I roll my eyes. “Stop whining like pussies. They aren’t that bad.”
“Says you. Who cuts her burger first to make sure one of us haven’t switched it?” Aiden comments.
I feel Beau’s gaze cut to me and I swear my cheeks burst into flames when he starts chuckling. “Okay, I admit I like my meat. However, I hate it when Charlotte goes without. It’s not like there’s another vegetarian in the family to give her another option. You two are the worst for switching burgers.”
“She only went without once,” Aiden adds.
“And Dad made me go the shop and get her more.”
“We’re nearly there.” Beau’s voice interrupts whatever Aiden was going to say as we pull onto a long, dirt lane.
“I can’t believe Jacob isn’t allowed to come with us,” Ashton whines, looking out at the scenery.
“You spiked his drink with vodka knowing he had already been pinching the old lady’s alcoholic drinks.”
“Whatev’s.” He pauses, and I hear his seat belt unclick. “What the hell is Hayden doing?” Ashton suddenly asks.
I squint and lean forward in my seat. “Um, I think she’s beating Landon. Though it could be Liam. You can never tell with those three.”
Ashton laughs, bouncing in his seat. “She just punched him in the nose.”
“Are all your family violent?” Beau asks, sounding worried.
I bite my lip as I turn my gaze away from the fight going on in the back of Maddison’s car and focus on Beau, trying to keep a straight face. “Um, not all of us.”
“It’s Liam. Landon’s in the front. Look! He’s trying to stop her from killing Liam,” Aiden says, laughing.
Both he and Ashton have their seatbelts undone and are now sitting forwards, their heads perched on the headrests between me and Beau. When he turns to Beau, grinning, I know what’s coming.
“It’s Landon you have to be wary of. His dad might be a total goof, but he’s all my uncle Malik. He’s serious most of the time, protective and broody as all hell. Piss him off and you need to run. He doesn’t pull punches.”
“And we should know,” Ashton laughs.
Ashton has just turned eighteen. If there’s any one of us who doesn’t take life seriously, it’s him. He’s actually more like my uncle Max than he is his own dad, Mason.
It’s uncanny how many of us get traits from other family members.
We pull up, parking next to Madison. We all turn when the screaming continues, and see Liam fighting to get out of the car. I step outside, into the fresh air, and see him fall to his knees, trying to shuffle away. I lean against the car, ready to intervene if it gets out of hand. The boys won’t do anything; they’ll think it’s hilarious Liam is getting beat up. They know he’d never touch her back, not even to restrain her.
“Calm down,” Landon growls at the pair as he steps out of the car at a much slower pace. He’s not even fazed by Hayden jumping on her brother’s back and attacking him. He’s had to live with it his whole life.
Beau meets me on my side of the car, leaning back, close to me. We watch as Landon pulls Hayden off kicking and screaming.
“What happened?” I ask Madison when she steps up on the other side of me.
Her gaze doesn’t leave the chaos, a resigned look across her face. “Turns out she had a date last night.”
“Uh-oh.” My gaze goes back to Hayden who has broken free and is once again attacking a now screeching Liam.
“It didn’t get that far,” Madison adds, and my gaze cuts to her. “She knew Uncle Mason was working late and thought Liam would spend the night out with his mates. She agreed to be picked up, thinking she had a shot at a real date.”
“This doesn’t sound good,” I murmur, watching her lips twitch.
“Liam kidnapped him.”
Holy crap. Again? “What did he do to this one?”
“This one?” Beau asks, shuffling closer to listen in. My eyes flicker to his and find his attention fully on us. I’m not sure whether he’s worried for his safety, or ready to inform the police. I’m about to warn Madison he’s a police officer, but she’s already answering before I can even give her a look.
“We got the whole story in the car. Under duress, I might add. She may have had his balls in her fist.”
Beau shudders next to me. “Ouch, poor guy.”
