Chapter Two
Two
Reece
Sweat trickled down my forehead and stung my eyes. It was still early in the morning, but the July sun was out in full force today.
July.
That meant I had a little over two months left before the Briar Glenn Triathlon.
I closed in on the final stretch of my run, my feet pounding against the ground as they pushed me up the hill. My calves and quads were screaming, but I glanced down at my watch, the fact that I was so close to a personal best motivating me to really dig deep.
“Yes!” I whooped as I reached the top of the hill. My lungs burned with each gulp of air I desperately sucked down. I smiled at the time on my watch before throwing my arms up over my head and walking in slow circles.
Every Saturday, I went for a run at the park to train for the triathlon, and this was my best time yet. At this rate, I’d have no problem with the 5K run and 20K bike portions of the race.
That 750-meter swim, though? That was a different story.
Due to my muscle mass and poor form, my swimming prowess resembled that of a manatee. I had no speed or stamina whatsoever.
I either had to take my training to the next level or let go of this pipe dream.
And I wasn’t a quitter.
“Struggling a bit there, huh, Rollins?” Jimenez said with a sly smile as he slowed to a stop beside me. The asshole had barely broken a sweat, and that would explain why he finished so far behind me.
“Go fuck yourself, Jimenez,” I said with a laugh.
My eyes focused on the round globes of his ass in his tight athletic shorts as he trotted off toward the tennis courts to do his usual cooldown routine.
Javier Jimenez was the most attractive guy in Briar Glenn, and he just so happened to be my subordinate at the Parks Department. More recently, he’d become one of my closest friends. To my dismay, that put him strictly off limits.
I needed to get laid. Bad.
Since I started training for the triathlon, I hadn’t had time for hookups or dating apps. That dry spell was finally starting to take its toll. A guy could only jerk off and play with toys so much before he craved the real thing.
As I fought to get my libido under control, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
My mother.
“Ay, Ma. What’s up?” I said as I plopped down on a park bench and tugged my sweaty tank top away from my skin.
“I wanted to make sure you’re coming over to Tegan’s later.” She used that authoritative tone that all moms seemed to take with their children—even the adult ones. “This is important to her, Reece.”
I tsked and ran a hand through my sweat-soaked hair, brushing the light red strands out of my eyes.
Tonight was my sister Tegan’s engagement party.
I’d met her fiancé once, at the mayor’s daughter’s wedding, where I caught him hanging out with her in the garden.
That night somehow led to them dating, then mating not long after that.
In my mind, the entire thing had moved too fast. Fated mates or not, she didn’t really know the guy.
Everything came to a head when I told my sister as much.
Since that shouting match in her driveway, we hadn’t spoken or seen each other. Our mom was working as a mediator of sorts, pushing Tegan and me to work through our issues. By showing up tonight to celebrate her and Atlas, I was hoping it would start us on the path to making amends.
I wanted my sister to be happy, and I was sure Atlas was great. I just hated the way everything went down.
My awkward silence was a dead giveaway of how I felt about the situation.
“Reece.” My mother’s voice was laced with tension.
“C’mon, Mom. I didn’t forget. I’ll be there.”
“You better be on your best behavior, Reece Michael. Atlas is wonderful and we want him to feel comfortable around our family.”
“I promise I’ll behave.”
It was the truth, too. I wanted to like my sister’s mate, and more importantly, I wanted to improve my strained relationship with her.
Things between Tegan and me had soured since our dad died.
As much as I tried to move past it, I was still carrying some of the resentment I’d felt toward her since childhood.
I wanted the best for her, to protect her, but at the same time, I was insanely jealous of the favoritism our father extended to her and not to me.
Now that he was gone, I really had no way of reconciling those issues.
Not with him, and would it even be worth it to bring it up to Tegan?
“Were you listening to a single thing I said?” my mother asked.
“Sorry, I spaced out for a second. I just finished my run.”
“Please try to be open-minded. And you never know, maybe there will be some nice guys there for you to meet.”
I exhaled a deep breath and rubbed my sweat-streaked temples. “I don’t need you, Tegan, and her mate playing matchmaker, Ma. I’m happy being single.”
It was the truth.
I liked hooking up, but at the first hint of someone catching feelings for me? Wanting more? That just wasn’t something I could give them.
“Whatever you say, honey. Love you, see ya later. And, Reece, don’t forget the veggie tray.”
“I won’t. Love you, too.”
