I laughed, throwing my head back, which made them both grin. The fire crackled in the fireplace. It flickered quietly, its orange glow painting soft shadows on the wooden walls. This house had less stone everywhere than their granny’s had. In the hush of early morning, the world outside that I’d just traipsed through to get a look at things, felt miles away—snow whispering against glass, the cold nowhere to be found in our little room. They’d built the rooms smaller in here than the other houses too. There were more of them and they were each tinier in size. How had they made these decisions? Would that be in the diaries?
I watched the flames twist and climb. The crackle and snap of burning wood filled the silence between us. Julian played with a piece of my hair, tugging it as he too stared at the fire.
Phoenix sighed. “Other situations I might be scared to wake up and find you gone but I know, at least for now, no one is here who would want to hurt you.” He rubbed his chin. “Then again I guess I am going to have to get over myself. You went around New York with no trouble. In fact, half the time I didn’t know what was going on, so I couldn’t have helped you even if you’d needed help. And you got sent away because of me, which just illustrates the point so, yeah, go ahead and do as you like. Ignore me. “
I shook my head. “Phoenix, you also saved me when I got hit by the PI and chased him down and threatened to hit him with your skateboard. So, you showed up a lot for me, too.”
Julian frowned. “I need to be more heroic.”
“You are plenty heroic. What you need to be doing more of is writing.” I smiled at him.
“No, Baby, the person who needs to be writing and creating is you.” He leaned toward me. “Time to pick back up thePoor Relation?”
Now there was a thought. With everything… I just hadn’t. But should I?
“Hey,” Jeremy called down to us from the top of the stairs. “Why didn’t anyone wake me? I don’t want to miss fireside chats with Alatheia.” He was half asleep. I could tell from the way he ran his words together. “Is there coffee? Who made the fire?”
I got up. “I’ll make it.”
The guys weren’t particularly wonderful in the kitchen. It came from years of not having to be. No one had ever taught them to cook, and probably they would go their whole lives without having to do it. I blinked. Would I be with them the rest of their whole lives?
“I can make it.” Phoenix yawned.
He could. Truthfully, they could all use the coffee maker. That much they could handle. And probably I could teach them some basic meals. They’d all attempted things like eggs and easy things for me.
I rubbed his arm. “I’m more awake than you. I’ll make it.”
“That’s what happens when you don’t sleep.” Julian sighed.
Jer came downstairs the rest of the way. “She didn’t sleep?”
“Not much, ” I answered. “Don’t stress about it. New place. Lots on my mind. Whatever.”
I fiddled in the kitchen, eventually making coffee and turning on the oven to cook bacon. If they wanted something else, I would make it. I heard footsteps before arms came around me from behind. It was Barrett. I leaned against him.
“Morning.” I smiled. “Coffee is almost ready.”
He nudged me. “You obviously didn’t sleep okay.”
“Does anyone sleep okay? Ever?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Probably some people do. I mean, I don’t really know any, but yeah.” I lifted my mouth to kiss his chin.
“Move so I don’t accidently burn you if I spill this.” I paused. That had sounded more pushy than I’d meant it to. “Please.”
He had already let go by the time I said please, and he winked at me. “Might be worth it to get burned to get to hold onto you.”
Barrett was so sweet. I doubted anyone outside of our household would know that, but he really was. I poured coffee and turned to him. “Hey, when you are a little bit more awake, can you play the piano? You haven’t been playing since we got back together.” There had been a piano in the other house, but he hadn’t used it. In Manhattan, when he wasn’t busy, he tended to just be on it playing quietly in the background of every day, like he lost himself in the music.
He blinked, taking his coffee cup when I offered it. “Sure. I… I guess I sort of lost it when they took you away. I haven’t wantedto play since. I’m not some kind of great musician, as you know. I just like it. I want to help real musicians.”
Well… there he was. This was the Barrett who had been missing since my return. He had been too busy taking care of all of us to talk about what he wanted. “I think you don’t give yourself enough credit.”
He leaned over to whisper in my ear. “The fact that you could even think that is such a gift.”
Phoenix came in. “Hey—oh is that mine? Thank you—” He picked up his coffee cup. “Let’s register for school. Want to?”
I stared at him. “Like in the public school here?” Was there one? I had no idea. I supposed there had to be. People did live here all year round.
