“Jude, we’re brothers. For real!” Levi shouted, causing everyone to stop what they were doing. Jude looked up, a question in his eyes, but I nodded, hoping he’d understand.
“That’s awesome, little man. Secret shake time.” They fell into their secret handshake, slapping their palms together in varying motions, before shouting, “Misfit Penguins.”
Laughing, I fell into the arm that wrapped around me from the other side as I wiped my tears. Wells kissed my head, and I let him give me some of his comfort for a moment. At times, my heart was so full that I wondered if it would spill over and burst.
Once everyone settled, Levi returned to his seat, and we continued eating. Nicco and Atticus came in a few minutes later, kissing me before taking the open spots. The nice thing about this table was that there wasn’t any hierarchy here. We were just a family, eating together. The guys had fallen into an easy acceptance that Atticus was the boss in most other areas of their lives, but when we were in our family spaces, it wasn’t that way, making it equal for all of them to have a say.
However, there were still some actions we adopted when Atticus was around. For instance, roll call had become one of my favorite things we did. With a family our size now, it was important for each member to get a chance to speak, and this allowed us to do so.
“How was everyone’s day?” Attie asked, looking around. We all nodded as he buttered a piece of bread. “Who’s turn is it to start roll call tonight?” he asked. Levi eagerly raised his hand, earning a soft smile from the mafia boss.
“Okay, Levi, hit us with your day.” And just like that, we fell into our dinner conversation as we ate.
“I beat Lily in the 50-meter dash,” he said, earning a lot of congratulations.
“Well done,” Atticus replied, patting him on the head from his seat. From there, it was my turn.
“I had some really good sessions today, and I thought that we should all go on a vacation this summer if everyone agrees.” I looked up to meet Atticus' eyes and found him smiling at me. He nodded once, letting me know it would be safe for us to do so. “So, start thinking about some places you kids would like to visit. Give us your best suggestions, and then we’ll all decide. Sound good?” The kids all nodded, their faces full of excitement.
“My day wasn’t as exciting,” Nicco started, giving me a wink, “but the new youth center is almost completed. It looks like we’ll make it in time for the grand opening next week after all.”
Applause went around for that news, everyone having been involved in the development and decisions of the new place. Jude and Immy had helped out a lot since they were still homeschooled and had free time after tutoring.
“Yes, I’m so excited for everyone to see the things we’ve done,” Jude added, raising his fist to bump Nicco’s over the table. “I’ll add that Immy and I completed our Junior year today and are officially Seniors.”
More cheers and slaps went around at the news, congratulating the two. “Did you decide where you wanted to go to school next year?” I asked after swallowing some food. They’d been debating if they wanted to return to the school Jude had attended before the kidnapping or start somewhere new together.
Immy nodded, a smile on her face. “Yeah, we want to give Timber Valley a shot.” She took a drink, trying to hide her blush, and I wondered what that was about. “My day was good. I spent it finishing some plans at the youth center and taking my last final. I also played a new piece of music today.”
“Oh! Will you play it for us later?” I asked, wanting to hear how she got on with her music. It was no longer a trigger for her, and she’d started to play more and more, her love of the instrument returning.
“Sure.” She smiled, her blush returning.
Wells cleared his throat, helping to switch the attention to him. “I have that practice match this weekend. I’m feeling confident about my prospects and winning. Nicco and I have solidified a solid training regime to help me win.”
“I want to go!” Levi said, bouncing in his seat.
“Sorry, little dude. It’s past your bedtime. I’ll record it, though, and let you watch it after.”
“Ah, man. I want to be older, so I can do the cool stuff.” He fell back into his chair, sulking a little.
“You’ll be older soon enough, Levi,” Monroe said, ruffling his hair as he reached around Atticus. “I had a good day meeting with the teams and getting our business in order. I also had the preliminary meeting with Jacqueline’s lawyer.” I tightened my grip on the fork at her name, taking a deep breath. The hearing was soon, and I was ready for it to be over with. Maybe after that was when we would go on a trip. That sounded like a great idea, actually.
“That leaves you, Sax,” Levi said, looking over at the big man. I think he was both fascinated and a little scared of Sax, but he had a solid case of hero worship going on for the big man.
“Humph,” he grunted, setting his fork down. He cracked his knuckles a little, looking over at Levi as he answered. “I dealt with some bad people and reminded them who was in charge. I also got my new guitar in, so I played a little on it.”
“Oh? I can’t wait to hear that,” I said, fluttering my eyelashes at him. Something about Sax playing guitar was always a surefire way to get me hot and bothered.
“So it seems we have the youth center opening in a week, the fight, and then our wedding celebration at the end of summer. Perhaps after the court hearing would be a perfect time to go on that vacation, Bellezza?” Atticus asked, looking over at me.
“You read my mind.” I smiled, appreciating his thoughtfulness. “So, where do we think we should go?”
The rest of the meal was spent with everyone lobbying ideas of perfect getaways from Disney World to the Grand Canyon. I realized I didn’t really care where we ended up, just as long as we all went together.