Page 56 of Tracked By Sasquatch

Zombie could’ve still been speaking or maybe he trailed off for all she knew, she was in her head.

She’d heard one of the guys in Omaha mention ol’ lady, but that was in the aftermath, and she was in a bit of shock so she’d honestly kinda forgotten it.

But then the president said it.

“I’m not really his ol’ lady.” It was more of a realization or question or, shit she didn’t know, but Zombie’s voice finally pulled her back to the present.

“Yeah, you are. He made it official… oh fuck. He didn’t tell you yet. Shit, I’m sorry. I assumed he’d told you since you came back here and waited for him. And of course, that.” He’d motioned to her neck where there was clear evidence of the night in Nebraska.

It was the yet that stuck in her craw, indicating a passage of time.

“When. When did he do that?”

“I think you should hear that from him; I’ve already stepped in it.”

Devin narrowed her eyes at Zombie and nodded. She’d let it go; it wasn’t his fault that Jasper was a grade A chode. How dare he claim her without her even knowing?

While she was pissed at the caveman act of laying a claim and everyone just accepting it without asking her a damn thing, a part of her, that fucking muscle in her chest, filled up with love. He had chosen her, and that was a huge deal to him because he himself never felt chosen.

Sadly, pissed was winning at the moment.

Zombie dismissed her and she ran right into a woman she hadn’t met before as soon as she exited the office.

“Oh, you’re Devin.”

She didn’t ask, she told, then pulled her into a hug. The woman only had maybe ten years on Devin. She was dressed like Stevie Nicks and smelled like incense, but there was something about her hug. It was comforting. While hugs were not for Devin as a rule—except from Jasper and her brother, who gave the best hugs—she hated them. They were generally awkward and weird. Like where do the tits go, where does the nose go, but Devin found herself sinking into this lady’s hug.

The woman finally pulled back and studied her. “You are absolutely perfect. Look at you.” Devin highly doubted perfect was the right word. She’d just come off a road trip where she alternated between sleeping in the passenger seat and eating Cheetos nonstop when she was awake for hours on end.

All she wanted was to go to Jasper’s room to sleep after a long hot shower.

“Your aura complements his perfectly.”

Ah, this was Jasper’s Aunt Phoebe, had to be.

“Phoebe. It’s nice to meet you, Jasper’s told me a lot about you.”

He’d left out how stunning she was. She was radiant. There was a resemblance to Jasper she could see. It was the eyes and the nose. She could only assume his birth mother and her sister favored each other.

“I can’t wait for us to sit down and get to know each other. I’d also love to do a reading, but you must be exhausted. I’ll walk you to his room so you can rest.”

At Jasper’s door, she turned to tell Phoebe bye, and his aunt pulled one of her multiple necklaces off and slipped it over Devin’s head. “It’ll keep any nightmares away. Sleep well, Devin.”

After stumbling into his room she didn’t even shower, just shucked her pants and bra and climbed into his bed. She buried her face in his pillow and fell asleep with his scent surrounding her.

She woke the next day rested, but still a little worse for wear. She’d logged so many miles in a four-day span that ten and a half hours of sleep—according to the old-school clock radio on his bedside table—didn’t make up for them.

A knock on Jasper’s door drew her attention as she was headed for a shower. It was Phoebe.

“I brought tea, fancy a chat?”

“Of course.” She motioned for her to come in. Thank God she’d worn Jasper’s sweats and a tee to bed. Even if she hadn’t, she wouldn’t turn down tea with Jasper’s aunt.

They had an amazing talk, she blushed, laughed, and cried. She felt an instant connection to Phoebe like she did with Jasper.

After Phoebe left, she showered and dressed, deciding it was time to head out to forage for food. She’d literally lived on cheesy chips and caffeine for days. She needed some damn protein. Jasper should be home soon, and she wanted to not be hangry when he arrived.

When she walked through the common room heading for the kitchen, she saw Gwen and the new candy striper, Diamond, downstairs and dressed to party. That was unusual for the middle of the day since the rules had changed after a couple of the guys got hitched, and after Heidi had an incident with Sherry.