Page 33 of Bailey

"Sorry about that," I said. "I've been feeling a little under the weather over the last couple of days, so I needed to splash a little water on my face." I didn't miss it when Matty rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. Now he knew something was up because I would have told him if I hadn't been feeling well.

"Oh, dear," Susan said. "I hope it wasn't the food."

"I can assure you, Susan," Matty replied, "it wasn't your food." Anna stifled a giggle while I was sure I was doing my best impression of a tomato.

"So, the school?" I asked to get us back on track.

"Yes. I think we need to take care of that before winter hits," Henry said. "Caleb here thinks he will also be able to get more vehicles running for us so we can do another big supply run for both farms. I had forgotten about that town, but if I remember correctly, it also had a farm supply store. There should be many things in there that we could both use. The priority will be the school, and then we can bring back as much as possible. Once the town is clear, I'll feel more comfortable sending smaller scouting parties in the future."

"I agree," I said. "I didn't like the idea of all those zombies remaining there as a potential threat. And the home improvement store alone is still more than stocked with useful items. I hadn't explored the rest of the town to see what other stores were there. If we're careful, this town could be a huge benefit to us for many, many years."

"Then it's settled. Let's plan for this to happen in three to four weeks. That should give us plenty of time to prepare for the trip," Henry decided.

Once that was settled, we all relaxed and finished our dinner as we chatted. "I do hope this is the first of many family dinners we will share," Susan said as we stood to leave.

"So do I," I replied genuinely. It had been a pleasant evening, and it made me realize that we could have been having dinners like this all along if I hadn't stubbornly refused to be involved with them any further than absolutely necessary. Maybe leaning on others isn't terrible if it's the right people.

I hugged Henry, Susan, and Anna goodbye, and Matty walked me to the truck as the guys loaded up our supplies. "I know for a fact that you aren't sick," he accused. "Do I want to know what all of that was about?"

I looked at him and grinned. "I don't know, do you?" I asked.

"You don't, bro," Gray laughed as he passed us on his crutches. "You really, really don't."

I blushed, and Matty shook his head. "Nope, I don't. Forget I even brought it up." He kissed my cheek and returned to Anna as we piled into the truck. They waved us off, and I snuggled into Gray's side as we drove home. Things almost felt normal, so why was that starting to make me even more nervous?

Chapter fifteen

Threeweekslater,Iwas in the greenhouse with Caleb, planting the planter boxes to grow the produce that would help keep us fed through the winter. We had the door propped open to allow the breeze in to help keep us cool. The temperature had been cooler lately, but inside, the greenhouse was doing its job, keeping the building warm and humid. Since we didn’t have any plants growing just yet, there was no reason to remain uncomfortable while we worked. Even with the breeze, I could feel the sweat trickling down my cleavage.

The last three weeks had been busy and productive. The guys finished building the greenhouse, mended the fences, and built the new coop. Now I could safely lock them away at night, a relief. If zombies ever got into the yard again, the chickens wouldn’t be in as much danger.

I looked over at Caleb, who was focused on the potatoes he was planting. Things with the guys were going better than ever as well. Not only was I getting daily orgasms, but I felt closer to them than I had ever been to anyone other than Matty. They fulfilled a part of my life that I hadn’t known was empty. Companionship. I would never call Matty a burden, but he would always be my responsibility. It was nice to exist as equals with the guys.

“So, tell me,” I said, breaking the comfortable silence, “why boost cars?”

Caleb briefly shrugs as his eyes meet mine before focusing on the potatoes. “A kid’s gotta eat somehow,” he replied. “I never knew my Dad and my Mom was a crack whore, so I pretty much grew up on the street. A local gang took me under their wing and taught me the ropes. I was smaller and looked more trustworthy than the others, so I could get into places unnoticed. I’ll admit, I didn’t think so at the time, but getting busted was the best thing that happened to me.”

“Why is that?”

“That’s how I met my brothers. If I hadn’t been caught, I would have continued my life on the street and probably would have died long before the outbreak started.” He laughed to himself as a memory sprung to mind. “I will tell you, though, it wasn’t an instant bromance between us. They had already been together for some time when I came along, and I wasn’t the charming man who stands before you now. I was a little dick head with a chip on his shoulder big enough to park a Buick.”

“What happened?” I asked. They had shared plenty of stories from their childhood with me, but I hadn’t heard any stories about when they met.

“By the end of my first day there, Ethan and I had already been in three fistfights and were both sporting black eyes. I was certain that night when the four of them surrounded my bed that I was done for. Instead, Boone, infinitely calm even back then, told me that they understood that this transition was rough and it would take me a while to settle in, but that they weren’t my enemies.”

He had a soft smile on his face as he walked down memory lane. “Then they did something that surprised the shit out of me and went a lot further than his words had. They knelt around my bed, pulled out a well-worn deck of cards, and started a game of Texas Hold’em, using pilfered snacks to bet with.”

I smiled at his story, finding that it rang true with the men I knew them as today. They didn’t hold grudges and were freakishly in tune with a person's needs. Caleb needed to know he was safe and worthy of real friendship without any strings attached. “What happened next?”

He chuckled. “I swept the floor with those wannabes and took them for all they had. We then pigged out on my winnings until dawn, and we’ve been together ever since. They became the family I was always searching for. They never judged me for my past; we all had skeletons in our closets somewhere, but none of that mattered. Who we were and what we did or had done to us was all in the past.”

Movement at the door caught my attention, and I watched as Witch slunk into the greenhouse. She was careful not to make a sound as she approached the basket that held the chunks of potato Caleb was using to plant with. This damn dog crept around the farm like she was invisible whenever she had her sights set on food.

“Witch!” I said just as she stretched her neck out to nab a potato. The damn dog jumped a foot in the air and then glared at me before running back outside. Caleb and I shared a laugh at her antics. “Damn, dog,” I muttered. I joined Caleb at the potatoes and started planting them alongside him. “I’ll help you get these in before she returns for another attempt.”

When we finished our task, he turned to me and pulled me into his arms. “Thanks for the assist,” he smiled. He raised his dirty hand toward my face. “You’ve got a little bit of dirt riiight here,” he said as he smudged dirt onto my cheek.

I gasped in surprise as I reached for a handful of dirt. “You’ve got some dirt on you, too,” I replied.

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