“I did,” I admit, and even though it sucked telling them, I’m happy to have that weight gone.

“How’d that go?”

“As expected. Dad was disappointed in me, and Mom was Mom: disappointed and hurt.”

“Did Dad talk to Evan?” she asks, and I shake my head. When Evan came to pick me up from my parents’ house this morning to take me home so I could get ready for work, I was expecting my dad to take him aside and have a talk with him. That didn’t happen. All my dad said was, “Know what you have, son, and don’t fuck up again.” To that, Evan jerked up his chin. My mom looked like she wanted to say more, but my dad held her close to his side, not letting her have a chance to do that. The whole thing was strange, but I had a feeling my dad heard me last night, and understood in his fatherly way what I said about Evan—or at least I hope he heard me.

“Dad likes Evan, or he did,” she mutters then continues, “I had an emergency surgery, but Wes called to tell me what was going on.”

“How did Wes know?” I ask, but it’s Evan who answers as he wraps his arm around my shoulders.

“I called the guys when I called Jax and Sage, and told them to rally.”

“What?” I ask, tilting my head back to look at him.

“Wasn’t sure if the guy was still in the area and wanted them to do a sweep.”

“Isn’t that a job for the police?”

“The cops in town are mostly good, but they’re undermanned. Town’s growing faster than the department. More drugs and petty crimes are happening daily, so they’re spread thin.”

That’s true. Our town, which used to be on the smaller side, had started sprawling out over the last ten years, ever since a big automotive factory moved in. There were now more jobs, more people, more homes, and more crime. “The guy was on foot. It’s easy to steer clear of a cop car, not as easy to steer clear of a guy on a Harley, or a man in a truck that looks like the rest that drive by.”

“How do you know he was on foot?”

“Baby, your next-door neighbor is Brew. He has two brothers who live on your block, and all of them keep an eye out.”

Okay, I didn’t know that either. Then again, I just moved in, so it wasn’t like I had a chance to invite people over and introduce myself to them.

“Oh,” was all I could say, and when I did, I watched Evan smile then his face bent and he touched his mouth to mine softly.

“Kayan said there are a couple dogs here we can look at. If one of them isn’t the one, there’s another shelter a few towns over we can go to.”

“I want a cat,” I repeat and he shakes his head.

“You’re not getting a cat.”

“Remember when I said you’re more annoying?” I glare.

“I remember,” he says with a smile.

“Well, it’s even more true now.”

His eyes scan my face and his smile turns into a grin. “As cute as you’re being right now, we don’t have all day to argue.”

“Annoying,” I mutter, and July laughs while leading us down the hall into the back of the clinic to look at dogs.

Chapter 7

Evan

“He’s kinda scary looking, right?” June asks, as I open the back door to my truck. “I mean, he’s white as snow, but it looks like he just killed someone.”

Chuckling, I shut the door after the dog jumps in the back then turn, pressing her against the side of the truck.

“His food stained his coat. He didn’t kill anyone.” I smile, and her eyes drop to my mouth then lift to meet mine.

“I know, but it still looks like he did.” She’s right. The one-hundred-and-thirty-pound dog is pure white, but around his mouth is stained a deep red, making it look like he just ripped someone’s throat out. Hopefully, that, his size, and his bark will have someone second-guessing stepping foot in June’s house without being invited in. June, who had been against the idea of getting a dog, took one look at the large Akita and started cooing at him like he was a baby the moment July showed him to us.

“He needs a name.” I wrap my hands around the sides of her neck and tilt her head back.

“T-bone.” She smiles, placing her hands against my chest then tilts her head to the side, putting pressure on one of my hands while I laugh. And I notice, not for the first time, that she always stops to watch me laugh. She didn’t do it before, but something about it hits my chest in a not-unpleasant way every time she does it now.

“T-bone?” I repeat, and she smiles and shrugs.

“T-bone, or maybe Snow. I like both, but I think T-bone is cooler.”

“I think you should think about this for a while.” I smile, touching my mouth to hers.

“He’s already going to have a hard time settling in, since he’s going to a new home. If he has to have a new name too, that’s just going to make it harder on him. I don’t want to call him ‘dog’ for a week and have him answering to that, only to figure out a name for him later,” she says in one long breath, and by the time she’s done, I’m pressing my lips tighter together to keep from laughing.

“T-bone, though? You really think that’s a good name?” I ask, and she looks to the sky like she’s thinking about it then meets my gaze once more.

“What about Fuzzy or Harry?”

“Now you’re just being cute.” I shake my head and ask, “What about Killer?”