Page 16 of Kiss Me Forever

Bella let out a sigh, unclicked her seatbelt, and gestured for me to move out of the way. I took a few steps, and she hopped out of the SUV. She didn’t have far to go, as she was decently tall. I had looked up a few milestones for twelve-year-olds, and realized that some were five feet, some were a decent bit shorter. Considering I was well over six feet, I figured she had to be at about the five-foot range. She was slender and wore a double tank top with a light flannel shirt over it, and loose fitting jeans. I didn’t know what style that was or what group or clique that meant she was part of, but I figured she would let me know. Probably with a sneer. After all, we only had a few short months until she was a teenager. I could feel the blood draining from my face even at that thought.

The trunk opened as the driver went to the back to get two large suitcases, and I tilted my chin up at Bella. “Why don’t you say goodbye to your grandmother, and I’ll get your stuff.”

“Whatever.” She huffed and moved towards her grandmother. I tried not to stare, to give them privacy, but it wasn’t easy since we were in close quarters. Bella crossed her arms over her chest and lowered her head.

“Be respectful. And show the Foxes who the Longs are. You are my granddaughter, Bella. Remember that.”

“I can’t really not.”

“Grammar,” she snapped.

I took the two boxes next to the suitcases and nearly staggered at the weight. I didn’t think this was everything she owned but I’d do my best to make sure she had access to all of her things. She could have whatever she needed to feel comfortable. We would probably have to go shopping multiple times to get her what she needed.

“Her room is second on the right,” I said to the driver, and the other man nodded. I looked over at Bella, who glared at her grandmother, before she turned and walked towards me.

“Welcome to my home.” Our home. I didn’t say that though as I knew she’d throw it back in my face.

“Okay.”

Okay? How was that an answer to what I just said? I looked over at Bella’s grandmother, who had already gotten into the car, waiting for the driver. When the man moved past us, bags already in Bella’s room, he said a quick goodbye and closed the door behind him. The engine turned on and, in a blink, the SUV was gone. I was standing in my hallway, holding two boxes, alone with my daughter. She stood in her doorway, facing the room that I had tried to put together with my family.

“Do you like green?” I asked as I set down the boxes.

Good going, Reece. That wasn’t the best way to break the ice.

She looked over at me and snorted, a small smile playing on her face. “Yes. At least you didn’t go pink.”

I should probably do something about the attitude, but then again, she deserved time to lean into resentment. She hadn’t asked for this either. I rubbed the back of my neck, once again out of my depth. “My mom thought green would be soothing.”

“Does she live here too?” Bella asked. She still hadn’t gone into her room.

“No, but they live two neighborhoods over. Do you mind if I set these down in your room? What do you have in here, bricks?”

Her lips quirked and I counted that as a win. “Books. And pencils. Notebooks. Things like that. I was supposed to go to art camp this summer. Not anymore though.”

My stomach plummeted. “Oh. I’m sorry. They didn’t give me your itinerary, Bella, or hell...I guess I’m not supposed to say hell.”

She moved out of the way but didn’t go into the room. Baby steps first. “You can say whatever you want. You’re the adult. I’m the kid who doesn’t have a choice.”

I sighed and set her boxes next to the suitcases. “I’m sorry, Bella. For all of this. I know you’re not happy, but we have to figure this out, I guess. Right?”

“Whatever.”

“Don’t whatever me,” I grumbled. “My parents always hated when I said whatever to them in answer.”

“So your parents are still alive?”

I nodded and pulled out my phone to show her a photo of them that I had taken a couple of weeks prior. “These are your grandparents. Though I hear these days that people get to choose what they want to be called. I don’t know if they’re a nana and pop like the people now.”

Bella’s lips twitched, and I counted that as the biggest win of the day. “They look nice.” She leaned forward and stared at my mother. “She looks like me. A little.”

I swallowed hard, the emotions getting the best of me. “That’s what I thought when I first saw you. Which is why I stared at you like a fish trying to breathe without water.”

A small laugh escaped, and my shoulders relaxed marginally. “You did look kind of weird.”

“I try my best. But what do you expect, I was just sitting there, enjoying my workday, and suddenly you show up, calling me Dad.”

“Mom said you were dead.”