Her Shelter (Angels Halo MC Next Gen Book 6) by Terri Browning (best ebook reader for laptop .txt) 📗

All three of them were taller than the majority of the other men in the bar, their shoulders just as wide as Max’s. The one in the middle seemed to be the oldest, and the one to his left looked more like him than the one on his right, who had three earrings in his left ear and a stud in his nose. At a glance, they were just as beautiful as Max was, but with a second look, I could see they weren’t anywhere as close to being as perfect as Max Reid was in my eyes.

It was their eyes that had me completely mesmerized, however. That incredible blue that I could so easily drown in if I weren’t careful.

But they didn’t belong to the guy I wanted to be wrapped around at that moment. As if they could see the apprehension in my eyes, they stepped closer, blocking me in. But it was the taller of the three, the one standing in the middle, who smiled reassuringly.

To my surprise and complete delight, he lifted his hands and began signing to me. “Hi, I’m Reid.” His hands didn’t move quite as smoothly as Max’s or Nova’s did, telling me he wasn’t as comfortable or as fluent in ASL as they were, but I was just happy to have someone actually speak to me.

“Delaney,” I offered with a small smile.

“Max told me about you,” he said, his signs slower, a frown pulling his brows together as he concentrated on the words.

“I can read lips too,” I tried to convey, and relief filled his handsome face. “Just talk slowly.”

“This is my brother, Elias.” He indicated the one on his left, then the one on his right. “And our cousin, Chance.” I glanced at the two of them, offering each a tiny smile. Elias gave me a head nod in greeting, but Chance only stood there, his eyes drilling into me, unable to hide his suspiciousness. Just like Tavia and Lexa, only…more intense.

Cautiously, I took a step back from him, and Reid slapped him on the back of the head. “You’re scaring her, dumbass,” I thought he said, but his lips moved too quickly for me to be sure.

Chance glared at his cousin. “She doesn’t belong here. What is Max doing with…”

My tears had dried when these three had appeared in front of me, but they returned at his words. I took another step back, looking away so I didn’t have to read the rest of what he was saying. I started to move around him when someone grasped my wrist, turning me to face them.

When my eyes lifted to the bride and her groom, I wanted to sink into the floor. Her eyes were glassy with tears, and the tip of her nose was red. She had reason to cry and even to be angry with me. Having me show up with Max had ruined her wedding reception. She was probably going to make me leave, and I was all too ready to go.

Yet when I expected her to drag me toward the door, she jerked me against her with surprising strength and wrapped her arms around me in a hug so tight, it knocked the air from my lungs.

Shocked, I stood there, my arms at my sides, not sure what to do next.

The hug lasted all of twenty seconds before she released me, and then she was smiling at me as tears spilled down her cheeks. Her mouth moved so fast I couldn’t make out a single word. Unable to follow her, I glanced at the tall, kind of scary guy behind her.

Recognition hit me, and I realized he worked at the Ink Shoppe. I’d only seen glimpses of him in the weeks before I’d met Max, but it was hard not to recognize a guy who looked like him.

Which meant…

I threw my arms around the bride, tears spilling down my cheeks just as rapidly as they were hers. My hug didn’t last nearly as long as hers had, but when I pulled back, I was quick to sign what was in my heart.

My appreciation and gratitude for what she’d been able to do for me when she hadn’t had to do anything but call the cops on me for squatting in her place of work at night.

When she just stood there, frowning at me because she was unable to keep up with what I was saying, I swallowed the lump in my throat and spoke the words. “Thank you. For…for the…blanket.”

Her green eyes widened even more, understanding lighting her entire face, and then we were hugging again.

“It was you?” I read her lips when she pulled her head back. “You…?”

Shame hit me again, but I nodded. “I’m sorry if…I got you into…trouble.”

“You didn’t,” she said with a shake of her head. “I have been so worried about you. But you’ve been with Max?”

“For a little while.”

“Oh.” Turning her head, she looked up at the guy behind her. He gave her a grim smile, and she seemed to relax a little. The connection I could sense between them reminded me of how it was between Max and me.

I glanced around, hoping to see him, but when he didn’t magically appear, my heart sank all over again.

“I should go,” I spoke again. The vibrations in my throat from speaking so much were weird, and I hoped she could understand me. When her head snapped around to look at me again, I saw something like determination swimming in her eyes. “I’m sorry…for ruining today for you.”

“No, no. You didn’t. I swear. This has been a great wedding present. Finding you.” She clutched at both of my hands, holding them tightly in her grip. “Mom has been looking everywhere for you, Delaney.”

Maybe I was reading her lips wrong, because no way was her mom looking for me. If her mother was the woman Raven had to hold back earlier as I suspected, then I was sure of it. Why would she