And neither would Ryan.
Glory couldn’t believe it. It was the sweetest yet creepiest thing she’d ever seen.
Another dozen roses sat in front of her apartment, the same as the week before.
Ryan’s really stepping up his game. She picked up the bouquet and took a sniff, hoping no one saw the sappy smile that crossed her lips.
The week before he’d left not only the roses but a small gold bracelet. The week before that had been a small bottle of her favorite perfume. And the week before that? A premium hand lotion that smelled of fresh pears. How he’d known it was her favorite scent she’d never know. Maybe it was that Bear nose of his.
She couldn’t wait to see what was in the box this time.
Glory carried the roses and her latest present into the apartment, kicking the door shut with her foot. She needed to start dropping hints about the kinds of things she liked so he’d continue to get it right.
She tore into the box, eager to see what he’d gotten for her. Inside, she found two champagne glasses with a small bottle of Dom Perignon. And this time the note was just as beautiful as the last one. Your sweet smile brightens my day.
Glory stroked the note, glad her friends no longer lived in the two-bedroom apartment with her. If they could see her now, after all the shit she gave them over Alex and Julian, she’d never hear the end of it.
But… She sighed.
Damn it. The son of a bitch was getting to her.
And if she didn’t get her ass in gear for work, Cyn would get her too.
Glory darted out the door and drove like a bat out of hell for the tattoo parlor she now co-owned with Cynthia “Cyn” Reyes and Tabitha Bunsun.
“Good morning, Glory.” Cyn had her back to the front door, and her shoulders were tight as a bowstring. Even her voice was strained. Either she was pissed about something, or trying desperately not to laugh.
“Good morning?” Glory dropped her coat onto the coat rack, ready to open her station for the day. Something was up, but that didn’t mean the girls at Cynful wouldn’t be ready to roll when the doors were unlocked.
Muted giggles sounded from behind her. Glory smiled when she saw their latest employee, Heather Allen, curled up on the gray chaise, her face buried in her hands. Glory was tickled pink that the little Fox had settled in so nicely with them. She’d been shy and withdrawn when she first started with them, a holdover from a trauma she suffered as a child. Some Bear shifters had thought it would be fun to force a twelve-year-old to go through her first shift, something Tabby had told her didn’t happen until puberty. Bunny had come upon the Bears tormenting his little cousin and gone insane, damaging several of them permanently.
There were still Bears who whispered Alex “Bunny” Bunsun’s name in fear six years later. The downside was Heather had been terrified of Bunny’s anger as well, and began avoiding her cousin like the plague, causing Alex to try to learn control over his Grizzly Bear temper. It had earned him the nickname Bunny, but he wore it as a badge of pride. He’d learned that control he so desired, and become a man more than worthy of one of Glory’s best friends.
His only regret had been Heather’s fear of him, so when the Bunsun-Williams clan descended on Halle, he’d introduced Heather to Cyn with the hopes that Cyn would see what he saw: a lost little lamb in need. Cyn had taken one look at her, and her artwork, and offered her an apprenticeship. Heather had taken her up on it, and now the shop was complete in a way it hadn’t been in a long time. With the Cynful girls, Heather was open and friendly. She was even beginning to get comfortable around their customers, a feat Ryan had sworn would never happen.
Showed what he knew. Heather was a lot stronger than her relatives gave her credit for. She just needed a safe place to blossom in, and Cyn was all about taking in strays and helping them do just that. All anyone had to do was look at herself and Tabby to see that.
Glory put her hands on her hips. “What the hell is going on here?”
“Hey, Glory.” Tabby slunk glumly out of the back room of the shop, her head low. Her lime-green bob easily obscured half her face, but it couldn’t hide what had obviously set her co-workers off.
“Guh.” Glory just couldn’t stop staring. It was…
It was…huge.
“I know, right?” Heather broke down into breathless giggles, just two shakes away from crying.
“My God.” Glory couldn’t stop staring. “When the hell did that happen?”