Chapter 60
Lark
I lose myself in thought as I pack the last of my things. We extended our stay here by another day to help clean up and repair things after the attack, but that’s not what’s on my mind.
It’s the meeting I have later today.
Meeting Chris and Julie for the first time as Anthony’s fiancée.
While, yes, I’m nervous about meeting Chris after texting with him a lot these last few months, it’s his mom, Julie, that I’m more worried about.
I don’t know how she’ll take meeting me and what she’ll say or do when she finds out I’m engaged to her brother. Or that we have a party planned for Chris and that he’s asked me to teach him how to carve as well as how to shoot a bow.
A throat clears, and I startle. Turning toward the door only to find Loki leaning against the frame.
“It’s going to be okay, Lark.”
I give him a tight smile and nod as I turn, placing the last of my stuff in my bag and zipping it up.
“I know, it’s just… I keep remembering all the times I’ve seen them both at the supper club or around town, and every time, something has always seemed, I don’t know…
off to me.” I sit on the bed next to my bag and lean forward, resting my forearms on my knees.
Loki pushes off the door frame and comes over, sitting down next to me. “Well, we’ll find out more later. I have a feeling she’s going to get a wakeup call today now that Chris is eighteen and she can’t control him anymore.”
The way he says that has me frowning as I look over at him. He smiles, but otherwise says nothing more on the matter. Did he have another vision? Or is he speaking from experience of having known Julie before she cut off contact after the accident?
He bumps his shoulder against mine. “Come on. The faster we get on the road, the faster we can set everything up at the clubhouse and you can finally meet Chris in person. I know Reaper’s chomping at the bit even though he won’t say anything.”
I chuckle softly and nod before standing. Loki grabs my bags before I can stop him and with a shake of my head, I follow after him.
When I get downstairs, I bite my lip to keep from smiling but judging by Anthony’s scowl, I don’t think I’m successful.
He’s pacing and damn near vibrating with need to see Chris after three years.
I know he’d scoff at me if I said anything in front of the others, but I love seeing him this excited.
It’s also why I was okay with waking up at the ass crack of dawn to head back home.
“What the fuck, Reaper? Did you drink three pots of coffee or something?” Miracle grouses as she comes out of her bedroom with her bag slung over her shoulder, barely able to keep her eyes open.
Her hair is up in a messy bun and she’s wearing an old college sweatshirt, leggings, and fake fur-lined slipper boots.
I ignore the double take Anthony and Loki give her because they’ve always seen her with a full face of makeup before compared to now where she’s not wearing a lick of makeup.
I shake my head at her grumpiness, used to this side of her after all of these years.
Taking her coffee thermos out of her hands, I walk over to the coffee pot, all the while ignoring Loki’s roaring laughter behind me.
I know exactly what look she pinned me with, but it lost its effect on me years ago.
“Fuck, the glare she just gave you, Lark, could castrate some men.”
I shrug as he continues to laugh and I pour her coffee, doctoring it up the way she likes it.
“Yeah, but if she were to try and pour coffee right now, she’d just end up burning herself.
” Turning, I hand her the coffee mug. “Now take a drink of your go-go juice and become the Miracle I know and love rather than a zombie gremlin.”
She scowls at me but does as I ask and she hums. “And this is why I love you. You put up with my pre go-go juice self and my crazy ass.”
Loki and Anthony stare at her in shock and I frown. They’ve seen her these past few days before coffee and after coffee, what’s so different this time?
“Fuck, I can’t get over how night and day it is before you have your go-go juice as you call it. Also, drink more coffee because, yeah, just drink more,” Loki says cryptically as he clears his throat and picks up Miracle’s bags, taking hers and mine outside to Anthony’s truck.
I stare after him, trying to figure out what the fuck he meant when Miracle passes me and tops off her mug before following him outside.
Shaking my head, I fill my own thermos with coffee and turn to find Anthony leaning against the counter, smirking as he looks out the window.
“What did Loki mean by that?”
Anthony’s smirk deepens when he looks over at me. “Let’s just say, that morning voice of hers is going to fucking kill two very specific people if they hear it. And it will be fucking hilarious if we ever get to see her take them on before having her coffee.”
