Page 10 of Claiming Ours
“Just answer the damn question, kid.”
Both brows shot up my forehead in surprise.Did he just call me kid?There was no way I looked that young to the guy. After what I’d been through and survived, I thought it had aged me, giving me a hard, weathered edge—the tattoos not helping, of course.
Adjusting the full pack on my shoulder, I watched as a fisherman passed by, lugging a cart behind him. “I’m visiting a friend,” I muttered, hoping he wasn’t an assholeanda human lie detector.
Not waiting for more questions I wouldn’t answer truthfully, I wrapped my fingers around the handle of each duffel and hauled them into the air. Ignoring his shouts for me to come back, I strode along the creaking planks, Elvis happily trotting beside me with his nose in the air, catching all the unique scents. Apparently, rotten fish, oil, fuel, and salt water was a heavenly blend for a dog, based on his wagging tail and tongue hanging out of the side of his smile.
It took no time to reach the parking lot where the resort instructed me to wait for a complimentary ride to The Nest. The fancy-ass resort wasn’t the typical accommodations I’d normally book, but it was the only fucking place to stay in Anchor Bay unless I wanted to secure a camping spot for me and Elvis way outside town. That wouldn’t be terrible—we had slept worse places—but I didn’t pack all the gear that would be needed.
Turning in a slow circle, I took in everything around me, from the mountains piercing the sky to the brightly painted buildings lining the street. This was my first time in Alaska—hell, on this side of the States—and it felt like a different country.
With a quick glance at my phone to check the time, I slipped it back into my pocket. The ride was scheduled to pick me up soon, and then my reason for flying out to Anchor Bay on awhim, unable to resist the pull once I found her after all these years, would kick into gear. Anxiety over what was to come twisted my gut and constricted each breath. Her reaction to me not only searching her out but flying to see her with no warning had the potential, and likelihood, to be terrible considering the circumstances and years that had passed. Which was why I’d decided to start with a bit of recon work before letting her know I was in town.
Maybe wanting to prolong the inevitable made me a coward, but I had to consider my mental health and what her reaction had the potential to do to me and my recovery. Her rejection would shatter the part of my soul that still clung to our shared past. Plus, there was the chance that seeing me could rip open her emotional wounds. The last thing I wanted to do was cause her more pain than she’d already been through the last two years.
“This was a dumbass plan,” I muttered to Elvis just as a late model Land Rover with The Nest’s logo on the side pulled into the parking lot. “But it’s too late to turn back now.”
Not that I wanted to.
I had to see her, even if it was only from the shadows without her knowing, to gauge the woman Baylee Smith had grown into. Was she different or still the same genuine, fun-loving girl I remembered?
Once I figured that out, spent enough time watching and waiting, then I’d decide my next move.
4
BAYLEE
Astifled breath burned in my lungs, teeth digging so deep into my lower lip that I worried they’d puncture through. With the sleeve of my lab coat, I wiped away the rolling drop of sweat that threatened to fall into my eyes and blinked several times to clear my vision. A pained whimper sounded above me, echoing through the small exam room, but I didn’t shift my focus, not when it was all needed right in front of me.
Smooth metal slipped between my sweat-slicked fingers as I inched the pointed tip toward the thick wooden sliver causing my panting patient pain. Careful to not pinch too hard and break the splinter in two, I gently pulled back, plucking it free from the swollen paw.
My relieved exhale brushed past my dry lips as I grinned, pride swelling in my chest at the accomplished task. Sitting up straight in the chair, I praised Jubie for being so patient and brave only for the words to turn into a high-pitched squeal as her thick, slobbery tongue swiped from my chin to right ear.
“Thank you for that, sweet Jubie,” I said, wiping the layer of sticky saliva off my cheek. “You give the best slobbery kisses.”
A soft male chuckle had me twisting to face Aiden where he leaned against the far wall of the exam room, his attention on the phone in his hand. A tiny smirk tugged his lips upward.
With an exaggerated eye roll, I turned back to the large Bernese mountain dog that was literally smiling at me and leaned in to whisper conspiringly, “We don’t have to guess atwhohe’s texting based on that mischievous smirk, do we?”
Her soft, floppy ears shifted as I stroked my nails across the top of her head. Aiden shot an amused expression my way with a slight headshake as he put the device into the side pocket of his black tactical pants.
“How’s our girl Jubie here?” He shoved off the wall and stepped beside me, raking a hand through his unruly hair as he studied Jubie, concern creasing his features. “My boy Miles has been acting like an overbearing helicopter parent since the incident. I swear the dog can’t take a piss without the grumpy asshole right beside her, making sure she doesn’t get hurt.”
“Based on this exam and the four others she’s had in the last week”—Aiden chuckled at my incredulous tone as he scratched Jubie’s chest, who raised her head up high to give him better access—“Jubie is healthy and doing great despite what happened. Whatever was used on her didn’t cause any prolonged issues from what I can tell. We’ve run her blood work multiple times, and there isn’t anything that shouldn’t be there.”
As if to thank me for the clean bill of health, Jubie lunged forward and ran her thick tongue along my cheek once again.
“How’s Aspen?” I asked, rubbing the slobber off with my shoulder while storing the few instruments I’d used during the exam that didn’t need to be sanitized. “If Miles is this fixated on Jubie after what happened, I can’t imagine how he’s being with her.”
At his nonresponse, I glanced over my shoulder, finding him frowning at the ground, seeming deep in thought. I whirledaround to face him, clutching the small counter behind me in a death grip. “What? What happened? Is Aspen okay?”
My heart raced at the thought of my new friend being injured, or worse, suddenly ripped from my life like Dean had been. One of my ongoing trauma symptoms was always assuming the worst had happened to someone I loved or cared for.
Aiden held up his hands, surprised at my outburst. “Easy there, Baylee. She’s fine. It’s not Miles or her that’s the issue.” My grip on the counter eased a fraction, allowing some blood to flow to my fingers again. “It’s her family, actually, that’s giving us problems.”
Ah.I blew out a breath and nodded. “She finally told her parents about you three being together. She was worried it wouldn’t go over well.” Sensing Aiden’s distress, Jubie released a high-pitched whine and shifted on the table, knocking her large head against his side. “And by your reaction, I’m guessing that was the case.”
His fingers absentmindedly ran through Jubie’s fur in rhythmic strokes. “Saying it didn’t go well is putting it fucking lightly. Her mom told Aspen she’s destined to burn in hell for all eternity.” I winced at his words and cutting tone. “And that neither she nor Aspen’s father would ever accept her back into the family if she didn’t fly home immediately and marry someone they deemed an acceptable match for her.”
