“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 BamBamreallylikes 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.”
