Riley's Downfall [Brac Pack 29] (10 page)

Sterling had big plans for Bacon. He wasn ’t sure if other people would consider his plans “normal,” but he didn’t care. Bacon was his little girl, and he was going to pamper her like a princess.

“ Chauncey?” Sterling said the man’s name as he walked into the kitchen and spotted the big guy eating right from the ice cream container. He was going to have to make sure he forwent any ice cream in the future.

The man leaned against the counter scooping the treat out, but Sterling noticed that Chauncey’s moves were a little uncoordinated. He looked like he was scooping just a little too slowly, and his wrist kept jerking.

“ Would you mind taking me into town?” he asked, smiling at Chauncey.
Chauncey licked the spoon as if he would never taste ice cream again, and then he gave a slow nod, as if only half listening to Sterling. “I can do that for you, Sterling. Do you want to go now?”
“Now would be nice.”
Sterling wasn’t sure if Chauncey was the right person to ask. His movements were still jerky, and he was walking a bit slow. Sterling was actually a little concerned.
“Is everything all right? I can ask someone else.” He wanted to say more, but Sterling wasn’t sure if asking the man why he was walking funny was any of his business. He may be a chatterbox at times, but he knew when to butt out of someone’s business.
“I’m cool,” Chauncey replied. “I was in an accident not too long ago. Even though I’ve recovered, sometimes my coordination screws with me. I go right when I want to go left, or I miss the toilet seat altogether.”
Yeah, Sterling so did not want to know about that last part.
“But I can take you.”
This man was about to give him a ride into town? He was going to be behind the wheel of a truck?“Uh…maybe I should ask—”
“I’m fine,” Chauncey said as he wiggled his brows. “Just make sure you wear your seat belt.”
Sterling took a quick step back.
“Just kidding.” Chauncey chuckled. “You’re too easy. But you are going to wear a seat belt. Besides, it’ll give me an excuse to harass my mate at work.”
Okay.

“ I’ll be right back.” Sterling shot up the steps and grabbed Bacon from the small pen that Riley had constructed in their bedroom. It wasn’t big, but then again, neither was Bacon.

