I walk out of her office, the door slamming behind me, and I immediately want to go back in there. I know showing up threw her off. I knew the minute she looked up and saw me that she was not expecting me. I also knew I was going to bring her lunch, especially when she said she doesn’t eat to save time and leave early. I didn’t even know what she ate but I asked for the most popular item, so that is what she got.
My phone buzzes in my back pocket and I take it out to find a text from Matty.
Batmobile lands in ten minutes. Where are you?
On my way.
I get into the car and put the phone in the cupholder when another text comes in.
You went to take her lunch?
Yes, why?
Why? Why do you think? The question is why did you take her lunch?
She has to eat. I can’t text, I’m driving.
You have my car. I know damn well you can voice text. Pussy ass, just get here. I don’t want to have to deal with the whole family when they aren’t even here for me.
I don’t bother even answering him because I’m at the private airport in a matter of four minutes. I get out of the car and look around to see Matty standing by the chain-link fence that encloses the area. “Why does everything take four minutes to get to?”
“Small town,” he mumbles, looking up from his phone. “The most I’m in my car is fifteen minutes and that’s if I’m downtown.” He’s about to say something else but stops when we see the plane slowly coming to a stop near the fence. The phone buzzes in both our hands.
Uncle Matthew:
We have arrived.
I look at Matty, who looks at me. “Does he think we can’t see the plane?” He chuckles as the plane shuts off and the side door of the plane opens.
“Wait, I didn’t know he was coming,” I say, looking at Matty, who just shakes his head and chuckles. The door to the plane opens and the stairs come out. My father is the first one to stick his head out and walk down the four stairs before my mother joins him. He always walks out first so he can hold her hand once she gets to the last step. I look behind her to see her best friend, my aunt Karrie, get out followed by my uncle Matthew, then my uncle Max, and finally my aunt Allison.
“Oh my God,” I exhale to the six of them once they reach the gate and the door opens. “Is anyone else in the plane?”
“No,” Matthew says from behind my father, throwing his head back and laughing. “Viktor was going to come but he had something.”
“You know he doesn’t go anywhere without me,” Uncle Max says, “and usually I would opt out, but this.” He shakes his head and laughs. “I’m not missing this.”
“I’m here to make sure that everyone is safe and in case I’m supposed to bond anyone out,” Aunt Allison states. “Grandpa Cooper spoke through clenched teeth.” She raises her eyebrows at me. “He’s expecting a phone call.”
“I thought—” I start to say to my father as he walks to me and slaps my shoulder, followed by my mother, who just glares at me. I bend to kiss her cheek, and she kisses me softly, even though she is pissed at me.
“That was your first mistake,” Matty mumbles from beside me, “you thought.” He smirks at me and is shocked when Matthew slaps his shoulder. “Ouch. I didn’t do anything wrong. He’s the one who, you know.” He then puts his hands together and looks like he’s rocking a baby. I push his shoulder to tell him to shut up.
“Did you think she wasn’t going to call me?” My aunt Karrie moves my mother to the side to stand in front of me. “I’m her best friend.” She smiles at me and I lean down and kiss her cheek. “Who else do you think is going to reel her in?” she asks me, and I didn’t even think about that part of it.
“I could have done that,” my father states, which makes everyone but Aunt Karrie laugh.
She glares at my father. “We all know the way you reel her in.” She folds her arms over her chest. “I don’t think sex is something anyone is going to want to watch.”
“Jesus,” Matty says, putting his hand on his stomach. “It’s a good thing I didn’t have lunch.” That earns him a glare from my mother. “Sorry, Tatie.” He uses the French word for aunt to make her soften toward him. Everyone knows if my mother is mad at you, all you have to do is try to speak French, and she suddenly forgets what she is mad about and is happy you are trying to connect with her. Well, everyone but her children, that is.
“We are going to have to all reel it in.” I look at my mother.
“We are a lot to handle.” I look at everyone and do a circle with my hand. “But she hasn’t really been around many people, so baby steps.” I start to get nervous for Addison. The last thing I want is for her to be nervous or uncomfortable. If I see she’s shutting down, I’m getting her out of there, and I’ll deal with the consequences after.
