When Constellations Form (Light in the Dark 4)

Cade runs his fingers through his hair and then flips it over his shoulder dramatically. “You don’t like it?” He knows I don’t. “I think it makes me look like Fabio.”

I gag. “Who wants to aspire to look like that?”

“Do you want me to cut it?” he asks Rae.

She raises her hands in defense. “I’m happy if you’re happy.”

“See, she hates it,” I butt in.

“What do you really think?” he asks her.

She shrugs. “I like it a little shaggy, but not like this.”

Cade nods. “Consider it gone then. I was going to get it cut tomorrow morning anyway.”

“And trim the beard,” I tell him. “Who knows what’s growing in that.”

He laughs and rubs his beard. “True. There’s probably some crumbs living in it.”

I shake my head and look at Rae. “Are you sure you want to marry that? I mean, he’s my brother so I have to love him, but you have a choice.”

Rae grins. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure.”

I sigh. “Well, I tried.”

“Tried to get my fiancée to leave me?” Cade interrupts.

“Tried to help my friend,” I correct, wagging a finger. “She can’t be saved, though.” I shrug in a whatcha-gonna-do-about-it way.

Cade laughs. “Come eat.”

I salute him and hop off the bed. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

Rae reluctantly leaves behind the last of the clothes she has to pack and follows me out of the room with Cade trailing behind.

The door to my room opens, and Xander pokes his head out. “Did I hear something about dinner?”

Cade chuckles. “Yeah, it’s ready. Time to eat.” He smacks his stomach dramatically.

Prue pokes her head out between Xander’s legs, sniffs the air, and then takes off down the stairs.

I follow her down and into the kitchen. The dinner smells amazing, but I feel sad knowing that this is our last dinner together in this house. The kitchen is bare, save for the essentials since we knew we’d be eating dinner here tonight. But after tonight, everything will be packed away since we won’t be eating breakfast here in the morning.

“This smells delicious,” I tell Cade, inhaling the smell of a roast.

The four of us have always taken turns cooking so that it never fell on just one person to make the meals, and tonight happened to be Cade’s turn. Luckily, all of us can cook, so there’s never a night when the food sucks.

Xander heads for the garage door, towing my suitcase behind him.

“What are you doing?” I call after him.

He pauses and looks over his shoulder. “I’m scared if I leave the suitcase in our room you’ll be tempted to peek. You’re too lazy to trek out to the car to take a look.”

“Smart man,” I agree. “But what about yours? Can’t I peek at that one?” I challenge.

He grins. “It’s already in the car.”

I sigh. “Of course it is.”