Chapter 20
CHAPTER
TWENTY
Haze
She stares at Crunch like he might bite her hand off. “He’s cuter than I imagined,” she says after a second of hesitation.
I place a hand over his ears. “Don’t let him hear you say that. He’s the handsomest little guy on the block. Wait until he shows you his tricks.”
She blinks up at me. “He knows how to do tricks?”
“Of course, he’s not dumb. He also thinks he’s a dog, don’t you, bud?” I scruff his head, and he closes his eyes, his little nose twitching. I turn him to face her. “Want a cuddle?”
Willow shakes her head. “Uh, I’m good.”
“He won’t bite.”
“Aren’t rabbits meant to be all weird when you try to pick them up? I think I read that somewhere.”
“Not him,” I say, proudly. “He loves cuddles with Daddy. I’m sure you’ll learn to love him, too. He likes to snuggle in the mornings.”
She gapes at me. “You let him sleep with you?”
“Of course. I’m not a caveman. He likes watchin’ TV in bed. His favorites are Law and Order SUV and Murder She Wrote, the original — he has this thing about Angela Landsbury.” I roll my eyes.
“I’ve heard it all now,” she says, a little sarcasm in her tone. Still, she reaches out to brush over his ears with her knuckles. “Where did you find him again?”
What Willow doesn’t know is that Crunch is special. He’s not like other rabbits. Everything about him is perfect. “He was meant to go to a meat factory, poor little guy. His feet had never even touched grass. Can you believe that? We suspect he was used for breedin’.”
“That’s needlessly cruel.”
“Tell me about it. He’s not even afraid of me. Swear to god if I find whoever did that to him, and his buddies, I’ll fuckin’ kill them.”
“He is kinda sweet.” She tickles his head, and he wiggles his nose. Of course, my girl is a natural.
“I’ve told him all about you,” I say. “So he probably feels like he knows you already.”
“You’re insane.”
“I’m insane when it comes to you and Mr. Crunch.”
“I think it’s cute you rescued him.”
“Cute?” I scoff. “I was goin’ for manly, but I’ll take cute if that’s all you’re offerin’.”
“You think he knows who I am because you talked about me?” Her tone indicates that yes, she does think I’m clinically mad.
“No. I put one of your shirts in his cage when I knew we were gettin’ back together.”
Her eyes flick to mine, shocked. “That’s a little creepy.”
“I didn’t steal it, if that’s what you’re thinkin’. It was an old one.”
“How old?”
I roll my eyes upward as if I’m thinking.
“Okay, the last time we spent the night together — not includin’ the rendezvous in your office, that doesn’t count because we didn’t do any sleepin’ — I may have repurposed one of your t-shirts.
Technically, it was mine to begin with, so it’s not really stealin’. ”
“Repurposing? Wait, not my Chicago Bears shirt? I’ve been looking for that everywhere.”
“So now you know.”
“That Crunch was using it as a pillow the last time we, well… however long.”
“Two years, one month, six days, fifteen hours and—”
She places a finger over my lips. “Stop talking.”
I grin. “Can’t take the truth?”
“You never cease to surprise me.”
“Hey, at least you know I’m never gonna be boring.”
After a few moments of maternal bonding, she asks, “So, why’d you agree to take Max in?”
I shrug. “Figured I could help a dude out, and keep an eye on him.”
“You know he’s twenty-nine, right?”
“Yes, and I also know how his smart mouth works. Trust me, I’m doin’ you a favor.”
She studies me for a second. “Thank you. If I’d known he was staying in town, I would have offered, but nobody tells me anything in this family anymore.”
She doesn’t know how much her saying that — family, and including me in there, means to me. My heart beats that much faster, my palms sweating. It’s no secret Willow has always had a hold over me. Heck, I haven’t hidden it. There’s no way she doesn’t know that.
“I guess he wants to catch up, just like your dad.”
“Yeah, that’s still weird,” she says, making the guilt rise in me. “Did I mention he’s studying cold cases at the station? He just waltzes in like Moses, and people part for him like the Red Sea.”
“Well, he’s kind of a big deal. They probably don’t want to ruffle any feathers,” I say.
“What about my feathers?” she counters. “I’m the one who has to put up with him hanging around, looking over my shoulder. I appreciate he’s trying to help, but this is weird behavior. I know him.”
“Maybe he is checkin’ up on you, now that you’ve got your big promotion,” I suggest. “That would explain why he’s helicopter parenting.”
She chews her lip, only adding to my angst. “I guess.”
How do I broach this with her even if I wanted to?
Hey, honey. Don’t be freaked out, but some weirdo has been sending creepy, threatening letters to you about all the things he plans on doing to your limbs once they’re dismembered, and that’s why I’ve lied this entire time and your dad’s in on it, as well as Max.
But don’t worry, we all care about you and that’s what matters.
Talk about lame. Yet, I want to come clean.
Lying isn’t in my nature, even if it is to keep my loved ones safe.
If she’s aware, then she can take precautions.
Then again, is it worth making her life miserable when this loser is probably some teenage jerk who’s got some weird fixation?
I hope it’s the latter, and not someone really wanting to harm her, because I meant what I said to her father when I told him there is no rock this piece of shit can hide under.
I will find him, and I will skin the motherfucker alive.
I don’t care about excuses. He is a dead man.
“Haze?”
My eyes dart to hers. She’s waving a hand in front of my face. I palm the back of my neck. “Sorry, busy day.”
She takes Crunch fully into her arms as she heads to my kitchen. “Got any cold beer?”
I grin behind her back. “Always.”
“Light?”
I deadpan and she rolls her eyes. “I’m driving.”
“Help yourself. There should be some light right at the back.”
