“Thank you,” Winter and Bellamy say, almost at the same time. They seem surprised that he knew it was their birthday, but that’s how I got him to agree.
Well, there was also a very large donation. The director was very excited about that.
Walking out of the museum, we’re met with Henri and Greig. They remain a few steps away, always watching while we walk. I only told Bellamy and Winter about the men behind us, and not the others spaced around us. They seem like normal people, but they’re avidly watching to ensure our safety.
The reality is that we’d gotten too lax in our security before the kidnappings, and I won’t ever allow that to happen again. Someone will always see Winter and Bellamy and want to steal them from us. They’re gorgeous from their unique eye color, to how closely they resemble each other.
It’s a very easy thing to become obsessed with them. The other issue is that none of us can say for sure that Avery is dead, nor do I want to risk it.
I don’t want Bellamy or Winter to be scared to live or leave the house, so this is my work around to keep them safe. We discussed last night that there will always be a guard with them at all times.
It could be argued that we had a guard at the park, but Jake is one of the last people I expected to turn on me. We managed to find his mother, and we’re paying for her care. It was really difficult to explain that Jake had died. I told her it was a fire, which isn’t too far from the truth.
A bomb, a fire, they both go boom sometimes.
“Do we still want tacos for lunch before paintball?” Shi asks.
“Hmmm. That still sounds good,” Winter says with a nod.
“No one else’s opinion matters then,” Cassidy snorts. “Getting you to eat is difficult enough, and we all like tacos.”
“Seconded,” Ansel grunts.
“Motion carried,” Bellamy says with a grin.
“Argh. Thank you,” Winter laughs. “I hope this isn’t going to happen the entire time.”
“If it does, we adjust,” I reassure her.
There’s a taco restaurant not too far from us, and we eat in as we talk.
“Your eyes are droopy,” I observe, raising my brow. It’s still very warm in Savannah. I’ve noticed that walking outside seems to sap Winter’s energy faster than normal.
“I think a birthday nap is going to be necessary,” Cass says. “I’ll join you so I won’t fall asleep during the movies tonight.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Bellamy says. “I’m down for a nap too.”
After we finish eating, we walk back to the house, and say goodbye to our security detail.
“We can go in this way,” I say, unlocking the door from the street level into the basement.
Cassidy smirks as Winter squeals with excitement.
“I’m pretty excited too,” Bellamy admits, walking inside with Ansel. We always make sure one of us walks ahead, just in case.
Locking up and turning off the alarm once we’re all inside, I grin with pride at the sight of the easels set up. There’s newspapers on the ground to protect the floors, paint guns set up on the table, and everything is ready.
Ansel, Shiloh, and I made sure to get this ready last night so we wouldn’t have to scramble today. I can’t help being a planner. The only reason I didn’t set up the backyard for our movie night is because I was a little worried about the rain we had come through this morning.
Now that the weather has passed, we shouldn’t have an issue.
We all pick up our paint guns and make sure to load the paint we want. Bellamy’s smiling so big, he’s sure to be sore later. Winter’s very meticulous with her choice, and not for the first time, I wish that she’d follow her passion to paint.
It doesn’t even have to be for profit. I’ll need to figure out a way for her to be able to do that. The joy on her face makes me dizzy as I watch her.
“Ready?” Shiloh asks. We are all set up in a line, close enough to our easels to ensure that we all hit our target, I mean the canvas.
The first splat onto the canvas makes Cassidy cheer, and we let loose and have fun. There’s no one watching, we aren’t concerned about the societal niceties, we’re just making art in the most ridiculous way possible.
