Page 29 of Wed
Andy's eyes widened. "You're going to buy us stuff?"
"If you need it. You can't go without a toothbrush or underwear, right?" She nodded to Lenora who was sticking olives on her fingers. "We got some stuff for Lenora already."
"What about the State? They'll want us back." Geo stared hard at her.
"They don't know we have you. They can want you back all they want, but we don't have to give you to them. Right now, we need to make sure you're safe. The State didn't seem to be doing a good job of that. Until we know the people we let care for you are going to treat you right, you'll stay with us. We won't risk any of you going through this alone or being put in danger again." She glanced up as Xander walked into the room. "Hungry?"
"Always." He grabbed a burger from the tray she had on the counter. "How are you guys doing?" Xander pulled a chair out and sat down.
"Is Eric okay?" Andy asked.
Xander nodded. "He will be. He's finally sleeping. Beau is our doctor and he said Eric will be just fine in a few days. That teddy bear you grabbed for him seemed to be the best medicine. As soon as Faith gave it to him, he calmed right down."
Geo smiled. "He never sleeps without it."
"I'm glad you thought to grab it." Xander took another bite and spoke with his mouth half full. "Tomorrow, after you guys get some sleep, I'm looking forward to some new competition on those video games we talked about."
"You weren't kidding about the video games?" Andy asked.
Becca laughed. "These guys don't kid about video games. They take them very seriously. Trust Xander when he says he'll have you downstairs playing as soon as you've had breakfast. If it's not Xander playing, it will be one of the other guys. Though I have to warn you. It's not the guys you have to watch out for. It's Faith. She's better at those games than any of the guys."
"Hey," Xander objected. "That's not always true."
"Just mostly." Becca raised a brow.
Xander sighed and stuffed the rest of his burger in his mouth.
Lenora laughed. "You'll like Faith. She's fun."
Becca nodded. "She is. She's in with Eric right now, but you'll meet her in the morning." She glanced up as Bryon walked in. "Hi." She saw the tension around his eyes but kept her voice cheerful. "Guys, I want you to meet my soon-to-be husband, Bryon. Bryon, this is Andy and Geo."
Bryon walked over and offered his hand to each boy. "Nice to meet both of you." He then bent and placed a soft kiss on Becca's lips. "Thanks for cooking."
"Anytime." She touched his cheek. "Help yourself."
Bryon took a burger and leaned against the counter. "You boys okay? Need anything tonight?"
"No, Sir." Geo lifted his chin. "Thank you for helping us get away from there."
"Once Lenora told us what was going on, we had to help." Bryon grinned at Lenora. "She is a very brave girl. I want you guys to make yourself at home here. When the time comes to discuss where you'll go in the future, you'll be involved in the conversation. We won't do anything without talking to you about it first and getting your thoughts."
Geo's eyes widened. "Honest?"
"I promise. You guys have been through enough. You all should have a say in what happens. We'll talk more about it tomorrow. It's nearly three in the morning. We should all be getting some sleep tonight." Bryon pushed away from the counter. "Xander, when you're done, I'd like a word."
"No problem. Give me five and I'll meet you in the living room." Xander eyed Lenora. "You going to share an olive with me?"
She looked at her fingers which each had an olive on the tip. "Will you throw me across the pool again like you did earlier today when we swim again?"
Xander laughed and patted his hand over his heart. "Promise."
Lenora grinned and held out one finger to Xander.
He bent forward and used his mouth to take the olive from one of her fingers. He chewed and groaned in pleasure as if it was the best thing he ever tasted. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. But don't forget. You promised." Lenora stared at him.
"I never break a promise." He stood and reached over to tousle her hair. "Get some sleep so you have the energy to swim tomorrow."
