Dillon pauses at my office door, and smirks. “I’ll be filing a restraining order against each of the Carmichaels. That woman escaped a madhouse I’m sure, and she’s far better off where she is.”
“Oh, I agree with you, Dillon. She has an apartment, a job, and she’s made a friend of Suzette. She’s helping Suzette in the evenings at the shelter. I think she’s going to be just fine. The divorce has been signed off by the judge, so I just have to have a drink of something to celebrate it’s done and she is free of him.”
Chuckling, Dillon gives me a two-finger wave as he walks away. Now, back to this form and getting myself a son!
Chapter 5
Myles
Sitting at the kitchen table with Maylee and Clem, I hand over the papers that complete everything between us regarding the house. I have all the forms from the lawyer who Maylee has had us dealing with regarding the legalities of the purchase.
Both myself and Maylee will have our names on the house, we agreed easily as she more than paid her share of the place. I didn’t want her to spend her savings, but she was adamant that we don’t have a mortgage when we don’t need one.
Clem is giving me a huge smile, and I know he’s more than happy to sign over the house as he’s living with Whitney next door in the cottage. They are using the sale of this place to have the cottage extended, and the yard tidied.
Clem slaps me on the shoulder. “Well, bro’ you have yourself a house.”
We all laugh a little, but it isn’t my first house. I sold that to pay my ex-wife off, and that was done to keep her away from Oren.
Speaking of Oren, he bursts through the back door with Whitney right on his heels. She looks like she wants to either laugh herself silly or throttle him.
“What did you do now, Oren?” I ask, and I know he has grown into a cheeky kid, but he isn’t nasty about it.
“Oh, this monkey just sprayed me with the garden hose. He was supposed to be helping, but you know this little devil just couldn’t resist.” Whitney, I now notice is dripping from the waist down, and shit the water’s freezing.
Maylee laughs, and I side-eye her because I don’t want to get involved in anything that may go down now.
Whitney launches herself at Maylee, grabs her around the neck and starts to drag her outside. Oren is screaming with excitement, and I know this was set up by him and Whitney when he shouts, “Come on, Aunt Whit, let’s get her...”
Clem and I both follow at an easy pace, keeping our distance because we don’t want to get involved in whatever is about to happen.
Following until we are standing in the cottage yard we watch as Oren grabs the hose, and much to Whitney’s dismay he turns it on them both, squealing loudly before hebursts out laughing. All the while maintaining the shower he’s giving them both.
Acting together like a synchronized swimming team, Whitney and Maylee stop fighting each other and turn on Oren. Both give him a feral grin before running towards him.
Oren takes off around the yard shouting for them to stop, but they keep going until they catch him and tickle him senseless.
Both Clem and I are laughing hard by this time, but soon stop when the three of them stop wrangling and look at us. Shit! I know what’s coming, so I turn and make a run for it. Clem is not as fast in reacting and bellows as freezing water from the hose hits him, much to the delight of Oren and Whitney. I don’t wait to see what’s going to happen next. I run to the house and slam the door behind me.
Grinning, I put the coffee pot on fresh for when Maylee comes in, and a warm chocolate milk for Oren. Living next door to Clem and Whitney is great, and when they have kids, they can all grow up together. We are a great family unit and support team for each other. I can’t wait to knock Maylee up. She’s going to look great with a rounded belly. Geez, where did that thought come from?
The door bursts open, and Oren rushes inside, laughing loudly, and dripping wet. “Go shower and change, Oren. I don’t want you catching a chill.”
Oren rushes past to do as I’ve said, but he’s still laughing his ass off. When the door reopens and Maylee walks inside, I stand with my mouth hanging open because there is not one inch of her that is not dripping.
“Little shit's going to get it!” Maylee states, but she’s got a huge smile on her face. “Wait until I’m his mother. I’m going to scare the pants off him.” Cackling like an evil witch, Maylee kisses my chin as she passes, and continues cackling as she goes upstairs.
“Do you want to go to that new place in town to eat tonight?” I shout to Maylee from where I’m standing at the bottom of the staircase.
“Yeah, why not.” Maylee shouts through to Oren, “Get your cowboy boots on kid. We're going ranching.”
I shake my head because I reckon Maylee is going to corrupt Oren with her crazy ways, but he has at least stopped talking about bells on lately.
I’m sitting in a booth watching Oren dancing with Maylee and Whitney. Clem and Whitney jumped at the chance to come with us once they knew we were heading out.
“They are having great fun out there, Myles,” Clem states, taking a sip of his beer. We agreed I’d drive, and he'd drink this outing, and we’d reverse it next time.
“Yeah, they are. Oren loves them, and you know we’ve been blessed.”