“ Going into town,” Sterling shouted to his brother over his shoulder and then skidded to a halt. “Why aren’t you at work?”
“It’s my day off. I do get those, you know.”
Sterling narrowed his eyes as he walked down the hallway toward his brother. “You didn’t ask for a vacation package and a 401K, did you?” The last town they were in, his brother had done just that. They nearly weren’t hired.
“And Cody said after my ninety days, I would get it.” Darcy looked smug. “I told you I knew how to negotiate.”
“I guess.” Sterling turned and walked down the hallway, heading back downstairs.
“Hey, Sterling,” Darcy called out.
Sterling turned.
“Maybe later we could hang out?”
He had missed his brother. They lived under the same roof, but Darcy worked as a prep cook during the day and spent his nights with his vampire mate. Sterling hadn’t seen much of Darcy in the past few weeks, and he really missed hanging out with the guy.
“Okay.” He grinned as he ran down the steps.
“Ready?” Chauncey asked.
“Yep.”
As they approached the truck, Sterling became confused when Chauncey headed toward the passenger side. Maybe Chauncey was going left when he should be going right. That thought did not comfort Sterling.
“Want to drive?” Chauncey asked as he dangled the keys in front of his chest.
It had been too long since Sterling drove. He had a valid license, but didn’t own a car. “Really?”
“Sure.” Chauncey tossed Sterling the set of keys. Sterling caught them in midair, nearly dropping Bacon. He scooted her back up his chest and climbed into the truck.
“You’ll have to hold Bacon so I can drive,” Sterling said to Chauncey as he held Bacon out to him. Once Chauncey took the pig, Sterling reached down and readjusted the seat. His legs were too short to reach the pedals. Of course, he wouldn’t have that problem if a single one of the Lakeland men was built like a normal person.
Sterling chuckled lightly to himself. He wasn’t sure he would like them as much if they were. He certainly knew he wouldn’t like Riley as much if he wasn’t so tall and sexy and—damn. He needed to stop thinking about his mate or he’d never make it out of the driveway.
He watched in amazement as Chauncey buckled Bacon into a seat belt between them. He never would have thought of that. Sterling started the truck and pulled from the drive, heading into town. He was so excited that he was driving that he hadn’t watched his speed limit.
“Cops are behind us,” Chauncey said as he looked over his shoulder. “And their lights are flashing, speedy.”
Sterling felt panic well up in him. He had never been pulled over by a cop before. What if they took him to jail? What if they threw him on the ground and handcuffed him? He didn’t even know a lawyer he could call.
“Should I try and outrun them?” Sterling asked as he glanced in the rearview mirror.
“You could try, or you could just pull over,” Chauncey said with a snicker. “But I would opt for pulling over. I’m too
pertty
to go to jail.”
“Yeah,” Sterling said as he licked his lips, feeling his mouth dry out, “me, too.” Sterling slowed the truck, pulling over to the soft shoulder, and put the truck in park, turning the key and shutting the motor off.
He was sweating bullets.
His entire body stiffened when the cop slid from his patrol car and walked toward the truck, his towering frame seeming larger than life. Sterling saw bars in his future.
“He’s coming toward us,” Sterling whispered to Chauncey from the side of his mouth.
“They tend to do that when they pull you over.” Chauncey chuckled.
Sterling was a nervous wreck. He had never been stopped by cops. Ever.
“Do you know what speed you were going, son?” the cop asked as he approached Sterling’s side of the truck. The man was wearing mirrored sunglasses, hiding his eyes. That was not helping Sterling relax. He imagined big, bloodred eyes that would hypnotize Sterling into confessing everything he had done wrong in his life. He was ready to jump from the truck and beg to man not to arrest him for running that frog over.
“No,” he whispered, averting his eyes, terrified the man was going to haul him from the truck as Sterling was kicking and screaming.
“The speed limit is fifty-five, son. You were going seventy.”
“I’m dyslexic?”
He heard Chauncey laugh beside him as the cop pulled his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose, his stern blue eyes filled with bafflement. “That still makes it fifty-five. And the word is dyscalculia when it pertains to numbers.”
Oh, hell
. Sterling would have to get stopped by a cop who knew his shit.
“Is that a pig in a seat belt?” the cop asked as he leaned into the truck. “Why isn’t he in the back of the truck?”
“Ask him.” Chauncey pointed to Sterling, looking as if he was having a real good time with this. Sterling was glad someone found it amusing. He, on the other hand, was scared shitless.
“She’s just a baby,” Sterling said softly, unable to look the cop in his face.
