“I take this recipe to every pack gathering Gracie has, and people go nuts over it. They always beg me for the ingredients list, but I never spill my secrets.” I laughed softly, taking a bite of my sweet green fluff. “Can’t have anyone one-upping me on my signature dessert.”
We lapsed into silence, listening to the fire crackle and pop. I let out a happy sigh. Sitting between these two men, my heart felt right at home.
“Fletcher? Adam?” Sky began.
“Mmm?” we hummed in unison.
“Thank you for giving me a wonderful birthday.”
“Of course, sweetheart,” I told him.
Adam only smiled. “There’s many more where that came from.”
“I don’t think they’ll ever top this one,” Sky said.
“I’ll take that as a challenge.”
We all laughed, but I had the feeling that Sky really meant it. That today meant so much more to him than either of us could’ve ever imagined.
We went to bed that night smelling of woodsmoke, cuddled up together, with Sky snuggled in between us.
My heart was full.
26
SKY
It was kind ofhard to believe I’d lived with Adam and Fletcher now for seven months. It felt like just yesterday Fletcher had dragged my sorry ass off that water tower, and honestly? I couldn’t be more thankful.
They saved me from myself, got me help when I needed it most, and I was determined to give back to them.
Summer was fading, giving way to cooler nights as we left August behind and September took its place. Mother Nature decided rain was in the forecast—like, a lot of rain—and the leaves had already begun changing colors.
Bixby’s fall menu had officially arrived, and business was bustling. I found my life strangely full, between my regulars chatting with me and telling me stories about their youth, dinners spent with Fletcher and Adam, and movie nights piled on the couch, cuddling or playing games together on the Switch.
Tonight, Adam was working the late shift, leaving Fletcher and me to our own devices. Of course, that meant we were idly browsing Netflix, looking for a movie to watch.
“What are you in the mood for?” Fletcher asked as he scrolled through the nearly endless list.
“I dunno,” I said. “Just nothing scary. I’ve got enough nightmares of my own as it is.”
He shot me a sort of half-grin. “I bet I could protect you from the boogeyman.”
I bit my lip to try and hide my smile. “Mmhmm. Big bad Omega. You don’t have a mean bone in your body. You couldn’t hurt a fly.”
He huffed at me, as if offended I’d say such a thing. “I could if they were hurting those I cared about.” Then he bumped his shoulder into mine. “C’mon, I really wanna see this one!”
I glanced back up at the screen, where a trailer played for a horror-suspense film called Cicada. It looked kind of spooky, but Fletcher had a shine in his eye and damn it, I couldn’t say no.
“Okay, but if it gets scary, I’m crawling into your lap.”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll distract you.” Funny how he said “distract,” and not “protect…” Huh.
We settled in together. Fletcher started the movie, and we began to watch. It started off slow, about a couple of farm kids who unearthed this giant pulsating creature beneath the ground near their crops.
But then, of course, madness happened as the creature came to life and started spreading havoc. It even ate one of the children. Blood splattered and bones crunched. I quickly looked away, shuddering a little.
“Too much?” Fletcher whispered.
