Chapter 44
They were sitting around the campfire roasting marshmallows. Sam had brought a bag with her and the guys had been enthusiastic. Jake had gone and gotten some sticks to use to hold them over the fire.
Sam shoved her stick into the fire, watching as her marshmallow quickly turned black. She turned it slightly so it blackened on all sides. She pulled it back to blow the flame out and then pulled the black outer shell from the marshmallow before putting it in her mouth.
"Oh," Sam groaned with pleasure before sticking the rest of the marshmallow back into the fire.
The six Ely brothers watched her, smiles upon their brown faces.
"This was a great idea, Sammy," Bryan told her as he ate one of the marshmallows that he had roasted.
Sam grinned around the marshmallow in her mouth. She held out her stick in front of Jake, asking without words to put another marshmallow on it.
"Impatient," Jake murmured when Sam started waving her stick in front of his face when he hadn't put one on right away. He pushed one onto her stick and Sam put it into the fire again.
"We should have had S'mores," Quinn said.
"What are..," Sam looked at Jake.
"S'mores," Jake told her. "They're marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers."
"Oh yum!" Sam's mouth almost watered. "We should have brought some mores."
"Say it all together," Jake instructed her.
Sam glanced up at all of the Elys before focusing on Jake. "Somores."
"Even more together," Adam said. "S'mores."
"S'mores," Sam pronounced, earning a nod from Jake.
She smiled at him, then laughed when the marshmallow she had popped in her mouth threatened to ooze out between her lips.
"Now that's appetizing," Jake rolled his eyes.
"Swrry," Sam said around the marshmallow.
Jake laughed and Sam hit him.
Jake threw a marshmallow at her. Sam threw it back.
"Someone might want to eat those," Kit reminded them.
"The fire will kill any germs," Jake told his oldest brother who laughed.
Once they were all full on roasted marshmallows, Nate brought out a deck of cards. Sam watched the boys play cards until she started falling asleep. She leaned against Adam who was the closest to her and fell asleep against his arm.
Kit and Nate were grinning at him as he lifted his arm and held her head as he lowered it to his lap. Sam never woke up.
"Ten years," Kit told his younger brother.
"Oh yeah," Adam laughed with a nod.
Jake gave them both a look. Then he looked at Quinn and Bryan who shrugged. They didn't get it either. He looked down at Sam sleeping so trustingly on his brother's lap.
Kit watched Jake for any signs of jealousy, but he didn't see anything in Jake's face to indicate it. He wondered again, if it would be different a few years from now when Jake understood what went on between men and women. He hoped Adam would keep him informed on Jake's and Sam's relationship while he was gone. Kit would talk to his brother about it later.
All of them got ready for bed a bit later. Kit zipped Sam's and Jake's sleeping bags together, then slipped off Sam's boots before putting her into the sleeping bag.
Jake watched him, rubbing his arms as he waited for Kit to be done. It was going to be a cold night and he was anxious to get into his sleeping bag. He knew without asking that the reason Kit had put their sleeping bags together was so Jake's body heat would keep Sam warm.
He gave a small smile. It worked both ways. Jake would be warm with Sam's body putting out heat also. Even if the fire went down during the night, Jake should be nice and warm.
"She's all yours, Jakey," Kit told him and Jake wondered at the sly smile.
Jake sat down on the sleeping bag and pulled off his boots. He climbed inside the sleeping bag and Kit zipped it up.
"Nighty night, Jakey," Adam's voice sounded like he was amused at something.
Jake picked up his head and looked to where Adam was adding wood to the fire. It was impossible to see his eyes or his face to tell.
Jake pulled the sleeping bag up over his and Sam's heads. He could feel her back against his and she automatically pushed closer to him and his warmth.