Authors: Charlotte Abel
Someone laughed. And it wasn’t Serenity or Kassie. Channie twisted around to the other side to see who it was and spotted Truth and Honor. And wow! Had they grown up.
Hunter had tried to adopt Billy, Honor and Truth after the war, but he couldn’t find a single government agency that would even consider it. He wasn’t immediate family, he was barely eighteen, uneducated, unemployed and there was already a baby in the house. Every social worker he talked to was so opposed to the idea that no amount of persuasive magic had any effect at all.
No other mages wanted to take all three children, so to stay together, they chose to live at the Vincent Veyjivik Children’s Home.
Carver and Kindness both worked at the orphanage and took the three Feenie kids under their wings. Billy had a knack for carpentry so naturally he was drawn to Carver. All the kids adored Kindness. By the time Hunter was old enough to apply for guardianship, the kids had grown so attached to Carver and Ness that they didn’t want to leave. They did, however, come and visit almost every summer. Billy married a Cumberland mage the previous summer so wedding preparations kept them all in Kentucky that year. It’d been two years since Channie had seen the girls. Honor whispered something to Truth that made her laugh again. It was a lovely sound, but loud.
Liz put a hand over Hope’s tiny, shell-like ear and gently bounced her back to sleep. “If Ezra gets here before Hope finishes her nap, tell him where we are. And Savvy?”
“What?”
“Keep the book closed until after your brothers’ race. Your eyes need a rest from all that reading.”
He blinked and rubbed his eyes. “The rest of me’s pretty tired, too. Can I take a nap in the trailer with you and Hope after Courage and Zeal’s moto?”
Channie figured he just wanted an excuse to escape the girls. The last time any of them had seen Honor and Truth they’d been gangly, shy and awkward. They’d also suffered from spontaneous bouts of uncontrollable giggling whenever the trips were around. What a difference a couple of years can make.
Liz shifted Hope to her other shoulder. “Stay here and keep Channie company, at least until Josh gets back.”
“Sure, Mom.” Savvy smiled at Channie. “I’d never desert a pregnant woman during a Feenie invasion.”
He stretched and glanced over his shoulder then froze mid-yawn. “Whoa…is that Honor? No way.”
Channie laughed then reached over and patted Savvy’s hand. “I’ll be fine. Go on and take a nap if you want.”
“I must have gotten my second wind. I’m not tired at all.”
Liz nudged Savvy’s foot with her toe. “Hope’s fast asleep. I’ll change her and put her down for you so you can study in the trailer. I’m sure Zeal and Courage won’t mind if you miss their first race.”
“Uh…that’s okay. I’d like to hang with Channie for awhile.”
“Okay, if you say so.” Liz winked at Channie. She’d obviously noticed the change in Honor and Truth as well as Savvy’s interest.
Kassie and Hunter veered off towards the concession stand. But HJ, Serenity, Honor and Truth made a beeline for the Abrim’s tarp. HJ grabbed a chair out from under Serenity, but Channie cast a balance spell on her before she fell on her butt. “HJ, that’s not nice.”
“Sorry.” HJ grinned at Channie. He didn’t look the least bit remorseful.
Savvy jumped to his feet and nearly knocked Honor over as he shoved his chair at her. “Here, have a seat. Do you want something to drink? We’ve got diet Pepsi, diet root beer, diet…uh…not that you need to diet. I mean… We’ve also got regular soda, too. Wow. You look different. It’s nice to see you again.”
Honor smiled up at Savvy as she gracefully sank into his chair. “I’d love a bottle of plain water if you have it.”
“Sure.” Savvy lifted Channie’s feet off the ice chest before she had a chance to move them herself then pulled a bottle of water out of the cooler and handed it to Honor.
Truth rolled her eyes. “I’ll take a diet Pepsi when you’re finished ogling my sister.”
“Oh.” Savvy’s dark complexion could hide all but the most intense blush. So when his cheeks and ears turned red, Channie knew he wasn’t embarrassed. He was mortified. He grabbed a can of soda out of the cooler without even looking at it and tossed it to Truth. “Here ya go.”
