Chapter 25
Sam ended up half on top of Jake the next morning. It had been really cold during the night and the two of them had gravitated towards the other for their body warmth while in the sleeping bag.
"Look at those two," Adam whispered to Nate, as the two of them woke up.
The two brothers glanced at each other, grins on their faces. Adam had told Nate previously what he and Kit had thought, written down and put away until Sam was nineteen and Jake was twenty one. Nate had told Adam that he agreed. He too could see Sam and Jake ending up together.
"My gosh, Wyatt would have a fit if he knew his ten year old daughter was sleeping on a boy," Adam chuckled.
"What do you think Jake's reaction is going to be?" Nate wondered.
"If he's the first one awake, he'll push her away," Adam predicted. "Especially if he knows anyone else is up and could see."
"But…?" Nate raised an eyebrow.
"But, I think he likes her deep down, but would never admit it," Adam said.
"I think so too," Nate nodded. "Time will tell."
The two of them got out of their sleeping bags, Adam putting fresh wood on the fire.
Just then Jake stretched, his eyes still closed. His older brothers watched as one eye opened, surprised to find Sam laying on him. Sure enough, he pushed her off and she spooned into his side instead. Both Adam and Nate grinned at each other.
Almost as if he knew it, Jake opened his other eye, seeing his older brothers watching him. Jake gave them both dirty looks as he sat up. The air was still cold. He could see his breath.
"Cold, huh?" Nate asked.
"Very," Jake responded. "Hard to believe this is July."
"I'm not sure I'm going anywhere near that water today," Adam said with a laugh.
"Afraid of shrinkage?" Nate laughed.
Jake snorted.
"Not hardly," Adam grinned. "Freezing my boys off maybe, but not shrinkage."
All three guys laughed.
"What's funny?" Quinn yawned.
"Adams worried about freezing his boys off," Nate told him.
"Doing what?" Bryan asked.
Jake happened to glance at Sam and saw she was awake.
"Uh, morning Brat," Jake said, glancing back at Adam.
Adam just grinned. "Not until the sixth grade."
The five Elys grinned at each other.
"What's not until the sixth grade?" Sam asked.
"You'll find out in the sixth grade," Quinn told her.
Sam rolled her eyes.
"Are we going swimming today?" Sam wondered.
She was really confused when all five guys started to laugh.
"The water's prolly cold," Jake warned her.
"Oh," Sam sat up and looked towards the lake. "Then what are we going to do today?"
"Frog races," Adam said and Sam smiled at him. "You get ready for the day, we'll have breakfast and then we'll have some frog races."
"Then we can play cards," Bryan put in. "I need to get back what I lost to Jake the other night."
"You can dream big brother," Jake told him.
"What did you win?" Sam asked when everyone was up and getting ready for the day.
"Nothin'," Jake chuckled. "We don't really play for anything besides braggin' rights. We pretend like it's money or something."
"Oh," Sam nodded. "I miss so much by not having any brothers and sisters."
"You got us," Jake reminded her.
Sam was surprised, but pleased.