by SM Olivier
I gave him a sympathetic look. “Sorry about that. We probably should have told him sooner, but when? ‘Hey, Pops, can you pass me the potatoes? And oh, by the way, my illusions can now take a physical form.’”
The guys laughed at me as we started walking up the steps. I was surprised to see Kade coming out of the house. He was barefoot, and his hands were shoved in to his pocket. I can tell from his expression that he had been waiting on me. I immediately felt guilty for leaving him behind when he clearly was struggling with all of this, too.
“You okay?” Kade asked hesitantly.
I nodded. “You?”
He wavered before nodding. “It’s different for me. This is all new. I just found out about her, so never had a chance to set any expectations.”
Remy gently guided me into the house as Jaxson and Noah threw an arm around Kade’s shoulder and took him in the house. The warmth of the fire place engulfed me in its warmth, and I had to refrain from sighing aloud.
I took a seat on the armrest of the couch. “I still shouldn’t have left you here by yourself. There’s a reason you wanted to accompany us up here as well.”
Kade took a seat on the ottoman across from me. I noticed the guys wandered into the kitchen as if they were giving us an opportunity and privacy to talk.
“I guess I was hoping when I met her she would have a really good reason for giving me up, but on the other hand, I’m glad she did,” Kade said. “I loved my parents and sister. My parents never acted like I wasn’t theirs, and there’s no way Katie wasn’t theirs. They never treated me any differently, though. They loved me unconditionally and gave me opportunities Micah and Alex never had.”
I nodded in understanding. “I know for a brief time she wanted to keep me. I know that if CPS didn’t step in she would have kept me, but for how long? My uncle, her brother, showed me a lot of love. He tried to protect me. When I found out about her, I think I had the same expectations. Maybe I hoped she tried to get me back eventually but couldn’t find me. When I found about Alex and Micah, though, I realized maybe she was never deserved to have any of us. It wasn’t fair. Especially knowing now that she been out there with another child. Is she going to abandon them too?”
“I think we need to forgive her,” Kade said resolutely. I gave him a look of surprise, and he quickly added, “My mom would quote Jonathon Huie when Katie and I were fighting. She would tell us ‘Forgive others not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.’”
I thought about his words for a moment. It was almost what I had been thinking, minus the forgiveness part. I could see the wisdom in the words, though. I stood up and embraced him. “When did you get so smart?” I asked as I kissed his head. “I can’t promise you I will, but I’m definitely going to try.”
He squeezed back, and I was glad he was such a great brother.
Jemmy, Sierra, Rachel, Sam, Dawn, Ford, and Marcel returned earlier than expected. I was shocked to see Terrance with them. I hadn’t seen him since we arrived. He actually seemed to be in good spirits.
“Did you go skiing?” I asked in shock as I rolled out the dumplings on the island. Drake preferred the thin noodles over the biscuit like dumplings, so I was just doing as he told me to do. In the past, my chicken and dumplings came out of a can or the dumplings were from a biscuit can in the refrigerated section.
Terrance smiled with a shrug. “If my man can read Nicholas Sparks, I can learn how to ski.”
I looked over at Marcel in exasperation. “You are not reading Nicholas Sparks.”
“I think he started to read it to spite us,” Sam smirked, “but he has been engrossed in A Walk to Remember.”
We all laughed, and Marcel did seem particularly smug as he withdrew the worn paperback from his coat pocket and sat down in one of the recliners. He even had a bookmarker in the book approximately half way through it.
“What’d you think about skiing?” Jaxson asked as he snatched a carrot from the veggie tray we had out.
“I think it sucks,” Terrance said bluntly. “However, tubing is a blast.”
We all laughed once more. Kade sidled next to me and leaned in. I started for a moment, and he gave me an apologetic smile.
“Can I invite Faith over to hang out?”
I smiled, realizing he didn’t want to ask in front of all the wolves. They would tease him mercilessly. That’s all they could do last night when he returned from skiing. They had given me a play by play. Faith and Kade had hung out all day, and although I didn’t think he necessarily had a crush on her, I think they genuinely clicked.
