Page 37 of Rock Chick Bonus Tracks

“Not true,” he negated. “He’s all yours. He’s just accepted me as an official minion.”

That was when she chuckled.

She stopped doing it to say, “I want your mom at our wedding.”

“I’m sure she’ll be happy to come.”

And he was more than sure she would.

“Something simple. Not a big deal. That’s not us,” she decreed.

He was totally down with that.

He’d heard of Tod’s wedding planner book. He wanted no part in that shit.

“You’re right. That’s not us.”

“Justice of the peace?” she suggested.

He grinned at her.

“Perfect.”

The next morning, Jules was off to the shelter by the time Vance, with Boo tucked in his arm, moved across the back room to Nick’s door.

He knocked.

Nick opened it, looking about ready to head off to face the day.

“Hey, Vance, everything good?”

“Yeah, got a second?”

Nick nodded and stepped back.

Vance and Boo walked in.

“You two have really bonded, hunh?” Nick said, smiling at Vance and his cargo.

“Until there was no pain, and she was getting around a lot better, he didn’t step on her. Not once. Never had a pet, don’t know if they sense that kind of shit. But yeah. He gave her the space she needed, we bonded.”

Nick was still smiling, and maybe reading between the lines, though he couldn’t know that the only true comfort Vance had in those early days was a clumsy, talkative black cat who curled up in his lap and kept him company in the dawn after his darkest hour.

“You had coffee?” Nick asked.

“Yep.”

His eyes twinkled behind his glasses, already knowing the answer when he asked, “Breakfast?”

“I’ll pick something up on the way to the office. And I know you’re heading out, so I’ll do this quick. I already asked her. She said yes. But I want to do this right. For both of you. For all of us.”

Nick leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms on his chest, never taking his gaze from Vance. “What’s up?”

“I’d like to know you’re good with me and Jules getting married.”

He watched Nick’s body start, then he watched his eyes get wet.

Vance scratched Boo’s head, giving Nick a minute.

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