“Simmer down, June Bug,” Dad mutters, pulling me closer to his side, and I feel his lips at the top of my head. “I can’t say I’m happy about this.”

“I didn’t think you would be,” I murmur, wrapping my arms around his waist.

“I’m pissed you didn’t talk to me about him. I’m so fucking disappointed in you.”

Gahhh! Why is the whole I’m disappointed in you statement so much worse than your parents just being pissed at you?

“I know.”

“Your ma isn’t gonna be happy either, baby girl.”

Squeezing my eyes closed, I drop my temple to his shoulder and nod, because I know he’s right. My mom isn’t just my mom—she’s a friend, and I normally tell her everything. I know she’s gonna be even more disappointed in me than Dad is that I didn’t trust them with what was going on.

“We love you, always have and always will. One day when you have kids of your own, you’ll understand that. With that said, we can still be upset about your decisions, but it doesn’t mean you don’t always have our support.”

“I know,” I agree, and we sit in silence for a few more minutes.

“Do you want to tell your mom, or do you want me to?”

I wanted to ask if she really needs to know, but I know without asking the answer to that is yes. “I’ll tell her,” I mumble.

“Good call. I’ll get you guys some wine, and you can tell her once she’s had a couple glasses.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Anything,” he mutters, kissing the top of my head, then stands.

“You know I love you too, Dad, right?” I ask, tilting my head back to look at him.

“Yeah.” He grins before heading out the door.

“That went okay,” I whisper to the yard, hoping the talk with my mom won’t end with her in tears.

Unfortunately, I’m not that lucky. By the time I get around to telling my mom that Evan and I were married, she’d only had one glass of wine. She cried for an hour then told me—just like my dad—that she was disappointed in me. By the time we were done talking and I got up to go to sleep, she was so drunk, my dad had to carry her to bed.

Though, she did tell me drunkenly that Evan is hot.

*

“Uh… what are we doing here?” I ask, looking through the windshield at my sister’s vet clinic then over at Evan as he shuts down his truck.

“We’re getting you a dog,” he says, and my head jerks back as to him. “What?”

“You have the best alarm system on the market, but an alarm system only works if you turn it on.”

“Seriously?” I run my hands down my face. My dad lectured me about the alarm system last night and this morning. “I agreed to turn the alarm on.” I sigh.

“You’ll still set the alarm, but your also getting a dog.”

“What about a cat?”

“A dog will be on guard 24-7, a dog will tell you if someone is trying to get into the house, and a dog will protect you if someone does make it inside, now let’s go.” He hops out of the truck and slams the door then comes around to my side.

“I don’t know about this,” I tell him as soon as he opens my door, reaches around me, unhooks my belt, and helps me out.

“That’s all right. I do,” he replies, taking my hand and leading me toward the clinic.

As soon as we reach the front door, July is there pushing it open with a smile on her face, looking between me and Evan. “You said you would be here twenty minutes ago.”

“Had to pick up my truck,” is Evan’s reply as he tugs me through the door.

When I got off work and went home, I expected to have to face my house alone, but Evan was there, outside in his truck waiting for me. He didn’t even let me go inside, just took my hand and helped me into his truck. A truck that was just as cool on the inside as it was on the outside. Black leather seats with white stitching, black wood paneling, chrome everywhere there could be chrome, a killer sound system, and all the bells and whistles you could possibly ask for. I didn’t ask him what we were doing or where we were going. I was honestly just happy I didn’t have to be home alone, and even though I wouldn’t admit it out loud, I was happy to be spending time with him.

“Are you okay?” my sister asks, sweeping her eyes over me as we step through the door.

“Yeah, well, I was. Now, I don’t know.”

“What?” she asks, and her eyebrows pull tight as she studies me.

“Apparently, I need a dog.” I pause then turn to look at Evan, who is talking to Kayan at the reception desk. “A big one,” I mutter, and her eyes light up and a smile graces her lips.

“Ah.” Her gaze moves over my face and goes soft, and then she takes a step closer to me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Letting out a breath, I nod. “I’m fine. I was freaked yesterday. I probably won’t want to stay alone for a while, but I’ll be okay.”

“I tried to call you.”

“My cell is still in the bottom of my bathtub.”

“What?”

“It fell in the tub. I need to get a new one. I’ll probably try to do that today.”

“When I called Mom and Dad’s last night, Dad said you and Mom were talking.”

“Yeah,” I reply quietly.

“You told them?” she whispers, looking over at Evan then back at me.