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I stop us far enough away from the others that we won’t be interrupted and pull my shirt off. Sitting down in the sand, I pat the space in front of me. “Promise not to bite.”
She huffs out a breath and pulls off the cover up she put on over her swimsuit. Soft, golden skin covered by two small pieces of black fabric is revealed, and my mouth goes dry. She plops herself between my thighs, and I pull her back against my chest, hooking an arm around her waist. It feels right. By the way she relaxes into my hold, it feels right to her too.
Ripley is much smaller than River, my body engulfing hers as I hold her against me, and I find I enjoy the significant size difference between us. Her head sits just below my chin, and I prop it against the top of her head, looking out over the water. Her hands rest on my thighs, drawing slow circles on the exposed skin that she touches with the tips of her fingers. I shudder at the touch and close my eyes as little tingles shoot from wherever she touches.
“Tell me something you haven’t told River yet,” I say after several long moments of silence.
She laughs. “Hmm... Give me a minute. He’s beating you by several weeks, you know? So, there’s a lot of information he’s gained.”
“I know. That’s why I want to know something he doesn’t.”
She thinks it over for a minute before replying, “Okay. I think I’ve got something. I want to be a photographer. Mostly nature and the outdoors, things like that, but I wouldn’t mind taking pictures of people, too. I’d love to travel. See the beauty of the rest of the world, you know?”
Ripley turns to look at me and bites her lip, something I’ve noticed she does often. I pull the poor abused flesh away from her teeth with my thumb, running it along her bottom lip. Her lips are parted, and I can feel each breath as it puffs out of her. Her hazel eyes flick back and forth between mine and my lips, making the tips of my lips curl up.
“I think photography is great. It’s a form of art for most people. I get liking different forms of art,” I tell her huskily.
“And what do you do?” She asks, poking me in the side.
“Isn’t it obvious? I own a tattoo shop. Ink Envy. Did most of these tattoos you see on me myself.”
She traces the butterflies on my right hand lightly, following them up as they turn into moths, up my arm where the black and white turns into vibrant color. I shiver at the light touch, closing my eyes and just enjoy the feeling. The sounds of the others splashing around and the birds chirping brings a smile to my face.
“You do beautiful work.”
“Thank you. I’m very passionate about what I do.”
“I can tell. It shows.”
She leans back against my chest, smiling, and raises her face toward the sun, sighing in contentment. Her hair is up in a messy bun, wisps falling out and tickling my chest and face. I run my own fingers against her unblemished skin, enjoying the softness under the tips of my own calloused fingers, and she hums. A purr rumbles up my chest and throat unbidden, and my chest vibrates at her back. Her eyes pop open at the soft rumble and she looks at me in surprise. I give her a crooked grin and stop the purr.
“You just... Did you just purr for me?”
I can feel the tips of my ears warm and clear my throat. “Yeah?”
That came out much more like a question than I meant it to. Her cheeks pinken and she tucks her lips behind her teeth as she gives me a sheepish look.
“Sorry. No, it was nice, and I love it. It was just unexpected. Proceed, please.” Her throat clears as she grins and turns back towards the water.
She snuggles back against me as I purr for her again, this time intentionally. I’ve never purred for anyone but River, so this is new for me, but it also feels right. It’s such a natural reflex to do this for her, to provide comfort even if she doesn’t necessarily need it. A sense of connectedness overcomes me as we sit back to chest, me purring for her and her humming beneath her breath. I watch as her face softens the longer we sit there, and I stroke over her cheek with a finger, loving the way her soft skin feels against my rough flesh.
Ripley is a beautiful woman, inwardly and outwardly. It truly is surprising that she hasn’t found a pack already, but sitting here with her now, I can say with certainty that I’m glad she didn’t. Because if she had, then she wouldn’t be here with us, and although things are new with her, she seems to make everyone happier when she’s around.
“I used to sit and secretly watch when my mom would be snuggled up with one of my dads growing up. She’d be curled up in one of their arms, and I could hear the soft purr they’d give for her and see how she’d let go of all her worries if she had any or how she’d relax and have the softest smile on her face like she was in complete bliss. She’d look so serene. Peaceful. And if one of them were having a bad day, they’d lay their head in her lap and she’d run her fingers through their hair, caring for them like they did her. Growing up, watching them, it made me so excited to find something like that of my own. To have someone to give that kind of care to.”
Her voice is so soft. Wistful, even. Hopeful, but laced with just the smallest hint of pain. She wants pack life. The love and security that comes with it. She’s been waiting for it. Even I can see that as she talks about her parents.
“And now?”
“Well, now, I’m just seeing where life leads me. I still hope I find that, eventually. What they have, it’s beautiful. But I’ve found after sitting at the Center for three years and being continually disappointed that when I’m meant to meet the ones for me, I will.”
I think she already has, but only time will tell for sure. I was against it at first, but sitting here with her in my arms, a purr rumbling in my chest, and feeling a new sense of peace overcoming me has put a lot in perspective for me. Maybe River was right that we’ve been missing something, or someone. Maybe there has been a Ripley-sized hole in our lives that we’ve just ignored and now that she’s here, we’re realizing it was there.
Instead of saying all of that out loud, I hum out a noncommittal noise. She’ll come to see in time that she’s right where she belongs. So will everyone else. We may not have intended on anyone else joining our pack, but we also never could have expected Ripley to come bounding into our lives, either.
“I think it’s great you had excellent role models in your life growing up. Sounds like you really admire and love your parents.”
“I do. They’re pretty great. Maybe one day you all can meet them. River already has when he picked me up the first time I came over. He did much better than I thought he would.” She chuckles, shaking her head.
