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“Thank you,” Mikey said as she pulled the money out of her pocket and paid for everything. Once she had her change, she grabbed the stack of pizzas while Braxton grabbed the bags and headed for the door.

Before she reached it, the door swung open and Jonathan and Cole were relieving them of everything. Once her arms were free, Mikey quickly made her way to the bottom step where Sebastian was waiting, his back already turned so that she could climb on.

“Did you save me any fries?” Sebastian asked as he waited for her to get settled.

“Are you going to tell me why you were glaring?” Mikey countered as she wrapped her arms around him.

“I don’t like the way he looks at you,” he said as he watched Braxton head back to their campsite with Cole and Jonathan.

“And how does he look at me?” Mikey asked as she laid her chin on his shoulder.

After a moment, Sebastian said, “I just don’t like him.”

“Duly noted,” Mikey said, gesturing for him to hurry up before the boys helped themselves to her snacks.

Chapter 35

“Stop being such a big baby and get out here!”

“No!” came the response that had Sebastian narrowing his eyes on their tent as he debated the best way to get the little brat out when Jonathan took care of it for him.

He watched as his brother walked over to the tent, pulled back the flaps and threw something inside. Whatever he did was met with stunned silence that quickly morphed into a surprised gasp, a rustling in the tent and Mikey crawling out the back, quickly racing around to the front, muttering, “I really hate him,” as she raced toward him so that she could jump in his arms.

Once he had his arms around her, Sebastian glanced back in time to watch as his brother leaned inside the tent, grabbed something and–

“I really do hate him,” Mikey mumbled as they watched the snake that Jonathan tossed into their tent wrap itself around his arm.

“Isn’t he cute?” Jonathan asked as he held up his arm to give them a better look at the snake.

“I know you do,” Sebastian said to Mikey even as he resigned himself to snake duty tonight, knowing that she wasn’t going to be able to go back inside until he checked for snakes every hour on the hour. But that was fine, Sebastian decided as he tightened his grip around her and moved to join the rest of his family.

“I don’t want to go,” Mikey grumbled as she laid her head against his shoulder.

“I know you don’t,” Sebastian said, biting back a smile that he knew she wouldn’t appreciate at the moment. “Would it help if I told you that it will be over before you know it?”

“No, because I know you’d be lying to me,” Mikey said only to gesture for him to put her down.

After making sure that Jonathan wasn’t planning on sneaking up behind her and scaring her with that snake, he placed her on the ground and–

Sighed, just freaking sighed when she tried to make a run for it. Before she managed to make it two feet, he grabbed her by the arm, yanked her back, and after another sigh, picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder, wondering why she was being such a big baby about this.

“Just so you know, we are no longer speaking,” Mikey grumbled as she settled more comfortably over his shoulder.

“I already figured that out,” Sebastian said absently as he made his way down to the pond.

“If I drown–”

“I thought you weren’t talking to me,” Sebastian said, mostly because she wasn’t going to drown.

“I’m not.”

“Then what are you doing?

“Trying to give my last will and testament, but some big jerk keeps interrupting me!” Mikey snapped, making his lips twitch only to clear her throat and say, “Now, where was I?”

“You were professing your undying love for

me!” Jonathan yelled as he ran past them.