Chapter 15 #2
Kade also hopped up, as if he hadn’t just eaten two Lunchables, a bag of French onion Sun Chips, and an apple.
They both arrived beside me within seconds.
I laughed. We had eaten dinner and brought snacks, but none of that sounded appealing right now.
I also knew Micah and Kade constantly ate.
I had always known teen boys were bottomless pits, but knowing and witnessing it was a different matter altogether.
As if we were of one mind, we all turned and gave Remy and Jace puppy-dog eyes. Remy shook his head, a fond grin curving his lips, and Jace sighed. It really was emotional blackmail, but I couldn’t even act like I was the least bit apologetic.
“We can’t leave our post,” Jace reminded me regretfully.
“What if you give me a card and I’ll zap right in?” Micah wheedled.
Kade and I spoke simultaneously. “Great idea.” “Oh, yes!”
“They’re mocking us,” Jaxson peevishly commented.
I turned to see Dawn, Rachel, and Marcel framed in the window. They were overdramatically eating their Chinese food, rubbing their bellies, and kissing their fingers as if giving a chef’s kiss. They knew their actions would stir some envy.
“It’s been a few hours since dinner,” Troy said.
“All the Yelp reviews say it’s the best Chinese food in the tri-state area.” Noah looked down at his phone. “Some of these people travel over an hour just to get it.”
I determined to give them a little retribution as Jaxson, Micah, Herman, Ben, and Kade argued over the logistics of getting some food. Tamara had already brought out her notebook, as if she knew Jace and Remy would give in to nearly everyone’s begging. I narrowed my gaze at them and smirked.
“Stop eating,” I commanded with a grin, crossing my arms over my chest.
I intentionally allowed them to use their utensils, but the moment they attempted to bring food to their mouths, they couldn’t.
It took a few more attempts and some confused mutterings before it finally dawned on them that I had only given a partial command.
I laughed as they turned their disgruntled glares toward me, and I jovially waved.
“That’s cold,” Noah laughed, kissing my shoulder before wrapping his arms around my middle.
The babies chose to move, and I picked up his hand so he could feel them. It wasn’t even a conscious thought anymore. After a moment, I realized that they all began placing their hands on my belly, hoping to feel them move. I obliged, even if it hadn’t been their original intention to hold me.
“When do you think they’ll stop teasing me, knowing they’ll never win?” I asked smugly.
“It’s like they’ll never learn,” Jaxson said, admiration in his voice as he realized what I had done.
Leave it to him to be impressed by my mean retribution.
Truthfully, I’m sure some of the wicked streaks I had picked up were because of him.
There were some things he did I would never imitate, but I had to admit I gained some joy in embracing some of his quirks.
I freely admitted that I sometimes fed off his energy.
“Hey, guys,” Gavin called jovially from behind us, making me jump.
I whirled around and saw that Gavin, Mercedes, and Bentley were holding bags emblazoned with the Chinese food restaurant logo.
I realized they had already decided to treat us, though Marcel, Dawn, and Rachel couldn’t resist rubbing it in at first. For a split second, I thought about releasing them from the command I had given, but only for a moment.
I wanted to make sure they got a little payback first.
“It’s like you read our minds,” I gushed.
“I don’t know how anyone can live in the apartments above that shop. The smells are just too tempting,” Gavin smirked. “I figured my niece and nephew might want some and couldn’t leave the others out.”
I rolled my eyes, but my heart was melting.
He was going to be an amazing uncle. Sierra and he had gone shopping the other day for their baby bean and came back with matching outfits and a few other items for the twins.
Sierra had said the idea was all his. At the rate people were buying things for us on top of what the guys were getting, the babies wouldn’t need anything by the time they arrived.
I tried to dissuade people from purchasing anything else.
I didn’t want to figure out where to store it in our apartment just to move it once we left.
If all went well, in the next few weeks, we would be moving back to Remy’s or Lincoln’s while our house was being built.
We had already decided we weren’t going to stay longer in the bunker than necessary.
I was over living underground and ready to move forward with our lives.
I was using all the power of positive thinking in my thoughts. I prayed Horatio would be so debilitated that his life was burnt to the ground. It had taken him years to amass his empire, and with his followers getting imprisoned, hopefully, he could no longer be a bane to our existence.
