Page 78 of Shadow

“All the time.” The little girl stood her ground, enunciating the fact by crossing her arms across her chest.

“Yes. Your Uncle Zeke and I have been seeing each other. Like I said before, he is helping me with a personal matter.”

“Has he kissed you?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes.”

The girl nodded. “Then he’s yours.”

The bedroom door slowly opened as a stunningly beautiful woman with hair damn near white as snow with pink tips popped her head in and whispered, “Rebekah, what are you doing in here? I told you to let Joan sleep.”

“She’s not sleeping, momma. Look!” The young girl pointed her little finger at me.

“It’s alright,” I said, sitting up a bit straighter. “She didn’t wake me.”

“Oh Joan, I am so sorry,” the beautiful woman entered, looking a bit flustered. “I tried to keep the girls out of here, but they were so eager to meet you. My name is Arianna, but everyone calls me Ari. I’m Balthazar’s wife.”

“And the mother of these two.” I smiled at the beautiful woman when I noticed her small protruding stomach. “And apparently with another on the way.”

Ari smiled warmly, rubbing her growing belly. “Yes. Another girl.”

“Seems to be a growing trend around here.”

Ari laughed, stepping further into the room. “I am so happy Zeke found you. He’s been so lost lately.”

“Momma, Uncle Zeke isn’t lost. He lives with my aunties.” Rebekah stated clearly.

“Yes, darling, hedoes. Why don’t we let Joan get dressed? You’ve bothered her enough already,” Ari ordered sweetly, picking up the small toddler. “The girls are already up and breakfast is ready.”

“Who cooked?” I asked, quickly covering my mouth.

Ari chuckled. “I see you’ve eaten Hope’s food.”

I grimaced. “Got love for that woman, but she can’t cook to save her life.”

“Well, everyone can relax this morning. I cooked.”

“And momma’s an excellent cook too!” Rebekah added, smiling.

“Alright Ms. Nosey, you’ve met Joan. Now it’s time for breakfast.”

I watched as Ari ushered the girls out of the room. When the door shut, I leaned back against the headboard and smiled. “Damn, Shadow. Just how many women do you have in your life?”

Breakfast was a lively affair with Shadow’s sisters, his sister-in-law and his two nieces. The only male in the room, Nevil, didn’t seem to care one bit as he smiled and ate whatever the girls put in front of him. For a man surrounded by women, he seemed content.

The women talked a mile a minute about everything, changing subjects faster than the speed of light. And through it all, Nevil smiled, nodded and added his two cents in when asked.

I’d never seen anything like it before.

I mean, I had siblings, but we were never this vocal about anything. We talked, said what we wanted to say and did our own things. Shadow’s family was unique. They were in everyone’s business, yet it didn’t seem to bother anyone. Almost as if it was just how things were meant to be. No subject was off limits, and all were eager to help.

It was refreshing.

“Hope told me you are a radio host for a local radio station in Lawton. I’ve never met anyone who’s been on the radio before,” Ari said, leaning closer to me.

Nodding, I wiped my mouth with a napkin. “Yes. I have a weekly evening show. I talk about current affairs, business news, politics, everything.”

“The best part of her show is when she talks about the esoteric. I love that part,” Hope added with a smile.

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