Home For The Holidays (Dirt Track Dogs #6) (4 page)

Yeah, the mere idea was sour. But if it would help smooth things over for Annie…

“Listen, I apologize for attacking you.” Blister forced the words from his mouth. “I thought my woman and young were in danger. I’d do anything to protect them.” Surely this human could understand something as basic as protective instinct.

Annie frowned so hard her forehead wrinkled. “He’s not going anywhere,” she said, ignoring Blister’s awkward explanation. “This is his home. In fact, maybe you should find somewhere else to stay tonight. Maybe in the light of morning you’ll be a little less hard to talk to.”

“Naw,” Aaron scoffed. “This isn’t something a good sleep will change, Annie. I have zero tolerance for changers. But you’re right. Maybe I should go for now. At least until I figure out how to fix this mess you’ve made,” he sneered, gesturing to her baby bump.

Blister let off a growl. It couldn’t be helped. The man had two-ton balls to say shit like that right now.

Annie’s hands curved protectively around her belly, and Blister could feel waves of anger and sadness rolling off her.

“You
bastard
. How dare you talk to me like that? I haven’t made a mistake. I’ve made a life. A beautiful life that I love. One that you chose not to be a part of. So, you know what? If you can’t come in here and play nice and at least get to know my life before you put it down, then… then…” She jutted her chin and even with her lower lip trembling she looked so damn strong. “Then you aren’t welcome here anymore.”

For the first time, Aaron lost his hostile expression. All shields down, and Blister got a look at what was toiling inside. It was a war torn city that had been laid to waste. The buildings and structures that made Annie’s brother who he was, were crumbling, half standing, bricks and foundations fractured. The streets were desolate, empty cars strewn about haphazardly. And chaos abounded. Though it was figurative, it was a clear picture for Blister. He knew a mind like that one. He could imagine Aaron wandering the streets, staring at the desolation and wondering how it had all gotten this far. And wondering if there’d ever be a way to rebuild.

Blister knew, because this was him before he met Annie.

While the man in him wanted to beat his chest and chase the mean man away from his mate, the part of Blister that Annie had fallen in love with wanted to tell Aaron yes, it was possible to rebuild. Yes, it was possible to heal. And although the fractured parts might never be scarless, they could be useful again.

“I’m going,” he said, awkwardly. As if he couldn’t decide if he was mad or hurt. Movements jerky, he grabbed an oversized duffle from the floor and yanked the front door open. “We’ll talk tomorrow,” he threw over his shoulder, and then cut Blister a hateful look.

As they watched Annie’s brother walk out the door, Blister felt even more uncertain about the future.

Chapter Six

Annie frowned at the women hustling around her kitchen. Ella, Punk, Tana, and Destiny were like a well oiled machine. Punk prepped food while Ella did the cooking, and Tana and Destiny cleaned up. They’d all been part of this pack long enough to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Usually Annie was in charge of cooking, but they were trying to give her a break since her feet were swelling to the size of bear paws.

“You guys really didn’t have to do this,” she muttered.

“But we wanted food,” Punk said. “And our mates wanted food for after all that hard work they’re doing in the nursery.” Her tone was flat. Punk never had to roll her eyes. You could hear it in her voice instead. “And you have muppet feet, so it really was up to us to keep our men from brutal starvation.”

Tana, the panther shifter who mated the pack’s wild boy, Surge, snickered from the sink where she washed the pan Ella had used to fry up ground beef.

“Muppet feet?” Annie asked.

Punk nodded.

“Technically,” Destiny corrected. “Muppets don’t have feet.”

“Um, yes they do.” Punk pointed to Annie’s puffy toes. “And they look like that.”

“When do you ever see their feet?” Ella asked, skeptical. “I’m with Dessy. They don’t have feet.”

“Google it,” Punk said, working a block of cheese against a box grater.

“Can’t.” Ella smirked. “I’m working with hot oil. Sorry. I guess we’ll have to call a truce.”

“Bullshit. Annie, get on it. Where’s your phone? Settle this.”

Annie groaned, but her friends were keeping her mind off her brother and the confrontation they’d had last night. Poor Blister. She’d really screwed up by forgetting to tell him about Aaron. Her mate hadn’t stopped shaking even by the time she’d made them breakfast this morning.

And she knew what was going through his mind. That mix of fear and relief that comes after a close call. Like slamming on your brakes when an animal runs in front of you on the road, but this was on a bigger scale. Even just thinking about what could have happened left her stomach queasy.

Annie propped her feet up on the extra chair she’d pulled in from the dining room, and clicked around on her cell phone. A quick Google search of “muppet feet” yielded some pictures of puffy felt-covered feet that looked scarily like hers did now.

“Lord’amighty,” she muttered.

Punk arched an eyebrow, and then smirked at Ella. “That’s Annie-speak for
she’s right
.”

