Page 66 of Awakening the Beast
“Are you ready to go? I have my bucket and spade!” Cree’s cute voice suddenly echoes from the doorway, stopping Arlo from being the filthy bastard he is.
Arlo raises an eyebrow, and I smile widely before turning around to face Cree. I take in his little summer outfit. A cap, shorts, and a shirt.
“Did you pick your outfit all by yourself?” I ask proudly while walking toward him. “You look amazing!”
He glances down at himself. “Yes,” he responds before looking at us again. “Now can we go?”
I take a moment to admire how big and independent he has become until Arlo strides past me with Lumi. On the way out the door, he leans down, lifting Cree in his other arm.
“Come on then, Mr impatient.” He jokes before carrying them away.
On the way to the beach, the sun beams hot rays inside the black truck, the warm breeze from the open windows flapping the loose strands of my hair around. Cree plays with his toys in the back, Lumi in her car seat reaching out to the figurines that hang above her.
Arlo slips his hand into my inner thigh, giving it a squeeze, the sensation sending a jolt through me. I peer over at him from behind my sunglasses, noticing his one hand low on the steering wheel, his twinkling Rolex and silver rings catching the light as he stares at the path ahead.
“Jasper and Lil will meet us there.” I say and he gives a small nod.
“I wonder when he will plant a baby in her,” he responds casually like it’s most normal thing in the world to say.
“My sister is sensible.” I assert firmly while I return to my eyes forward, thinking about it.
He snickers beside me, “Just like you were, huh? Now look. Corrupted.” Our shaded eyes meet as he continues, “You can’t get enough.”
The way he says makes my thighs clench around his hand, my body betraying me, and he lets out a low chuckle, proving his point.
“Nah, in all honesty. They’ve been together for as long as we have.”
I sigh as I sink further into my seat, “Yet she’s much younger than him, Arlo. What, seven years? I hope she’s not thinking about kids yet, especially when she’s still in the dark about what he does for a living. I would rather he told her before she makes such a big decision,” I reply. “Also, not everyone’s like us. Some people like to take things slow.”
He glances over at me again, studying me before looking at the highway again, “He hasn’t told her?”
“No. It seems like their relationship is going through a bit of strain right now. She knows he is keeping things from her, and he was stressed thinking he couldn’t tell her.”
Arlo blows out a big breath beside me, “I wonder how she would take it and where does that leave things with your mom?”
I look over at him, not initially thinking about that side of things. “I guess Lil doesn’t have to know that, yet. But if hers and Jaspers relationship is going to get through this, they need honesty, so, I told him to just tell her the truth to a certain extent.”
He gives a few nods in agreement and something else springs to mind about something else Jaspers mom said yesterday.
“Hey, what’s this about Jaspers mom being…” I trail off and his eyes flash to mine.
“Mentally unstable?” he asks as if he knew exactly what I was going to say.
I nod, “Have you ever met her?”
He shakes his head slightly, “Nah, well, if I ever did, I would have been young and don’t remember. My dad just always saidshe was nuts and was in mental institutes throughout Jaspers life,” I stay silent as he continues. “Jasper said something to me the other day about meeting her with you, but I brushed it the fuck off.”
When Arlo curses, I quickly look back at Cree, but he is too busy playing to hear, or it might be the loud hum of the car, luckily. As soon as I return my eyes to Arlo, he lets out a heavy sigh.
“Give me a break woman.”
I lightly slap his arm with a smile which makes him smirk then I move my focus to the road ahead again.
“Why does she want to meet us?” I ask, curiously.
He simply shrugs his shoulder, “I dunno, I didn’t ask questions.”
“So, I guess that means you don’t want to do it?”