“Sure,” I replied as I set the cut pieces of dumpling off to the side.
“When’s dinner?” Jemmy asked as she came bounding back down the stairs.
“When you get done making it,” Drake teased as he continued to shred the chicken.
“Do you need a hand?” Sierra asked as she came into the kitchen dressed in yoga pants and an oversized chunky sweater.
“I think I’m set,” I smiled my thanks. “Drake?”
Drake gave her a grateful smile. “If you want to help me pull this chicken apart that would be great.”
“At least we know Gavin won’t starve to death when they live together,” Noah joked as he slid up behind me to wrap his arms around me.
Jemmy snorted and glared at him.
I leaned back into him for a moment, savoring the feel of his strong arms around me. He hummed quietly and swayed us back and forth. “You know, there’s this club in town. Wanna come dance with me?”
“Yessss!” Jemmy cried out in excitement as she slid into a stool at the bar.
“No one invited you!” Noah said smugly as he ran his hands up and down my sides.
I looked up at him and smiled. “I don’t have anything to wear, and we don’t know if we’re going to be on the first shift tonight.”
He dropped his head and whispered in my ear. “I found something in town earlier. It’s hanging in your closet if we don’t have to work tonight.”
“What’s going on tonight?” Terrance asked in confusion as he dipped a cucumber in some ranch dressing.
“We may have found…Miranda,” I said having a difficult time saying ‘mom’ or even bio mom. I never had a mother. I never had any real positive female role model in my life.
“Shut the front door!” Jemmy squealed. “No way! How?!”
“After she did the most epic melt down ever,” Jaxson crowed. “Can we get an encore? But maybe this time you can undo a few buttons on that white blouse.”
I ducked my head, feeling my cheeks warm as I glared at Jaxson. It wasn’t one of my proudest moments, and I had already called Pops and Paul to apologize for my behavior.
I chose to ignore him and quickly explained my version minus the school girl outfit, desk, bubbles, and unicorn. “I went for a run and stumbled across a mail box with no house and tire tracks with no car. When I reached out, I felt the emotions of the people there. They verified the county records and satellite images that there should be a house there. Jace wants us to continue our surveillance downtown and add additional bodies near the vacant lot just in case Miranda drops her cloak.”
“Time out,” Rachel shaped her hands into a capital “T”. “What meltdown?”
“All that, and that’s all you heard?” I asked dryly.
“I want to hear it, too!” Jemmy whined. “What did your melt down look like? And I want to go clubbing tonight, too!”
“No, Jem.” Noah sighed. “We’re always surrounded by family and friends, and I want a few hours with Blake, by myself.”
“Go,” Remy said gruffly as he came back into the kitchen shrugging on a button up shirt. His hair was still wet from his shower. “Even if Jace put you guys on first, we can switch it around.”
I smiled at Remy and then Noah. Noah was right to want some alone time. We needed those moments of just us. Most of my evening last night was spent with Jace and Remy, and even though most of the time was spent i
n carnal bliss, we still got to spend time together without all the other distractions. “Let’s go,” I told him softly.
He smiled at Remy in gratitude and then squeezed me.
“So, the melt down looked something like this,” Jaxson said full of mischief.
“Jaxson James!” I yelled as I saw myself in the middle of the living room on top of a unicorn with a school girl outfit that was rated R, and not PG-13.
The room was filled with stunned silence and laughter.
“Jaxson,” Remy growled and the illusion was dropped immediately. I instinctively knew he didn’t like the idea of me being a fantasy of any of the other men in the room. Even I had to admit my breasts looked a little bigger and my butt a little fuller in the illusion he had cast of me.
Jemmy was in hysterics and demanding another encore.
The living room, dining room, and kitchen were packed with everyone that wasn’t on duty. The Illinois teams came over bearing a salad and a scrumptious looking chocolate cake. The Nons went into down and brought back freshly baked bread and a carrot cake. Terrance already placed another grocery order for us, despite the fact we insisted that it wasn’t necessary.
