Chapter 21
CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE
Shelly
“I always forget how addictive this place is,” I say as the three of us huddle around a display of skincare. “I like this line a lot, it’s all natural and there are none of the chemicals we shouldn’t use on our skin.”
“If my skin will look as good as yours, I’m sold,” Livy teases, reaching out and grabbing the starter kit which has cleanser, toner, and moisturizer.
“Don’t forget the free gift,” Issy says, grabbing the travel bag and tossing it into Livy’s basket.
“Those are the best parts of shopping here,” I confess. “I love getting the themed eyeshadow palettes, even though I tend to stick to using the same colors. Still, if I ever dress up for Halloween, I have options.”
“What do you use for shampoo and conditioner?” Livy questions as we each add a few more odds and ends to our baskets.
“With the humidity in Texas, I use a lot of different products to keep from looking like an alpaca,” I admit, which has all three of us giggling.
“But outside of my hair trying to expand to ten times its normal size, it’s normal, so I use one from Pureology that seems to work well.
I also like L’ange products, especially the one to combat frizziness. ”
“Lead the way, I love it when Rafe’s head explodes while he looks at all the bottles in the shower,” Issy teases.
“I usually buy shampoo and conditioner based on how it smells,” Livy confesses. “But my hair tends to be dry from the roots down, so maybe I should get something that adds moisture or something.”
“We have our mission, ladies!” I exclaim.
As we walk through the store, laughing and carrying on, I see other women staring at us.
Something like that would’ve bothered me in the past, but now, I honestly don’t care what those who don’t even know me think.
Before we reach the area where the hair care products are displayed in neat rows on the shelving, I stop in my tracks.
“I’ve been waiting for them to get this!
” I say, practically jumping up and down.
At their raised brows, I add, “Each row of teeth separates as you pull the brush through your hair. It's meant to be used in the shower for those with curly hair. Every time I’ve tried to order it online, they’ve been sold out.
” I show them what I mean about the teeth separating and see their eyes widen in understanding.
After tossing one in my basket, which is getting alarmingly full, I start moving once again until I see some silk bonnets and grab one of those as well.
“Why did you get that?” Livy asks as we finally reach the shampoo and conditioner aisles.
“Because silk bonnets are good for all hair types. My hair is long enough that it tangles on me when I sleep, so I started doing a loose braid and tucking it up into a bonnet. Now, instead of spending twenty minutes trying to untangle my hair, I simply take it off, loosen my braid and brush it out.”
“I’m gonna try one then,” Livy says.
“Same,” Issy adds, grinning at me. “The guys might kill us when they see everything we’ve bought, but it’s been so much fun.”
“I don’t think so,” I reply. “If they want us to keep looking our best, we have to have the proper tools. At least, that’s gonna be my story.
” Both of them start snickering as I look for the brand I use.
When I spot it, I quickly find that they’ve got a line for dry hair.
“Livy? You could get some samples of this and try it,” I suggest.
“That’s another thing I like about Ulta,” Issy says.
“They’ve got so many products that are in sample size packages.
I mean, I have no problem buying full-size bottles, but what if it doesn’t work for me?
Then I feel obligated to use it, so I didn’t waste the money.
This way, I get the best of both worlds.
I can buy the sample and if I don’t like it, I can toss it and not feel guilty. ”
“It smells good too,” Livy teases, having opened the top of the shampoo to smell the cap. “I know, I know, it’s more important that my scalp is clean and so is my hair, but I want it to have a nice scent that doesn’t overpower my perfume, you know?”
“You always smell like sunshine,” Issy states. “With a hint of citrus.”
“I like the Clinique perfumes, but I also found Mark Jacobs’ Daisy, and BamBam really likes it on me,” she slyly shares, winking at us.
I burst out laughing, since all of the brothers are larger than life, especially BamBam because of his position in the club, so hearing that he has a fondness for the perfume his woman wears is kind of endearing.
“Let me grab what I like then we can go see what else we can find,” Issy states, walking over to the next aisle.
I look down at my basket and murmur, “I’m not sure there’s too much room left.”
“We’ll just get another basket,” Livy replies.
After we roam through the store to make sure we haven’t forgotten anything, we finally check out. Issy then declares, “We need food after all of that!”
“I’m game,” I reply just as my stomach growls.
“Tex-Mex good with y’all?” Issy asks as we head to her SUV. Once we have everything stashed in the back and are inside with the air quickly cooling the heated vehicle, I sit back with a smile on my face.
