Page 40 of Outnumbered

I was pretty proud of myself, but hearing that they thought that made me even happier.

“Mom also said she was proud of you and that she’s going to bring you back a souvenir.”

“That’s sweet,” I said. “I’ve never been given a souvenir before.”

Triston stopped mid-chop and raised his eyes to mine. “What?”

“Hermit, remember?” I said and chuckled.

“Speaking of you being a hermit, do you want to go on a day trip tomorrow?” Caleb asked.

I nodded immediately and shouted, “Yes!”

“Where are we going?” Triston asked as he put the chopped vegetables together into a large bowl.

“I figured since we’re on the tail end of summer that it would be good to go to the beach before it started cooling down. Have you ever been to the beach, Ember?”

I shook my head. “No, but I do know how to swim. They taught us at the school I went to.” We’d had a swimming pool and one of our P.E. modules had been swimming. I wasn’t fast, but I enjoyed being in the water. Sometimes, I swam in the river behind my house, but it was usually too cold to enjoy.

“Well, that’s one less thing for me to worry about you learning,” Caleb teased.

I pinched his side, making him squirm away.

“Do you think it’s okay for us to go considering the attack a few days ago?” Triston asked.

Caleb set his beer down and sighed. “Honestly, I would love to just hide Ember at my parents’ place until we took the H.E. down, but it’s not realistic. And I promised her that I’d show her the world, so starting with the beach seemed like a good idea. Hopefully, we won’t run into any trouble while out, but Papa Dan is going to send a few werewolf guards with us and I think Papa Emrys is going to send Uncle Andras. Don’t worry, they won’t bother us, just be nearby in case we need their help.”

It was sweet to see such a caring family.

“The guards will make me feel better,” Triston said as he washed lettuce.

“I’ll feel better, too,” I admitted.

“Okay, good,” Caleb said and exhaled softly.

Riddick and Branson showed up half an hour later, each carrying several bags of groceries.

I offered to help cook, but was denied, so I drank a beer and watched them. It was nice to see Branson smiling so much as he helped in the kitchen.

“You look happy,” Riddick commented and sat on the chair beside me.

“I am happy,” I said with a nod. “Thanks to you guys.”

“It looks good on you,” he said and squeezed my leg.

“Dinner is ready!” Branson announced. He and Triston carried the plates to the dining table while Caleb carried the salad and salad dressing.

Turning my chair around, I gasped at the chicken parmigiana. I hadn’t been paying attention to what they were making, just watching them, so it was a pleasant surprise. “This looks delicious!”

“Let’s eat!” Caleb said and handed me the salad bowl first.

“Thank you,” I said and passed the salad to Riddick on my right. “For making the dinner and for everything you to do entertain me and make me happy.”

“Thank you for existing and choosing us,” Triston said.

“Yes, your existence is highly appreciated,” Caleb said with a nod and stabbed some pasta.

“To Ember’s existence!” Triston said and raised his beer.

---