“You trying to gain brownie points from our girl?” Jaxson mockingly glowered.
“Yup.” Gavin didn’t skip a beat. “Gotta take care of my sister.”
I barely refrained from biting back an “aww” and feeling all gooey.
I had plenty of siblings, but none of them were older, save Bridgette, though I never saw us reconciling our differences.
Plus, I could never, ever see her as a sister.
She just happened to share my blood; other than that, she was no one to me.
I gently grasped his shoulder. “Thanks! I’ll get you next time.”
Gavin made a raspberry noise with his mouth. “Real friends don’t keep score. I’m heading back before my food gets cold.”
Everyone else called out their appreciation and eagerly came into the kitchen.
Kade and Micah began unloading the bags onto the small countertops and dining room table.
There was a wide variety of large containers.
Most of the dishes were served family style, so all we had to do was dig in and take the portions we wanted.
My mouth watered as the smell wafted up to me.
Remy stepped forward and stopped Micah’s hand. “Ladies first.”
Micah gave him a rueful smile. “My bad.”
I had to hide my own smile. The guys were trying to instill some kind of “gentleman” behavior in the boys, but sometimes they forgot the lessons.
Normally, I would have told Remy to let the boy eat; after all, it was evident he needed the extra calories, considering the growth spurt he was in.
My own greed was the only thing holding my tongue.
“Go ahead, Blake.” Tamara handed me a paper plate. “I know better than to get between food and a pregnant woman.”
She rubbed her hand over her flat stomach as if it were muscle memory.
She was nearly a month postpartum, but you couldn’t tell.
With her genetics and her determination to return to her workouts, once she was medically cleared, she was almost back to her prenatal weight.
Her hips and breasts were fuller, but if anything, it made her even more beautiful.
In short, most mothers would envy the way her body had transformed in such a short time.
Jaxson picked up a plate, handed it to Shiloh, and prodded, “Don’t be shy when it comes to food around here. You probably won’t be able to go back for seconds after the boys get in there.”
“You eat just as much as we do!” Kade good-naturedly grumbled before handing Victoria her plate.
The gesture was super sweet of him, but I could see it was wasted on her.
I think the only reason she kept the plate was her desire to get to the food.
She was a foodie, and all Asian cuisine was her kryptonite.
Unlike most teens who chose French or Spanish as their required language credit, Victoria was studying Japanese.
She had already expressed her interest in touring Asia for a year after she graduated.
“True story,” Jaxson unabashedly retorted, right before he quickly snatched up a steamed dumpling. “But I always make sure my woman gets enough before I go for seconds.”
I fondly caressed his arm and leaned my head on his bicep for a second. “He really does.”
Jaxson smugly smiled at Kade before attempting to reach out for a crab rangoon.
His hand was nearly there when it looked like something sparked on the back of it.
I thought I had imagined it until he attempted to reach for another one again.
This time, the sparks were undeniable. He quickly snatched it back and whipped his head back and forth.
His eyes narrowed once they landed on Troy.
Troy and Lincoln were attempting to hide their laughter, and I knew they were behind his “punishment.” I placed some orange chicken on my plate and tilted my head to the side in bewilderment.
I realized they had all found different facets of their gifts, but I wasn’t privy to them all.
I knew my gifts had grown as well, but I hadn’t been able to delve into each one yet.
Troy clicked his fingers, and sparks erupted from them. I had to laugh. They looked like little sparklers erupting from his fingertips. I was determined to learn that trick myself.
“Do you really want to start this with me right now?” Jaxson asked with a wicked smirk.
“Bring it!” Troy snorted. “The way I see it, I owe you at least a prank or two.”
“How do you figure?” Jaxson cried in outrage.
No one was fooled by his guilelessness and victim act. I was sure that if the boys were keeping score, Jaxson would far exceed them in pranks. It didn’t take them long to list his grievances.
“Salt in my coffee creamer,” Troy quipped.
“Enlisting Javi’s help in moving my drink every time I went to reach for it,” Drake said next.
Lincoln suddenly scowled. “Putting toothpaste in my Oreos. You’re lucky I didn’t give them to Blake first.”
Noah drolly stated, “I still owe him for filling my locker with spiders.”