I sat cross legged by the fireplace to soak in the warmth. I still needed to jump in the shower and get ready for tonight. I had no clue what kind of outfit Noah chose for me. I could only imagine. I wondered what club allowed people under twenty-one in it as well.
As predicted, some of the guys were ruthless when Faith showed up for dinner and to hang out. I was somewhat surprised her parents didn’t even bother meeting us before driving off. I had seen the ugly in this world. There was no way I could drop Ella off− or any of my siblings for that matter− to a stranger’s house without meeting their parents first.
“Did you look at your outfit yet?” Jemmy asked a bit disgruntled as she sat down next to me.
I looked over at her with a teasing smile. “When have I had the time to go look?”
“I would have already looked.” She sniffled.
I laughed. “That’s why I hid your Christmas gift somewhere you would never look,” I said smugly.
She gasped as if I had physically hit her. “You did not! When did you get it?” Her eyes narrowed at me suspiciously.
“I gave the money to Jace to get it for me,” I informed her with a smile.
“I’m finding it when we get back. Your apartment isn’t that large,” she said confidently. “I’ll find it. I always found the gifts the guys and Pops hid from me.”
“Good luck with that,” Troy stated as he took a seat on the other side of me. He had just gotten back from delivering copious amounts of food to the techies. “You’ll never find it.”
“I can’t believe we are on a mission this close to Christmas. When we get back, we’re going to be stuck in the gift room for days.” Rachel sighed as she sat down in our little circle.
“We still haven’t gotten a tree or decorated it,” Dawn frowned as she slid into to our circle as well.
“I’ll take care of labeling all the stockings,” Sierra stated.
Our little circle continued to grow. I looked over to see one of the Illinois girls, Georgia, squeezing in next to Jace and Remy. They were sitting on the couch with the laptop opened in front of them. The attention she was giving them was starting to annoy me. I knew she knew they were my connections. I also knew her interest in them was far from friendly.
I smirked as I remembered the evening we had last night. I knew where their love and devotion laid. My men were sexy, handsome, and smart. Georgia wasn’t the first girl to try to divert their attention, and she wouldn’t be the last. I would have to continually trust them and not let the tiny little green monster that resided in me out. The moment I started to ride them for the attention they garnered from other women, unwittingly, was the moment my insecurities would possibly cause unnecessary drama for us.
As if Jace sensed me looking at him. He smiled slowly and winked at me. I love you, Blake Lynn Thomas.
I smiled back at him and blew him a kiss. I love you, too, Jace Jordan Bell, I responded back.
“You have more patience than I do,” Jemmy sniffed as she looked over at my line of vision. “These girls always actin’ so thirsty.”
I couldn’t help but shout with laughter. “What?!”
“She’s been around Marcel for too long,” Terrance grunted as he sat down on the edge of one of the coffee tables.
“What is that even suppose to mean?” I asked genuinely confused.
“It means they try to hard to get a man’s attention or they’re horny,” Troy said softly in my ear.
I laughed. “It does not!” I looked over at Terrance. He nodded and smiled.
“Who comes up with these things?” I asked mystified.
“Who knows?” Rachel said with a shrug as she took a bite of her food. “I swear, Drake is the best cook ever!”
“I agree,” I smiled as I pierced a slippery dumpling with my fork.
“So, you aren’t going to talk to thirsty girl over there?” Jemmy asked belligerently.
“Nope,” I shook my head. “They can look and try all they want, but they are mine. I trust them.”
I was done letting the Adams and Georgias of this world affect me.
Troy kissed me unexpectedly, and I looked at him in surprise. “You know you mean the world to us,” he whispered against my ear.
I looked at my reflection and turned to look at my back. “Noah has amazing taste,” Dawn sighed as she leaned against my pillows.
Dawn, Sierra, Rachel, and Jemmy had followed me back into my room. It still felt weird to have a tribe of girls. I wasn’t use to changing in front of anyone other then Ella. They had no boundaries when it came to personal space, but I was getting use to it.
