Pretty sure even the smallest size will still swallow Mirabelle and the biggest size will barely fit Rage, but it’s better than nothing.
Under my other arm, I snag four pairs of slides. No way in hell I’m wearing these too-tight tennis shoes for any longer than I have to. Plus, Mirabelle shouldn’t be forced to wear heels all the time. They’re cheap and rubbery, but they’ll do the trick until we can get something better.
“Will that be all for you tonight?” The bored beta drones as he scans the tags of all the clothes.
I stare at the total price, rapping my knuckles against the table.
“Yeah,” I bite out, slapping two hundred and ten dollars of cash onto the table.
That’s four nights of the motel right there. Goddammit, things are so fucking expensive.
The beta finally seems to get the memo that I’ve got places to be, probably since my dominance is swirling in the air around me. He hurries to count my change and hand it back to me.
“Thanks,” I say, grabbing the stack of clothes and tucking them under my arm.
My heart pounds when I step out of the store. Now there’s no delaying it. It’s time to go see my family.
“Here, put some clothes on,” I say, shoving the stack into Ash’s lap. “Clothes that fit us are in the middle of the pile.”
“You get clothes for all of us or something? I didn’t even know places like these had clothes you could buy.”
“Thought it’d be best for all of us to have some clothes. At least before we actually go shopping,” I answer, pulling the truck out of the parking lot with a screech of tires.
I need to calm down. My jaw works as I fight to take a deep breath.
“Your family’s got you all worked up, huh?”
“You don’t need to talk to me about it. I know you’re the last person to want to talk about feelings.”
There’s a beat of silence in the car.
“Good, you’re right. I don’t wanna talk about feelings. What I do want to talk about is how goddamn stupid these shirts you bought are.”
“What?”
He holds up a shirt with a wolf howling at a terribly photoshopped moon. And then another with a bald eagle screeching with its wings spread over a monster truck.
“Oh, well I didn’t really look at what I was grabbing.”
“Did they seriously not have anything else?” He huffs.
“I thought they were just black t-shirts. Didn’t check what they had on them.” The corner of my lips tug up in the briefest hint of a smile. “They’re kinda funny though.”
“They’re gonna make me look like an idiot,” Ash says, rolling his eyes as he tugs the wolf t-shirt over his head.
“Better than nothing, right?”
“Which one are you gonna put on?”
I purse my lips together, trying to keep my expression straight.
“Now that I’ve gotten a look at what I’ve actually bought, I think I’ll keep on these clothes for now.”
“You’re a fuckin’ ass, anybody ever tell you that?”
“Only you. Every day since I’ve met you,” I laugh.
The laughter is good for my soul. I’m grateful Ash is here with me, even if he’s a prickly guy.
