The doorbell rang again, and I pulled my oven mitts off. “I’ll grab it.” I rounded the counter and headed for the front door.
I patted my hands onto my pants as I opened the door and froze. Kaleb stood there wearing a nice white pressed button-down shirt. He had on jeans, and his brown hair was combed back. I felt my heart skip a beat, and I tried to hide my excitement as his blue eyes landed on me.
“Hey.” Kaleb smiled at me and then tilted his head as he stared at me. “Were you baking?”
I quickly looked down at my outfit, wondering if I had something on me, but I didn’t. I looked up at him, confused. “I was, but how did you know?”
Kaleb chuckled, his hand reaching out. His thumb brushed my cheek, and my entire body stiffened at the contact. “You had flour on your face.”
I blushed as I pulled a hand up, trying to wipe my face. “I didn’t notice. I was helping your sister.”
“I figured that,” he said with a chuckle as he walked into the house. I shut the door as he slipped his shoes off. “Where is everyone?”
“Jade and Brandon were bringing the food outside. I think Ilsa is upstairs.”
Brandon nodded as he walked into the kitchen. Some of the food was still there, and his eyebrows went up. “Damn, this all looks so good.”
“Uncle Kaleb,” Ilsa spoke up as she rounded the stairs, her eyes narrowing on him. “You swore.”
Kaleb turned, looking shocked. “I didn’t know you were around to hear me.”
“You owe me a dollar for the swear jar.” She walked toward him, placing her hand out.
I laughed as Kaleb sighed, pulled his wallet out, and handed her a dollar. Ilsa smiled happily as she pocketed it. “Thank you.”
Ilsa hummed as she walked away, heading toward the screen doors. She pulled them open and stepped outside. Kaleb turned to me. “I think I’ve filled her jar already.”
I laughed as I grabbed the brownies. “Well, you do have a potty mouth.”
Kaleb couldn’t even argue my point because we both knew it was true. He spewed profanity easily, which is where the swear jar came into place. He’d gotten better, but he still slipped up.
We carried out the rest of the food and found that there were a lot of people already out in the backyard. I took in the faces, knowing almost everyone who was here. Parents from Ilsa’s daycare and the guys that you saw around town who worked with Brandon and his crew.
A lot had changed over the past few months. The people that Brandon and Jade brought back from their search for the hybrid ended up staying and merging into Belrose. It took them some time to adjust, but everyone found a place to stay and a jobthey enjoyed. But we all knew what was out there and that the fight was far from over.
“I want to thank everyone for coming and joining us for this meal. Ilsa wanted to have one more get-together before the snow flies.”
Ilsa was talking with two little girls on the ground. I doubt she was listening, but the adults were.
Brandon bumped his arm against mine, and I turned my gaze toward him. The sun bathed on him, making his deep skin look stunning. His blue eyes stared at me with softness, and I felt my heart flutter at how he was looking at me like he was seeing the real me.
“Yes?” I asked.
“You look like you’re dazed out.”
I blushed, looking away. “I was just thinking about everything that changed.”
Jade and I were two people who no one noticed. People would walk past us. We only ever had each other, but within a short span of time, suddenly, people seemed to notice us. People I never expected to speak to me suddenly wanted to spend time with me. It was different, and I had a hard time adjusting.
Jade seemed to adjust just fine. She smiled as she leaned against Brandon, looking happy. He wrapped his arm around her, tugging her closer.
“I just can’t believe winter is so close.” I looked back at Kaleb. “Do you think the hybrids are going to attack us in the cold? Does it affect them?”
There was still so much I didn’t know about the hybrids, but that was true for everyone. Brandon, Kaleb, Asher, andWestley all knew more than anyone else, but even there were questions they couldn’t answer.
Why hadn’t we found them? Why hadn’t we been able to stop them? When were they coming back? What were we going to do?
I shook my head, knowing if I continued to think about it, my mind would spiral.