They draped all over my bed as I showered and waited for me to finish my hair before I slipped into the faux leather shorts that hugged my curves and upper thighs, silver sequined cowl necked crop top and leather jacket. He even bought me knee high black leather boots to go with it. It wasn’t something I would have picked out for myself, but I would wear it for him. I worked hard on my physique, but I still felt horribly self-conscious sometimes.
“Can I do your make up?” Jemmy asked as she bounced up and down on the edge of the bed.
I smiled and shrugged. “Sure.”
I handed her my makeup case and sat on the bench at the end of the bed. She was still sulking because she couldn’t go with us.
“Do you need some liquid courage?” Dawn wagged her eyebrows at me.
I refrained from shaking my head. I didn’t want to ruin Jemmy’s ministrations. “No thanks.”
“You look really good, I wouldn’t be surprised if all the guys would want to go with you,” Sierra smiled as she picked up my hair straightener and ran it over a few pieces I must have missed.
“Thanks,” I smiled. “I’m sure that was Noah’s intentions, knowing him.”
A knock sounded on my door. “Are you ready yet?” Jaxson called through my door.
“Almost,” Jemmy yelled back. “Close your eyes,” she instructed me.
I closed my eyes and tried to remain still as she brushed eyeshadow on my eyelids. I heard her rustling in my makeup bag before I felt her applying something else on my eyelids.
“Okay open and look up,” she commanded.
I did as she told me. I saw the mascara wand come dangerously close to my eyes as she applied several coats on my thick eyelashes.
“Now just your lipstick,” she rifled through my bag frowning. “You don’t have any bold colors,” she frowned.
“Here!” Dawn rifled through her purse and handed her a tube of lipstick.
I raised my brow curious about the color.
“Okay you can look now,” Jemmy said excitedly.
I got up and had to admire the dramatic bold make up choices she chose for me. It wasn’t gaudy by any means, but it was heavier than I would ever choose. I didn’t think I would have
liked the bold red lipstick any other time, but it seemed to be the perfect choice for the outfit I had on.
“Here,” Sierra handed me the beautiful star pendant necklace she always wore.
“I can’t. I thought your Abuela gave it to you,” I protested.
“Then take good care of it and give it back to me in the morning,” Sierra smiled as she slipped the necklace on my neck. It nestled perfectly between the top of my cleavage.
“Thanks,” I hugged her touched by her trust and thoughtfulness.
“Do you have you Alex and Ani bracelets that Jaxson got you?” Jemmy asked hopefully.
“Actually,” I snapped my finger. “I think I have it in my guitar case,” I stated as I ran to my closet. I got out my guitar case and pulled out the little pouch. I slipped the bracelets on my wrist. “Am I done?” I asked.
“You look hot, mama,” Dawn smiled. “We need to plan an outing for all of us. I need a reason to dress up!”
“Sounds good to me!” Rachel exclaimed.
“Blake!” Jaxson wailed plaintively.
“Why are you trying to rush her?” Jemmy demanded as she yanked open the door. “She’s going on a date with Noah. Not you!”
“I know,” Jaxson explained as he tried to crane his neck around her. “But I wanted the satisfaction of seeing her first.” Jaxson said mischievously.
Jemmy laughed. Leave it to her to want to get involved in mischief if she wasn’t at the butt end of it. She flung the door wide open. “Ta da!” she proudly proclaimed.
Jaxson’s smile disappeared as his eyes darkened. “Holy crap, Blake! You’re beautiful.”
I gave him a crooked smile. “It’s an improvement from the yoga pants and sweatshirt I’ve been sporting lately,” I teased.
He crossed the room and pulled me in close. “You’re beautiful every day but tonight you’re stunning,” he caressed my cheek before he dropped a kiss on the corner of my mouth.
“Now I know why you were popular with the girls,” I teased once more.
He scowled at me. “Shut up and take a compliment!”
