Page 45 of Echoes of Desire

A voice calls from behind us, and I turn to see who I think is Ma, coming back with a large tray of cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries, just as I’d hoped. She walks toward us with a grin, her presence a steadying force.

“Looks like you’ve made some new friends,” she says, handing me a slice of cheesecake.

“They’re... something,” I say with a soft smile, the cake settling in my hands like the comfort I didn’t know I needed.

“That they are.” Ma gives me a playful wink. “Now, eat up, or I’ll have to eat your share too.”

“Not a chance,” I reply, already scooping a forkful into my mouth. The rich sweetness of the cheesecake spreads through me, and for a moment, everything feels a little simpler.

I glance around the group, taking in the faces, the bodies, the voices. It’s all a little overwhelming, but I’m trying to focus on the details, the small things that will help me connect in ways that don’t rely on seeing their faces. It’ll take me a long while to learn everyone but that’s okay.

“So, are you planning to stick around?” Ghost asks, his eyes searching mine. There’s something in his gaze, a kind of understanding that makes me feel as though he’s looking past my eyes, past the confusion I often carry.

“I hope so,” I say, my voice steady now. I feel the warmth of the moment, of the people around me, like a cocoon that’s wrapping me in a sense of belonging.

“She isn’t going anywhere,” Jasper says next to my ear.

“She’s our little prisoner,” Jaxon smiles, kissing my temple.

As I sit there, listening to their voices and feeling the weight of the journal Ma gave me pressing softly against my side, I realize something. Maybe I don’t need to know everything right now.Maybe I just need to take things one moment at a time. And with people like this, that doesn’t seem so hard.

“May I have another slice?” I ask Ma.

Smiling, she hands me the biggest one on the tray.

“I’ll be back,” I tell the group and make my way to the lone man, watching everyone from the sideline.

“Hello,” I say as I approach him. “I’m Raven. I brought you a slice of cheesecake.”

He smiles down at me, he being so incredibly tall, and accepts the tray.

“Thank you, precious,” he says. “I’m Mitchell.”

He doesn’t say anything else as he eats his slice. Not wanting to be nosy about why he’s sitting alone, I simply sit beside him.

Smirking, I reach over and steal a piece of strawberry off of his cheesecake, much to his amusement. He finishes up his slice and hands me the tray that still contains fruit.

“Do you not like strawberries?” I ask as I accept it.

“They’re my favorite fruit,” he smiles down at me. “For you.”

My heart nearly bursts. This is by far my favorite gift that I’ve ever received. It’s not the strawberries themselves but the thought behind it. This man, who sits alone while his family is laughing and joking around, has a heart of gold. I hope the rest of his family can see that.

I look over to the fire pit and notice that two men, most likely my two men, are looking at me with warm smiles on their faces.

“Would you care to join me?” I ask, nodding to the gathering around the fire pit.

“Thank you, precious,” he smiles. “But, I think I’ll stay here and observe. You go and have fun. Give your men a hard time for me, yea?”

Standing, I don’t give him a choice but to accept my hug.

“We’re going to be the best of friends, Mitchell,” I whisper in his ear. “When I see you next time, I won’t remember your face,but I will remember you. Just remind me of your name, and that’s all I’ll need.”

With that, I turn and head back to the group.

“Have fun, baby?” Jasper asks.

“Mitchell is a good man,” I answer. “Why is no one talking to him?”

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