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“You haven’t had enough of battlefields?” Madison retorted.
Woman, this was different. Toby would understand.
“Hell yeah,” Joel replied. “We got Nicolas the2042: Master of Arms, but I’ve only playedZero Hourbefore.”
Both were awesome. “It’s a date. Our men can serve us steaks and potato skins while we get our game on with Nicky.”
“I’m loving this plan,” he chuckled.
“How did I become a server in this scenario?” Elliott asked. “And his name is Nicolas.”
Nicky was easier to say!
“You wanna play with us?” I raised my brows.
He sighed. “How do you like your potato skins?”
“Filled with cheese and plated right next to Nicky’s,” I replied smoothly.
Nicky snickered and ran back inside.
* * *
Elliott Jones
Piper was really not gonna say anything, was she?
She was un-fucking-believable. But so be it. I’d play nice at family get-togethers and when Blake was around.
At least Blake had taken the news of her daddy and uncle being together fairly well. She just found it giggle-worthy and strange that we used to “hate” each other, and now…
It was a slow introduction to what would hopefully be a spectacular future. Blake had enough to deal with right now, so it wasn’t like Joel and I were all over each other. We had to take things one day at a time for her sake.
In a way, for Nicolas, Mattie, and Julian too. Our only responsibility and priority at the moment was to keep all four kids relaxed when they came home from the hospital every day wrung out and sensitive.
When Madison excused herself to take a nap, Crew deserted me for Joel and headed over to the pool. I wouldn’t see Nicolas till his next soda was gone, and Blake and Mattie weren’t leaving the water anytime soon.
Piper flipped the pages in the magazine she’d pretended to read the past couple of hours.
I took a sip of my coffee, and Julian reached for his juice box.
He liked to mimic me… If I drank, he drank. If I had to go to the bathroom, so did he. Best way to get him to eat was if I ate.
“You tired, kiddo?” I combed my fingers through his hair.
He shook his head and leaned back against my chest.
Now was the moment to push, according to the doctor, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Hewasgetting better. The clinginess was easing, however slowly, and he responded using body language, which he hadn’t done mere days ago. Couldn’t we let him progress at his own pace?
If he stopped, of course I’d make some changes, but he’d just fucking survived several months of captivity, and his life before then had evidently not been great either. So far, we knew both of Julian’s parents had died in drug-related cases. That was why Keith had been given custody. Julian’s mother had overdosed, and his father had died in prison, where he’d served four years for selling coke.
The more I thought about the boys going back to Keith Davis, the more I hated it.
Mercier and his team were currently trying to find the man.
I hoped he stayed missing. Let the kids be adopted into a nice family instead. Preferably soon, because I was getting attached, and that wasn’t good.
Julian climbed higher up on me and rested his head on my shoulder.
