Page 15 of Outnumbered

“Oh, wow. That is quite an interesting warrior form. How fast can you run in that form?”

“I didn’t try running in that form yet. Those legs are more made for hopping and moving forward is … difficult.”

Caleb growled and bit my pant leg, tugging on it.

“He thinks you’ll give in because he’s being cute,” Jolie said as she glared down at her son. “Worked on me a lot as he was growing up. Sorry.”

Reaching down, I patted his head, then scratched behind his ears.

One leg started tapping against the floor as I found the spot right behind his ear he liked.

“Sadly for him, I’m used to adorable animals and it won’t work on me.”

“I’m impressed you learned so quickly,” Jolie praised. “I can’t wait to see what your warrior form is capable of.”

“Mom, you’re supposed to be on my side,” Caleb pouted after shifting to his human form.

She scoffed. “Why would I be on your team? Have you forgotten that I know what it’s like to be the only girl surrounded by men who always team up together? No, you’ve got your brothers to be on your side. I’m on her side.”

“Thanks, Jolie,” I said as warmth built within my chest. I knew she would have my back in a fight, but hearing her tell her son she was on my side, even a silly one like not wanting to shift, made me feel special.

“Now, stop teasing your girlfriend before you make her mad and then come crying to me to try to get help to fix what you messed up,” she accused him. Stepping back she said, “And you know what else? You make us lunch.”

He stepped up behind her and set his chin atop her head, dropping his shoulders down slightly to put more weight on her and asked, “Just you and Ember want a chicken quesadilla?”

She grabbed his arms and wrapped them around her so he hugged her. “Yes, please.”

He squeezed her, then stepped to the side of her and started assembling them. “Okay, give me five minutes.”

Jolie grabbed my hand, tugging me off the counter, and lead me out of the kitchen. When we were in the game room she turned and said, “And that, my lovely soon to be daughter-in-law, is how you convince one of your males to make you food so you can go play games while making them stop pestering you.”

“You’ve got all the tricks, don’t you?”

She laughed and shook her head. “Wait until you spend time with Leona. They aren’t tricks, but those men are wrapped around her finger. She sneezes and one has a tissue, another has cold medicine, and the other two are helping her lie down on the couch while massaging her feet and neck.”

“So, what game are we playing?” I asked.

“You choose. I’ve played them all a million times, so I like them all.”

“Karting it is!” I shouted and ran to set it up.

Chapter

Five

“Date night?” I asked, blinking as my brain tried to comprehend what the guys had just told me after waking me from a nap.

“We want to take you out on a group date tonight, yes,” Caleb said.

“We’ve been together, but not really spending time together,” Triston said. “We want to do something together.”

“And I’ve been away a lot recently,” Branson added.

How could I say no now?

“Okay, how should I dress?” If we were doing this, I needed to know how to dress and get prepared to get ready.

“We want to leave in two hours, dress is formal,” Triston answered.

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