AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Their mom frowned at him. She said her cooking was so good it never needed salt. The potatoes certainly didn’t. She pre-salted everything and Taylee realized Clay was just pouring out his frustrations and not paying attention. He was going to be thirsty later.
“You pretend to hate it, but you don’t.” Jem nudged Clay with an elbow, which only increased his fury. His frown darkened.
“I certainly do hate it. The guy is insufferable. He’s the asshole of all assholes if I’ve ever met one.” Their mom cleared her throat and scowled at Clay, who flushed. “Sorry. Language. I’m sorry everyone. I’ll moderate. That a-s-s-h-o-l-e is such an a-s-s-h-o-l-e to the extreme that I can barely stand it. He’s never going to get better. He’s going to be an a-s-s-h-o-l-e for life.”
“I know how to spell,” Misty piped up cheerfully.
Onyx giggled like she knew how to spell too. She dug both fists into her mashed potatoes and glopped them into her mouth, all over her face, hair, chin, and clothes. They were already smeared in just about every single direction, including up and down and all over her highchair.
“Just because he’s haughty and acts like an epic jerk all day long doesn’t mean he’s too far gone to turn it around.” Jem wasn’t helping anything at all, and he knew it.
Somehow, he’d gotten off Sebastian guard duty and the job had landed pretty much all on Clay. Sebastian was under a sort of house arrest, and if he went out, it had to be with Clay. He was watched and guarded at all hours of the day. He had to go to mandatory therapy every other day. He could exercise and participated in select clan activities. He might be a wolf, but he was no longer bothering to wear sheep’s clothing—if he ever had—and everyone knew what a loudmouth he had. Given what he was like, Taylee wondered what she had ever seen in him. Though she knew ten years ago she had probably been a different person, and maybe he was her way of rebelling. Or maybe back then he’d been a sweet guy? But, unless her memories returned the nature of their relationship would have to remain a mystery.
Sometimes, Taylee worried Clarence would be sorry for taking this on, but then she could see, just like they could all see, how much Sebastian was hurting under that mouthy, tough guy exterior. He was only an asshole to cover up the deep pain that lay beneath the surface.
Clay had already admitted that there were a few times when Sebastian had messed up and some of the story of his past escaped. It wasn’t nice. Not at all. They’d all grown up in a loving family, in a supportive clan. Sure, there might have been tough times and scary moments, but it was nothing compared to what Sebastian had been through, and there was so much he had locked away. Compared to Sebastian, Clay’s bristling discomfort and restlessness looked like nothing.
“I was thinking about having another paint night with Lyric and Melody,” their mom cut in, changing the subject.
Clay groaned. “Mom, come on. I’ve already said I’m not interested probably a million times. I’m busy now with Sebastian. I’m happy. I don’t want a mate. Lyric deserves a better one than I would be anyway.”
“I was just thinking about including my whole family in one of my passions,” Grace said, pretending to be hurt.
“Or you were planning on pouring macaroni down the sink drain again,” Clay grumbled.
Jem laughed. “Count me in.” He grinned at Onyx, who waved grubby hands back at him. “If Onyx is in, I’m in. She made such a masterpiece last time, it was great. I’m not sure she got the memo about the paint going on the paper and not all over herself, though. She was the masterpiece in all the photos.”
They all laughed. That was true. Taylee had been scrubbing paint off her daughter for days after that night, but it was good. It was fun. They’d used kid safe paints and Onyx had made messy handprints—maybe she was too young to know what she was doing, but she loved the colors and she’d enjoyed herself so much.
Misty was really coming along with her painting as well. She didn’t have natural, raw talent like Grace said Taylee always seemed to have, but her art was becoming skilled and beautiful. She followed direction so well and took all of Grace’s lessons on technique to heart. If she stuck with it, she’d be making gallery-worthy masterpieces soon enough. Not that they weren’t already. Taylee and Kier proudly hung all of their girls’ artwork in their house, as well as Taylee’s, and the few paintings Kier had been forced to do. They were going to run out of wall space soon, and lately, they’d been working on more complicated pieces that took weeks and months to complete.
“Could you pass the gravy, Clay? My meat is a little bit dry.”
Grace shot her husband the world’s foulest look, which made them all roar. “My meat is never dry,” she hissed. “You’re just trying to work me up.”
Their dad shrugged and hid a grin. “Nevertheless, gravy, please.”
Kier passed it over. He looked sheepishly at Grace, as if in apology for being an accomplice.
“Clay has enough to worry about watching Sebastian. He has a full-time job,” Taylee said. “Plus, I think Lyric’s moved on. She doesn’t have anyone in mind, but she’s happy. She’s over her crush. She never asks about Clay anymore.”
“That’s because she’s keeping it all bottled up.”
“No, Mom. I really don’t think that’s the case.”
“Hmph.” Grace sniffed.
Clay rolled his eyes. Jem huffed out a laugh. Kier was going to burst if he had to contain it any longer. Only their dad was managing to keep a straight face. Onyx scooped up another handful of potatoes and licked them off her fingers. Misty kept laughing at her, then she borrowed Kier’s phone and started to take videos of the massive mess going on.
Those videos would be priceless later. They already watched the ones of Onyx from when she was just a few months old over and over again, and she wasn’t even a year yet. Time passed way too quickly, but enjoying it so that it seemed to fly was so much better than having it drag on and on because life was filled with misery and pain.
Taylee took Kier’s hand under the table. “We wanted to invite you all to Greenacre, whenever you have a free evening. To our house, but mostly to the woods. Kier bought a telescope, and not just a regular telescope. An amazing one. We’re going to spend a few nights with the girls studying the stars together. I would love it if you could join us. I know you’re busy, but, Clay, you do get relieved every night from guard duty, so there’s no excuse. Jem, just saying you don’t want to because stars are boring isn’t good enough. Mom and Dad, you have to come.”
There was a moment of hesitation, like everyone was taking a collective breath, but then it was released.
Clay groaned. “Alright, I’ll come.”
“Me too,” Jem said, pretending he hated the idea.
