Page 71 of From the Edge

“Did you want some dinner? The stew should be ready by now.”

“Sure. How did you have time to cook today?”

“It’s just something I do. Keeps me calm. Today was stressful.”

She got a crock of butter out, sliced chunks off a loaf of bread, and got two bowls for stew. She opened the slow cooker, which was filled to the brim, and stirred the stew before dishing out two bowls. Everything flew to the worktable, and she settled. Next to him, she slapped an obscene quantity of butter on her bread and started eating. Renyet was right behind her.

He groaned. “I am going to weigh a ton if I remain here.”

“Why? You are active, work out, have a normal physique for a... yet?”

“Correct.” He smiled and worked his way through the bowl.

Mell and Norec walked in with the baby, and Mell asked, “Can we just go for it?”

“Yup. I can handle the baby if you need two hands.”

Norec grinned. “I’ve got this. Have a seat.”

Mell sat and looked at Rowan. “You must be happy.”

Rowan paused. “Why?”

“You have all your missing people back.”

“Oh. Yes. It’s good.”

Mell frowned. “Just good?”

Rowan looked at Mell. “I have spent the last few years keeping you and Aspen alive and focused. I didn’t want you to drift off or feel that you were missing the world. I was feeding life to my grandparents, and today all of that stopped. Twelve years of effort to control the world around me just stopped. I am tired, and my grandmother has already started whining about my not having little ones of my own for her to play with.”

The room was quiet.

“So accept good as an answer. My brain is not full of endorphins. It is full of pain, change, confusion, and loss.”

Mell dragged in a breath. “Right. You always just seem so invulnerable.”

“That is my secret identity. Now I am at home, and I am just the guy in the bat cave on his day off.”

Ren asked, “Can I go for seconds?”

“Of course.”

“What about when the others come?”

“There is a second slow cooker in the corner and more bread.”

The other three arrived from their day jobs and were delighted by dinner. She produced the meal agreement and smiled. “Here. This way I get a schedule of when you guys are going to be home. Breakfast will start at five thirty and conclude at eight thirty. Dinner will begin at four thirty and conclude at seven thirty. If you text me, I will put servings into the fridge for you.”

The guys grinned. They were into their food when a specific sound got Rowan’s attention. She smiled. “Please excuse me. The delivery is here.”

Mell blinked. “Delivery?”

“All the meat for Friday. It’s here.” She smiled and gestured; a huge span of the worktable cleared.

She walked out and greeted the driver and the shopowner. “Hey, how are you doing?”

The owner said, “I threw another hundred pounds of meat in. I have been hearing whispers of the party from all over the city. You are going to get a lot of packs and party crashers.”