detail. Take your time looking them over, and feel free to call me with any questions.”
She walked them out, and while she was busy talking with Mike, Con, and Preacher, Reba sidled up to Justin, guiding him away from the others. She kept one hand on his arm as she said, “Breathe, sweet boy. I saw the way that man looked at you and Tank. He looked at Rob the same way. The world is full of judgmental men like Alan Rogers. Do not let him get under your skin. We don’t hide who we are, and we don’t allow ignorant people to make us feel small, so let it go, honey.”
“I’m not pissed about that,” Justin said angrily. “I deal with douchebags like him all the time. I don’t like how close he got to Chloe.”
“Oh, honey,” she said empathetically. “You are just like your father. You want to protect the woman who crawled beneath your skin and nestled in for the long haul. Chloe is yours, baby. We all see it in the way she looks at you.”
“I’m not jealous, Mom. The guy just rubs me the wrong way.”
“This is all so new for you. But, baby, trust me, when we’re looking through a cloud of emotions, we don’t always see things clearly. Chloe is a smart woman. Confidence practically oozes out of her pores. If she felt uneasy about that man, or anyone else, I’m sure she would stand up for herself. Look at me, sweetheart.”
Justin met her gaze.
“Remember what I said. When it comes to matters of the heart, not everything is as it appears. Be careful there, honey.”
“I’m being careful, and I know damn well she can protect herself, but she shouldn’t have to.”
“Those words could have come right out of your father’s mouth.” Reba touched his hand and said, “Come on, sweetie. Your girlfriend just gave us a beautiful tour. Let it go now and tell her how spectacular she is.”
Justin bided his time as everyone thanked Chloe. When his family headed to their vehicles, he hung back to talk with her, and Tank took up residence a few feet away. He was sure his ever-watchful cousin was making sure he didn’t do something stupid like fly off the handle at Alan. As much as Justin would like to give Alan a piece of his mind, Reba’s warning had stuck with him. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t fuming at Alan for getting too touchy-feely with Chloe.
He looked at Tank, and in Tank’s eyes he read his silent questions. Are you going to be cool about this, or do you need backup? Justin gave him his answer by saying, “I’ll meet you at your shop in about an hour.”
Tank nodded and said, “See you later, Chloe.”
“Bye, Tank.” As Tank headed to his bike, Chloe said, “I think that went well, don’t you?”
“Yeah. Great. Thank you for taking so much time with us.” Justin was in no mood for small talk.
“Are you getting more of your tattoo done this afternoon?” Chloe asked.
“Yeah. Listen, Chloe, I don’t like that Rogers guy sticking so close to you.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know. He’s a close talker. It’s just who he is.”
“You sure it’s not more than that? Blaine went to deliver the patio designs to Alan’s wife today, and he got the sense that he was a pretty controlling guy. I don’t like him touching you.”
“Touching me? He didn’t touch me.”
“His chest wasn’t touching your back when you were looking at those papers by your office? He didn’t put his hand on your back when you went to introduce him to my family?”
“I don’t think so.” Her brow furrowed, as if she were thinking about it. “He had some questions about my proposal for the puppeteering trial.” Her eyes lit up and she said, “I’m really hoping he’s going to approve the funding.”
He wondered if Reba might have been right. Was he being overprotective? Not seeing things clearly? He had no fucking clue, because she was right about one thing. When Chloe looked at him with that spark of hope and happiness in her eyes, it clouded his vision. He wanted to see that look every minute of the day.
“Are we still going to see Shadow tonight?” she asked.
There it was again, that spark of light, overtaking his darkness. “Yeah. He’s getting his stitches out today.”
“Where are you going now?”
“Home to empty a dresser drawer for you.”
“Justin…” she said softly, looking sweet, sexy, and adorable.
“Babe, you’re there