Chapter 13

I pull off my shirt and put my phone back to my ear. Then I reach behind my back with one hand and unhook my bra.

“Babe,” Wes answers on the second ring, and a smile forms on my lips.

“Hey,” I mutter, letting the sound of his voice wash over me.

“You good?”

“Um, yeah, my sisters and cousins want to go out tonight,” I tell him, holding the phone to my ear as I start up the shower.

“Where are you going?”

“We’ll probably get dinner then go have a drink at Daniel’s bar,” I tell him, slipping off my panties.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and Wes and I celebrated with his mom in the afternoon and my family that evening. I was so happy to see my family all welcome Wes with open arms. My mom and aunts adored him, or they just liked looking at him—I couldn’t quite figure out that one yet—and my uncles all seemed to respect him, especially after the way Uncle Nico spoke about him in regards to what Wes and the guys did to help him get those girls out of the situation they were in. I never expected them to all get along, but I was very happy they did.

“Call me when you need to be picked up,” he says, bringing me back into the conversation.

“I don’t need you to pick me up. I don’t plan on drinking that much.”

“I love when you drink, baby,” he says. I can hear the smile in his voice and I roll my eyes. “Call when you need to be picked up,” he repeats more firmly than the previous time.

“Fine.” I sigh, knowing there’s no point in arguing with him. “Love you.”

“Love you too, baby,” he says, and I click the phone off, set it on the counter, and get into the shower. It’s been a month since the night Kayan and I went to spy on Z, things have cooled down. The guys who had taken Landon’s sister were arrested by Uncle Nico and are awaiting trial. I was definitely looking forward to them getting what they deserved, and hopefully that came in the form of becoming the bitch of some scary inmate in the state pen. I found out through Wes that Snake had taken Landon’s sister and was using her as leverage over Ronnie the owner of Mamma’s Country Landon also confided in Wes with the information about the dogfights that were being held. He said that when the guy Snake and his boys had taken over a few times a week they would hold fights but he didn’t know where the dogs came from. He said that when he was forced to remove the loosing dog he would take them to me in hopes that I could save them. I hated that there were probably still dogs suffering somewhere but I was thankful that Snake no longer had a hold over Landon or his father.

Kayan also opened up about being pregnant. She was afraid I would have the same reaction her parents had. They were disappointed in her for having a baby with someone they didn’t approve of, but her parents had always been part crazy, so I was glad she was finding a way to get over what they thought. She also admitted to me that she and Z had been seeing each other since their first encounter, but she wasn’t sure then where their relationship was going until the night they came over for tacos. He made it clear then that he wanted to be with her and that he wasn’t taking no for an answer.

She also said that half the things she said I needed to ignore, because the hormones were making her partly crazy. That, I had to agree with her on. If it weren’t against the law, I would have fired her already. The other day, someone called about having their dog fixed, and she freaked out on them, questioned them on how they would feel if their balls were chopped off.

After that outburst, it took me a good hour to get the person calm enough to continue using me as their Vet, and the whole time I was talking to them, she was crying, apologizing about how she acted. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to deal with her for the next few months. I feel bad for Z, but I swear every time I’m around them and she freaks out about something or another, he gets a weird smile on his face, like he thinks it’s the most adorable thing he has ever seen in his life. They are both insane, and I guess a perfect match.

I finish getting washed up, get out, and wrap a towel around my head. I go out to the kitchen, grab a bottle of water before feeding both Juice and Capone, and then go back into the bathroom to blow out my hair, using a large round brush so the volume is at full capacity. Once I have my hair dry, I put large rollers into my hair with clips.

Going out with my sisters and cousins is different than going out with my normal girlfriends. Even in high school, we would all compete with each other for the most over the top look, even if we were just going to a bonfire. I think part of the reason we did it was no one else could ever really understand our fathers, and the extreme competitiveness in which they raised us.

We are all daddies’ girls, and we all fought tooth and nail to get our way, some more than others. My cousin Ashlyn has had it the hardest of any of us. Uncle Cash is overly protective of her, so when we were younger and she would go out with us, it was the one time he didn’t fight her on her outfit or makeup, because he, my dad, and my other uncles would get together, drink beer, and complain about us, while our moms rolled their eyes and insisted we have our time. I don’t regret the way I grew up. Having the father I have has shown me how a man is supposed to treat not only his wife, but also his children.

I start my makeup with a smoky eye that causes my eye color to pop, and then add bronzer and blush that define my cheekbones. I use a lip liner to make my lips look even plumper than normal then find the perfect shade of light pink lipstick that gives me a nice, pouty mouth. Wes has never seen me this dolled up, so I have no idea what his reaction is going to be tonight when he comes to pick me up.