“Sounds good as long as there’s queso, salsa, and chips involved,” I pipe up from the back.
“The place I’m taking us to has got some awesome queso. Actually, they have two different kinds. The one that’s just the cheese, then the other that has seasoned meat mixed in. I like them both,” Issy admits as she navigates through the parking lot.
“If I keep eating this way now that I live down here, I’m going to weigh two hundred pounds,” I mumble as I rub my bloated stomach.
Maybe Tex-Mex wasn’t the best idea considering I’ll be with Abyss at my house for the next few days. Right now, I’m praying my cast iron stomach doesn’t let me down because that wouldn’t just be embarrassing, it would be mortifying!
“Naw, these guys play as hard as they work,” Issy says, winking at me in the rearview mirror. “They’ve got the best workout plans, too. Lots of cardio even!”
Livy starts giggling and soon, we’re joining in. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I fit in somewhere. Between these two and Marge, I’m rebuilding my girl tribe, and I love the way it feels. And personally, I can’t wait to see the workout that Abyss has in mind for us.
The guys are still in Rio’s office when we return, so I move my bags to my Jeep then head inside to hang with Issy and Livy until they’re done. Mongrel’s behind the bar and he looks at me and asks, “Want something to drink?”
“Just a diet soda, please.” He quickly fills a glass with ice then uses the hose on the bar to fill the glass, passing it over to me. “Thanks, Mongrel.” He doesn’t answer, just gives me a chin lift then continues cleaning the bar.
I walk over to the table where the other two are sitting and join them. “I had fun today,” Livy says. “I love Theo, of course, but it’s nice to have adult conversation.”
“Where is Theo?” I question.
“Marge came and picked him up to watch him for me,” she replies. “We’ll go pick him up once the guys are done with their meeting.”
“But how can they have a meeting when some of the brothers went fishing?” I ask. “I thought their meetings were for all the brothers.”
“Most of the time, they are, but if there’s something one wants to discuss, they’ll talk in Rafe’s office,” Issy says. “Not that I have a clue what’s going on, since whenever I try to ask I hear the infamous ‘club business’ bullshit, but if it’s something they want us to know, they’ll share.”
“Well, that’s good to know,” I reply. “I mean, I guess I understand because of plausible deniability and all that jazz, but I wouldn’t like to be kept in the dark if I was possibly in danger.”
Issy shrugs. “Their motto is nobody fucks with the Kings, so trust me when I say this, if anyone thinks they can come to our neck of the woods and mess with one of us, they’ll find out what that means to the brothers.
Hell, Riptide, who’s Rio’s cousin, his charter is up in Canton and if there was an issue, he’d come roaring down to have his back and not think twice about it.
A lot of those brothers used to live here until the decision was made to start another charter and they’d be here too. ”
Since I love hearing the history of the club, as much as the women know, I stay quiet and listen.
I know from the little she’s shared that Livy had the club’s backing during her situation.
Considering how outgoing and self-assured she is now, I find it hard to believe she was once so timid and scared.
But the love of a good man who has an army behind him will do that for a woman.
We’ve moved on from talking about the men and are now discussing tattoos when I see Abyss striding toward me.
While he’s smiling, it doesn’t totally reach his eyes which is concerning.
Still, when he leans in and gives me a quick kiss, then asks, “You ready to go?” I don’t hesitate to stand and put my hand in his.
“Thanks again for going with me, y’all,” I say, looking at Issy and Livy. “We may need to make this a quarterly thing depending on how fast we all run out of stuff.”
“Monthly, we should go monthly,” Issy muses as she grins up at Rio who looks up at the ceiling with a ‘why me?’ look on his face.
“That works too!” I exclaim as Abyss laces his fingers with mine. Walking outside, I break away to go to my Jeep and see the puzzled look on his face. “I have my stuff in the back and it’s too much to fit in the saddlebags,” I admit, making him smirk.
“Bought that much, huh?” he asks.
“I was out of a lot of stuff,” I reply, shrugging. I mean, there are worse things I could buy, I guess. I don’t smoke, do illegal drugs, or have piercings all over my body. Skincare and smelling nice are definitely not crimes as far as I’m concerned, so I ignore his teasing and get in my car.
“Wanna stop to grab something to eat first?” he questions before I get the door closed.
“I mean, I can cook for us if you’d like,” I say. “We eat out a lot and that can’t be healthy.”
“We’ll cook the rest of the time. Let’s hit the diner first, sweetheart,” he suggests.
“Okay, that works too.”