“Ha!” Ella said, pointing a wooden spoon at Punk. “It could be Annie-speak for a lot of things. You don’t know.”

“Tell her,” Punk urged, tossing Annie a knowing grin.

“She’s right,” Annie agreed grudgingly. “I have Muppet feet.”

Destiny slid up behind Annie’s chair and found a pressure point at the base of her neck, massaging it with a little pressure. Instantly, she felt her muscles start to relax. “Aw, don’t worry. The swelling will go away after the birth. You’ll be back to normal in no time. Well…” She was interrupted by Punk’s snort of disagreement. “As normal as it gets being a new parent.”

“Ignore Punk,” Tana laughed, her springy dark hair bouncing as she shook her head. “You’ll be fiiiine.”

“Oh, Annie-bananie. You know I’m just fucking with you. Gotta keep ya on your toes.” Punk winked.

“Yeah, yeah. I got your number.”

Little Gracie ran into the kitchen interrupting their banter. She was an orphaned bobcat shifter that Surge and Tana bonded with. She’d found a forever home with them and become the pack’s first young when she was barely more than a few weeks old. Now she was a vibrant “almost-five-year-old” who made them all laugh with her sweet and sassy logic.

She ducked behind the counter, one short finger pressed to her lips warning everyone to be quiet, but barely able to contain her own giggles. A few seconds later, Artie, Beast and Punk’s little one ran in, his toddler feet beating the floor like a drum. He stopped, looking all around, but not finding his target.

“Mama?”

“Yes, booboo.” Hearing the word from Punk’s tough, be-ringed mouth had Annie doing a little snickering of her own.

“You seen Gracie?”

“Welllll. Have you looked everywhere?”

“Uh huh. Sure did.”

Just then, Gracie jumped out from her hiding spot with a squeaky, “BOO!” and Artie went stiff before erupting into giggles.

“You got me!” he bubbled out.

Ella and Drake’s son, Manny—Mandrake, named after his Daddy—bounced in his walker, sounds of glee gurgling from him. His first birthday was next month and he couldn’t quite run with the big ones yet.

Gracie and Artie ran from the kitchen, narrowly missing the chair that held Annie’s feet. Manny followed in his walker.

She loved this. She loved it more than anyone knew, having her house full of happy children. Destiny and Diz’s three month old triplets were spread amongst the pack. Surge and Diz each wore one in their strap-on carriers while they assembled furniture. Destiny wore the other while she worked in the kitchen. But soon enough, they’d be playing and laughing along with the others. So many good times to be had by these young.

She rubbed her tummy. And soon, she’d have her own to add to the mix. She was so proud of what she and Blister had accomplished together. No matter what anyone said.

The way her brother acted last night, that wasn’t the Aaron she remembered and loved. Her brother had been kind and forgiving. He was everything she’d loved about her parents. Loyal and understanding and funny. The Aaron who stood in her living room, tossing insults at her mate, was not that man. She wasn’t sure what had happened to him while he was gone, but she couldn’t—wouldn’t—let him ruin this Christmas for her and Blister.

Her mate had finally agreed to getting a tree, for goodness sakes. Things were getting better for them.

Being Blister’s mate had come with a bag of issues. Fear of anything that could catch fire, was one of them, since his family had died in a brutal blaze. But Annie had never minded them. She had her own issues, after all.

Blister was fine with the basics like a stove and electronics because they could be unplugged, averting danger. But a Christmas tree was always out of the question because of all the scary stories that circulated as a warning around the holidays.

And it was a compromise she was more than willing to make. It wasn’t like he didn’t fill her life with other wonderful things to make up for it. He was always giving her things, making her laugh, making her swoon, making her feel like the most special thing in the world.

“Where’re my sunglasses,” Tana quipped. “You’re glowing again, girl.”

Annie smiled. “I’m just so happy. Well… I was. Still am, I guess. I just…”

“Not to speak ill of your brother,” Tana mused. “But he’s gonna have to back off until you have this baby. Otherwise he’ll have us to deal with. And you know, we bitches can get him on the run, am I right?” She gave Punk and Ella a knowing glance before her gaze landed on Destiny, and then back to Annie.

“Mmmmm hm,” Ella nodded.

“Preach it,” Punk confirmed.

“I have to agree,” Destiny said, eerily calm.

Annie nodded, knowing her friends meant well. But her brother seemed to not only know about shifters—uncommon for most humans—but also have a severe prejudice against them. It was so unlike Aaron, it left her feeling hopeless.

“He coming by today?” Punk asked, her voice rigid.

“Don’t know. He didn’t say.”

“I’d like to get my claws in him for what he pulled last night.”

“You don’t even have claws,” Ella reminded.

Punk rolled her eyes. “Metaphorically. God, you’re so literal.”

Ella flipped her middle finger at Punk and continued stirring her food.

Voices from the living room caught Annie’s attention.

“Who’re
you
?” Gracie inquired.

