Page 41 of Blade

Mom rubs his shoulder, looking over him in concern. “Honey, if you don’t like it, we can talk to them and?—”

“I fuckin’ love it, Sweets,” he says and takes her in a heated kiss that I have to look away from. Eww!

After I no longer hear the sounds of lips smacking and Smoke growling, I turn around to see them breaking apart. Smoke looks in between me and my mom. “Are youtwoalright with this?” he asks.

“Of course, we are. Smoke, you and my mom are a thing now. You treat her better than I could ever hope for. The girls see it too. It’s probably why they look at you like a grandparent now.”

Smoke nods with a smile and we head for the pool. The girls are still standing with Sara when we get there, and they’re looking at the pool with a little bit of fear. It’s huge. It starts off at three feet and goes all the way to twelve. At the end of it is a large rock waterfall and a cavern space beneath it. On either side of the waterfall is a slide that leads into the pool.

At the moment, Marco and Hannah are preparing to jump from the top of the waterfall. When they turn around and face away from the pool, I’m a little confused.

“Marco! Don’t you dare!” Crystal hisses, jumping off her chair. Paul shakes his head and laughs as Torch runs up the waterfall and stands next to his brother and Hannah.

“Come on, kids, YOLO!” he shouts.

The kids laugh and then all three of them do a back flip off the cliff. Crystal looks like she’s about to have a heart attack but no one else seems worried. “Mom has been this way since we were kids. We all love diving into the pool, and she freaks out every time we do it,” Cam says, chuckling.

When Marco and Hannah surface from under the water, Crystal sighs and takes her seat next to Paul. He wraps his arm around her, kissing her forehead. The girls no longer look scared and now they’re bouncing in excitement. Torch swims over to where we’re standing but keeps a bit of distance from the edge.

“Come on, girls. Jump.”

They turn and look at us for guidance and Cam jumps into the pool without hesitation. When he reemerges, he holds his hand out. “Come on, babies. Daddy and Uncle Torch will catch you.”

Knowing their father would never put them at risk, they stand on the edge and jump into the water. They only go under for all of two seconds before the life jacket brings them back to the surface. They’re laughing and splashing while trying to get the hang of their newfound sea legs.

Taking a seat on the edge of the pool, I sink my feet in and watch my girls swim with their father, uncles, and cousins. Khai and Liam are little dare devils. They tried on many occasions to sneak to the top of the waterfall to jump off the cliff but Viper and a few of the brothers caught them. After a while in the pool, Cam swims over to me, wraps his arms around my hips, and pulls me into the pool.

Locking my legs around his waist, I snuggle in while he does all the work. My babies are shocking me at the level of independence they’re showing in the pool. This is their first time in a pool and they’re not even bothered by it.

“Looks like the girls are having fun.”

“With all the family surrounding them, they know they’re safe.”

I nod and relax against his shoulder as he floats around the pool. Out of nowhere I hear, “Cannonball.” Water shoots up so high everyone who was sitting in a ten-foot radius is soaked. Turning around, I see Tiny popping up from under the water and all the brothers are laughing.

No wonder that splash was so big. That man is a giant. He’s six foot ten and probably weighs a good two hundred and fifty pounds. The kids make a show of clapping and asking him for another one. A few hours pass before Cara announces from the grill that the food is ready. The kids protest but we dry them off with promises of returning after their food has settled.

“Do you want a hot dog or a hamburger, Naomi?” Cara asks as we walk over to the grill.

“Burger.”

“Okay, and what kind of chips?” she asks, pointing to a variety box of chips on the table.

Naomi taps her chin, humming and thinking it over. Cam and Cara chuckle and share a look. “I want fun chips.”

The confusion on Cam and Cara’s faces is priceless. When they turn to me with raised brows, I smile with a laugh.

“She meansFunyuns.” Both of their mouths form an ‘O’ before they smile. Cara grabs the chips and hands me her food and continues on until she makes all the kids food.

Once they’re fed, she lets the guys know they can fix their plates, and everyone digs in. I swear Cara is nothing to be played with on the grill. Even though she kept it simple with burgers, hot dogs, and links, I have never tasted a burger so damn good. After a few more hours of fun, Cam stands on top of a table and whistles, gaining everyone’s attention.

“Bianca, can you come here for a second?”

I look at his sisters who look equally confused but I make my way over to him. Cam hops down and meets me halfway. Grabbing my hand, he brings me against him and slightly turns to face the crowd.

“Four years ago, I met this beautiful woman and knew she was it. She had three of my babies and raised them alone, like the strong woman I knew she was the moment I met her. From the moment you came back into my life, I quickly fell hard for you. I always said I wanted a woman who would be strong like my mom or my sisters and you definitely do not disappoint. You call me out on my crap and at the same time, let me know you’ll love me through my stupidity.”

The crowd laughs. I don’t even realize I’m crying until Cam wipes away my tears. “I know we haven’t been together long, but I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you, our girls, and a few more babies.” He pauses with a wink and I choke out a laugh. Cam turns around and holds his hand out to Torch who walks over with a ring box and hands it to him.

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