11. Jasper
11
JASPER
“C an’t sleep?”
I glance up from my computer and shrug as Theo walks in, wearing only a pair of pajama pants. I’m going to have to talk to my brothers about wearing clothes in the house while Ariana is here. Fuckers don’t need to be showing themselves off to her like a bunch of prized pigs. Bringing her to the main house was a bad idea. I should have taken her to my place, where she wouldn’t see anyone else but me. Maybe I’ll move her there in the morning because having all these other men around her is making me itch to kill.
“What’s the point in even trying anymore?” I take a sip of my whiskey and click the mouse to go to the file I just downloaded. “What are you doing up? I didn’t hear Rowie crying.”
Theo shakes his head and sits down across from my desk. “She’s sleeping soundly. I just checked on her and then went to the kitchen to grab a snack when I saw you in here. You working?”
I glance at the screen and shrug. “Not really. Looking into Ariana now that I have her full name.”
“What have you found out so far?” he asks, leaning forward to try to get a glimpse of my screen.
“She was dropped off at the age of five at a firehouse by her mother, who then disappeared, so Ariana was put into foster care. She was shuffled between families for a few weeks before she was put into permanent placement, where she lived until she was eighteen. On the day of her birthday, she purchased a car and that fucking camper and seems to have been on the move ever since.”
Theo’s eyebrows furrow as he frowns. “Her mother just dropped her off and left? Any information about her foster parents?”
Most of us have been in foster care at one point or another during our lives, so we know how it is. It can be good or it can be really bad.
“No complaints on their file, and it looks like they always do long-term foster,” I tell him as I scan the information I pulled on them.
“Doesn’t mean they’re good, but hopefully it means they aren’t horrible,” Theo mutters.
Yeah. I sure as hell hope that’s the case. Ariana doesn’t seem scared of people. She’s the opposite, actually. She’s too fucking friendly. Too damn brave for her own good.
“She got between a grown-ass man and a woman tonight outside the bar in Bend. The guy was assaulting the woman, and Ariana pushed him off her.” I rake my fingers through my hair, still pissed as hell about it. What the fuck was she thinking? And the guy? I’m going to find out who the fuck it was one way or another and make sure he pays dearly not only for hurting that woman but also for causing my girl to fall.
Fuuuuuck.
I did not just think that. She’s not mine. Not even close.
“Sounds to me like she needs Daddy Jasper to keep her safe and give her some rules.”
My gaze snaps to Theo, and I clench my jaw. “I’m not her Daddy.”
It’s not an option. I would ruin her. Drain her of everything bright and colorful. I’m too dark for her. Too fucked up and way too possessive. She is too much of a free spirit. Something I would crush over time. I won’t do that to her. No matter how badly I want her. Ariana deserves better. And I don’t deserve someone as special as her.
My brother leans back in his chair, studying me in a way that makes me feel naked. Sometimes being this close with family isn’t a good thing. They see too much. Know me better than I know myself.
“Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean she couldn’t use some guidance. If you’re not willing to provide it, there are thirteen other Daddies here who probably would.”
I shoot up from my chair and round the desk, seeing nothing but red as I approach Theo. Before I cock my arm back and hit him, he laughs and holds up his hands to pacify me. The asshole goaded me on purpose.
“I think I got my message across,” he quips as he rises and backs away from where I’m practically heaving with rage.
“You’re an asshole.”
Theo chuckles again. “Yeah. I really am. Now, since some of us do enjoy sleep, I’m going back to bed.”
“Fuck off,” I growl. “And start wearing fucking shirts around here!”
His only response is holding his hand above his head to flip me off before he walks out of the room.
* * *
T he next morning, I’m in the kitchen, cradling a mug of black coffee after another sleepless night, when I hear soft footsteps behind me. I already know it’s not Rowie since my sister, tiny as she is, walks around like she weighs as much as an elephant. And Ember isn’t here yet. Which leaves only one other person.
I turn, and there she is. Ariana.
Wearing the clothes she had on when I found her at the camper instead of the pajamas she wore overnight. The thin, ratty fabric is too baggy in some places and worn to threads in others, and it ignites something hot in my chest. Something protective. And pissed off.
She studies me for a second, head tilted like she’s trying to figure out if I’m approachable or not.
Then she bravely lifts her chin and clears her throat. “I’d like you to take my camper back. To where my car is.”
I stare at her. “No.”
She blinks. “No?”
I’m not sure why she seems fucking surprised. As if there’s any way in hell I’m going to allow her to stay in that thing. One strong wind and that fucking camper will roll right over onto its side. Not just that but I’m sure she would feel the wind on the inside since it doesn’t seem to have any damn insulation. No. Fuck no. It’s not happening, and if she wants to have a fit about it, she’s going to learn just how unapproachable I can be.
“There’s no way in hell I’m letting you live in that tin can ever again.”
She frowns, crossing her arms. “It’s not that bad.”
“Yes, it is.” I turn back to the counter and grab a plate. “You shouldn’t be sleeping in a freezer on wheels. You shouldn’t be wearing clothes that look like they’ve been through a damn shredder.”