The cop pulled back from the window, scratching his fingers over his chin. “I’m gonna let you go this time, only because you are too damn peculiar. Watch your speed and”—he waved at the seat—“get a car seat if you’re going to haul a baby pig into the front with you.”
“Really?” Sterling asked in surprise. He never thought of that. It would be a smart thing to do.
“No.” The cop shook his head as he walked away.
“You’re dyslexic?” Chauncey asked and then fell into the passenger door, hoots of laughter filling the cab. Sterling frowned as he slowly pulled back onto the road, watching his speed very carefully.
They drove into town, without any more incidents.
“I’m going to the feedstore first. I have to get a few things for Bacon,” he said as he parked the truck and unbelted his piglet, pulling Bacon to his chest and climbing out. Chauncey slammed the truck door and joined Sterling on the sidewalk.
“Good, I need to pick a few things up as well.”
Sterling spotted the same flirtatious clerk standing behind the counter, but this time Sterling avoided the man. He was mated now. He was in a solid relationship. No man would ever do it for him except Riley. And his big bear had claimed him. Sterling couldn’t be happier. He walked around with a big goofy smile on his face now every time he thought of Riley. The man was the cat’s meow in Sterling’s book.
Or was that the bear’s…growl?
“Back again?” the man asked, a knowing smile on his lips.
Jeez.
“I just need to pick up a few things for my piglet.”
“Where’s your nonboyfriend?” the man asked as he leaned over the counter, openly ogling Sterling from head to toe. He didn’t like it.
“At home,” he answered and then grabbed a few things from the shelves he thought Bacon would love. Chauncey walked into the feedstore, and Sterling noticed the clerk straighten. He must have realized that Chauncey wasn’t Riley, because he relaxed once more.
“I’ll take these items, please,” Sterling said as he approached the counter, setting down the things he had picked pick out for Bacon.
The man pulled the items closer to ring them up, but grazed Sterling’s hand. The move was slow, intimate, and done on purpose. “I could make going out with me worth your while.”
Sterling pulled his hand back. “No, thank you.”
The clerk set the harness down and grabbed Sterling’s hand, rubbing his thumb over the knuckles. “Are you sure?”
“He said no, dipshit.” Chauncey growled, leaning over Sterling’s shoulder, crowding him, and stared menacingly at the clerk.“Now release his hand before I break yours.”
The clerk quickly released Sterling’s hand and rang his items up so fast that Sterling was finished and out of the door in less than five minutes.
“Thanks.”
Chauncey winked at him as he stored his items in the back of his truck. “You’re family, Sterling. No one messes with my brother-inlaw.”
Sterling felt ten feet tall. He had always wanted a big family, and he had one now. He had so many brothers-in-law that he worried he’d go broke come Christmas. But it would all be worth it just to feel the love and camaraderie he felt every time he was surrounded by these men.
“I have one more stop.”
“Anywhere you want to go, shorty.”
Sterling quirked a brow.
“Well, you are short,” Chauncey pointed out.
Chauncey had him there. Sterling laughed as he walked down to the barbershop-slash-nail-salon.
“Getting a haircut?” Chauncey asked as he opened the door for Sterling.
“No, I want to get Bacon’s nails done.”
Chauncey paused, glancing down at Sterling and then at the pig in his arms. “No shit.”
“She’s a girl and should be pampered,” Sterling defended his reason. He didn’t want anyone making fun of his pig, but he knew Bacon would love the royal treatment. This was Sterling’s first pet, and he wasn’t sure if he was taking good enough care of her. Giving her a day of pampered treatment seemed logical to him.
“Hey,” Chauncey said as he placed his hand on the small of Sterling’s back and ushered him inside. “I ain’t said nothing about it. Have fun with Bacon. I’m going to get a trim while I’m here. I have to look spiffy for Curtis.”
“Hello, gentlemen.”
“Hey, Heaven,” Chauncey called out,“one trim job for me and one pampering job for the pig.”
Heaven placed his hands on his hips, eyeing Chauncey like the man was joking. Sterling was starting to think that maybe he would just buy a bottle of nail polish at the grocery store and call it a day.
“I’m serious.” Chauncey chuckled. “Give Bacon the works. Sterling wants his pet looking like a beauty queen.”
Heaven eyed Sterling, and all Sterling could do was nod.
“Okay.” Heaven tossed his hands up. “At least I can add polishing a pig’s nails to my portfolio.”
“Can you give her a pink bow around her neck, too?” Sterling asked once he saw that Heaven was going to pamper his pet.
“Honey, by the time I’m done with your little piglet, she’ll be the talk of the town.”
Sterling wasn’t sure if he liked the way Heaven’s blue eyes sparkled with merriment. Was he making fun of Bacon?
“Have a seat over there, and just as soon as I’m done with Chauncey, we’ll hook Bacon up.”

