My Girlfriend Bites (Young Adult Paranormal Werewolf Romance)

Chapter 26

Bree

An aviation theme decorates the small living room of Aiden's house. Paintings of jets and prop planes hang on the walls. A heavy curtain blocks the afternoon sun from the main window, and a floor lamp is on, showering one corner of the room with light. A smooth wood mantel displays plastic models of aircraft over a fireplace that has never been used. A two-barrel shotgun hangs above the mantel.

The scent of sour liquor comes from the man slumped in a recliner. The half-bottle of Jack Daniel's he's been enjoying waits on a coffee table to be finished. The man's head slowly rolls toward us. "Aiden, wha...who's dat?" The man's words slur together.

Oh my Goddess. Is this Aiden's dad?

"Could you wait for me outside, please?" Aiden can't even look at me. His body slouches as if all the life were sucked out of it. He's horrified I'm seeing this.

I back away like I've walked into a crime scene and don't want to destroy any evidence. There's vomit on the coffee table, and I trace it to his father's shirt. I didn't know his father was such an alcoholic. Aiden never talks about his family much, and now I wish he would have. Why does his dad drink like that? Tossing his cookies over his own furniture and making his son feel embarrassed in front of his girlfriend. Why?

I don't understand this human need for alcohol. Numbing your senses on purpose sounds so stupid to me. Life is to be enjoyed in the moment, and your senses bring that world to you. I would be depressed if I couldn't sniff the air or run as fast as I could, jumping and rolling and living, but people like Aiden's dad choose to block those senses. I don't get humans sometimes.

Outside, I lean on my car and wait for about twenty minutes before Aiden comes back out with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders drooping. I still put up a big, friendly smile. I don't want Aiden to think I'm judging him because of his dad. That's so not fair.

"Well, I guess you've met my dad now," he says, trying to push it off as a joke that no one can laugh at. "Usually he only has one drink on days like these. Today it got out of hand. But he doesn't do this a lot."

Something tells me Aiden's lying to protect his dad, which I totally understand. Still, I wish he would trust me.

"Guess we'll have to get together some other time," Aiden says.

Some other time? My hormones wail with grief. But Aiden feels awful. I should respect that.

"What about the back seat of my car?" My hormones slip those words out before my brain can put a stop to it.

He squeezes my hands. "Are you sure? Don't you want this to be more...special?"

I do. And it should be, right? In the back seat of my car does sound gross. So that only leaves one other place. A place that's far too dangerous, but my hormones don't care.

"What if we went to my house?"

I park the car in my driveway and then pull Bullwinkle and Rocky out of the car. I do a quick sniff and detect no recent scent from my parents. I unlock the door and put in the alarm code, then lead Aiden up the stairs to my bedroom. I place Rocky and Bullwinkle on top of my dresser.

"So what's the story on those animals?" he asks.

"The story?"

"Yeah, you always have them in the car with you, and you take them up to your room. I'm wondering why because it's...how do I put this...?"

"Psycho?"

His face changes, like he thinks he's embarrassing me. "I didn't mean it to come out like that."