“Thanks.” She snagged it out of the air then frowned when she looked at the can. “I guess.”
She’d asked for a diet Pepsi, but Savvy had given her a regular Dr. Pepper.
Savvy grabbed a bottle of water for himself then dragged another chair next to Honor. They both stared straight ahead as they sipped their drinks, occasionally glancing at each other out of the corners of their eyes, grinning when they’d catch each other.
Channie thought it was sweet that Savvy was so smitten with Honor. Both girls were beautiful, but Truth was a year older and it showed. She definitely had more curves.
Serenity sighed. Channie followed the girl’s dreamy gaze straight to Zeal. He should be pushing his bike up the starting hill, but he was jogging towards them.
Damn
. He must have noticed Honor and Truth, too. Josh was going to kill him if he missed his first moto. “Zeal! Why aren't you on the starting hill?”
“I need a different jersey. This one’s dirty.”
That had to be the lamest excuse Channie had ever heard. Not only was his racing jersey clean, his extras were in the trailer.
He peeled his shirt off over his head then did that guy nod thing lifting his chin as he winked at Truth. “Hey, chica, what’s up?”
She narrowed her eyes as her gaze wandered over his bare chest. “From the way you’re undressing me with your eyes, I’d say you are.”
“Truth!” Honor hid behind her palm, obviously distressed by her sister’s crude remark.
Truth shrugged her shoulders. “Just saying.”
Zeal laughed then stalked towards Truth and leaned in, as if to steal a kiss.
She put her hand up, palm out, in the classic ‘don’t come any closer or you’ll regret it’ gesture. “Not interested.”
“It’s been two years since I’ve seen you.” Zeal inched closer and opened his arms. “Can’t you at least give me a friendly hug?”
“Not if you were the last manwhore on Earth.”
Zeal froze. His permanent smirk slid off his face. “Wow. That’s harsh.”
“I don’t lie. And I don’t sugarcoat the truth.”
Zeal shifted his attention to Honor. “How about you? Can I talk you into a little hug?”
Honor hunched her shoulders and crossed her arms over her chest. She shook her head in quick little side to side jerks that looked slightly spastic, but still cute and vulnerable.
Savvy jumped to his feet, hands fisted and eyes blazing. “She’s not your type. Leave her alone.”
“What crawled up your ass and died?” Zeal snatched his previously clean jersey up off the ground and yanked it on as he stormed off towards the starting hill.
Serenity gazed after him, longingly. Even after that disgusting little display, she was still crushing hard. Poor kid.
Zeal was lucky that Hunter and Kassie had made a detour to the concession stand. Hunter would have skinned him alive for coming on to his nieces. And if he had a clue that his sweet little Serenity had a crush on Zeal, the kid wouldn’t live to see his eighteenth birthday.
Kassie flopped down in the lawn chair next to Channie. She opened the bag of Doritos she’d gotten at the concession stand then shook it at Channie. “Want some?”
“Too much sodium, but thanks.”
Kassie nodded at Channie’s swollen belly. “You poor thing! You’ve got to be miserable in this heat.”
“I’m okay.” Channie unscrewed the top off her bottle of Eldorado Spring Water and took a nice long pull. “How’s life treating you?”
“Fan-freaking-tastic.” Kassie grinned then dug into the bag of chips. “We just bought a Kawasaki dealership in Longmont.”
Channie couldn’t keep her jaw from falling open. “Congratulations. I’m so happy for y’all!”
Hunter had gotten his GED then worked his butt off to pay his way through college. He quit dancing after Serenity was born, even though it meant a sudden and dramatic drop in income. He went to school part time and worked overtime as a motorcycle mechanic. It took him seven years to earn a bachelor’s degree in business, but he did it while supporting a family of four and without going into debt. He and Kassie scrimped and saved for years. They’d enjoyed life while doing it, taking advantage of all the free concerts, movie nights at the park and focused on raising their kids. But this was a definite step up.