“Let’s go see the house,” my father urges, and I nod at them. It’s a good thing Matty came with his other truck because both truck beds have luggage. I don’t have the energy to ask how long they are staying; from the looks of things, it’ll be at least a week.
My parents come in the truck with me and my aunt Karrie while the rest go with Matty. We pull into the driveway and my father whistles. “This is—”
“This is a home,” my mother declares, opening the back door of the truck.
“I like it,” my uncle Matthew says with his hands on his hips as he takes in the house.
“How is the crime rate in the area?” my uncle Max asks as he pulls out his phone. “I’m going to just enter the street name and I’ll be able to tell you.”
“Aren’t you glad you called everyone?” Matty teases, slapping my shoulder before walking up the steps to the front door.
I take out the key from my pocket and open the front door, stepping in, sliding the first door closed. “Most of the doors are sliding,” I explain, sliding open the second door.
“Great,” Matthew observes, “this way when she is pissed at you, she can’t slam the doors.”
I nod at him as we walk into the foyer area and the circular staircase is in the middle.
“This is nice,” my father notes, looking around. “How many bedrooms?”
“It’s five bedrooms,” I reply. My father whistles like it’s a lot of house for someone who just lived out of a suitcase for most of the time. “I know.”
“Is she moving in?” my mother asks me as she walks to the side where the kitchen is.
“I have no idea,” I answer honestly. My goal would be for us to live here, but I think I should discuss it with her before I tell my family.
“Well, didn’t you make a plan?” my uncle Matthew asks me.
“It’s been two days,” I tell him.
“Exactly,” Max counters, putting his hands on his hips. “How don’t you have a plan?”
“It’s a shock for anyone, I’m sure.” My aunt Allison smiles, giving me an encouraging smile.
“Either way, I want to make a room for Avery,” I inform them of the only thing I’m one thousand percent sure of.
“Yes.” My mother nods her head. “I’m already on it.” She smiles at me and I know she was already on that yesterday as soon as I got off the phone with her.
We walk around the house and go outside, where we talk about putting in a pool, because what kind of a monster doesn’t have a pool for his child. My phone beeps, and I look at the group.
“I’m going to go and get Avery and Addison,” I say nervously, then look at my parents. “I’ll text you when it’s time to meet.” I look at my father, trying to tell him that it would be better going at it slow. He just nods at me as I turn and walk out the door.
I make it to the ice cream shop before them. I park the car and get out, walking over to the little picnic table in the shade to wait for them. I look to the side where a giant soccer field is in front of a huge jungle gym where kids play in different spots. Some kids are trying to cross the monkey bars while the other kids are screaming as they go down one of the slides.
Older kids are off to the side where there is even a basketball court as they start a game. I start to get really nervous as the seconds tick by, and I look down at my phone every thirty seconds because it feels like it’s been forever. My eyes roam the area, and then I spot them walking toward me. Addison is wearing tan pants that hug every fucking curve she has and a tight black sleeveless shirt showing off her slender arms. The neck is in a circle, and you can see her clavicle. The clavicle I bit into the second I slid inside her as she sat on that hotel desk that no one uses. My cock gets immediately hard, but I shake my head, looking down and then up again toward the both of them. Addison holds Avery’s hand while they talk, or better yet, as Avery tells her a story. Her free hand goes crazy in the air as she tells her the story. I can’t help but smile when I look at them. I also can’t help but feel settled. It’s the strangest feeling I’ve ever felt in my whole life.
Addison must sense someone looking at her, and when she looks up, our eyes meet. “Look.” I see Addison’s mouth move as she points at me, and Avery lets go of her hand and runs the rest of the way to me. I get up from the picnic table and squat down, waiting for her.
“I told my friends I have a dad.” The way she makes the declaration, you can hear the happiness in her voice. She says it, pushing the hair out of her face, and all I can do is smile as I take her hand and pull her into me to hug her as if I’ve been doing this always.
