Page 46 of Forged Forever
People crowd the beach again today by mid-morning, enjoying 3-foot waves, a nice breeze, and sunshine mixing with fluffy white clouds. I get a text from Ceres that they’re here, so Alex and I jog back to the house to meet them.
Neve, Charlotte, and her men are waiting by their vehicle. Neve has an enormous hat on and a flowy sundress. Charlotte is in a pink onesie and white hat while her daddies are in board shorts and tees. “Morning, everyone,” I smile.
“Hey Summer. Do you guys have shade? These overprotective goofballs brought an umbrella and a tent, just in case.”
“We have a canopy up. Plenty of room for you and Charlotte,” Alex assures her.
“See?" She slaps Ceres’ stomach good naturedly. He puts the items he’s carrying back in the car’s trunk before lifting Charlotte into his arms. Alex leads them under the house and back to the canopy. “Neat walkway,” she comments.
“It’s for my friend Jake. Long story short, he was in a coma, woke up, but is still regaining his mobility.”
“Well, I appreciate it too.” We get her and Charlotte situated in the shade on a lounger that Levi was carrying. I pull a chair up beside her to chat as her guys stretch out in the sun. I’m sorry to hear that her grandmother isn’t well, but she’s completely enamoured with her great grandchild. Neve was sick throughout her entire pregnancy and was on bed rest for the last three months with preeclampsia. She doesn’t think they’ll have another, but they’re happy with Charlotte.
I catch her up on my life, too. She’s amazed at Jake’s story and congratulates all of us on getting into college.
Knowing I need to run today, I ask Ceres if he wants to join me. Predictably, he does. I stretch, and then we take off through the wet sand, and I can really stretch my legs like I do with Nick. We stop at the inlet at the end of the beach to catch our breath and drink water. “Any updates on Nick?” he asks me.
“Nothing since the end of March.”
Ceres nods. “He’ll be back.”
Aww, Ceres is trying to comfort me in his own way. “Thanks. I know he will. The waiting just sucks.” He indicates for us to begin again, so we run back towards the house.
We both dip into the ocean when we get back to cool off. I leave my top and shorts discarded on the dry sand and then dive in. The cold water feels amazing against my hot, flushed body, and I float around for a few minutes before getting out.
Bending down to pick up my clothes, someone slaps my ass. What the hell? Straightening, I turn to see two guys smiling down at me. Ugh! Should’ve told Ceres to run me back to the canopy instead of going for a swim. At least it’s a busy beach, with lots of witnesses. “Not interested.”
The taller of the two cocks his head to the side, studying me. Rolling my eyes, I begin to back up towards the house, but they both step forward and crowd me. Not in the mood for this crap, I let them get close, then knee the redhead in the balls and shove the taller guy. Unfortunately, he doesn’t budge and grabs my wrists. A bit of panic tries to crawl its way into my mind at a stranger touching me, but I get past it quickly. Having practiced getting out of this type of hold with Nick, I quickly shift and cross my arms, twisting and dropping my weight. The asshole loses his balance, and I break free.
Hearing a grunt behind me, I whirl. Ceres has the redhead over his shoulder, walking into the waves. He flings the first guy into the ocean and then moves towards the second guy. He has enough brain cells to realize he’s outmatched, so he puts his hands up and backs away. “Thanks, Ceres.”
He nods. “Good technique. Want to rinse off?” Looking down, I’m covered in sand, so I quickly dip under the water to get clean while Ceres stands by. Smiling at him, we walk back to our group.
E is cooking lunch with Levi, and Seb is chatting with Neve, so I grab a chair to sit in the sun to dry. “How was your run?” Bay asks.
“Good. Ceres is as fast as Nick, so I was able to run full tilt.” I ask about Olivia, so he fills me in on her escapades. E brings me water and a plate of food; a burger just the way I like it, plus some potato chips. “Thanks, E.” He smiles down at me and then tells everyone to grab a plate.
There’s something about eating outside that makes barbecue extra yummy. It could be the charcoal grill, but I think the fresh air adds a little extra. I finish my delicious burger and then take my plate to the garbage under the canopy. Ezra is holding Charlotte while Neve eats. “Hey Summer, want to hold Charlotte while Ezra eats?” Neve asks.
“Sure.” I grab a wipe to clean my hands, and then Seb offers his seat, so I settle in as the cutie pie is passed over. “Hello little one.” Charlotte scrunches up her face before she coos, her little fist coming up. Smiling, I talk to her as her momma eats beside me. She doesn’t seem to mind a stranger holding her at all.
I never gave much thought to having kids. I assumed Jake and I would have some when we got older, but I was never one of those girls who had baby dolls or dreamed of being a mom. I must admit, this little one is precious, though.
“You’re a natural,” Neve comments, handing her empty plate to Levi. “It’s time for me to feed her.” She grabs a cover to clip over herself, then I carefully pass her the baby. “So Seb tells me you have 4 boyfriends now. How’s that going?”
“It feels like two, not four, with Nick gone and Jake still healing, but I’m happy. E is recent.”
“If you ever want to talk, or complain, or whatever, call me. I have no life right now except for this munchkin. Not complaining, but talking to people other than my family would be nice.”
“I will, thanks. The same goes for you. If you just want to chat or grab a drink, you have my number.”
“You may regret saying that,” she warns, but I laugh her off.
Alex walks over with my phone as it dings. “Thanks.” It’s Jake. They’re here!
“Excuse me, Jake is here,” I tell Neve. She waves me off as Alex walks back with me. Jake is in his wheelchair, shades on, in shorts and a tank top. “Hi handsome,” I smile, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “Hi Will.”
“Hi Sum. Hey Alex,” Jake smiles as Will gives us a nod.
