Page 14 of I Dated a Holiday Hero
“Honey, I had no idea.”
“I know. It’s okay. Kids are mean little buggers, and then I found my human shape, and that is the one you managed to adopt.”
“I love you scaley, and I love you pink.”
Hever grinned. “Thanks. Now, do you want to know how old I actually am?”
“You weren’t eight?”
“Six.”
“Fuck.”
Hever laughed and leaned to hug her mother as they pulled into the drive, and the gates swung open. There was a crowd of actives and the prefect waiting for them.
Hever sighed. “There goes the quiet dinner.”
“I will order takeout, so the chef doesn’t have an aneurism.” Her mom smiled. “Take them into the solarium. It should fit them all.”
She nodded, and when the driver opened the door, she smiled and nodded, and he gave her a slight wink. She walked toward the group of people, and Salmet rushed toward her and hugged her. “Auntie? This is a little weird for you.”
“What?”
“You give me A-frame hugs or pat me on the head.”
“Someone tried to blow you up and kill you today. Consider it a special occasion.” Salmet smiled. “You are so soft.”
“Yeah. It’s a whole thing. Mom said we can use the solarium. Anyone who is coming, please come with me.”
She turned and walked into the house, through the entryway, past the formal living room, the family dining room, the formal dining room, and into the solarium.
Abbi brought in beverages, lots of lemonade and water, with Hever’s special cartoon cup.
Hever filled her cup with cartoon supervillains on it and sipped at it while others watched with raised brows. Salat and Khytten were grinning. Salat said, “You still have that thing?”
“Sure. After the cousins took the hero cups, the villains were the only ones left.”
Salat winced. “I could have made replacements.”
“When your kids have their favourite things broken by a sibling or cousin, try and replace them. I dare you.” She smirked.
Everyone settled, and it was a lot of bodysuits.
Salmet said, “Fine, from the start of the day, tell us what happened.”
Hever went over it, filling in details. Everyone scowled when she mentioned spending the day with Desmond’s family. She nodded. “I know. I know.”
She continued and then said, “That tank was so basic. I mean, it was first-year design school basic. I mean, Kritz could have designed it.”
There was a“Hey!” from a com link on someone’s shoulder.
“Seriously. They wanted it altered to do everything, but this thing could barely turn. They also had no equipment for me to do any work, so I just splinted my broken hands and flipped through the tank designs.”
Zera spoke quietly from another open com. “Hever has won nineteen defense contracts and seventeen design awards. Salat, she designed all of your vehicles, including all the extras. She also does the suit designs when Kritz forwards the specs. The prototypes are all hers, and then she uploads the print to the computers.”
Hever smiled. “Mom has impressed the importance of fashion on me. And I am a huge fan of function.”
Salat looked down at his body suit. “This?”
