AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“This is Cassandra and her son Tyler,” he explains to the other women.
“Whatever,” Mercedes says impatiently. “We all know each other and it’s great. Now give me the baby.”
Lucian arches a brow in question and I nod. He leans around me to unbuckle Tyler before handing him over to what I would have thought was a crazy woman. A moment later she is gone, disappearing into the store.
Lucian places a hand on my lower back, leading me inside with Dana trailing behind us. Inside is a cacophony of colorful pictures. Some were drawn on paper, others painted on the wall, and even some photographs. I’ve never been inside a tattoo parlor but I am instantly curious about everything. Rock music plays softly in the background and I can’t help but stare.
“Isn’t he beautiful?” I hear Mercedes say to someone but I don’t hear a reply.
A scowling man walks out of one of the back rooms and glares at all of us. He’s a mountain of a man, covered in ink. But the family resemblance is clear. He looks like a younger version of Lucian.
“Who thought it was a good idea to let my woman hold a baby?” he asks, his deep voice filling the space. “Don’t I already have enough dogs?”
“Sorry, she asked,” I say softly, feeling a blush cover my face.
He studies me before his features soften. “You’re new, so you didn’t know.”
“Didn’t know?”
I’m confused as fuck. These people are a little much…
“Mercedes isn’t allowed around babies because she gets all maternal and shit,” Dana says making her way behind the counter. “And then she adopts another dog.”
“You did this!” He accuses and points at Dana, who only chuckles.
“How many do you have?” I cut in, asking the big man. But he doesn’t get a chance to answer.
Mercedes pops up beside him, smiling and cooing. Tyler is happy with all the attention because he laughs loudly.
“Ali only has one dog. The other four are mine,” she says.
“My name is Alistair,” he grumbles, smiling at my son over her shoulder before returning his sharp gaze to me. “Who are you?”
“Cassandra. And if you have that many animals I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other.”
“How so?” he asks with a frown.
“I’m opening a veterinarian practice a couple of doors down.”
Chapter Eight
She fits in
Lucian
Cassandra is a virtual stranger and already she has seamlessly fallen into easy camaraderie with everyone she’s met. Alistair is probably the hardest one of us to win over and he’s already smiling at her.
I can’t tear my gaze from her as she banters with the people in my life. My heart feels full for the first time in ages. If I can only convince her to let me into her life and her heart, and not just her body. For now, I will accept our arrangement but it won’t be long before she realizes she is mine.
Mercedes’ voice pulls me from my inner musings.
“A vet?” She asks with excitement. “Zeus has a lump on the inside of his left leg. When are you opening?”
Like everything else the woman does, she speaks a mile a minute.
“Give her a minute,” I cut in. “She just got the shop.”
“It’s fine,” Cassandra smiles at me, squeezing my arm before facing Mercedes. “It’ll take a couple of weeks to get all the gear I need and have the practice up and running. But I’m happy to do house calls in the meantime.”
