Page 43 of Saving Shepperd

“It will be a tough assignment, but I’m up for the challenge,” he said with a wink.

I dragged a suitcase and a couple of other bags out from beneath my bed and tossed the totes on top. Rolling the suitcase on its rickety wheels, I headed to my closet. There, I dropped to my knees and opened the case like a giant clam shell and scurried deeper into my closet to pull out some work clothes.

In no time we had three bags packed and the suitcase I stuffed beyond capacity. Law leaned on the top while I secured the zipper. He had to stand the thing upright because it was way too heavy for me to manage, and it hit me like a bucket of cold water.

“Dude,” I said and let my shoulders fall.

“What?”

“Is this going to fit in your car? Does it even have a trunk?” I smacked my forehead, and the sound echoed around my room.

“Please don’t do that,” he said quietly and kissed where I just cracked myself.

“Sounded way worse,” I muttered but continued staring up at him.

“Yes, this will fit in my car. Surprisingly, the trunk is pretty big. What about toiletries? Makeup or any of that stuff?”

I hadn’t even given those things consideration, and since we were on borrowed time, I shook my head. “No let’s just go. What I need and you don’t have, I can just replace. I’ll get back over here while they’re at work and pick up the things I can’t part with.”

With two bags in hand and one slung across his body, Law reached to open the door.

I was right behind him, struggling with the suitcase when the dreadedknock-knock-knockcame on my door. I knew just by the sound that it was my dad. Law shot his stare over his shoulder to me and then back to the door. Then back to me again with a silent question.

“What?” I shouted and winced at how ugly it sounded. No wonder people turned and went the other direction when they saw me coming. If I knew someone like me, I’d do the same thing.

“Shep? Can I come in?”

With a gentle hand to Law’s abdomen, I moved him out of the way so I could lead our escape. I whipped the door open and clearly caught my dad off guard as he stepped back in surprise.

“Hey, Dad. We’re in a hurry here, so…yeah…” I rushed out and pushed past him with my suitcase.

“Here, honey, let me help,” my dad offered and tried to take the case from my hand.

“It’s fine, Dad. We’ve got it.”

That seemed to be the first moment he realized I wasn’t alone. Did my mom really not tell him I had a man in my room with me? A man I introduced as my boyfriend? Once again, proof that they didn’t listen to me when I spoke. Either that or they didn’t really care enough to process the information and react like a parent should.

“Hello,” my dad directed to Law. He wasn’t friendly, necessarily, but he wasn’t rude either.

“Hello, sir. Law Masterson. Nice to meet you.” Law thrust his hand forward, and my dad gave it a solid shake.

With a raised brow, he asked, “Masterson? The business mogul Masterson?”

“Yes, sir. My father and his father before him have been involved in many businesses in the city for decades.”

God how I wished I possessed a fraction of this man’s composure.

“What’s going on here, Shepperd? What’s with all the bags?” my dad asked as he took inventory of all we were lugging through the doorway.

“I’m going to stay with Law,” I said defiantly. He put me in this predicament. I was serious as a heart attack when I told them I wouldn’t be going to a treatment program I didn’t need.

“I see,” he said thoughtfully.

Before he could organize an attack, I tilted the suitcase back on its wheels and hurried down the hall. I prayed Law would just fall in step behind me but didn’t look back to ensure it.

At the front door, I slowed enough to open the thing but hustled right through the second it was open wide enough to fit.

Law held the panel open so I could wrestle the suitcase over the threshold, and I mumbled a quick, “Thanks.”

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