“I don’t need charity,” she snaps. “My clothes are fine. They’re just getting broken in.”
“This isn’t charity,” I growl back. “It’s common sense.”
She opens her mouth to argue again, but I cut her off by setting a plate of food on the counter. Eggs, toast, bacon. I’ve already cut everything up for her. Bite-sized pieces. Easy. Thoughtful. I don’t know why I do it—I just do. And it fuels something inside of me. Gives me purpose. Quiets the demons a little.
She stares at the plate, then up at me. Her cheeks flush.
“Thank you,” she whispers, and then she digs in like she hasn’t eaten in days. Again.
I watch her for a beat, then step back and sip my coffee. If last night was any sort of lesson, this Little rainbow needs her space when she eats.
A few minutes later, Theo walks into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Rowie stumbles in not far behind him, still in her pajamas, her hair wild, and her stuffed bunny dragging behind her like always.
Rowie spots Ariana and lights up. “Ari!” she squeals, running across the kitchen.
Ari. Aw. That’s pretty damn cute.
Ariana looks startled when Rowie throws her arms around my Little thief’s waist and hugs tightly.
I half expect Ariana to freeze or pull away, but she doesn’t. Instead, she grins widely at Rowie and hugs back with just as much enthusiasm. As soon as they release each other, the two women start chatting like they’ve been best friends for life.
Rowie touches Ariana’s hair and compliments it again.
Ariana says how cute Rowie’s bunny is.
Then Rowie tells Ariana about the real bunny she’s been seeing hopping around outside near the garden.
And Ariana lights up and asks questions as if she’s truly interested in the topic.
They go back and forth, and all I can do is watch them in silence with a heavy weight in my chest. And what’s scary is that I know what it is. It’s the ache of knowing Ariana won’t be here forever. That she’s temporary. And the thought of losing her already makes it hard to breathe.
* * *
A s soon as she finishes her breakfast, Ariana sets her fork down, wipes her mouth, and looks up at me with that stubborn fire already brewing behind her eyes. “I’m going out to the camper. I’ll wait there until you’re ready to take me to my car.”
I narrow my eyes. “We already talked about this, rainbow.”
She stands, avoiding my gaze, and heads toward the door.
I rise, ignoring the smirk from Theo and the curious eyes of Rowie, and follow her outside, pissed. The gravel crunches beneath our feet as we cross the yard to where I parked last night with that damn camper connected to my truck.
“Get back inside. Now.”
She spins on her heel, hands on her hips like she’s ready for battle. Her pink hair glistens under the sunlight, and I have to force myself not to smile at her fierce expression. One second, she’s all love and light and the next, she looks like she might slit my throat without a single regret. “Or else what?”
I step closer, my voice low and dangerous. “Stop testing me, Ariana. Or you’re going to find out. And I promise, your bottom won’t like it.”
She scoffs, rolls her eyes, and shakes her head. “Are you threatening to spank me? All because you’re not getting your way?”
My jaw flexes. “It’s not about getting my way, Little one. It’s about your health and safety. So yeah, rainbow, I’m threatening to redden that ass if you don’t listen to me.”
She hesitates, her posture shifts. Then her shoulders drop, her next words are quieter. “Why are you doing this?”
I don’t answer. Not because I don’t have one, but because if I speak now, I might say something I can’t take back. Something that I’m not ready to admit out loud, even to myself.
So instead, I ask, “Why have you been traveling all over? Why haven’t you settled down somewhere? Gotten a job?”
She stares at me. Her lips press firmly together. Silence stretches between us, cold and thick.
I sigh and rake a hand through my hair, frustration simmering in my chest as I start to pace. Why is she making this so difficult? All she needs to do is obey me and life will be great for both of us. Easy. But no, she has to challenge me. Something I would normally hate, but for some annoying reason, it makes me proud of her.
Finally, her voice comes, small but steady. “I don’t have any real skills.”
I stop and turn to face her, unsure if I heard her correctly.
“I’ve never had a job,” she continues, not meeting my eyes. “I don’t even know my own Social Security Number. Everything I own is in that camper. My life hasn’t exactly been… ordinary. You wouldn’t understand.”
I step toward her slowly. “Why? Because I have an expensive watch? Try me, rainbow.”
She looks up, her brows drawn, lips slightly parted. “What are you talking about?”
“None of us are blood-related,” I tell her, using my thumb to point back toward the main house. “Me and my brothers. A man sort of… adopted us. We were brought here when we were teens. He gave us a chance at a new life. Before that, our situations were more fucked up than you could possibly imagine.”
She blinks, absorbing my words.
I don’t go into detail. Not yet. That’s not mine to share. Not all of it. Ariana isn’t a threat, and telling her what we do will come, but not right now.
When she doesn’t say anything straight away, I take another step toward her and use my pointer finger to brush a strand of hair away from her face. The fact that she doesn’t slap my hand away is a small win in my book.
“I want to help you,” I say, quieter now, gentler. “But you have to let me in.”
She swallows hard, arms still crossed tight over her chest.
“I’m not sure if I can,” she whispers.
And even though that answer stings more than I expect—it’s honest.
It’s a start.