She opens my fridge, reaches in and I don’t stop my eyes wandering to her ass.
She’s mighty fine in anything she wears, and while I do miss the times she was in uniform, my girl would look good in a paper bag.
I imagine what it would be like if she lived here with me.
The place would be tidier, that’s for sure.
Unlike me, Willow is a neat freak and everything has its place.
I wouldn’t mind her girly shit hanging around.
“So?” she goes on as I take the bottle from her and knock off the cap. Handing it back, she takes a sip. “I noticed your plants out front are dead.”
“Did you really come here to bust my balls?” I sigh. “Because I get enough of that at work from everyone, now Max, your dad’s in town so it’ll only be a matter of time before he’s tryin’ to beat my head in.”
“There’s been a study showing that plants may not be sentient beings, but they do know when they’re being starved to death.”
“You plant lovin’ hippies know all about it.”
Willow has been a vegetarian for as long as I’ve known her.
“You know there’s no difference between this little guy and a calf, or a pig, or a goat, or—”
I swallow hard. I know that, and it’s hard to stomach. “Rabbits are pets, though. Animals are bred to be, uh, well…” Eaten is what I was going to say.
“Right, and so are dogs and cats, they eat those in some countries.”
“You been talkin’ to Stella?” She’s also a longtime vegetarian and animal activist. Along with Luna and her many charitable causes.
“No, why?”
“No reason. I could go vegetarian,” I declare. “But it’d take a shit ton of whatever it is you get for protein to keep me alive.”
“It isn’t that hard with a balanced diet.” She takes another pull, sitting at the kitchen counter, my little guy still in her arms.
“My little dude is fallin’ asleep in your arms.” I nod to him, and she glances down.
“He is pretty soft.”
“He’s a good judge of character, he normally runs away and hides with new people.”
She pulls a sad face, leaning down to kiss his head. “I don’t know why, who would want to hurt you, little Crunchy?”
I stare at her, my heart beating wildly and my cock getting hard watching her. She loves him already. I clear my throat. “One happy little family,” I sing. “We could get him a friend.”
She glances up. “We?”
“Yup. Now could be a good time to discuss the sleepin’ arrangements.”
She blinks.
I point between us. “If we’re givin’ us another shot, then are we just gonna commute?”
“I thought you were the one who said we needed to ‘get to know each other again without sex getting in the way’.” She uses inverted commas and I want to die laughing.
“Your mind is always on the pepperoni,” I muse. “While I love how your dirty mind works, I also am capable of sleepin’ on the couch.”
“So I get to sleep in your bed?”
My dick can barely contain himself at the idea of her in my big bed, all a-fucking-lone. “Well, you wouldn’t be alone, exactly.” I point to Crunch. “He’s kinda needy.”
“Like his daddy?”
“You didn’t just call me Daddy?”
“What’s wrong with Daddy, Daddy?”
I take a deep breath. “Your brother is upstairs,” I say through gritted teeth. “This is hard enough.”
“Hey, I didn’t impose this ban on touching, that was all your doing.”
“Maybe we need to revoke some of the things I said.”
She laughs, and my lips curl up. I like making her smile, laugh, anything to keep a frown off her face. “Maybe abstaining might be good for you. Like you said, sex can cloud judgement.”
I stalk toward her. “I never said that.”
“I’m hungry,” Max says, barging into the kitchen.
My hands ball into fists. “You just ate the last three slices of pizza. This isn’t a damn hotel,” I mutter.
“You’ve got all this shit in your fridge, but nothin’ is ready to eat,” he grumbles.
“That’s because you have to actually cook the food,” Willow points out. “Don’t tell me you expected to move in here and have Haze as your maid?”
I chuckle.
“Funny.” He closes the fridge again, heading for the pantry.
“Wait, you don’t think I’m gonna cook for you?” Her eyes also fall on me.
I give her a withering look. “I managed to survive this long makin’ my own stuff. I’m sure I can whip up a stir fry or somethin’.”
“Sounds good.” Max takes a bag of potato chips and gives us a two-finger salute as he leaves. “Give me a holler when dinner’s ready. Oh, and if you two are gonna be smoochin’ every second of the day, might wanna get a room, just sayin’.”
“I have a room!” I call after him. “And I can revoke your welcome any time I want.”
“Yeah, but you won’t,” Max calls back. “Because that’ll upset your wife.”
Willow rolls her lips. “You can see how he gets into trouble, but also talks his way out of most situations,” she says.
“I’d say he needs a good fuckin’ punch in the face if he thinks I’m gonna be pickin’ up after him.”
“Should’ve thought about that before you invited him here as a guest,” she tuts. “You know he’s going to eat everything in that pantry before the night is out.”
“Least he’s here and not out causin’ mischief.” I shrug. “Could be worse.”
“Again, he’s an adult, Aust. Not a teenager who needs babysittin’.”
“Right, and you’re forgettin’ your dad is in town, and he’ll nail my ass if anythin’ happens to him.”
Crunch stirs in her arms and she looks down. “He’s pretty chill, isn’t he?”
“Because he’s in his mommy’s arms.”
She can’t hide the smile on her lips when she looks back up at me. “Shut up and feed me, I’m starving.”
“Hey, you remember that my culinary skills leave a little to be desired,” I remind her. “Let’s not get carried away.”
She sighs. “I’ll assist, and no, that doesn’t mean I’m going to do all the work.”
“So bossy.” I brush her hair back off her face and steal a kiss. I know it’s baby steps, but I can’t help myself. She’s so goddamn irresistible. “Maybe when your brother goes to bed we can make out on the couch?” I waggle my eyebrows suggestively.
“You’re so lucky I have your son in my arms, or I’d smack you upside the head.”
I smirk. “Fine, your place it is.”