“Okay… Daddy,” Gavin says. I hear the tossing of pillows and curses as I burrow myself deeper into the bed, wishing I could be suffocated by the sheets. There’s a bunch of movement in the room as the blankets are ripped off of me and Aiden is kissing my face again.
“Don’t worry about that asshole. I’ll see you later tonight.”
“Okay.” He kisses me one more time, and there’s nothing quite like the mortifying moment of your boyfriend’s brother hearing you call him daddy to prevent you from falling back to sleep.
I lie in bed for a ridiculously long time before giving up and showering and getting ready for the day. I’ve never met anyone’s mom before, and I’m nervous to be spending one-on-one time with her, but she’s been warm so far, and I need her to know how much I care about Aiden.
I go with a green sundress and put my hair up in a long pony tail with how fucking hot it is here. Sunblock is a must, and I put it on before heading up to the kitchen. Maggie and Holly are both drinking coffee and eating breakfast when I take a seat.
“Morning,” Maggie says with a smile.
“Morning,” I reply, grabbing a pastry and some bacon and sitting down in my seat.
“Where in the world is my daughter? I’m going to go find her,” Holly says, leaving me alone at the table with Maggie.
“It’s so nice to see my son happy with someone. I always worried he would get in his own way when finding someone. But it’s clear you make him so happy, which means I’m happy,” she says softly and in such a motherly tone.
“He makes me really happy too. You raised an amazing son.”
“Now I just have to worry about the other three.” She lets out a puff of breath and I can imagine her frustration. Gavin and Benjamin seem like they’re in no rush to grow up. And what I know about Lincoln, well he’s in love with someone he shouldn’t be. Surprisingly, no one else in this family has picked up on that tidbit. I’m not sure if Penny was a little too drunk that night at Whiskey Joe’s, but she hasn’t brought it up either. So, my lips are sealed on the Lincoln and Penny front. My only job right now is to make Aiden happy and survive this weekend without his family hating me.
Penny and Holly come back into the room, and we finish breakfast, Penny clearly didn’t sleep a ton last night. Using my deductive reasoning, I can guess it’s because she and Lincoln are sharing a room, which no one in this family seems to think is strange.
* * *
Aiden put a ridiculous amount of cash in my purse this morning, and I plan on buying us both something with it. We start off at a few clothing shops. I get myself a floppy hat and a new pair of flip flops. Holly and Maggie act like money isn’t real and spend to their heart’s content. Penny only grabs a few things like I do.
The next stop is the jewelry store, and I find a few things I’m definitely not leaving behind. There’s a necklace with a baseball bat and it just seems too symbolic and cute. I can’t help purchasing it.
Maggie is next to me when I’m checking out. “Aiden will love that,” she says.
“I think so too.” She has this crystal bunny in her hand, and I have to hold back my emotions as I look at it.
“Everything okay, honey?”
I shake my head. “My mom just used to call me bunny.”
“She isn’t with us anymore?”
“No, it’s been a few years now.”
“And Collin was your father?”
“My biological father,” I say sadly.
“That’s got to be a lot to go through,” she says softly. “Would you be okay with me gifting this to you?” she asks, holding the bunny, and I have to try so hard to hold back the tears that want to stream down my face. I just nod instead. She offered, and it’s clear the woman isn’t hard for cash, plus it’s just a sweet gesture. Maggie puts the bunny on the counter to pay, and when I look into her green eyes that are so much like Aiden’s, all I feel is comfort. “Can I hug you?” she asks, and I nod my head again.
Maggie wraps her arms around me, and she smells like coconut and honey. Her hug is so motherly and soft that I just let myself melt against her. I’m not sure what I feel at that moment; it’s a combination of things. I feel loved, sadness, and hope all at once. Maggie rubs my back softly before we part.
She hands me the case that the bunny is in, and I hold it tightly. “I obviously don’t know anything about your mother, but I can’t help but feel that if she were here, she would be proud.”
“Thank you, Maggie.”
“Anytime, honey.”
I somehow manage to hold it together the rest of the day, dissociating and not thinking too much about how I felt when Maggie hugged me.
It’s a totally different story when we get back to the beach house. I tell everyone I’m just going to check out the beach for a minute. Penny almost insists on coming, but I think the look on my face speaks volumes that I need a minute alone.
