“Found it!” Troy came in the room carrying a large mirror with thick Beachwood grey frame surrounding it. He stopped short when he saw me. “Really guys?” he asked in exasperation as he looked at Jace, Remy, and Drake.
“What’s all this?” I finally found my voice when I realized this was all supposed to be a surprise for me.
My mind was reeling. How did they hide this all from me? I knew we had been separated today for an extended period, but I never thought they had different agendas. I never dreamed of them transforming our drab, depressing apartment into our own private oasis. Looking at the things they had already done made me momentarily forget we lived in an apartment buried into a mountain.
“It’s your birthday week, sweetheart,” Jace murmured as he embraced me from behind. His strong arms pulling me into his body as he kissed the top of my head. “Sorry we have to spend most of it roughing it.”
I laughed and felt the tears fall at the same time. As much as I loved hearing Jaxson and Drake admit their love for me, the actions of the others were proof of theirs.
“We made her cry,” Jaxson groaned as he came out of his room behind Noah.
“They’re happy tears,” I said as I wiped them away. I looked at all them. “I don’t care if we have to rough it for my birthday week. I don’t care if we’re back home. I don’t care if we are in this formally crappy apartment. I care that we’re together. No matter where we are. This is so amazing. Thank you, guys!”
Soon, I was in the middle of all my guys surrounding me. Their strong arms enveloped me. Their unique smells lulled me into the comfort of their familiarity. I was shown, once again, what a lucky girl I was.
Chapter 6
“Wake up, Princess,” Troy whispered in my ear.
I had heard our alarms go off, but I was reluctant to leave the bed. This was the second night I got to sleep with new sheets. I loved the feel of the sheets against my skin. I also enjoyed the warmth Troy’s body radiated. It always seemed cool in the apartment. Most of the guys loved it, but I didn’t care for it much. I wasn’t ready to feel the chilly morning air yet.
I had taken a shower last night and had Jemmy put two braids on each side of my head for this reason. I knew we had an early wakeup call and wanted as much sleep as I could get.
“Don’t want to,” I mumbled into the pillow.
He placed a lingering kiss on the back of my neck. “Do you want me to make you a cup of coffee?”
I laughed. “That may help, or maybe another hour of sleep would help.”
“The helicopter leaves in forty-five minutes and we still need to get our MRE’s and get something to eat.” He chuckled as he ran his fingers across my back.
I learned that MRE’s stood for Meals Ready to Eat. They were lightweight kits that held a main course, side dish, dessert, powdered drinks, utensils, flameless water heaters, and various other items. Troy told me they were typically high in calories since they were originally designed as field rations.
I purred deep in my throat as my nerve endings tingled where his fingers trailed. “Mm, keep doing that, please.”
“I can’t.” He sighed. “As much as I’d love to. I’ll start the coffee.” He kissed my head before rolling out of bed.
Drake turned on his bedside lamp, yawning. “I made some energy bars for us,” his voice was thick with sleep. “We’ll need to put them in our packs, too.”
I reluctantly sat up and reciprocated with my own yawn. “Who thought zero five hundred hours was a clever idea to start this exercise?” I complained, blinking the sleep from my eyes.
I was still astounded by the transformation in our apartment. We spent all day yesterday rearranging furniture, painting (after we got approval), and getting ready for today. It was exactly the type of day I needed to recharge and get ready for the week ahead.
The guys had made homey touches to each of their rooms. Drake and Troy had chosen a stone grey, white, and pops of turquoise for their color scheme. Their sheets were grey, but their comforters were matching white down comforters. A matching throw blanket was thrown on the foot of the beds. Turquoise lamps now adorned their night stands along with a few photo frames scattered on their dressers.
“The sun isn’t even up yet,” he stood and stretched. I couldn’t help but admire him in his boxers and tank top.
I stood up, too, and groaned. I padded over to the grey and white glider that I had laid my clothes out on. I smiled at how prepared they were as I looked at my thermals and insolated thick wool socks. We didn’t know where we were going, but Paul and Will had already warned us conditions weren’t favorable. They even told us snow was a possibility.
Troy, Jace, and Remy had smiled at each other when Paul briefed everyone yesterday afternoon. I could tell from the reactions of the other team that they hadn’t taken that into consideration.
Terrance and Marcel had nodded to each other as well, so I’m sure they had prepared for the possibility as well. All of us gifted people would be prepared, that was for sure.
The other Nons, on the other hand, may not be. Terrance and Marcel hadn’t disseminated the information. I could already tell they were going to be struggling more than we were. There were too many chiefs and not enough Indians in that group.
Over three quarters of their team had gone out drinking for the weekend, so I felt no remorse for them. I would have been more sympathetic to their plight if they had at least gotten their stuff prepared before they had left. We had already been told we were going to be out in the elements.
I pulled off my pajamas and threw them in the hamper in the corner. I didn’t hear Drake’s bare feet pad up behind me until he ran his hands down my naked sides and hips.