Chauncey chuckled at Riley ’s mate. The man was too much. Not only did the dang pig have sparkling pink nails, but she also had a cute pink bow to match around her neck. Sterling was carrying the damn thing in one of those papoose carriers that belted the pig to the front of Sterling’s chest. The nutty little fella was treating the pig like she was his damn kid.

Never in his life had Chauncey ever thought to see someone treat a pig like a whelp. It was comical as hell, and he was loving every damn minute of watching it.

“ Are we done, or do you want to take Bacon for a mud bath?” Chauncey hooted with laughter as Sterling growled at him. For a human, it wasn’t half bad.

Chauncey leaned against his truck, crossing one arm over his chest as he answered his cell phone, which had been vibrating at his hip. He was still chuckling. “Yello.”

“ Not yet,” Chauncey answered, grinning at Sterling as he stood outside the barbershop talking to Heaven. “Why, what’s up?”
“I’m done repairing the fence Hell Raiser knocked down, but I tore my work gloves up. Can you pick me up a few pair?”
“No problem.” Chauncey waited. He knew Riley wanted to ask how Sterling was doing. His oldest brother had been up at the crack of dawn and was out of the house early. It was late afternoon, and Riley hadn’t seen his mate all day.
The guy was jonesing, and Chauncey knew it.
Fuck, this was priceless.
“How’s…uh…how’s shopping going?”
Chauncey held back the laugh. “Just fine.”
“Did you…uh…get what you needed?”
Chauncey had to cover his hand over his mouth to bite back the laugh. Riley had
never
asked him about shopping and if Chauncey had gotten everything he needed. He was going to make the man ask. Damn, this was fun.
“Yep.”
There was a long pause on the other end, and Chauncey just leaned against his truck, snickering to himself as he waited Riley out.
“Well, hurry back with my gloves and drive extra careful.”
“Sure, I wouldn’t want your gloves harmed in any way.” Chauncey couldn’t hold it in any longer. He burst out laughing, placing his free hand on his knee as he bent over, feeling tears stream down his face.
“You bastard. Wait until you get back here. I’m going to kick your ass.”
Chauncey stood, wiping at the tears, and then sobered when he saw Sterling pointing up into a very, very large man’s face, yelling at the guy.
“Oh, shit!”
“What!”
“Gotta go save your mate from getting pounded into the ground.”
“Chauncey!”
Chauncey tucked his phone into his pocket, racing toward the barbershop. Sterling looked pissed as hell, and the man standing in front of him looked downright confused.
Oh, hell
. It was one of the new shifters, Kenway. The man was fucking bigger than Chauncey. Any other time Chauncey would welcome the challenge. But with his coordination being so off, he might swing at Kenway and accidently clock Sterling on the jaw instead.
And Chauncey would rather face a pack of hungry wolves than Riley when he was really pissed off.
“What’s going on, Sterling?” Chauncey asked as he stepped closer to the small human.
“This…This…
man
laughed at Bacon and called me a weirdo!”
“I didn’t mean any harm,” Kenway defended. “But you have to admit that carrying a pig around like a baby is stranger than hell.”
Chauncey hated to admit it, but he agreed with Kenway. But what could he do? Sterling was family. Right or wrong, Chauncey had his brother-in-law’s back.
“That’s because you are a big brute who wouldn’t know the first thing about loving something so special!”
Kenway’s features darkened as his fists curled at his sides. Somehow, Sterling had hit a chord in the guy. His deep blue eyes filled with hurt, and Chauncey knew he had to defuse the situation.
“Calm down, shorty.”
“Calm down?” Sterling huffed. “He calls me a weirdo and pokes fun at my pet and you want
me
to calm down?”
Chauncey didn’t think it was that big a deal. It would have been something he would have ignored. But it was obvious that Sterling was taking the strike against the piglet personally. Chauncey wasn’t sure why, but he knew he had to calm the short man down.
“Why don’t you go sit in my truck while I handle this?”
Kenway’s black brow rose, but Chauncey ignored it.
“I—”
All three heads turned when two trucks, filled with Chauncey’s brothers, came to a screeching halt in front of the barbershop.
Fuck.
Riley was going to hand him his ass for this. Chauncey was beginning to wish he had just continued eating his ice cream and kept his big mouth shut.