All Grown Up (Eden High)

Not only him but the others also seem to have all stayed up to stick their noses in my business. No doubt her phone is going to start going off soon with the sisters calling to do the same. Everything looked in order, so I headed back upstairs, where she was just coming out of the bathroom with a short robe and a towel wrapped around her hair to protect the style the woman had given her yesterday, I guess.

She saw me coming into the room and screeched before diving back into the bathroom and locking the door. I stood there for a few seconds, wondering what the hell before moving towards the door. “Cassie.” She opened the door sans the towel with a shy smile on her face.

What was that about?” She can’t be that shy! Of all the crap my brothers told me just a few hours ago, that response was not mentioned even once. “I didn’t want you to see me that way.”

“What way?” Now, this I know. I was warned about the strangeness of women and how nothing they say or do makes any sense, so just go along with it.

She pointed to her head, “with the towel, I mean.” I sense my sisters behind this, so decided to take Jace’s advice and pretend I even halfway knew what the hell she was talking about. I heard footsteps approaching and moved to open the doors to the patio outside our bedroom.

I waited until the staff was through setting up breakfast before taking her hand and leading her outside. “Wow, this looks amazing.” There was fresh fruit, homemade Belgian waffles, which I know is her favorite breakfast meal, eggs and turkey bacon, which apparently has less fat than regular bacon.

I’ve grown used to eating this cardboard shit since Sian became responsible for meal planning. Her health shit makes us all grumble, but if we even think about saying anything to her about it, her asshole husband pipes up to defend her, and that’s the end of the story.

I seated her and moved around to my seat, wondering where she was going to fit in. Each of the girls has their place. Sian, like I said, overlooks our food intake; I guess it has something to do with becoming a mother. Belle makes sure we all have clean clothes to wear, she’s hung up on clean underwear for some strange reason, and Tammy is our little organizer, while Valerie is our little entertainment planner.

You’d think five grown men wouldn’t need that shit, especially since we have a full staff there with us, but it does help to make things run smoothly. So now I’m sitting here as I pour her orange juice, asking myself where my baby is going to fit in. I have no worries that she wouldn’t; she’s already part of us. I’m just overly anxious to see her free and happy, out from under that dark cloud that’s been there for the past couple of years.

“I’ll be right back.” I got up to go inside to fetch the rest of her gifts. It’s the perfect time to give them to her. The sun will be rising soon here, and I’d chosen breakfast on the patio for just that reason. The scene is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen anywhere and one of the things we shared when we were here last.

I can’t believe time had flown by so quickly and that we were here already. As I opened the box with her specially made ring, I got hit by a swarm of nerves. I didn’t doubt my feelings for her, not one bit, but my worry is that I’d not be able to give her everything she wants and needs from now on. What if I mess up? Take her out of her parents’ home only to fail her like they did.

I walked back out there to see her smiling into the sun, and my heart almost exploded. Reaching into my pocket, I removed my phone without making a sound and snapped a picture. She turned at the sound and beamed at me, and I knew that no matter what, I’ll be putting that look on her face every day from now on.

“I think we should move here or somewhere like it. This is your element.” I walked over to the table and sat down.

“That sounds amazing, but then we’ll miss our friends.”

“They can come live with us.” We played and joked for the next half hour while she picked at her food, and I drank my third cup of coffee. Don’t know why I drink this nasty shit because I don’t like it, but now I’m addicted. I blame Jace and Track. They live off the shit and have dragged the rest of us along with them.