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Noah looked at him with sympathy. “I’m sure she does, buddy, but until we find her, you need new clothes.”
Chip made a face, “But I already got new underwear, jeans, and shirts.”
“You’re going with the boys,” Ella said bossily. “You too,” she pointed at Alex. “I’m going with the girls.”
Some of us laughed at her bossiness.
“Okay,” Chip mumbled unhappily.
“Okay,” Alex said agreeably.
“I guess that means I’ll go with you, too,” Jace said with a smile in his voice as he looked over at Jaxson.
“I’m coming,” Noah volunteered.
“Can we play more video games?” Ella asked as she pushed her plate away.
Will looked down at his watch and over at me. I nodded. “It is a Saturday night, you can stay up a little later.” he smiled indulgently.
“Yay!” Chip, Alex, and Ella stood up with excitement, getting ready to run out of the room.
“Hold it,” I yelled after them and they froze in their tracks. “Sit down and ask to be excused. Then take your plates into the kitchen and put them in the sink.”
They reluctantly all sat back down, asked to be excused, and then took their plates into the sink, before running back into the living room.
After dinner, everyone took their showers and got dressed into more comfortable clothing. Even though we were tired we all decided to meet back into the kitchen, where Drake volunteered to make some cupcakes for the kids, although we weren’t telling them yet.
Will asked if he could invite Steven, Beth, Cora Karn, and their daughter Nadia over. They were another connection trio. Steven was their nucleus. Beth and Cora, his wives. They were members of the board, and Will felt he could trust them in our secret. He was hoping if they got involved they could help us figure out how to proceed from here, plus they had the right to know when changes were being made to the whole Knights division.
I looked longingly at my bed as I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and one of my tank tops with the built-in bra—there was no way I was putting another bra on. I towel-dried my hair, getting as much moisture as I could out of it before adding some product into it. I figured I had dawdled long enough and left the comforts of my room.
I thought about my room as I made my way down to the kitchen. It was going to take some time before I could make it feel like my own again. I had added so many personal touches before, and I was determined to restore it to its former glory.
I saw Nadia had already made herself comfortable with the other kids, and I had a feeling it wouldn’t take long for her to reestablish her friendship with Ella. I was the last one to enter the kitchen, and I noticed the large chef’s kitchen seemed fuller than I had ever seen it. Everyone had found seats around the island and pulled some chairs into the room from the dining room.
Drake was busy scooping out the batter into the cupcake papers, and I grabbed another scoop from the drawers and started helping him fill the muffin tins. We worked effortlessly together, and it only made me feel more at home. I just wished we were able to talk. Talking with Drake had always been easy. Since arriving…again, he seemed to want to keep me at a distance.
Tonight, he was whipping up a chocolate cupcake with Reeses peanut butter cup filling and a peanut butter frosting.
Will was handing out coffee cups, and Jace started handing down the coffee pot with cream and sugar, for those who took it that way.
Will cleared his throat. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I asked you to come over here tonight,” he addressed Steven, Cora, and Beth.
“Does it have anything to do with Zach skipping town?” Beth said shrewdly. She was the most outspoken in their relationship.
“It’s a part of it,” Will nodded. “We have recently found out he was in bed with Horatio.”
No one seemed surprised by it, and Steve said as much. “It doesn’t surprise me too much. He always pushed us to be more out in the open by our gifts, so it was a matter of time, but why now?” he looked over at me perceptively.
“What I’m about to tell you is a bit…hard to believe,” Will preempted. “Do you remember the institute we were involved in, years ago?”
“She’s Amanda!” Beth gasped as she pointed at me.
I nodded as I placed the cupcakes in the oven. “I was. I go by Blake now.”
“When did you find her?” Beth asked as she stood up from her stool. She came around the counter. “You don’t remember me, do you? I was young when I started working for the institute,” she stated. “It was me who took care of you. It used to make me cry seeing what they did to you. Maybe that’s why I never wanted children.” She looked over at her pai
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