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I let myself into Simon’s house, just as I had been doing since I was old enough to reach the pad that allowed you entry with a fingerprint.
The guys and I had spent so much time at Trent’s house when we were kids, that it became a second home to us all. We had even been given our own rooms there, since we stayed over so often.
“Grey!” I looked up and couldn’t contain my grin when I found Blake hurrying towards me. She was dressed in a pale pink summer dress, her hair down in loose waves. I could tell she was wearing a little makeup because her eyes were darker than usual, but all that paled in comparison to the beautiful smile that lit her face and made her eyes sparkle. She took my breath away every time I saw her.
“Hey, baby,” I greeted as I wrapped her in my arms and held her close. She smelled amazing, a mix of the vanilla body wash she favored and a coconut smell I was pretty sure was her shampoo. “You okay?” I asked when she seemed to clutch onto me just a little longer and tighter than just a greeting hug.
“I am now that you’re here,” she sighed as she leant back enough to look up and meet my eyes. “Nan made cocktails and I m-may or may not have a had a few,” she giggled, and I realised she was buzzed. It was cute.
“Nan’s a bad influence,” I chuckled as I wrapped my arm around her waist and led her into the kitchen where I could hear all of the others laughing and talking.
“Maybe,” Blake shrugged. “But she makes a fab cocktail. The margherita was my f-favorite, but the martini was good too. I did not like the one w-with bourbon though. What w-was that called again, Nan?” she called as we walked into the kitchen.
My nan stood at the stove, stirring something, while Declan was beside her chopping tomatoes. The twins, Trent, and Simon were seated around the island with beers in hand, and off to the side I saw the blender and a ton of liquor and cocktail mixers on the counter.
“Fuck. How many cocktails have you had?” I laughed as I looked to Blake. I worried about how the alcohol would mix with her meds, but tried not to voice it. She had been advised she was safe to drink in moderation, and it wasn’t like she was wasted. It was hard not to worry about her though when you knew all she had been through and all she was still dealing with. More than anything, I just wanted to protect her in all ways possible.
“Don’t you start now, Greyson party pooper Richards. We’re having some fun. You might want to try it some time,” Nan told me, and I realized Blake wasn’t the only one who may have sampled one too many cocktails.
“Thanks for that, Nan,” I murmured as I released Blake and walked over to place a kiss of greeting on Nan’s cheek.
“Wouldn’t kill you to loosen up occasionally, son,” she told me, but the loving smile on her face softened the comment.
“It’s all good, bro. I poured the shots for the cocktails, not Nan,” Dec told me as he appeared behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Blake only got half shots,” he added with a grin.
“Can we do the gifts now that everyone is here?” Blake asked with so much excitement it was impossible not to be captivated by her.
“I told you I didn’t need any gifts, sweetheart,” Simon sighed as he smiled over to her lovingly.
“Were we supposed to wait? We gave Simon our bottle of scotch when we walked in?” Liam asked.
“You did, and it was very much appreciated,” Simon nodded.
“Go and grab it, tiny. I have a gift to give him too. We can do it now,” Trent told Blake with an indulgent smile. Blake nodded eagerly than hurried off towards her bedroom.
It never failed to amaze me, the love I saw between Simon, Trent, and Blake. They hadn’t known each other for long in the scheme of things, but it didn’t matter. They were family and the bond between them had been instantaneous. Now it was impossible to remember Simon and Trent without Blake in their lives.
“How was your shift, Grey?” Tom asked as Dec appeared beside me again and handed me an open bottle of beer. I gave him a nod of thanks and then sank onto a stool at the island.
“Long. This heat seems to have made people crazy,” I replied before taking a gulp of the wonderfully cold drink.
“Better get used to it. It’s only going to get hotter,” Simon told me and I groaned. We were used to it being hot, but that summer was turning out to be one of the hottest on record.
“How’s Blake been?” I asked, lowering my voice so she wouldn’t hear me. We had all been worried about her even more since the two bad days she’d had – two days during which she had kept us all at a distance and scared the crap out of us.
“Good. We took her into town. She seemed to have fun,” Tom replied and I was relieved someone had been with her. I knew she had Luca, so was technically secure, but she needed more than that. She needed the support and company of those who loved her. I hadn’t known what her plans were for that day, except that physio was cancelled because Dec was busy. It had concerned me throughout my shift that she’d be alone all day. It was a huge relief to know she hadn’t been.
“She’s doing much better with the new meds,” Trent agreed.
“She was out running this morning. Just in the back yard, but she managed a few circuits. She was proud of herself when she finished, and I was too. She’s come so far since she arrived here,” Simon added.
“Because of all of you,” Blake said, having obviously heard the tail end of our conversation as she returned to the kitchen. “You’ve all g-given me the support, and safe place I needed to get stronger. I c-couldn’t be where I am without you.”
“It’s all down to your hard work and determination, tiger,” Declan spoke up.
“And to you. I actually r-ran this morning, Declan. I n-never thought I’d get that back, but I did. I ran and it’s because of you…because you pushed me in physio and m-made me stronger. I know I h-have a way to go yet, but I…I bloody ran and it was amazing.” Blake was tearful as she spoke and I knew why. She had never believed she would get to a point where she’d be mobile enough to jog again. When she arrived there with Simon almost three months ago, just walking had been a challenge. Now she was so much steadier on her feet and she could move at pace when she needed to. I knew what that meant to her. I knew having the independence of movement back was a huge hurdle, which she had wanted to overcome in order to get back a piece of who she had been before those monsters took her and almost killed her.
“We’re all so proud and so amazed about how far you’ve come, short stack. You should be too,” Trent told her, and she nodded shyly.