“Better question. Who are you?” Aaron’s low voice rumbled back, and Annie started to get up. But Tana’s hand on her shoulder stopped her.

“Let my baby at ‘em,” she whispered, smiling, and a flash of her panther lit her eyes.

The females stopped what they were doing to listen in on the conversation from the other room.

“I asked you first,” Gracie said, and Annie could imagine her hands on her tiny little hips, giving Aaron all the sass she’d learned from her mama. “And you have to answer me because this is my uncle Blishter’s house and he’ll make you.”

Annie snorted. Gracie hadn’t completely outgrown her lisp.

“That right?” Aaron said.

“Yes, sir. That is right.”

“Well, didn’t your uncle ever teach you not to talk to strangers?”

“Are you a stranger? Cuz if you are, then you’re in trouuuuuble, mishter. Stranger’s aren’t allowed to just walk in people’s houses and not tell them their names.”

“Mmm hm,” Punk murmured. “She’s got this.”

“Who are you?” Aaron asked. “Where are your parents?”

“Busy,” she said in a tone that should precede her sticking her tongue out. “Where’re yours?”

“Dead.” Like Aaron’s tone.

There was a long silence, and then a whimpered, “I’m so sorry, mishter. You must be so sad.”

“Well, don’t cry—
oomph!
”

Annie stood and peeked through the kitchen door. Gracie had flung herself at Aaron, wrapping her spindly arms around his legs as she cried into his jeans.

“What are you doing?” he croaked, looking confused.

“Huggin’ ya. It always helps things like this. Is it helping now? ‘Cause Uncle Blishter says I’m a real good hugger. The best, actually. I’m a pro.”

Annie watched her brother. The hard shell that had grown around him over the years seemed to crack, falling partially away to reveal a fragment of the man she remembered.

What’s happened to you, brother, to make you so hard?
What had the years away done to him?

“A professional hugger? I’ve never heard of such a thing,” he huffed.

“Well, you see, it’s just like Santa Claus. Just because you never seen one doesn’t mean it don’t exist.”

She pulled back to stare at him.

“You’re a smart little girl,” Aaron murmured.

Artie ran into the living room, exasperated. “Gracie,” he whined. “You were supposed to come find me.”

“I was lookin’,” she said, “but then I found this sad man and he needed my help.” She shrugged, both palms to the ceiling. “So I helped him. And since you left your hiding spot, you lost your turn. Now you have to count.” Grinning triumphantly, she ran off to hide, but Artie wasn’t having any of it.

“Mommmm! Gracie cheated!”

Punk pushed past Annie into the living room. “Learn her ways, son. Or get left in the dust. Dirt track lesson #537. Now go play.” She turned her shrewd gaze on Aaron and he narrowed his at her. “You looking for Annie?”

“Where is she?”

Punk tipped her head to the side, considering him. “We ate her,” she deadpanned. “The kids got hungry and she was nice and juicy with that baby glow and all. Yum, yum. Little Gracie ate a whole leg just before you showed up.”

Aaron’s eyes went wide, but before he could believe her, Annie padded into the room.

“Damn it, Annie. You ruined my gig.” She rolled her eyes at Aaron. “She’s
supposed
to be resting her feet in the kitchen. Ya dumb asshole.” She stalked back to her task grating cheese.

“Hey,” Annie said, crossing her arms as well as she could over her baby bump.

“Hey.” He looked edgy. Not as angry as he’d been last night, but not normal either. “What are all the cars parked outside for?”

“The pack’s here,” she started, but his back went ramrod stiff.

“The wolfpack?”

“Yes. The Dirt Track Dogs. My
friends
,” she emphasized. “They’re helping Blister put the nursery together, and the girls are making food for everybody in the kitchen to give me a break off my feet.”

Aaron frowned. Like her words made no sense to him.

“Come on,” she urged, forcing her voice to sound natural. “I’ll introduce you to them.”

She turned, hoping he’d follow her, and he did. In the kitchen everything was business as usual. No one even turned to look at them, but betcha booty they were all listening through the door just seconds ago.

“Hey, everybody,” Annie announced. “This is my brother, Aaron. The one I told you about. Aaron, this is Ella, Destiny, Tana.” She pointed at each of the females in turn. “And you’ve already met Punk.”

Punk looked up from the grater, holding the block of cheese as if it was a weapon, and shot him a turd-eating grin. “A pleasure,” she sneered.

Ella strolled forward, wiping her hands on a towel, and then held one out to him for a shake. “Hi, Aaron. Nice to finally meet you. Annie’s had such nice things to say about you.”

“Yeah,” Punk muttered. “If you don’t count the last twelve hours.”

Ella nodded, giving him a sheepish smile. “True. Anyway, I’m mated to our pack’s alpha, Drake. If you’d like to meet with him about whatever, um, grievances you have, I’m sure he’d hear you. He’s a fair leader, and a good man.”