Chapter 8 #3
A third little girl, Cassie, edged forward, thrusting another paper forward.
Her companion Caitlyn, pointed at the paper.
“Hellfire, Lockout, Dash, Susie, and Dex are here. Mel and Daisha, and Bear and Tori and their baby.” Caitlyn’s finger slid over the paper as she spoke softly. “And this is Kit and Sylvia.”
Cassie motioned to the top corner. “Don’t forget Riptide and Sloane and Hush and Seek.”
“Who are these two?” I asked, pointing to two figures with four legs.
“That’s Auron and Jecht,” Gabby told me. “They’re Seek’s, but she lets them sleep with us sometimes.”
I was already on the verge of tears at the welcome these sweet girls were giving me, but then Gabby, the leader of this little group, held out the stuffed otter. “This is Oscar. He’ll keep you company until this feels like your home.”
Priest stepped back in, just in time as I was about to bawl from all the sweetness. “Come on girls, leave Danica alone to get settled in.
I took the otter and hugged him tight. “Thank you girls, you’re all so kind.”
Smokehouse shut the door as Priest herded the girls out and smiled over at me. “They’re all great around here.”
Blinking back tears, I got up and rummaged through one of the boxes on the kitchen counter. Sure enough, there were magnets in there. I held them up. “They really are. Everyone is so nice, and Priest has thought of everything.” I hung the pictures on the fridge and smiled at them.
The door hadn’t been shut for more than a minute when a knock sounded. Smoke opened it and shot me a grin as he looked back at me. “It’s for you.”
Frowning, I crossed the room until I was standing directly behind him. When he held the door open, my eyes widened. The women I’d met downstairs were huddled around the opening.
“It’s okay if you say no,” Kit said, giving me a smile, “we can be a lot. But we’d like to help you move in, if that’s okay?”
“Oh. The guys already-”
“Dropped everything off,” Daisha said. Thankfully I had a way with names since I had to remember my students each year. They’d introduced themselves downstairs and I’d be horrified if I couldn’t remember them. I’d thought for a time that I wouldn’t, but my memory wasn’t letting me down so far.
“But someone needs to help with washing the dishes,” Susie said.
“And the towels and stuff,” Seek added.
“And help put it all away,” Jenny continued with a grin.
Tori nodded. “It can take weeks to properly move into a new place, but with us here we can finish it in a day.”
“It’s what we’re here for,” Sloane told me.
“We help each other,” Kit said, taking over the conversation again. “And now that you’re here and with my brother, you’re one of us.”
The only two who were missing were Gwen and Jordan. I didn’t ask where they were. These women being here meant so much to me and I didn’t want to seem ungrateful for their help. Tears formed in my eyes. “That’s so sweet of you.” I flicked my gaze over to Smokehouse. “I’m not sure we’re tog-”
“I’ll let you girls do your thing,” Smoke said, interrupting my attempt to tell the others that we weren’t dating.
“Go on,” Seek said with a wave of her hand. “You guys brought everything up here. We’ll get it all clean and organized.”
Going over to Smokehouse, I ignored the stares, and leaned up on my tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek. It wasn’t easy to ignore the desire that flooded into my belly when he turned his head just enough that I ended up kissing the side of his mouth. No man should have such delectable lips.
There were soft giggles behind us, but Smoke didn’t pay any attention to them. He just stared down at me with the intense stare I was becoming used to. This man was a mystery to me. “Thank you,” I whispered to him.
His hand raised and he cupped my cheek for a brief moment before he turned and walked out the door.
The silence in the apartment continued even after I turned and found all eyes on me.
My cheeks heated up as the women watched me with smiles on their faces.
Even Kit was grinning. I had hoped to become friends with her and she was making it very easy on me. It was a relief.
“I’ll bring over some things to make dinner for tonight,” Jenny called out as she sailed out of the apartment, breaking the spell that held everyone immobile. She was as much a whirlwind as Priest’s girls. It made me smile.
“She’s not bringing over things for you to make dinner. She’ll end up doing it,” Seek confided in me.
“Oh, that’s not necessary.”
“Let her,” Kit said with a laugh.
“She loves it,” Tori confirmed. “She’s a little homemaker and it makes her so happy to dote on her family. You’re a part of that now.”
“I’ll make an apple pie and bring it over later,” Sloane told me as she gathered up the newly purchased towels, wash cloths, and hand towels that one of the guys had dumped on the couch.
“This is all so… I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this,” I said, sinking down onto the recliner again. Hugging the otter close, I watched as the women busied themselves in my new home.
I did my best to hold it in, but in the face of their generosity, I lost the battle with my hormones. Tears slipped down my cheeks as I broke out into sobs.