“Yeah, I can’t believe it either. HJ starts high school next year, Serenity will be in her last year of middle school and we finally own our own business. Life is good!”
Hunter sat down then reached into Kassie’s bag and pulled out a massive amount of chips. He waved them in front of Channie’s face. “Want some?”
Kassie elbowed him in the ribs. “They’re not good for the baby. Don’t tempt her.”
Truth snorted and rolled her eyes. “As if you hadn’t just offered them to her five seconds ago.”
Hunter leaned back and frowned. “What’s got your feathers all ruffled up like a wet hen in a high wind?”
When Truth didn’t answer, HJ smirked at her. “She’s pissed off because Savvy’s in love with Honor and not her.”
Truth’s mouth opened and closed several times but she didn’t say a word.
Savvy and Honor both turned crimson.
“What’s the matter, Truth? Can’t handle it when someone else decides to play the honesty game?”
Truth glared at him. “There’s an ant hill under the bleachers, bug-boy. Go poke at it.”
HJ had always been fascinated by insects. At thirteen, he was already planning to be an entomologist. “Good idea. Maybe I’ll grab a few to shove down the back of your shirt. Pay you back for that stinging spell.”
A pair of strong hands slid over Channie’s swollen belly from behind. Josh kissed the top of her head. “Anyone want to guess who’s going to win this time?”
Truth muttered, “Who cares?”
HJ shouted, “Courage!”
Serenity blushed and whispered, “Zeal.”
Truth started singing the old kissing song that’d tormented kids with crushes through the ages. “Zeal and Serenity sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love—”
Hunter gave Truth a look that shut her up immediately. “Over my dead body.”
Josh lifted Channie’s feet, pulled a cherry Pepsi out of the cooler then sat down beside her. “Ya know, Hunter, the trips are only seven years older than Serenity. They’ll be twenty-five when she turns eighteen. Wasn’t there a ten year age difference between your parents?”
Hunter narrowed his eyes. “Like I said. Over. My. Dead. Body.”
“I need a drink.” Kassie tapped Channie’s feet then waited for her to lift them off the cooler to grab a diet Coke. “Chill, Hunter. We don’t live in the Ozarks. Serenity’s not going to date her cousins.”
Josh rolled his eyes. “You aren’t related to the trips so neither are your kids.”
“Whatever you say, Uncle Brother.”
When Ezra and Liz adopted the trips, the boys had been so excited about being Josh’s brothers that they called him ‘Uncle Brother Josh’ for the better part of a year. Kassie thought it was hilarious and refused to let it go.
Channie caught a flash of pink in her peripheral vision.
Serenity whirled around and took off at a dead run. Josh, Hunter and Kassie were too engrossed in their debate to notice her sudden departure. But before Channie could bring Serenity’s distress to their attention, Savvy stood up. He mouthed, “I got this,” then strode off after her, hand in hand with Honor.
Savvy had always had a tender heart. Right now, he only saw Serenity as a child in need of comfort, and he was obviously smitten with Honor, but there was no telling what the future might hold for any of them.
The PA system squawked.
“Okay riders, set ‘em up.”
Josh jumped to his feet. It didn’t matter how many races Courage and Zeal won, Josh was always nervous before one of their motos.
“On the gate.”
Channie couldn’t see anything except the starting hill, table tops and jumps from her seat, but the race would be over before she could haul her pregnant butt out of the chair. It wasn’t worth the effort.
“Riders ready. Watch the lights.”
The gate hit the dirt with a dull thud.
Something deep inside Channie
popped.
Two boys in red jerseys shot out ahead of the pack.
A gush of water soaked her thighs and the seat of her chair.
Oh, crap.
“Josh?”
He was muttering instructions to Courage and Zeal under his breath, even though they couldn’t hear him. Apparently he couldn’t hear her either. Channie reached out to him through their heart-bond.
He spun around, eyebrows arched.
She pointed to the spreading puddle under her chair. “I think my water broke.”
The End
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The Channie Series
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