Slut - Woodruff Jettie - Страница 52

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“Hey you and you, where’s your dad?”

Rowan was the one to answer me like I had lost my memory again. “He goes to work on Monday, remember?”

“Yes, silly. I remember, but I always get up with him and send him off with a healthy breakfast.”

“Well, now he’s gonna get a tummy ache,” Ophelia added and then remembered her day with Mi. “We get to play with Mi today.”

“We’re going to the movies,” Rowan reminded her.

“Shut up, Rowan.”

“Phi, you can’t tell Rowan to shut up. That’s not nice. If your dad heard you say that he’d stand your little butt in the corner for an hour. Say you’re sorry.”

“But I’m not sorry.”

I groaned, hiding a smile. “Come on. Let’s go get breakfast.”

I sent them on their way while I went to the bathroom, shaking my head at them as they descended the stairs. Rowan informed Phi of her intent to tell her dad for saying shut up to her, Ophelia reminded her big sister about a Barbie hiding in the pool filter. It was a spa. She was on a retreat, Rowan explained. I made a mental note to check the pool filter, listening to the arguing voices become a distant mumble. An arguing murmur. I swear, those two…

“What do you guys want to eat?” I questioned as I walked into the kitchen, shaking my head once again. “What are you doing?”

“Licking the window?” Ophelia explained in a sarcastic tone, matching her daddy’s to a tee. Like I couldn’t see that with my own eyes.

“Why?”

“It’s cold on my tongue.”

“Get some ice. Stop it. That’s gross. What do you want to eat?”

“Oatmeal with brown sugar,” Rowan said, eyes in a toy catalog on the island, feet tucked below her butt.

Of course Ophelia had to give me her order. “I want scrambled eggs with toast. I’m getting that for my birthday,” she informed Rowan, pointing at something in the magazine.

“No, it’s not your birthday next, right Mom?”

“I can have that. Can’t I, Mom?”

I tuned them both out, and gave them both a look that they read loud and clear, thumbs on my phone, texting Paxton.

“Technically, it’s mine and Daddy’s, but your birthday is before Phi’s. You just had a birthday, Phi.

“That was a long time ago.”

Gabriella—You didn’t wake me. Did you eat? You could have woken me.

Both girls were feeding their hungry bellies by the time Paxton answered my text.

Paxton—I couldn’t wake you. You were sleeping so peaceful with your ass against my cock. I had to get away from you before I called in horny.

An instant smile formed on my lips. I loved that I did that to him, and I loved it even more that he told me so.

Gabriella—You can come home horny.

Paxton—Stop it!!! I can’t be thinking about that and spread concrete at the same time.

Gabriella—You better just come home and spread me then.

Paxton—Bye, I love you.

Gabriella—Yeah, yeah.

I couldn’t do anything all morning. I was worthless. The nervous energy of not knowing kept me from doing much of anything. I cleaned up the house one more time, cleaning things that didn’t need cleaning until Mi finally got there.

Mi gave the girls their new stones before anything. That’s the first thing they both thought of as soon as she was in the door, both reminding her of her promise. An hour before they were arguing over a three hundred dollar Barbie vacation home from a catalog that neither of them were getting. Just like that, they were just as content with rocks. Silly rocks Mi believed to have some sort of magical power. Of course they believed it too.

The expressions on their faces when Mi gave them their simple little gift was priceless. Not only did they both get new stones, they came wrapped in a wire cage, dangling from plain silver chains.

“Look, Rowan. You can change it out,” Mi explained while she moved the spiral wire from the rock, showing her how she could change out her stones. “See, I have one too.”

“But I only have one stone.”

“You have your hematite. You can put that one in it, and I have lots of stones. I’ll make sure you have enough to change it out. I have something special in mind. A very special stone,” she explained while she moved to Phi, waiting patiently for her new rock.

“What’s your stone for?” Ophelia asked as her little hands went around the pebble, nothing special at all about it.

“This is one of my gratitude stones. I picked it up from The Grand Canyon when I was about your age. The Grand Canyon’s energies are very healing, grounding and cleansing, no doubt due to all the hematite there. You should go sometime. This one is called Wonderland Jasper. It helps release negative emotions that cause people to worry about life and move forward with a positive outlook,” Mi explained as she removed her necklace.

I ducked my head for shorty Mi, and she placed it around my neck. “What? I don’t want a stone that you picked up from a family vacation as a kid.”

“I want you to have it. Keep it or my feelings are going to be hurt.”

I smiled and accepted the generous gift with great gratitude.

Mi took both happy girls out for a day of fun while I waited for Paxton and the unknown. This was it. This was the day my life would change. One way or another.

Of course Paxton had to up my stress level a few notches by making it ten minutes before the state people got there. I was beside myself, afraid that he wouldn’t make it. I didn’t talk to people. I didn’t know what to say, what questions to ask, nothing. Paxton did all of that.

“Sorry, I got my truck stuck,” he announced as I stood at the door and watched him get out of his truck.

“Oh my, God. And your phone is broke, too?”

“Actually, it sort of got stuck in the mud, too. I must have lost it when we were trying to push it out. You look hot,” he smiled with a kiss to my lips.

“You stink. Hurry up, go shower. Is it too sexy? Should I change?”

Paxton stopped and turned to me with a knowing look. The one that read my face. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. Go to the shower.”

“You’re sort of a mess. What’s going on?”

“Let’s go upstairs. I want to change my shirt.”

“Gabriella? Your shirt is fine. Tell me.”

I had to walk in front of him to get him moving in the right direction. We were about to be scrutinized by people we didn’t know and he wanted to talk. “You should wear that gray shirt. The one with the black buttons.”

“I was going to wear my orange one. I look good in orange.”

I knew exactly what shirt he spoke of. I hated that shirt. It looked like Halloween puked on him. “No way. I hate that shirt. I always think you fell inside a giant pumpkin or something.”

“Yes, I know. The girls tattled on you. They can’t keep secrets, you know.”

I froze, eyes wide, and feet stopping right in front of him when the doorbell rang.

“They’re here,” I said while adrenaline rushed through my veins, sending my heart into a beating mess.

“Calm down. It’s going to be fine. Go let them in. I’ll be five minutes.”

“I can’t. What do I say?”

“Offer them something to drink, but not alcohol. Take them in the living room where all the family pictures are.”

“Good thinking. Hurry.”

Paxton let me step around him, but stopped me with an arm around my waist. “It’s going to be fine. I promise.”

“But what if it’s not? These people are about to scrutinize us. What if they don’t like us? What if they go back and tell the other people not to let us have him?”

“They won’t. Go let them in,” he said with another kiss to my trembling lips.

I sidestepped him, taking in deep calming breaths, repeating the chant, “I am at peace, I am at peace.”

The door opened to two women, one around my age, and one older, maybe fifty. I’m not sure if their smiles were contagious or if mine was fake, but it was there.

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