his tail between his legs.” I flashed her a toothy smile.
“Yuri,” she giggled, shoving my shoulder sweetly. “I think you like scaring people on purpose. I told you, it’s not the scales, it’s your grumpiness! I swear, if only people knew how much of a softie you were.”
“I am not soft,” I grumbled.
She snorted, tossing me a look of disbelief before she headed back for the house. “I’m almost done.”
“Done? Dollface, why waste the wrapping paper?” I followed her toward the front door .
Aurora rolled her eyes at me. “Unwrapping your present is half the fun.”
“Mmm,” I hummed in appreciation as she pushed up on her toes, kissing me sweetly before she ducked back inside the house. A dreamy sigh escaped my lips as I watched her wind around the corner of the kitchen and disappear into the hallway.
Anthony didn’t deserve her, didn’t earn her, didn’t treat her right, but I could. I would. I will. That’s why the app sent me her directions. Aurora was everything I needed. She was all I wanted.
And I found her right where it said I would.
You always get what you ask for; it’s just never what you expected. I never expected Aurora Murphy, but she was exactly what I asked for.