Page 34 of Boundless Magic

His amber eyes sparkled even as he groaned. “Mom! You can’t say those things anymore. Everyone thinks I’m a baby.”

“You’remybaby.”

“I’m ten. Practically grown up.”

“Pfft. You’re nowhereneargrown up, and besides, you’ll always be my baby, Will.”

He grinned, and she was forgiven for treating him like a small child. Heaving an internal sigh, she reminded herself to give him his wings. With his auburn hair, golden eyes, and hair-trigger temper, William was her kid all the way. But he also knew how to laugh at himself and have fun. Those traits, he’d inherited from Keaton.

“Do you happen to know where Chloe went?” she asked as she began unloading the last-minute grocery items onto the counter. Soda, various-flavor potato chips, and Cheetos were a required party staple for the next generation and the one thing she refused to conjure. She’d be damned if she would use her power to feed their junk-food addictions.

When he reached for the bag of barbecue chips, she tapped his hand and pointed to the cabinet. “Bowl!”

“Chloe’s with Sabrina and Aeden. Something having to do with her upcoming finals.”

“I suppose we should’ve planned the party for after,” Keaton said, ripping open the Cheetos bag and ignoring Autumn’s glare.

William, smart boy he was, returned to the kitchen island with four large bowls and handed one to his dad.

“Bowl. And don’t sneak anything to the dog,” he told him, much to Autumn’s and Keaton’s amusement. William was a fifty-year-old in a child’s body.

Pausing her sorting action, she turned to face him and put a hand on her hip. “Did she say when she was going to return?”

His reply was the standard one-shoulder Thorne shrug.

“Great. Just great,” she muttered.

“No one cares, Mom.” Will stretched to kiss her cheek, then tucked four of the two-liter soda bottles in his arms and headed for the door. “They just like hanging out,” he said over his shoulder.

Keaton continued to stuff his face as she emptied the food into bowls.

“He’s right, ya know,” he said. “Our family would get together whether there was a special occasion or not. They appreciate the bond and the routine.”

“I know, but I wanted to make this special for her. She’s graduating in another couple of months and will be going off on her own.”

“I know, babe. Trust me. It’s a lot harder for me to let her go than for you.”

Autumn removed the bag from his hands and replaced it with the filled dishes. “Yeah. Talk about an overbearing father.”

His grin flashed, telling her he wasn’t offended, but it quickly died. “Have you noticed anything strange about her lately? Beyond the average twenty-two-year-old wanting to move out and conquer the world.”

“Yes. And I suspect it has to do with Derek. She’s upset that he’s got himself a new girlfriend.” Autumn met his steady stare and grimaced. “Deep in her heart, she loves him. Always has since they were kids and he saved her from Zhu Lin.”

Keaton nodded. “But because he’s a few years older, he’s a man of the world and not ready to settle down with a childhood friend. Am I close?”

“Yes. She’s hurting, and I think she needs to hide from those closest to her for a bit.”

“So they don’t see her pain,” he concluded.

“So they don’t see her pain,” she agreed.

“Still, I’m going to text her again. She needs to make an appearance.”

“She’ll answer for me. Take this tray outside for the kids, and I’ll call her.”

After a check of their surroundings, he stepped up to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “We can let the others wait a while longer, and I can welcome you home properly now.”

His suggestive tone set her afire, and for one brief second, she considered a quickie. But their family members were all outside, expecting a birthday party.

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