I ended the call right as Jimenez sat down next to me on the park bench. Sweat trickled down his temples and slid along the bronze column of his neck.
Fuck.
“How was your time?” he asked as he lifted his tank top to wipe the sweat from his brow, revealing a sculpted six-pack underneath.
I puffed out a breath and quickly averted my gaze, focusing on a centaur couple playing Frisbee in the field across from us. “My best yet.”
He gave me that winning smile of his, all straight white teeth and full lips, and shook his head. “Wasn’t your bike time the other day your best, too?”
“Mm-hmm.” I leaned against the back of the bench, cradling my head in my hands before tilting my freckled face up toward the sun.
“And swimming?”
“Damn, dude,” I scoffed. “Way to kill my runner’s high.”
One corner of his mouth tilted downward. Even when he was frowning, he was still hot as fuck. I needed to get a grip.
“Still struggling?” Jimenez asked.
“It’s improving—slowly. I need more time to practice, but it’s hard to get down to the lake with our work schedule.”
Thanks to the mayor’s rejuvenation initiative, Briar Glenn was thriving.
More people were moving here and opening businesses, and with that, we’d seen a serious surge in tourism.
As the lone employees of the Briar Glenn Parks Department, we were responsible for maintaining the town’s public parks and hiking trails—the amenities that tourists came here to enjoy.
Our department was the busiest I’d ever seen it—almost too much for me and Javier to manage on our own.
“I feel that, man. You need to join a gym with a pool.” He put his arms along the back of the bench and stared at me.
“No way. No fucking way.” There was only one gym in town, and it just so happened to be the gym that my sister’s mate owned. After the way things started out, there was no way I could just walk in there and sign up for a membership. Not yet at least.
“Look, Reece. You’re going to have to get over this at some point. Atlas is your sister’s mate. He owns a gym with a pool. Might as well make the most of it.”
“Yeah, I guess,” I sighed. “You and Selene are coming to the party, right?” I asked, hoping I’d have someone there to talk to.
“I’ll be there, but Selene’s still in Puerto Rico taking care of our abuela.”
Javier’s little sister, Selene, worked at my sister’s bakery, and the two of them had gotten close. Tegan was probably bummed out that one of her best friends wouldn’t be there, but taking care of your elderly grandmother abroad was a valid reason to miss a party.
“How would you feel if Selene jumped right into a commitment like that?” I asked. “You wouldn’t be concerned?” I knew that Jimenez was just as protective of Selene as I was of Tegan.
“Nah, man. If they treated her right and made her happy, that would be enough for me—regardless of the timeline.”
Maybe Jimenez was onto something.
Atlas had been nothing but a gentleman to my sister.
She was happy with him. She was cared for.
That would have to be good enough for me.
—
Tegan’s house was just outside of town, a tiny cottage tucked back into the woods. I turned onto the long gravel driveway, and the memory of the last time I was here flashed through my mind, a tight knot of regret settling in the pit of my stomach.
I couldn’t remember exactly what I’d said, but I did remember the look on my sister’s face. The anger. The pain.
Instead of having an honest conversation like an adult, I’d ambushed her.
Why did I have to be such an asshole?
Cars were parked bumper to bumper on both sides of the driveway.
Did they invite the entire town of Briar Glenn? This was ridiculous.
I finally found a spot and parked my car. As I walked closer to the house, that’s when I saw him.
Atlas.
My baby sister’s mate.
He was a towering wall of dark gray fur that deepened to black at the tips of his ears, paws, and tail.
Speaking of which, that fluffy tail wagged as he leaned over and gave my sister a kiss.
Atlas’s ears twitched as I approached and he turned to face me, his bright yellow eyes catching me off guard.
“Uh, hey!” he said in a deep, gruff voice as he waved a massive claw-tipped hand in my direction.
Tegan turned and gave me a tight smile. “Hey, Reece. Glad you could make it.” She gave me one of those awkward side hugs and cleared her throat. “Reece, this is Atlas. My mate.” She emphasized the last part like I needed the reminder.
Atlas gave me a toothy smile, and the sharp white points of his teeth gleamed in the late-afternoon sunlight. “Nice to meet you, bud.” He extended a furry hand out to me.
I hesitated, not being into casual touch, before taking his hand in mine and shaking. For being a massive muscle bro, he was surprisingly gentle. “Nice to meet you, too. Our mom has told me a lot about you.”
Tegan glared at me, throwing her hands on her hips.