Luke and I spent the afternoon goofing off in the kitchen. He showed me how to make biscuits, a staple of southern dining, apparently, and afterward, we made some homemade vanilla ice cream to have with the cookies Kota is bringing.
The boys start showing up around five, and their reactions to the smell have me flying high. Everyone is here except Owen and Sean, and I head into the kitchen to start setting out bowls.
"Let me help you, Aggele," Silas smiles as he takes the large stack of dishes from me.
"Thank you," I whisper. I don't know why I'm feeling so nervous. I bite my bottom lip and turn away from him and busy myself with searching for silverware.
A gentle hand on my shoulder turns me and I'm face to face with his concern. "Is everything okay, Aggele? How were your appointments?"
I take a deep breath and look up into his deep brown eyes. "We won't know anything until later," I mumble. Worry lines crease between his pinched brow and I try to rouse my earlier excitement. "How was your day, Silas?"
He continues to examine me for a moment before answering. "I just had to help my dad with a few jobs. He's really pushing me to spend more time with his business. My brother isn't ever going to be much of a help, so I'm his last chance."
I didn't know that he had any siblings. I realize that there's still so much to learn about them all. I know that Kota has a little sister, but I wonder if any of the rest of them have family that I don't know about. I suck up my courage and wrap my Superman into the hug that he so obviously needs. As he enfolds me into his arms, I become aware that I needed this as much, if not more than him.
"Oi," Gabriel shouts as he enters the room, "no fucking around in the kitchen!"
"That's how fires start," Luke chimes in as he and Victor follow behind Meanie.
They all laugh, and I know there's got to be a story there, but before I can ask, Nathan bursts into the room with North chasing closely behind him.
"YOU'RE GOING TO FUCKING SING SOPRANO WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU, ASSHAT!" North bellows as Nathan dodges behind me, using my body as his own personal shield. The noise has me going stiff, and my pulse skyrockets. I struggle to remember how to keep myself present. I focus on my breathing, and immerse myself into my senses. I feel my body weight sinking into my feet, gravity anchoring me to the ground. I hear the rhythmic ticking of the timer sitting beside me, and I smell the yeasty aroma of fresh biscuits baking in the oven.
Silas steps between Nathan and North and demands something from them in Greek. North looks like he's about ready to spit fire, and Nathan is unusually pale. I look over my shoulder at him and whisper, "What did you do?"
He swallows a few times and darts his wide blue eyes to Silas' restraining hand on North's chest. "I may have been a little over-eager in getting here." He runs a finger along the inside of his collar and tugs at it as if it's too tight. "When I pulled up, I put a teeny-tiny little ding in North's bumper."
I feel my eyes nearly bug out of my head at the same time that Gabriel lets out a curse. "You hit North's jeep?" I gasp. I whip my head back and forth between the two and try to assess if there's any damage. My phone is in my hand before I realize it, my finger hovering over Sean's number. "Are you both okay? Is anyone hurt? Do I need to call Sean?"
Panic seizes me and I begin to hyperventilate. North shoves Silas out of the way and stalks over to me. He scoops me up into his arms and carries me bridal style into the entertainment room. Gabriel kneels in front of me as North takes a seat, keeping me in his lap.
