Page 160 of Magic or Madness

“I’m back!”

“There she is. Did you dunk your donut, blondie?” Cami cracks, and Pepper is so oblivious she just laughs.

“Be nice,” I warn her, but she wraps her arms around Pepper, pulling her onto the bed with us.

“Cami!” We shout at her, but the laughter takes over and we’re in a pig pile, trapped under each other’s arms and legs.

“Looks like they got Pepper, too,” Oliver jokes, standing with his arm against the doorframe, a slick smile on his face as he gives us all a jump scare.

“Now that would be your dirty little fantasy, wouldn’t it?” Cami smiles, wiggling her finger at him in acome heremotion.

“Anything starring you is my fantasy, Cams.”

Before he can say anything else, Cami pulls Oliver onto the bed, crushing us all under his weight.

“We’re going to break this bed!” I yell, but nobody moves, the wiggling and straining only getting worse.

“Cami Mimosas? Without me?” Oliver whines, and smushes down on us even harder.

“I can’t breathe!” Pepper squeals, and he finally lets us up, scooping Cami into his arms.

Suddenly, the bedroom is crowded, with Lex and Ozzy joining us all on this king-size mattress.

“Come here, Bambi,” Ozzy smiles, pulling me on top of him.

“Can we go on the roof now?” I whine, and he agrees, declaring today a rooftop party.

The pile on our bed clears up with everyone rushing to gather supplies. We all change into something warm, with Cami whipping up more mimosas, and Oliver executing a perfect party playlist. Journey takes the liberty of grabbing the fire pit, and stuff from the pantry to make s’mores.

This is the kind of family I imagined having when I was a little girl, the kind that sticks together no matter what, and can put the heavy shit aside to have a little fun.

I grab a few heavy blankets, and we all head up the stairs with Ozzy barking out strict orders.

“Nobody goes near the edge. I don’t feel like scraping any of you off the fucking pavement.”

“Buzz kill,” Oliver teases, and Ozzy shoots him a look that could kill.

“I’m most worried about you, fucking dumbass, or do we not remember the time you hung off the side of a parking garage, pretending you were King Kong?” Ozzy snarks, and Oliver bursts out in a fit of laughter.

“Godthat was exhilarating,” he says, smiling like a kid in a candy store.

Soon enough, all our supplies are set in place, with the boys attempting to start a fire.

It’s a perfect day, the sun shining and the weather finally turning warmer, a sure sign that spring is near. Of all the seasons, spring has to be my favorite. After the darkness of winter, the trees begin to grow their leaves back, and the flowers start to bloom again, adding a bit of color to the world.

It’s a time for rebirth, growth, and watching the cycle of life slowly begin again. That’s what spring is:a new beginning.

Ozzy sits beside me, wrapping his arms around me and pressing a kiss to my temple.

“What are you thinking about,my beautiful girl?” He asks, nuzzling his scruffy facial hair against my neck.

“Spring. The beauty of nature,” I say, closing my eyes and taking in the scent of his favorite body wash.

It’s a mix of mint and vanilla, his new obsession, and it reminds me of an ice cream shop — sweet and tempting.

“Lilacs grow in the spring,” he smiles, and although I’m reminded of something dark at the mention of that particular flower, I choose to turn it into a positive.

“I want a hundred lilac bushes in our front yard, lining the wrap-around front porch on our giant house,” I say, and he swipes the hair from his face, the wind being relentless on his poor curls today.

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