Madison scoffs. “He zip-tied her date and threw him into the back of his car. Liam drove it to the quarry down on Hurcott and did the usual—you know, threaten him and all that. He told him she was a trans and he wouldn’t have some lad taking advantage of her newly changed body, not when she still had all the male equipment.”
Beau starts choking, his eyes bugging out as he stares at us. He probably thinks she’s full of it, but sadly, she’s not. It’s actually not the worst thing they’ve done to someone one of us have dated…or tried to date.
My only guess on why they haven’t touched Beau is because he’s built like a brickhouse, has tattoos, and an expression that says don’t fuck with me.
But it’s still early days.
Anything could happen.
However, it’s still the longest a male—other than family—has lasted around us.
“He did what?” Beau finally manages to get out. I’m struggling to work out if he’s trying not to laugh or he’s mad. It’s hard to tell.
“Remember, Beau is a police officer,” I tell her, my eyes widening.
Madison turns red, her eyes rounding. “Crap, I forgot you’re a police officer. I’m only joking though. The lad was willing. They went out for a drive and after a few non-threatening words, he agreed not to date Hayden. He certainly didn’t do what I said he did. I swear…but not on oath.”
Giggling, I place my hand on her shoulder. “How did she find out Liam had something to do with it?”
She eyes Beau for a moment longer, biting her bottom lip. He gapes at us for a few more seconds before turning back to Hayden and Liam with new eyes.
Probably wondering if he can get home before they do anything to him.
But that’s just a guess.
“There’s a lot of forest here,” he whispers.
I giggle and turn back to Madison, nudging her to carry on.
“Oh, yeah, right. She messaged him a few choice words on the way here. She was pissed, and you know Hayden; she doesn’t like being walked over. He didn’t answer right away, but after an hour he sent her a message saying to stay away from him, otherwise he’ll get a restraining order. You know the rest. One look at her brother and she knew. They’d been arguing for an hour before she finally went for the balls. Her restraint lasted longer this time. As soon as he confessed, she started to attack him.”
“She did good then. Uncle Malik has been trying to get her to work on her anger issues.”
“Yeah, but her dad is Max; she was never going to be all there.”
“I hate my brother,” Hayden growls, walking over to us.
Her light brown hair is a mess. It was in a messy bun to begin with, but now it looks like a bird has nested in it.
“I’m going to help put the tents up,” Beau tells me. He gives Hayden a wide birth, eyeing her warily. I can’t help but laugh.
“Make sure you don’t help any of the other men here,” she snaps. His eyes come to me before he rushes off to set up.
“Why?” I ask her, smiling because I know she didn’t say it to be mean.
Her eyes light up. “Because, if I’m correct, they’ll be sleeping outside in the wild. None of them have put a tent up in their life. Our dads always did it.”
“Um, I’m pretty sure my dad always put your dad’s tents up,” I remind her. Max made such a fuss, my dad did it to shut him up.
She laughs, taking her hair out to tidy it up. “Exactly. Why do you think Dad always made out he couldn’t do it?”
“Because he couldn’t?” Madison asks, looking at me for answers. I shrug. Uncle Max isn’t the brightest bulb in the box, even if he is one of the smartes
t people I know.
“No. He could. He just knew someone else would do it for him if he put up a stink.”
“Oh, my God, is that why he says he can’t cook—so others cook for him?” I ask.
Her grin is wide. “No, he really can’t cook for shit. My mum does all that.”
“What about pets? Is he really allergic to animals?” I have to ask. I’ve been trying to get my auntie Lake and uncle Max to adopt for years. Lake always seems to want to say yes, but Max always shoots it down.
Her eyes are twinkling now and I’m ready to kill my uncle. “Nope. Apparently, my mum had a cat called Splinter when they first got together. He terrorised the men in the family, but mostly Dad. Any time he’s mentioned, you’ll hear my dad mutter cockblocker under his breath. After that, he wouldn’t have another animal attacking him.”
“That—I’m so going to get him back for this,” I growl, thinking of ways to make him pay.
We all turn when we hear the lads arguing, ready to tear each other to shreds. The girls carry on putting their tents up, looking in the lads’ direction with a smirk.