“How was your day?” I ask her when I let her go but then look up at Addison, who just smiles down at us. “Shall we get ice cream?”
“Yes!” Avery shouts as she jumps up and down.
“I think that’s a yes,” Addison says, smiling. “Just a little one, we still have to eat dinner,” she tells her, and I think Avery will agree to anything she says.
“I want the unicorn one,” Avery says to me in a whisper-yell, “please.”
“We will take a small unicorn one,” I tell the girl, then look at Addison, who just shakes her head. “I’ll have a vanilla cone,” I tell her, even though I don’t really like ice cream. I know I must keep my hands busy or they’ll shake.
I grab the ice cream cone with a small scoop on top of a waffle cone. It looks like it’s pink and blue but also yellow and orange. I grab my cone and pay her before returning to the table. I sit on the bench in front of Avery and Addison.
“So,” I say, taking a lick of my ice cream, “my mom and dad came to visit me.” I look at Avery as she licks her ice cream, her nose even getting some. “And they would like to meet you.”
Avery looks at me. “You have a mom and dad, too?” I look at Addison, who just blinks and looks down at her purse. She fidgets with the zipper for a second before I turn back to Avery.
“I do,” I tell her. “Do you want to meet them?” I ask her, really hoping she says yes, because I don’t know what I’m going to do if she says no, thank you.
“Okay,” she agrees as if her world won’t be turned upside down.
“Okay,” I say, breathing a sigh of relief that I didn’t have to beg her to meet them. I smirk and then look up at Addison, who nods at me as if she knows the struggle I’m going through.
In the two seconds I look at Addison, Avery loses the battle on the ice cream. When I look up, her hands are covered in melted ice cream, her chin has drips of it, and somehow, she even got it on her forehead. “Can I go on the slide?” she asks Addison, who grabs the cone from her and gets up to toss it in the bin.
“Let’s clean you up first,” she suggests, opening her purse and taking out a white plastic container. She opens it and pulls out what looks like a tissue, but I finally get a look at it and see it’s a wet one. She wipes her face off and then her hands before she kisses her nose. “One time on the slide, and then we go,” she tells her, and Avery nods at her before she runs off.
“Are you okay?” I ask Addison, who nods at me.
“I guess so,” she exhales. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to be or feel. My main concern is Avery.”
“My concern is both of you,” I tell her, and she is about to say something when Avery comes back.
“Did you see me?” she asks me, getting on the seat next to me. “I went the fastest.”
“I did,” I lie to her. “The fastest I’ve ever seen,” I tell her, and she nods at me.
“Let’s skedaddle,” Addison says, making me laugh.
“Skedaddle.” I roll my lips. “That’s a word I haven’t heard in a while.”
“Well, the last time I said let’s bounce,” Addison tells me as we start to walk to the restaurant, “she thought I was going to bounce her head.”
I laugh as Avery slides her hand into Addison’s and mine. I don’t even have any words to say, I can only look down at our hands that are together. “What is the name of this street, Momma?” Avery asks her.
“Main Street,” she tells her quietly.
“I’ve never been to a town that had a Main Street before,” I add in, and they look at me like I have five heads. “Usually, I’m in big cities.” I look at Addison now. “Why did you choose this town?”
“Um, it seemed like a perfect place to raise her,” Addison replies as she swings Avery’s hand, making her giggle. “Plus, I didn’t know anyone here, so no one would bring up certain people.” She avoids saying her family. “It was a clean start for all of us.” I know it’s not the time and place, but I also have little patience. I also know it’s only a matter of time before I snap and either ask her about it or go behind her back and find out. I would rather not do the latter, but I also know I have to protect my family, which now includes her.
I look up and see my parents standing outside the restaurant. Talking to each other, my father picks up my mother’s hand that is in his and kisses her fingers. Her other hand holds a big bag and I cringe inwardly, not knowing what is inside. “Also, my uncles might come as well,” I mumble to her with no time to spare. She doesn’t have time to say anything. She just looks up at me like a deer in headlights. “Here we go.”
