Page 25 of Forged Forever

“I would love that, darling.” Zander’s face lights up, excitement sparkling in his eyes.

“Great. I have an idea of where we can practice our shooting skills. Let me grab my stuff.” I jog to my bedroom to grab keys and my wallet.

Dad's at the front door pulling a jacket on, so I do the same, and we head out.

We arrive at the facility before everyone else, as planned. Only a few cars are in the lot, which should be staff. Dad follows me into the warehouse to the ticket booth. After a bit of arguing, he lets me pay for us.

“Good timing,” the employee comments. “We have a large group arriving in a few minutes to play against. You can grab your gear and head into the waiting area.”

“Thank you,” I wink and walk us into the equipment room. We get outfitted for the game and, once ready, I lead us into the far waiting room.

Taking a seat, we chat about school and Finn while we wait for the game to begin. I really hope he likes his surprise; I put so much thought and effort into it. A buzzing energy fills me, a cocktail of jittery nerves and thrilling anticipation. Finally, after about 25 minutes, the door opens and we stand to enter.

“What?” Zander questions, stopping a few steps inside the warehouse. There’s a group of 16 standing in a line smiling at us, half in red and half in blue gear. All my guys, plus Gabby, Troy, and Finn employees.

“Happy Birthday,” they yell together, before breaking into their groups to play. The blue team comes over with slaps and greetings for Zander.

“Darling, you did this?” He asks, flummoxed, shaking his head and turning to face me.

“Happy Birthday, Dad. I wanted to do something fun for you. I hope you like it.”

A huge, happy grin splits his face, eyes crinkling, as he pulls me into a hug. “It’s wonderful.” Zander kisses my head, and then we step back to strategize with the team.

We spend the next two hours laughing, hunting, and having a great time. With all the ex-military people involved, it’s a methodical game of strategy, and I enjoy seeing another side of Zander. You can see a natural leader emerge: calm, in control, and smart. Because he knows Troy so well, he can anticipate his moves, countering with unexpected ideas.

I lose track of who’s winning, but luckily the scoreboard does that for us. The game is close, but the blue team wins. Troy claims he let it happen, but I’m not so sure, not that it matters much, except for bragging rights.

We move into a separate room where I had sandwiches, drinks, and a cake delivered. There’s a lot of ribbing from the winners as we eat and chat around the table. Zander seems to enjoy himself, laughing and smiling. I requested no presents, just the company of everyone who cares about him.

Dad and I are the last the leave the warehouse, and he's still smiling when we walk out to the Jeep. “That was an amazing afternoon, darling. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, Dad.” I hop into the driver’s seat as we head to visit Jake and Ray.

Chapter 16

Dad and I celebrated my one year anniversary in South Carolina with a bonfire and the guys. He gave me a frame with a pic of us standing in front of the house the day I arrived. Troy took it with his phone, unbeknownst to me. We cooked hot dogs and made s’mores over the fire while music played in the background. It was a great way to unwind after midterm exams.

Troy updated us that Nick was still okay, but there were no specific details offered by the FBI, other than the fact that he had some cuts and bruises on his face. I both loathe and crave the updates. I need more details than the FBI offers, but to have evidence that he's alive is everything.

The following week is spring break. Alex, E, and Steven flew to the Caribbean on Sunday. Seb, Bay, and I worked at a wedding in Charleston with Dad and Troy for two days mid-week. Jake is standing regularly and using his wheelchair more, and Colette and Joseph visited him while we were working at the wedding, but there was no drama. I hung out with Jake a lot and went to the beach with Seb, Bay, and Penny on Thursday. Seb asks to sleep over on Thursday and Friday nights so we can get the garden planted.

Friday morning, Dad joins Seb and me at the landscape supply company to order compost to be delivered to the house, and we pick out some seeds and transplants. Bay, Olivia, and a young boy are waiting for us at the house when we get home.

“Summer!” Olivia shouts when I get out of my Jeep.

I bend down to give her a hug. “Morning Olivia. Thanks for helping with the garden today.” I smile.

“Welcome, Summer. Come meet my best friend, Ellie.” She takes my hand and walks over to the boy and Bay. “Ellie, this is my friend Summer.”

“Hi Ellie, nice to meet you.” I smile at him.

“Hello.” He gives me a big smile and a wave.

Olivia shows me a trowel she has in her back pocket and gloves. “Look, I’m all set. What are we doing first?”

I hand her some seed packets to carry as Seb, Bay, Ellie, and Dad grab the transplants for me. I went a little crazy and got some perennials I thought were interesting to add to the flower beds around the yard, too.

We set everything on the back deck and then get tools out of the garage to till the soil in preparation. I have Seb and Olivia help me find spots for my new flowers while the others till the garden beds.