It’s Beau that makes me giggle. He’s ignoring them too, putting his tent up quickly and with ease, like he’s done it a thousand times.
*** *** ***
It’s nightfall by the time we finish setting up. We’d had to stop after a couple of hours when Lily dragged us away, telling us to leave everything so we could go and sign up for the activities.
After, we’d walked for three hours, checking out the area with a guide who pointed out every little thing. He’d let us know what tracks to stay away from and which ones were best to take.
We’d spent another hour helping Charlotte set up the bird feeders. The guide looked pretty taken with her and was pleased with her contribution.
It didn’t take Aiden, Liam and Mark long to lose him.
And when I say lose him, I mean they scared the poor soul shitless. At first it was small things; commenting on what had happened to the last person who spoke to her. They used Landon as an example. And with Landon being big, scary, and tatted up, the sod bought everything they said. He stayed clear of Charlotte after that.
Then they started whispering taunts about how Landon was watching him.
He really wasn’t coping well with their constant threats.
But it was Landon growling over Charlotte accidently tripping over a log that did him in. Since the guide was trying to stay away, he walked ahead, but when Charlotte started to catch up to him, he started to walk faster. It was how she’d tripped up.
Landon noticed what was going on and flipped. He told the guide to fuck off before he lost some teeth.
Now it’s nightfall and Maddox and Liam have finally talked the girls into setting up their tents. They’d asked Beau to help another brother out, but Beau just laughed and told them he had orders and didn’t want to get on the wrong side of Hayden.
Lily and Imogen, my uncle Ethan’s daughter, help them.
Beau stands from the fire he just made, looking a little smug at my cousins. They’d been trying for thirty minutes to no avail, and that was with matches, gasoline, and a lighter.
It had only taken Beau a few minutes.
“I’d reign in the smugness,” I warn him on a whisper when he sits down next to me.
“Why? I’m not worried about what they’ll do.”
He looks so damn sure, but he has no idea. “Yeah, you might not, but I have to share a tent with you.”
His chuckle is deep when he gauges my reaction. “You’re serious? Don’t worry, baby, I’ll protect you.”
It’s my turn to laugh. “Oh, I’m not worried about me. They’ll try to avoid me, but I might get caught in the crossfire. I’m worried for you.”
“They can’t be that bad,” he says, but doesn’t sound convinced of his own words.
“Oh, they’re worse.”
“Hey, what’s on the agenda for tomorrow? I’m not climbing any more trees,” Mark complains, eyeing Charlotte.
She smiles sweetly at him. “We put them all up today, Mark, don’t worry. Thank you for helping me.”
He flushes with guilt over moaning about doing it, and gives her a timid smile. “It’s okay.”
Lily grabs her rucksack and pulls out a booklet. “Up first is a trek to―.” Everyone groans, but she ignores us. “When we get to the top, we are zip lining.” Cheers ring out around the camp, and a few girls groan. “Then we have white water rafting at three. It’s a team building experience and overlooks the sights the valley has to offer. We’ve booked two boats, each fit seven, and we’ll have fifteen minutes for the instructor to go through everything. Is that okay with everyone?”
“What did you book for Sunday?” Maddox asks, bouncing in his seat excitedly.
Landon and Charlotte hand out beers and I take one, my gloved hands wrapping around the bottle.
Lily smiles at Maddox. “We have a bunch of stuff; archery, rock climbing—only the beginners climb. Then we have the jungle challenge, which is basically an assault course, but most of it is in the trees.”
“Fuck, I’ve wanted to do that forever.” Aiden hoots, throwing back his beer.
“Tobogganing on the adult slope is last. We have a choice of having dinner before the jungle challenge or after. But if I’m honest, with those activities, I think I can handle waiting to eat. Then there’s a party back at the main building where the restaurant and bar are. This weekend has been closed for under eighteens. Apparently, because next week is half term, they get packed with children, so they like to open it for adults only a week before.”