“Ohhhh,” I drawl out as my gaze goes to the window and I bite my lip to keep from laughing when I can hear Miracle bitching out someone from here.
Anthony snags my hand and leads me outside where we find Miracle tearing into Cannon, who is just standing there, arms crossed as he lets her go on her tirade.
Atlas stands off to the side, his gaze bouncing between Cannon and Miracle.
I frown when I realize both of them are wearing a look on their faces that I can’t quite describe.
“What happened?” I quietly ask Loki as I step up next to him and his lips roll in as his shoulders shake with silent laughter.
“Cannon was loading the truck and didn’t know anyone was behind him when he stepped back.
Let’s just say he’s learning a very important lesson about her ‘go-go juice’ and was confused as fuck to what she meant until she said her coffee.
When he bumped into her, she would have dropped it if Atlas hadn’t grabbed it and prevented it from being spilled.
She snatched it back out of his hands and has been laying into Cannon since he bumped into her. ”
I bite the inside of my cheek and hand him my travel coffee thermos. “Put this in the truck, will you? I’m going to go rein in the zombie gremlin.”
His shoulders shake again in silent laughter as he takes my thermos but makes no move to put it in the truck. Sighing, I shake my head and step up beside Miracle, taking the thermos out of her hand. She whirls on me and pierces me with a glare that only softens when she realizes it’s me.
“Come on, zombie gremlin, let’s get in the truck where you can have more coffee before you need an IV of this because you and I both know you’ll be running on fumes in a few minutes.”
She huffs before turning on her heel, all the while continuing to glare at Cannon as she climbs up into the truck.
She makes grabby hands when she’s finally buckled in, already knowing from past road trips my routine for dealing with her zombie-ness and I hand it over.
She takes a sip, humming as she closes her eyes and I hear a strangled sound slip out of Cannon beside me.
I cock my eyebrow at him and I swear I see his cheeks tinge pink a little before he turns on his heel and walks back over to his truck to secure his tonneau cover in place.
Shaking my head, I shut Miracle’s door and walk over to the other side of the truck.
After buckling in, Loki hands me my coffee from where he’s sitting in the front as he tries to keep from looking back at Miracle who is still grumbling about Cannon needing to be aware of his surroundings.
Shaking my head, I take a sip of coffee as we get on the road, knowing it will be a few more minutes until she perks up to her normal self.
Not even five minutes later, I’m trying not to laugh as Miracle starts rattling off a list of everything we need to do today to get the party in order for Chris.
Loki has twisted in his seat to stare at her in bewilderment and Anthony is giving her similar looks in the rear-view mirror.
A moment later, she finally stops as she turns to me, an exasperated expression on her face.
“Babe, how are you ever able to get anything done? These two staring at me like I’ve sprouted a second head all the fucking time.
Is everyone like this? Because if so, then Mama Astrid is a saint for putting up with this before you came.
We may need to look into hiring an event coordinator for future celebrations at this rate. ”
Almost in unison, both Anthony’s and Loki’s laughter suddenly cut off and they scowl at her. I can’t help it. I bust out laughing and they turn their scowls on me.
I wipe my eyes as I try to rein in my laughter, but when their scowls deepen, it only makes my laughter worse. After a few moments, I finally am able to somewhat talk in between laughing.
“M, they aren’t used to the transition from zombie gremlin to the Miracle they know. Cut them some slack. I’ve known you for years so I’m used to your crazy ass, but they aren’t. However, I think they all know not to get between you and your coffee from now on.”
Miracle grumbles as she takes another sip of her coffee. “Serves the fucker right.”
I’m about to say something when her phone vibrates, and then her face pales. Her fingers tremble as she types something in response and I feel the shift in the guys.
“M,” I say, keeping my voice gentle.
Miracle shakes her head but when a tear slips down her cheek, she wipes at it angrily. “It’s just Grant being his jackass self again, it’s nothing to worry about.”
I frown and share a worried look with Anthony in the rear-view mirror before turning back toward Miracle. “You know we’ll be there for you if you ever need anything, right?”
She gives me a watery smile and nods.
“If he threatens you, you just let us know, Miracle. You’ve got a club at your back that will gladly make that fucker pay for hurting you,” Anthony tells her and she gives him a small, tight smile as well as a nod.