Page 90 of More Tricks

“Okay, so clearly I did something else wrong if this is what you’re feeding me this morning,” I mused, taking in the bowl of bran flakes with wrinkled raisins. “Did I miss your birthday? No, that's not for another month… I didn’t take your bike without asking. Hell, I can't really remember what happened last night after I fell asleep during the movie. You’re gonna need to give me a hint.”

Weston crossed his arms and looked me dead in the eyes as if searching for something in my expression. “You don’t remember, do you?”

“Ah… that’s what I’ve been trying to say. What the hell happened?” I demanded.

Not giving me an answer, he snatched away the bowl and opened the oven to pull out a large dish full of fluffy egg casserole.

I gaped at him in horror. “You were going to make me eat a disgusting bowl of gravel when you made that?” I screeched.

“Whoa, what is happening in here?” Sprocket questioned as he walked over to the coffee maker.

“Weston was trying to kill me,” I blurted.

Sprocket turned to Wes, who just rolled his eyes. “She’s being dramatic. I gave her a bowl of fiber cereal, thinking she remembered last night, but she didn’t.”

“Ah, I see,” Sprocket answered, nodding his head, then glancing at me. “You really don’t remember?”

Irritated, I growled and stabbed the knife that was lying on the counter into the wood. “No, but someone better explain before I stab something else. What am I getting punished for now?”

“Easy, little demon, Weston is taking this more to heart than he should, and Sprocket isn’t helping by teasing you,” Void said, coming up behind me, wrapping me in his arms. “When the movie was over, we were asking you where you wanted to sleep, or should I say with whom. Since you didn’t give us an answer, Wes scooped you up, but you told him that he snores too loud and farts in his sleep after eating Italian because he’s allergic to parmesan cheese.”

My jaw dropped, and I looked at Wes in full understanding. “Okay, wow, yeah. I would give me something to make me fart all day long too. Damn, I can’t believe I said that.”

“It would seem that Wes is sensitive about his bodily functions,” Cognac added as he sauntered into the kitchen. “Smelled the food and figured it was grub time, but I didn’t know we were having a morning recap of your most embarrassing moments there, Westly.”

“Fuck off, or you won’t get any of the food I make for the next week,” Wes threatened.

Cognac threw up his hands in surrender. “My bad, I’ll keep my lips sealed.”

Cam and Picasso were the last to join us and that had me looking around the space. “Where’s Dante?”

“Dad is staying with Tilly and her husbands. There isn't any more room here, and he thought it might be best to give us our space,” Cam answered as he cupped my chin and placed a kiss on my lips. “So did the vice president do right by you, or do I need to finish things off under the breakfast table?”

Picasso made a move to slug Cam, but Void grabbed his arm. “If you don’t react, then he’d stop teasing you. The black knight likes getting a rise out of you.”

Cam winked at me, then turned to face Picasso. “Guilty as charged,” he said with a shrug. “You turn this interesting shade of red when you get pissed but try to hold it back. It’s fascinating.”

Wes slid a plate over to me and slapped the back of Cam’s head. “Keep it up and you’re cut off from the food too, Cammy.”

The two men glared at each other, but much to my amazement, Cam backed down first. “You’re right. I need to be better about my teasing. Pushing things too far seems to be a family trait.”

Quickly, food was passed out and some found space around the kitchen while others went to the living room. The counter with its four seats would only get us so far.

“So, since this is now our home, what do you think about maybe moving the pool table to another place and getting something all of us can sit at together?” I ventured. “Another thing I’ve noticed is that we’re running out of bedrooms.”

“What do you mean running out of bedrooms?” Cognac asked. “Wes has the guest room. You float around to whoever which I love. What problem is there?”

I pointed my fork at Cam, who had the audacity to steal the bite of egg off of it. “What about him? Can he cuddle up with one of you guys too?”

“Ah…” Cognac answered.

“That’s what I thought,” I quipped, then looked at Cam. “Steal my food again and I’ll stab you with this fork.”

Cam leaned in and kissed me once again. “Don’t threaten me with a good time, beautiful. I love it when the crazy comes out to play.”

Rolling my eyes, I shoved him away and stuffed a bite into my mouth before someone could snatch it from me. The others seemed to ponder over my suggestions as they ate, which I was fine with. What I was asking was a lot, and they’d been living here just fine, but if we wanted to make this work long-term, a space that was all of ours needed to happen.

“Cognac, you said Dani called,” I asked, changing the topic. That wasn’t one any of us would have an answer for.