James Knight: Teenage Superhuman - Book Two

Thirty-Two

SAM

"Do you remember when Alexander caught us in one of the janitor's closets at the facility?" she asked, eliciting an uncomfortable groan from Joshua. Danielle and I were cuddled on the couch with the boys. As a movie played and the boys settled down, Danielle snuggled into me while I held her close, her head resting on my chest.

"Maybe we should talk about that another time, babe," I suggested, wrapping my arm around her.

"Thanks, Dad," Wesley chimed in. No problem, Wes.

"Are you guys hungry for some pizza?" I asked the boys.

Danielle hesitated momentarily before cautioning, "I don't think that's a good idea, babe. They eat a lot."

"Why wouldn't they?" I countered. "They're teenage boys with superpowers." She gave me a skeptical look, which she used to give me in high school. I pulled out my phone and showed her. my order. "Trust me, honey. I've helped raise Derek and James; now we have Noah, Grace, and Mark. I've got this."

Rolling her eyes, she got comfortable against my body and watched as I ordered eight large meat lovers pizzas, wings, and plenty of garlic bread. After showing Danielle the order, I asked her, "Do you think that will satisfy them?"

"I sure hope so," she replied, observing Wesley and Joshua exchange mischievous grins. Then, all five boys turned to look at me.

"You should probably double whatever you just ordered," Johnathan suggested, accompanied by identical stares from the boys. The room fell silent as their gazes remained fixed on me.

Finally, giving in to their request, I admitted, "Double it is." I adjusted the order accordingly, and with a hesitant click of a button, two hundred dollars vanished.

With that settled, my naughty kids returned their attention to the television. They were cunning and manipulative, but I would do anything for them. Besides, I appreciated their way of thinking.

I turned on my phone, ready to text Matthew, but hesitated and instead typed, "Do you guys want anything to eat?" Seconds later, he replied, "It's okay. I ordered lots of pizzas, wings, and breadsticks." I chuckled. Yep, that was the Knight family for you. Great minds think alike.

Danielle asked me, "Who was that?"

"It was Matthew. He ordered the same thing," I informed her. She scoffed.

"Oh, cool. Tell Matthew I said hi," she said casually.

"Speaking of that, Dexter wanted to say hi too. By some miracle, he's been raising our son," I mentioned, adjusting my hold on her as she settled closer to me.

"Oh, wow. Bryce?" she asked.

"Yeah," I confirmed, embracing her tightly. She looked up at me without shifting against my chest.

"Huh, small world, babe," she commented, her gaze locked with mine.

"Yep."

"Dad?" Johnathan called, capturing my attention. As I curled my arm around Danielle, holding her tightly, I replied, "Yeah, bud?" Johnathan glanced back at me, his blue eyes meeting mine.

"Are you staying for the night?" he inquired while the others turned their attention to us.

"I guess I could stay if—"

"Yeah, Sam. Please stay here tonight. I want you here with me," Danielle interjected, snuggling even closer to me, her head resting on my chest, listening to my steady heartbeat.

"I guess I'll stay," I declared, wrapping my arm around Dani. Things finally felt like they were falling into place. I had my girlfriend and my kids back in my life. My best friend Dexter and his brother, Thomas, cared for my kid, and my brothers and their kids were together as one big happy family. The only potential disruptors were Alexander and my son Maximus. We didn't know the future, but we knew things could get complicated.

JAMES

"Can someone get the door, please?" my father's voice echoed from upstairs. I leaped off the couch, passing Mark, Bryce, Noah, and Derek, and rushed to the foyer. I swung the door open to find Grace wearing a hat that read Team Player Pizza and a matching jersey, with the food placed on the ground by her feet.

"Just give me the money, James," she grumbled. "And make sure there's some left when I get home."

"You got a job?" I muttered in disbelief, studying her uniform. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill.

"Hmm, is that all you've got, James?"

"Yeah," I admitted, realizing I had spent the rest of my allowance on takeout for Claire and me. Grace groaned but accepted the money, shoving it into her jeans pocket.

Derek appeared, curious to see Grace in her work attire. I expected him to taunt her, but he stood there with a blank expression, silently observing her. Grace picked up the stack of pizzas and handed them to me. "Make sure there's some left when I get back," she huffed. "I'm off to our mom's house," she grumbled, flashing a smug smirk.

"You're going to Mom's house?" Noah chimed in from the other room.

"It's not for anything enjoyable, if you must know. I have pizza in the car for Mom and Dad," Grace replied, walking back toward the car.

"Does she even have a license?" I asked Derek, puzzled. Derek shrugged, took the pizzas from my hands, and returned to the living room. I closed the front door and followed him.

Derek placed the food on the couch, and Mark, Bryce, and Noah joined in to help while Derek and I observed.

"That's new," Derek remarked, breaking the silence in the room.

"What?" Noah asked, already diving into a slice of pepperoni, his attention shifting between the old cartoons playing on the television.

"Grace got a job," Derek casually mentioned, shrugging.

"Ten bucks says she won't make it through the week," Noah wagered, pulling a twenty-dollar bill from his pocket. "Anyone have change?"

"I'll take that bet just to watch her crash and burn," Mark said, pulling out a twenty.

"She's not the one we should be concerned about burning," Bryce added with a snort as he took a bite of his pizza.

Derek laughed, munching on a slice. "Believe me, we know," he said, leaning back against the couch and savoring the cheesy delight.

Just then, my dad hurried down the stairs. "Grace got a job?" he asked, reaching for the boneless wings.

"You're late to the party," Mark quipped, chewing on his pizza slice.

"I have a late shift tonight, and Sam won't be home until probably midnight—"

"If he even comes home," Bryce interjected.

"Yeah, Derek has a shift in a little while, too, so I don't want you boys fighting tonight or doing anything foolish. Understood?"

We all grumbled, "Okay." My dad adjusted his work badge and belt, grabbed a slice of pizza and the boneless wings, and left the house.

"Okay, who else is in?" Noah said, pushing the money between him and Mark.

"I know it's morally wrong, but I'll put down some money just to see how far she goes," Derek said, retrieving a ten-dollar bill from his sweatpants pocket.

"Are you in or out, mate?" Noah asked, turning his attention to me as I leaned back, pulling my hoodie over my eyes.

"I'm out," I declared.

"You always ruin the fun with your superhero wannabe attitude, Knight," Mark muttered, rolling his eyes.

"He's the one missing out," Noah said as he collected all the money. Maybe they were right. Maybe I took being the goody-two-shoes too seriously. Or perhaps they were wrong, and I was good at doing the right thing. Either way, I had no more money to bet. I wanted to rest after a long day. I yearned to feel what it was like to be normal again, but they always say to be careful what you wish for. You might get it and regret it.