Bonnie
Chapter Twenty-One
“Good morning, birthday girl.” Dallas knocked first and came in with one single cupcake with a lit candle on top. They sang “Happy Birthday” to me and clapped until I blew the candle out.
My wish?
For me and my sleuth to live a long and happy life, hopefully with some kids in the mix. I wanted to be a mother and I wanted little Justices and Archers and Dallases running around. Raising cubs with them would bring me so much happiness.
“Around here, everyone gets chocolate-chip pancakes on their birthday. Come on down when you are ready. We’ll eat and then show you your present.”
“My present?” They’d already given me a home, a place to belong and honestly, more clothes than I could wear in a decade.
“Yes. It’s your birthday. The first one with us.” Dallas disappeared after a kiss to my lips.
“Oh. Okay. I’ll be there in a second.” I knew they could hear me. I brushed my teeth and washed up and got dressed in a light sundress. The days had gotten hotter. Summer would be here soon.
As soon as I entered the living area, Justice wrapped me up in a hug, lifting me from the floor. Dallas and Archer did the same. I ate chocolate-chip pancakes, more like chocolate-chunk pancakes, until I was almost sick. “Ready to go see your present?” Dallas asked.
“Go see it? Is it not here?”
Justice stood and for once, left the dishes for another time. “It’s outside. Cover your eyes and we’ll lead you there.”
Good thing I trusted them.
We walked out the back, down the porch steps, and to the left. The barn was to the right and the garden in the middle, so in my mind’s eye, the only place we were headed was to an empty field.
Maybe they were giving me an empty lot. Honestly, if they did, I would still be grateful.
“Open your eyes, omega.” Archer held my hand.
I opened my eyes and while they adjusted to the light, I took in the scene. There was a small home in front of me and, at first, my stomach sank. Were they going to make me live out here?
“Told you.” Justice elbowed Archer. “She’s thinking the worst.” He came to stand in front of me.
“Female, this is a place for you to work on your art. Or paint or read or just spend some time by yourself whenever you want to. We wanted you to have a place to yourself. Not because we don’t want you around all the time, but because everyone needs some time alone.
It’s not a bad thing. Please don’t think we don’t want you around. ”
How he knew exactly what I was thinking was a mystery, but he put that self-inflicted fire out in a moment.
“It’s a place just for me?”
Dallas laughed. “Yes. They called it a she-shed. Omega-shed. Whatever you want to call it.”
“Can I go in?”
Archer tugged on my hand. “Of course you can. It’s yours. We set some things inside but you can decorate it as you like and change anything.”
“Like my nest?” I asked.
“Exactly.”
It was painted white with bright yellow shutters. Inside, the walls were the same yellow and it had windows. A small fan. A chair, one comfy, and one stool in front of a table. There was a vase of fresh flowers there.
“We know you need some supplies. We can go shop for them in the city.”
It all seemed too much. “No. No, I can just buy them online. I don’t need much.”
Dallas cleared his throat. “Actually, we thought Justice might take you to the city. An overnight trip. Get some dinner. See a movie. Shop for things the next day.”
Justice’s cheeks reddened the tiniest bit.
His scent enhanced.
Oh, I saw what was going on. They were setting us up, and I didn’t mind it one bit.
“Good. I have some canning to do, and the goats won’t feed themselves. Well, they might. With grass. Or the clothesline.”
Archer. Such a sweetie and completely transparent.
“And I have the shop to watch,” Dallas put in. “Good. That settles it. Now, the birthday girl gets to pick out a movie or a game. Your choice, Bonnie.”