Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
RILEY
As soon as Charlie was gone, I turned to the others. “She's my mate, so none of you better fuck this up,” I told them.
“She can't be your mate,” Linc said, “because she's mine .”
“Shit. Pierce, you feeling it too?” Rhys asked and he nodded. “Well, fuck. Looks like she's all of our cats’ mate,” he added.
“How's that possible?” Linc asked.
“Fuck if I know. But we're all feeling the mate call, so how else do you explain it?” Rhys replied.
“Damn. I knew there was something special about her when I saw her talking to Meadow,” Pierce commented.
“Special is right. We need to do this right, guys. We can't fuck this up and lose her,” I told them. I saw what it did to my gramps when my gran, his mate, died. He didn't last a month before he was following her.
“We're not going to lose her,” Rhys assured me.
“I think we need to make this date low-key. I vote we invite her to my place and I cook dinner,” Pierce suggested.
“That's a good idea,” I said with a nod.
“We need to find out if she has any allergies,” Linc commented.
“I can stop over at her shop in the morning and ask,” Pierce offered.
“That's settled then. See y'all tomorrow,” I said and headed to my truck.
It was a straight shot home, but I didn't head there right away. I swung by Doc Reid’s to make sure Charlie made it home safe. I sat there watching the house when lights pulled up behind me.
“You had the same idea, I see,” I said once Rhys slid into the passenger side of my truck.
“Looks like it,” he replied. “My bobcat’s going nuts wanting to be close to her.”
“Same,” I replied.
The back doors on my truck opened and Pierce and Linc slid in as well. “We're all on the same wavelength,” I commented.
“Think we should go knock?” Pierce asked.
“And say what? It's bad enough we already look like stalkers,” I replied.
“Good point,” he commented.
We sat there watching the house when the front door opened. The silhouette of a woman could be seen before the door closed.
“If you're going to sit out here, you might as well have something cold to drink,” we heard and I chuckled.
“Shoulda known you knew we were here,” I replied through my open window.
I turned on the dome light and it illuminated her heart-shaped face. “Hello Peaches. Mighty kind of you to bring us some refreshments,” I said, taking the glasses she offered and handed them out.
“Sweet tea. Perfect,” Rhys said, taking a sip.
“Just put the glasses on the porch when you're done with them. I'll get them in the morning, because I'm going to bed,” she told us and sashayed back to the house.
I drank the sweet tea she'd left us and waited for the others to finish theirs before I took the glasses up to the porch as instructed.
“Guess that's our cue to go the fuck home,” Rhys said.
“Sounds about right,” I replied.
“See y'all tomorrow,” Pierce said before he got out of the truck.
Rhys and Linc followed, and with a wave I headed home.