Join the Club - Lani Lynn Vale Page 0,4

hasn’t said much,” she admitted.

“Booth thinks it’s a great idea. He was gone at eighteen. Priscilla is very mature, and he likes the idea of someone being close to you and Asa, so of course he’s going to be happy that this happened,” I admitted.

She made an understanding sound in the back of her throat.

“That makes sense,” she said. “Asa loves having Priscilla there, too. In between you showing up out of the blue, him getting to spend more time with Booth since I’m traveling so much, and Dillan? He’s a really lucky kid.”

That wasn’t luck.

At least, not in my opinion.

It was what a family should be like. Asa should have caring aunts and uncles that loved him. He should have a mom and dad that he meant the world to.

Dillan and Delanie were the unlucky ones.

Their dad was a piece of shit.

A real piece of work that never ceased to piss me off each time that I had the chance to see him.

I dodged a downed tree in the road, and Delanie craned her neck to look over her shoulder at the large branch that was overhanging the road.

“Do you think they know that’s there?” she asked curiously.

Just as I was about to say ‘I have no idea’ a cop came around the corner, going slow.

“They know,” I said. “He’s probably heading there now to mark it so drivers know to slow down.”

The branch was too big to move.

It’d be staying there until the highway crews could come out and remove it.

The rest of the eight-minute drive took us no time, and when I pulled into the parking lot, I was surprised to see it completely full. We were likely one of the lasts guests to arrive.

“Thanks for the ride,” she said. “I really don’t like driving in the rain.”

I knew she didn’t. Any time that there was rain, either Booth or I went to pick Asa up from her if it was Booth’s weekend.

Neither one of us minded.

If she was uncomfortable, we weren’t going to be upset for wanting to keep her child safe.

“I know you don’t,” I rumbled softly. “You need help out?”

In answer, she slid out of the seat, and I once again got an up-close and personal view of her backside.

Was she doing this to me on purpose?

I really thought she might be.

And if she wasn’t, then goddamn, I would hate to see what it was like when she was trying.

Chapter 2

Your favorite food.

-Things you shouldn’t Google when you’re hungry

Delanie

“That dog is badass,” Copeland said.

Copeland Black was the man that I was to meet, along with Copeland’s four-year-old son, August, aka Auggie.

Janvier Boudreaux, the man that had asked me to come and meet Copeland and Auggie, was sitting to Copeland’s right. On Janvier’s left was Massey, the three-year-old English Mastiff.

Massey, doing what he was trained to do, lay at Janvier’s feet, appearing to be asleep.

Auggie was playing on what looked to be an old-school Gameboy. He was flicking away at the buttons, his tongue between his teeth, looking as if he was fully immersed in the game.

Asa was like that, too.

They’d get along.

I knew it.

Which made me miss my happy little baby.

Asa and I had spent more time apart in the last six months than we’d ever spent apart before, and it was starting to fray my nerves.

I missed my baby.

I missed him a lot.

I also missed seeing his uncle, who seemed to stop by almost every single day, even if it was for a five-minute hug and cookie share.

“I didn’t know that it was supposed to rain more,” I said as I looked across the room at Bourne.

He was talking to his friend and fellow SWAT team member, Saint Nicholson. Saint was deep in conversation with Bourne, his hands moving wildly, and Bourne was nodding his head as if whatever Saint was saying was super important.

“Yes, it’s supposed to be bad. We have the chance of tornados,” Janvier continued. “Which means there’ll be lightning and thunder. Yay.”

Lightning and thunder were one of the things that set off Janvier’s PTSD episodes.

It was also why he’d gotten Massey in the end.

Texas was notorious for thunderstorms, and since Janvier wasn’t willing to move out of the state to a more weather-compliant area, he had to go off-roading when it came to his PTSD.

Which was where Massey came in.

“You leaving before it starts?” Copeland asked Janvier.

“You bet,” he said. “I don’t want to get caught here and have any problems. It’s overall a better idea for me to