14. Seymour

Chapter 14

Seymour

I had all but moved in with the guys. Most of my clothes were there, as were all of my toiletries. There were still a few things back at the house, but they weren't my everyday items and some of them probably should just be tossed.

Ever since we all got together, I only went back to the house when it was time to check on things, and I never stayed long. Why would I? It had been a place to live when I needed it, but it had never been home. Now it was a responsibility, one I gladly kept, but that was really that.

We hadn't officially decided that I'd moved in, but that was what had basically happened. The four of us just sort of fell into it, none of us ever wanting me to go home. And because it wasn't official, my dragon was starting to get a little antsy. Fine, not a little, a lot antsy.

He couldn't have been more content than he was with our men, but not having roots was starting to bug him. And I guess, in a way, it was bugging me too. But until I decided to alpha-up and say something about it, nothing was going to change.

I parked the car, glad to have the distraction from my thoughts. My favorite bakery was on my way home, and it was time for some cake.

"Can I help you with something?" the woman asked as I stared at the cakes for far longer than should be necessary.

"Yes, no, yes." I stood up. "I need a cake."

"I was guessing, sir. Anything particular about this cake I should know? An occasion, maybe?" The woman had patience beyond my own. I'd have probably snapped at me by now.

"Well, it's a home-warming… maybe." That wasn't quite the correct term, but then again I wasn't sure there was a term for making your sleeping arrangement official.

"And what kind of filling do they like?"

I knew the answer. Of course I did. We had talked about cake quite often, all of us fans. But in that moment, my mind went blank, which was ridiculous. The conversation I needed to have wasn't a big deal, right? And even if it was, I was currently buying a cake. That shouldn't be hard.

"I'll take the yellow one with the green border." I picked the first one I saw as I looked at the case again. I had no idea what was under the frosting, but cake was cake.

"Excellent choice." She went and got the cake and boxed it up.

The entire time, I was running through scenarios of how to begin the conversation. All of them ended with me deciding my initial idea sucked. Why did I get myself all worked up like this?

I mumbled to myself on my way out of the bakery about how I'd do better next time, as if this had been a stupid test or something.

Kai… Dante… Gideon… I could talk to them about anything. I wasn't even asking for a change. Or maybe I wasn't asking for anything at all, just opening a dialogue. And yet I managed to turn it into a big deal in my head.

When I walked through the door ten minutes later, Kai had Albie in a baby-wearing wrap and was bouncing up and down as he walked back and forth across the kitchen. At first, I thought he was trying to get the baby to sleep and that was why he was bouncing, but then I saw he had a jar of what appeared to be milk in his hand.

"Do I want to know?" I asked.

"I didn't have any butter for bread, and I had some cream… and I saw this on a TV show." He shrugged. "It might be delicious."

I looked at him. "A TV show?"

"Or some movie I saw in school as a kid. I can't remember, but cream in the jar… that's a thing. I'm sure of it."

I certainly hoped so, given he was taking so much time trying to achieve buttery goodness.

"Do you want me to shake it?" I offered.

"Nah, this is good." He pointed to the cake with his jar-filled hand. "What's in the box?"

"A housewarming cake." And there it was—the perfect opening to the conversation.

"Housewarming?"

I set it on the counter. "Yeah. Housewarming. I thought maybe tonight the four of us could talk about me… us… the family and where we should live."

"Well, you live here," Dante said as he walked in. I hadn't even realized he was home.

"Sort of, I do. But like, not all my stuff is here, there's some at the house."

He wrinkled his nose. "But that's not your home?"

"No, it isn't." I shook my head. "This is."

Kai handed me the jar of cream. "Uncle."

"I got you." I started shaking it, hoping he used actual cream and not milk.

"But what about Gideon?"

"What about me?" Gideon asked, suddenly appearing. The gang was all here.

"Seymour didn't realize he was living here already," Dante explained.

"Oh, does he know now?" Gideon asked.

"Yeah, my brain caught up." Finally. "I brought a cake."

"Cake for the win," Dante said. "But after dinner, we need to go get his things."

"I don't have a lot," I reminded them. The place had been completely furnished, and I'd culled a great deal before I even moved in.

"Good. That means after you're all moved in, we'll have time for..." Kai covered Albie's ears and mouthed, "Bedroom fun."

"Yeah," I laughed, "I suppose we would. We'll go after the butter is ready."

A half-hour later, we gave up on the butter, stopping at the store to get premade on our way back with the remainder of my belongings.