Gathe had left an hour ago, but Oz and Winslet were here now, along with Halo, Hawkins, and Bane.Tonight was Ransom and Noa’s first night sleeping in their house, so they wouldn’t be returning.Kash and Cressida were staying at his parents’.It was just those of us here now for the rest of the evening.
Oz was sitting over by Calvin, talking, and that helped me concentrate more on the game.I’d been worried about him feeling comfortable with everyone, which was ironic since Oz and Forge were his family, not mine, yet I was the one who had a place here.Three weeks had changed a lot of things.
“Hawkins!”Halo sounded exasperated.
I glanced over to see him grinning at her as he held a crayon in one hand while standing proudly in front of the artwork he’d just drawn on the wall.
“Hawks,” Bane said, and the first small sliver of guilt crossed his face.“Come here.”
His little shoulders dropped, and he walked over to his father.
Bane leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees, and looked his son in the eyes.“What do we color on?”he asked him.
“Cowuring books,” he said softly.
“And is the wall a coloring book?”
Hawkins shook his head.
“Then why did you color on the wall?”
“I fowgot,” he replied.
“You did, huh?”Bane asked him.
I glanced over to see Halo pressing her lips together, trying not to laugh at her son’s response.
Hawks nodded his head, wide-eyed.
“All right, well, you know what this means?”Bane asked him.
“No,” he whispered.
“You’re gonna have to help me fix it,” he told him.“I’ll buy the paint, and it’s gonna be hard work.”
Hawkins straightened.“We awa gonna paint the wall?”he asked, not even trying to hide his excitement.
“Got to,” Bane told him.“Now go apologize to your momma and be good.”
He nodded his head vigorously and rushed back over to Halo.“I’m gonna fix it, Momma,” he told her proudly.
“He’s a cute little dude,” Forge said near my ear, and I jumped, not realizing he had come up behind me.
“Yes,” I agreed.“He is.”
“Halftime adjustments,” he said, then reached around me to tap on the keyboard of the laptop I was using.
I inhaled and savored his scent even if, tonight, there was the barest trace of nicotine.I found that I liked it.
“Gotta set a new point spread and draw in some new bets.”
I knew this, but I let him pull up the proper screen for me.He could do it all himself if he would continue doing it right here.I had no complaints.
“Hey, Elsie,” Calvin called out.
I shifted my gaze from pretending to watch what Forge was doing to my best friend.
“Go with me to the kitchen.I don’t want to get lost,” he said, standing up.
