Sandy yelled back from the front of the RV. Their voice was thick with tears. "Say yes to that sweet boy, you filthy old hag! We will consider it our in-law's quarters. These will be our cheeky babies and we will stay on to take care of them like good mamas and papas should."
Dottie made a harrumphing noise before calling back over her shoulder. "What's this we shit, bitch? I already adopted these boys in my heart. It's up to them if they want you too. As far as I’m concerned, you’re just my sidekick. Know your place before I put you in it."
While the two of them continued with their verbal sparring, I pulled out my phone and googled Cottonwood. Larry leaned over my shoulder and read the screen along with me while I looked for information on what sounded like was going to be our new home. We just had to get there in one piece first.
5
Niles
After driving for a couple more hours, we decided to park for the night. We didn't have much choice since Dottie couldn't meet up with her property agent until morning anyway. Sandy happily informed us that the onboard water tank and generator would give us all the comforts of home, even in the middle of the desert.
Larry had been panicked about parking out in the open until Dottie assured him that we would be safe here. I didn't question her gift when I felt the magic swirling around her. She hadn’t had a vision, so she couldn’t be one hundred percent, but she claimed we should be safe.
"You can trust the old gal. If our Dottie says we're safe, then we'll be right as rain." Kyle was way too relaxed for everything we'd been through this evening. I couldn't decide whether it irritated or made me jealous that he was able to remain mellow.
And not just with the danger aspect. My god, we had so much to do and we still hadn't talked even about the whole mate business. Aside from getting shot at, that was at the top of the list of things that had me rattled. Why weren’t my mates acting a little freaked? Larry wasn't acting like anything big had happened either.
Dammit, there were steps that needed to be taken… a proper order to things. Did they plan to just jump into it? Surely not. But then again… what I knew of Kyle from the hospital was a carefree man with a teasing personality. I wouldn’t put it past him to take the leap without hesitation. Not that I wanted to wait or anything. I felt a magnetic pull to both of them that was only getting stronger by the minute. But still… it wouldn’t hurt to have a conversation and discuss expectations, right? Larry had been a soldier, surely he understood the importance of planning.
Larry. He was a mystery I couldn’t wait to unravel. Aside from occasionally glancing at either me or Kyle and licking his lips, you'd never know that the guy had nearly died and met not one but two mates on the same day. Yeah… I was pretty sure my mates were going to drive me nuts before we ever made it official.
Once we found the campsite we wanted, Sandy parked and closed the shades over the large windshield before getting up and stretching with a loud yawn. "I think I’m going to go ahead and let you drive tomorrow, Dot. My ass is numb from that seat, I should've taken you up on switching when we stopped for fuel."
Kyle sat up with an alert look on his face, his eyes filled with terror as he looked back and forth between Dottie and Sandy. "Wait… what now? Does she even have a license? I'm not sure if Dottie driving is the best plan."
Sandy winced, taking a step back and putting the apron over their face. Dottie didn’t seem to be pissed though, and instead just snorted. "Boy, I can drive this bitch backwards on a windy one-lane road and parallel park it on a cliffside with inches to spare. Don't test me, or I'll do it just to prove I can. Now what? Come at me, bro. I can take your skinny ass."
I couldn’t stop the chuckle from escaping when she playfully put up her dukes like she was ready to throw down. Kyle rolled his eyes. "Yeah... no. I don't think so, darlin'. But I'm not going to argue with you tonight either. I'm going to go poke around the bush outside and see if I can't find a good place to set up the old bush telly and cuddle with my men under the stars."
Sandy dropped the apron. "Bush telly? I haven’t heard of that brand. It must be small if you got it in your suitcase. Now listen, honey, I have plenty of extension cords if you need one. I’ll fix you right up."
Turning to Larry, Sandy pointed to a closed door in the narrow hall. "The bathroom is there. It's not the fanciest shower, but you're welcome to it. I don't think your mates have clothes that will fit you, but I have some sweats for when I'm feeling masc. You might have to tie a rope around your waist to keep them up, but at least you’ll have something covering your fun zone."
Kyle cleared his throat. “I brought extra clothing when I packed my bag with Larry in mind. I’m sure I’m a much closer fit, but thanks for offering.”
"Borrowed clothing isn't necessary, I had Sandy bring a suitcase I prepared weeks ago for him. I knew he'd need it. I might not have seen his face yet, but I knew he was coming. The shoes should fit too, but I might have been off a half size. I’m psychic but nobody’s perfect." Dottie waved a hand as if it were no big deal that she'd not only known about Larry but what he'd be needing when she met him. The more time I spent around her, the more she fascinated me.
"Oh, hell. I should've guessed. Let me grab that then, sugar. As much as I'm sure we're all enjoying the ab show, I know you'll feel better when you've bathed and dressed. After we get you set, I’ll see about finding Kyle that extension cord for his television." Sandy looked a little too thirsty after looking at Larry’s bare chest some more. So far I was amused, but I wasn’t sure how much more flirty teasing my cat could handle hearing before we started getting possessive.
Kyle scratched his head and tried to explain that he didn’t need an extension cord for a bush telly, that it was just a fun name for a campfire. I was pretty sure I was the only one listening though. I clocked it away to bring up later, interested in learning more of his native lingo.
Larry was being fussed over by Dottie while Sandy dug through an overhead compartment before producing a small overnight bag. When Sandy passed him the bag, Larry paused before taking it.
“Forgive me for not asking before, but things were a little crazy. What pronouns do you prefer? I don’t want to assume anything.” Larry spoke in a sincere tone that made me proud to be his mate.
Sandy threw their head back with a laugh. “Honey, I am what you kids like to call genderqueer, that’s true enough if you must have something to call it. But I stick with the masculine pronouns. I’m too old to change this late in the game. Besides, I’ve never been one for labels. I left the label maker in the closet I burst out of before I hit puberty, doll.”
Dottie nodded. “It’s true. This one was born fabulous.”
“You know it, queen.” Sandy winked and fluttered his lashes before motioning at his outfit. “This isn’t my usual wardrobe, even if I do give it a certain panache. I was filling in for Dottie and taking her place as Dorothy for story hour at the library when she sounded the alarm and told me to get my fine ass in gear. I didn’t even think about what I was wearing, to be honest. Not that it matters, I’m often known to wear skirts and long dresses anyway. If you don’t like what I’m wearing, don’t look at me. It’s that easy. Besides, they offer more airflow to the dangly bits.”