“Where is the fun in that?’ Afton flicks some flour at me.
“Oh, you’ll regret that.” I chuckle.
“Later,” Snow says.
I pour the cups and teaspoons for the ingredients into each bowl and let them mix, while I heat the oven and put on some coffee.
Turning, I laugh at Axel, who’s dancing around the table, singing songs he’s making up as he goes along.
Snow moves to the beat of the music, while Silas and Afton just shake their heads, amused smiles on their faces.
It’s turning out to be a better night than it was.
Thank fuck for Silas and Axel. Those two could lighten any mood.
“Okay, place the dough on the cookie sheets. It’s better if you make them into balls.” I snicker like a kid at my emphasis on “balls.”
Silas chortles. “Sorry.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter.” Snow titters.
“I said sorry.” Silas throws his hands in the air in mock-frustration.
Silas is a real good man, and I love that he’s here. Snow loves him like a brother and is always relaxed around him. This is all good fun.
“Afton, will you put the pans in the oven as we fill them, and Axel, will you grab the ingredients for the peanut butter cookies?”
“Sure thing.” Axel licks his fingers as he heads to the pantry. I forgot that he likes to lick the bowls.
“All in,” Afton says as Snow quickly washes the dishes, so we’ll have them for the brownies. It pays to have a lot of different mixing bowls.
“This is fun,” Afton says as he finishes mixing the next batch of cookie dough.
“We do this from time to time, mainly for festival Fridays,” Silas tells him.
“I would put on some weight if I did this all the time.” Afton smiles at me.
“I’m sure you would work it off somehow,” I tease. “Let’s get these into the oven, do the brownies, and take a break.”
“Sounds good.” Everyone nods in agreement.
Soon, the cookies are done, brownies are in the oven, and we’re all having coffee on the back porch.
“This is the life,” Axel says, staring at the stars.
“I love being here,” Silas agrees.
“It’s why I love living here,” I say, pulling Snow onto my lap.
“It’s peaceful,” Afton remarks.
“It is.” I nod, resting my chin on Snow’s shoulder, assessing the grounds. The crew returned while we were in the kitchen, but all the lights are out. There’s no sign of London or his truck.
I guess he didn’t want to work it out.
“Let’s get the brownies, and we can watch some movies,” I suggest.
“I’m game.” Silas rubs his hands together with a goofy grin.
Everyone knows about my huge TV. I don’t mind doing a movie night. Axel and Silas are good friends, and if they crash, they crash. I only care about Snow and Afton and London, but London isn’t here.