Page 51 of Claiming Veronica

“Eli, how do you like our little town?” Helena asked. She was right around Veronica’s age, and they’d been chatting about all kinds of things up until then that I had no idea about since Helena had come over here.

I glanced over at her. Helena, Maddox’s newly pregnant wife, was a character, that was for sure. She was around Veronica’s age, maybe a couple of years older, and they’d been talking about people and topics that I had no clue about. She wore a shirt that said ‘Don’t Eat Watermelon Seeds’ and had matching watermelon earrings.

“Charming as far as towns go,” I said, keeping my tone light. “I appreciate the sights.” Veronica giggled softly beside me, her fingers squeezing mine. She knew exactly what I meant.

Helena smiled, apparently missing the subtext. “Maddox says he’s excited to work for you.”

“Excited?” I raised an eyebrow. “That’s not a word I’d ever use with your husband.”

Helena twisted one of her watermelon earrings with a pinky finger. The nail painted like the outside of a watermelon. “He’s not always grumpy, you know. He’s just got... layers.”

“Like an onion,” I deadpanned.

“More like a durian,” Pike added from across the table, leaning back in his chair with a grin. “Looks normal on the outside, but once you get close enough, it smells like death.”

Everyone laughed, including Veronica, who shot me a quick glance. I caught the edge of her smile and couldn’t help but return it. For a guy like Maddox, "excited" was just code for "won't openly complain."

“Heard you’re keeping him busy,” I said to Helena, nodding toward her stomach. “Think that’ll settle him down some?”

She shrugged, a mischievous gleam in her eye. “We’ll see. I’ve got a few surprises up my sleeve.”

“God help us all,” Pike muttered under his breath, earning another round of laughter. I caught Maxim’s eye across the table, and he just gave me a small shake of his head as if to say,‘Don’t engage.’

As the banter continued around us, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out, checking the notification. It was the security feed from the house. Instinctively, I opened it, scanning the cameras. Everything was clear, with no signs of anything suspicious, but I couldn’t shake the habit of checking now and then.Veronica’s safety was the priority, and with everything going on with this Doug guy, I wasn’t taking any chances.

While I had my phone out, I texted her, even though she was sitting beside me.

Me: How are you holding up, angel girl?

Veronica: Amused. You?

Me: Trying to avoid stabbing your cousins with forks.

Veronica: You’re doing great. Proud of you for not resorting to violence yet ;)

Me: Yet. Keyword.

She giggled again, nudging me with her shoulder, and I tucked my phone away, content with her laughter.

“Olive, sweetie, be careful with the juice!” Hollis’ voice cut through the noise, followed by the sound of something spilling. Little Olive, Hollis’ daughter, looked horrified as a stream of orange juice spilled across the table onto the table and then to the wood floor.

“I’m sorry!” she squeaked, her wide eyes darting between everyone at the table. “I didn’t mean to!”

Maxim was the first to react, quickly grabbing a napkin and mopping up the spill with a grin. “Hey, it’s all good, kid. Happens to the best of us.”

Olive’s face softened, and she gave Maxim a shy smile. “Thanks, Uncle Max.”

“Anytime, squirt,” he said, ruffling her hair.

Moments like this reminded me of how much had changed in such a short time. Being surrounded by people I would have never imagined myself sitting with, laughing, and teasing like this was surreal. Yet, Veronica’s presence grounded me and made it all feel normal as if this could be my life now.

As the conversation swirled around us, I caught Maxim’s eye again. He inclined his head toward the hallway, and I knew he wanted to talk. I gave Veronica a quick squeeze, excusing myself, and followed Maxim out into the hall.

“We need to discuss Veronica’s friend,” he said quietly, his tone all business as he looked back toward the busy table. Reed sat smiling with the other women. She looked better now that she’d had a chance to rest. The shadows under her eyes had receded. Better yet, Veronica spoke to her animatedly, using her hands and laughing hard enough to make herself cry.

I nodded. “What about her?”

Maxim crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. “This Doug character that you mentioned. He doesn’t appear to be a serious threat, but we should neutralize him before he becomes a problem.”

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