Evolution - The Oasis Project Book 3

Fifteen - Linkin

While the Fang made the feeding process take longer, I didn't have to lift a finger which I appreciated in the morning heat. We had learned within the first week not to sleep in and let the outdoor chores wait. Australia was hot, plain and simple. The longer the sun was up for, the hotter it got.

January was unbearable, but as the summer months slowly wound down, the days weren't as long or as hot. Still, summer in Australia was nothing to laugh at. When Thierry first started to fix the roof, he almost passed out and fell off from heat exhaustion. That was when Trevor started to help him and I really stepped into the mom role with sun safety.

I stood in the shade as Fang pranced around, sprinkingly feed on the ground. Chickens followed him around like the worst parade, noisily begging for more. I stood back in the shade, watching the old Utes rushing down the dirt road, kicking up dust like a bat out of hell. "Thierry's back. Ten more minutes until we have to clean up for breakfast," I called out to Fang as I picked up my water bottle from the ground.

"But Mom, we just started!"

I rolled my eyes; we had already been out here for thirty minutes to feed two dozen chickens. "Hey, Thierry is the one who makes breakfast, not me."

"Thierry's the worst," Fang sighed and then continued to talk to the chickens, telling them all about his Valentine's plans.

Thierry tried so hard to be a father figure for Fang, but for some reason, it never worked. Stuart assumed it was because it was his father who abandoned Fang, his mother died. The constant denial never got to Thierry, though. He always laughed it off and stated it'd be worth it when Fang finally called him "dad".

Stuart and I were more concerned about the attachment which Fang was developing for all of us. The situation we were in was temporary and the future was one giant unknown.

"Morning, kiddo!" Thierry called out, giving a big wave to Fang before he picked up the grocery bag.

Fang stopped and looked back at Thierry as he got out of the mostly rust truck. "I'm not a kiddo," he sighed, a teenager attitude showing.

Thierry just laughed. "Morning Fang," he said with the same level of excitement. "You excited for Valentine's?" Fang went back to sprinkling the remainder of the feed out. "Well, why don't you bring me the eggs so I can hurry up and start breakfast so we can get to the cookie decorating sooner?"

Thierry said the magic words. "Cookies? We're baking today?" Fang dumped the rest of the feed carelessly and begun the egg hunt.

"Of course, we have to have Valentine's cookies!"

Fang found one egg before he decided that was enough for breakfast and took off running for Thierry. "Will Aunt Ira be joining us? She decorates the best!"

I laughed and thought of the amount of mocking we had done over Ira's gingerbread men: she was kindly given all the broken ones and only red icing. Fang said that red tastes bad and Ira did the best out of what she had. Soon, Ira and Fang were having too much fun putting "blood" on all the placed limbs and heads were lost. Given my new knowledge on what month it was, the gingerbread Fang asked to make were the most horrific Halloween inspired Christmas cookies I had ever seen.

Since Fang abandoned me to hurry Thierry into the kitchen, I finished job and grabbed the rest of the eggs, avoiding the chickens which violently pecked at the Earth. It was a quick job and I headed back inside as Fang was sprinting up the stairs shouting, "Aunt Ira, Aunt Ira! Wake up!"

"Oh, she's not going to be happy with that." I laughed as I walked into the kitchen. "What did she do to deserve that?"

"He tried to help me unpack the groceries," Thierry said, motioning to the bag on the table right beside where I set down the eggs. "His present and wrapping paper are in there. I didn't want him finding them so I sent him to tell Ira about the cookies."

I heard a door open then slam shut. Fang's yelling was now muffles and I could only assume that meant he was jumping on Ira's and Stuart's bed. "Cruel, but justified." I smirked and grabbed the bag. "Any problem finding something?"

"No, I just got him a couple toys."

"A couple?"

"One from all of us."

I rolled my eyes and sighed. He spoiled Fang. "I assumed you got cards and tape then?"

Thierry froze in the middle of cracking an egg, "Oh no..."

I waved him off before he could panic too much. "I raid Fang's art supplies, I'm sure I can find something to make it work."

"Get Stuart to help. He's shockingly crafty."

"I will and I know," I said, walking over to Thierry and planting a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks for going out."

"Anything for Fang," Thierry said. I cleared my throat and raised a brow. "Oh, and you too, Tina!" I mustn't have looked pleased when I walked away because he called out after me, "I love you!"

I let the sentiment hang for a second before I sighed and called back, "Love you too."