She laughed. ‘Not sleepy anymore, hmm?’
‘Not in the least,’ he said, kissing her long and sweet.
Giddiness bubbled inside her, and she smiled against his mouth. Remembering something, she giggled, then pulled back.
‘By the way,’ she said, holding his face in her hands. ‘I figured out you were the one writing me those letters.’
‘Finally caught on, did you?’ he said with a smirk. ‘Imagine my surprise when that first letter showed up in my room, stained with dirt. I knew it was from you immediately, though I figured you hadn’t ever meant for the letter to be sent.’
‘Why did you write back?’
‘I wanted to be close to you, even if it meant I was just a stranger sending you letters.’ He kissed her palm. ‘I wanted to be your friend.’
‘I really needed a friend,’ she said, her voice soft. She looked deep into his eyes. ‘Not just a friend—you. I needed you, Xander.’
‘And now you have me,’ he said, his eyes dark as he kissed her neck. ‘You’ll always have me,’ he swore.
She pulled him closer, bringing her lips to his once more.
They made very good use of their twenty minutes until finally it was time to get out of bed, for they were both starving.
They freshened up and Bisma changed. Downstairs, she heard the girls laughing and chatting and bickering, and her heart soared to have her home back. The Forest seemed to be in great spirits as well; outside the birds sang, and the wind joined in with the melody. Sunlight created patches on the floor, and she pressed her toes against the warm wood.
Holding Xander’s hand, Bisma went down the winding stairs and joined her sisters in the kitchen, which was in absolute chaos as the girls all prepared breakfast. Deeba had her hand in a jar of jam, while Nori arranged the flowers. Mei was instructing Azalea how to cut the potatoes, while Luna set the table.
The treehouse was back to normal, and there was no sign of any damage done from the fires. They must have put it out before it reached here, and Bisma wanted to cry with relief. Everything was as it should be—better, actually, because Xander was here, too. She wanted to wrap herself in him once more but refrained from making Azalea gag again.
They sat round the table, squeezing in. Azalea passed round the eggs while Luna poured tea, and Mei opened a new jar oforange marmalade for the toast as Nori popped cubes of sugar into everyone’s teacups.
‘You can have my chair,’ Mei told Xander, batting her lashes at him.
‘Aw, thank you, lovely,’ he said, giving her a dazzling smile.
‘We’ll have to get another chair,’ Mei said, holding Deeba in her lap in Deeba’s chair.
‘What happened to the strict No-Boys-Allowed-in-the-Treehouse rule?’ Azalea asked, arching a brow.
‘I think we can make an exception.’ Bisma gave her a look. ‘Seeing as Xanderdidhelp save our home.’
He had sacrificed his magic for it—forher.
‘Come on, girls, let me be allowed,’ Xander said, pouting at them. ‘This breakfast looks delicious, by the way.’
‘If he’s allowed to visit, does that mean I can have Haru over?’ Luna asked excitedly.
‘Hmm.’ Bisma pretended to think, then took a bite of her buttered toast. ‘No.’
‘What!’ Luna cried. She actually stomped her foot. ‘That’s so not fair!’
‘I’m Baji, so I’m in charge,’ Bisma said, taking a sip of tea.Mmm, delicious.
‘And we don’t want this place overrun by boys,’ Mei said, making a face.
‘Yuck!’ Nori said.
‘Besides, even if Xander is allowed to visit, he won’t be here all the time,’ Bisma said. ‘This is still our home, just for the Unwanted Girls, and nothing will change that. Ever.’
She gave Xander an apologetic look, but he held his hands up. ‘Just happy to be here whenever you want me. Who made the marmalade? It’s excellent!’
