Chapter 1285
“Well, about that p>
Walter looked conflicted. Fireworks and explosives, after all, work on the same principle—once they go off, they’re bound to make a bang.
Elysia was kneading some dough at the kitchen counter. She couldn’t help but laugh when she saw Walter’s face, caught between not wanting to say “no” and clearly out of options.
“Fireworks are always loud,” she said, “but we can watch them from far away. Mommy can cover Baby’s ears, and if your ears are covered, there’s nothing to be afraid of p>
“Yeah, Walter, I really want to see fireworks!” Baby chimed in eagerly.
Walter snapped out of his thoughts. “Alright then, in a bit, Walter will get everything ready. We’ll throw a special fireworks show just for our Baby! I’ll try to make them as quiet as I can p>
“Thank you, Walter!” Baby beamed.
Walter grinned so wide his cheeks almost hurt. “No need to thank me! What kind of fireworks does Baby want p>
“Bunnies! I love bunnies the most p>
“Bunnies? No problem! Walter will make a whole bunch of little bunny fireworks for you p>
The two of them-one grown, one little-chattered away, excitedly planning the night’s fireworks display.
When breakfast was ready, Walter scooped Baby up and went to round up the rest of the family.
Elysia set aside some food in a thermal container for Tarquin and his crew, who were still out and about. She also packed up a separate serving, planning to bring it to Grandma in the herb garden later.
Soon, Quincy and Emmett arrived, followed by Elijah and Elliot. Everyone squeezed around the makeshift wooden table, digging into steaming hot breakfast -scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, golden pancakes, and a pitcher of orange juice. The kitchen filled with the cozy hum of family.
But Elijah was clearly distracted, fidgeting in his seat, glancing at Elliot every few seconds, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else.
Elliot, who knew him all too well, smirked. Elijah was dying to get back to tinkering with Howard’s
homemade security system! If net
wasn’t for Elysia insisting they eat breakfast, Elijah would’ve skipped the meal entirely.
Ever since Elliot had taken him to see Howard’s room yesterday, Elijah had been completely obsessed. Only in that room, surrounded by wires, monitors, and
blinking lights, could he actually focus-hyper-focus, really.
Among the brothers, Evan only
cared about martial arts and weapons computers bored him
death. Elliot liked tech, but not amet
much as finance-he was all about making money. But Elijah? He was absolutely nuts about computers.
So when he saw Howard’s handiwork, it blew his mind. He’d always thought his mentor was the best in the world. Now he finally understood the saying: there’s always a bigger fish in the sea.
He realized there’s no “best”—there’s
always someone better. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he’d never have believed someone so genius with computers existed. Now, all he wanted was to worship at Howard’s feet and learn everything he could, even if it meant skipping meals and sleep.
If Howard was here, Elijah would probably shamelessly follow him around like a puppy.
Elliot wolfed down the last bite of his pancakes and turned to Elysia and the two older men at the table. “Mom, Quincy, Grandpa Walter, you guys take your time. I’m stuffed-I’m going to go hang out in Howard’s room p>
Elijah jumped up so quickly he nearly knocked over his chair. “Me too! I’m done p>
Elysia called after them, “Don’t mess with Howard’s stuff p>
“Got it!” they called back, already halfway down the hall.
Not long after, Walter slipped away too, eager to get started on his bunny-shaped fireworks.
Emmett and Quincy finished eating, helped clear the table, then headed out as well-hand in hand, whispering and giggling about whatever secret project they were cooking up.
Elysia helped Baby into a warm jacket, grabbed the packed breakfast in one hand, and took Baby’s tiny hand in the other. Together, they set off toward the herb garden to visit Grandma.