Page 122 of The Broken Aztec Princesses

“Well, it took a while before Dad accepted Mom,” Elim chuckled. “And no matter what they say, I’m convinced my brother was a surprise.”

“Do you get along with them?”

“I do. They’re pretty awesome, for annoying little siblings.”

“What are their names?” I asked.

This question made Elim blush for some reason, and now I was intrigued.

“I don’t want to say,” he answered.

“What? Why not?” I was, my curiosity spiking.

“Because it’s embarrassing.”

“Oh, come on. I’m sure it’s not that bad.” I prodded.

Elim groaned and his blush deepened before he took a deep breath.

“My sister’s name is Ezri,” he began, and I grinned. “My little brother’s name is Jake.”

“Jake’s not so bad. It’s a common name. It could have been worse. She could have named him Quark or Worf.” I tried to make him feel better, but Elim groaned and covered his face with his hands.

“I had to beg Mom not to name him Worf. It’s his middle name, instead,” he mumbled through his hands.

“Your mom really is a trekkie.” I laughed.

“You have no idea. She has collectibles and she has all of the seasons in blue ray. Goddess forbid you try to touch them.” He laughed lifting his head. A small smile appeared on his face as if he was suddenly lost in a good memory. “Dad bought it all for her one Christmas. She practically screamed when she saw it. She doesn’t know it yet, but he also has like three more blue ray players in the garage in case they get discontinued and hers breaks.”

“He’s a good dude.”

“He’s the best.” Elim grinned, getting up and holding out his hand. “Let’s keep going.”

We were about to start when I saw Cade walking inside the training grounds and waving at me. I waved back, wondering what was happening as he approached.

“Hey, I was hoping I’d find you here.”

“Is everything okay? Did something happen to Bells?” I asked.

I knew today was a hard day for her, though I didn’t know the extent of it. When she picked up Adam last night, she looked like she was on the verge of breaking down, and I tried not to tip the glass over by asking questions.

“She’s fine. I left her sleeping. Can I take a few minutes of your time?”

“I’ll go get some reps in,” Elim said, leaving us inside the arena.

Cade and I walked to the side and sat down.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Cade started telling me everything that happened to Bells yesterday. I felt terrible for my big sister. She worked so hard to be everything for everyone, and people just kept punching her in the gut as repayment.

“Should I go talk to her?” I asked.

“Well, I mean, you can, but I just got her to sleep. I came out here because I had an idea, but I didn’t want to tell her unless you think it’s something you can do.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, would you be opposed to working the daycare until Bells found someone permanent? You love kids, and they don’t trigger you. I can be there at drop off and pick up times so you feel safe, and we can see what kind of security is there during the day so you don’t feel exposed.”

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