“And Monday?” Beau asks what I’m thinking and I give him a smile. This is a lot to fit in in a few days.
“Not much. They only have canoeing on since they close at four. So, we’ll be canoeing through the valley until we get to the drop off point. There, we will be met by some guides who will carry a change of our clothes, so we can hike back.”
“More walking?” Liam groans.
“Afraid you can’t keep up?” Hayden taunts, grinning.
He narrows his gaze on his sister. “No, I just don’t want to put you guys to shame when you’re all panting and gasping for air.”
“Sorry to interrupt, but what about food?” Aiden asks Lily, causing her to frown.
I giggle under my breath, earning a glare from both my brothers.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you’ve got all these activities planned but not once did I hear anything about food. How are we gonna eat if we’re walking miles up a hill?”
“Um, it’s after breakfast and before lunch.”
His eyes bug out. “I’ll starve to death.”
“I’ll be wasting away,” Mark retorts. I snort, hiding in Beau’s shoulder when his eyes come my way.
“I’ve brought snacks,” she tells him gently, not wanting to poke the bear.
He scoffs, eyeing her bag with disgust. “If those bars are what you call snacks, then nope. They taste like cardboard.”
“I’ve got snacks too,” Charlotte informs him.
“Um, yeah… No,” Aiden tells her.
Her face falls, and she looks at the both of them from under her lashes. “You don’t want my food? I baked too.”
They eye each other before their shoulders sag, and they glance back at Charlotte. “We can eat your baked goods.”
Her smile brightens at their words. She bounces up from her seat and kisses them both on the cheek. “I’m going to get an early night before we have to walk for hours.”
She waves at everyone before heading over to her tent, which is at the back, wedged between Hayden’s and Imogen’s. She’s sharing with Landon, not wanting to be unprotected in the case of a bear attack. We did explain there are no bears here, only a few snakes, but she wouldn’t listen. Plus, her and Lily together would talk themselves into being scared for no reason. They’d feed each other’s fears by jumping at every little sound.
But we love them.
Once she’s out of sight, Aiden and Mark turn to me, like I’m going to give them permission. “Please let us go get rid of them before she makes us eat them. We can say a bear ate them.”
I roll my eyes at their dramatics. Charlotte can’t bake for shit. Plus, somehow, whatever she uses to bake with makes everything taste stale.
“You can’t do that,” I tell them, giving them a warning look. It would hurt her feelings, and not one of us would do that to her. We’ve all had to protect her a time or two from bullies, or from boys who’d tried it on with her as a bet.
It started at the end of primary school. She hasn’t let it jade her or make her any less caring towards others. But it doesn’t mean it hasn’t affected her. It’s why we’re all so protective of her and Lily.
Both are too kind for their own good.
“Okay.” Aiden sulks, grabbing another beer out the cooler.
“Throw us one?” Beau calls, and Aiden, without thinking, throws it. Beau catches it, not bothering to wait for the fizz to calm down before opening it. It drips over the sides but he sucks it back, before taking a long swig.
My eyes shift to Lily, who is frozen, her eyes on the beer in Beau’s hand.
“Lily, it’s okay,” Maddox tells her gently.
She doesn’t move, her gaze still on Beau. My hand reaches out blindly, pulling his arm down so he’s not drinking it any longer.
“What?” he asks, then pauses when he notices it’s quiet. He looks around in confusion. “Um, what’s going on?”
Lily quickly stands, Maddox following her, and we all listen helplessly to the sound of her sob as he carries her away. “Nothing.”
“Um, that wasn’t nothing, babe. What did I do?”
“What makes you think you did something?” I ask him, forcing a smile. Everyone resumes chatting, even though I know they all want to check on her.
Why Lily can cope with some of us drinking but not others is still a shock. I remember when she first came to live with us and Dad pulled out a beer. She’d had a fit, which turned into a severe panic attack that led her to faint. It wasn’t until the third time, when she’d had to be sedated, that we clicked on that beer was her trigger.
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