Chapter 2 #3
I frowned. It was almost time for another shopping trip.
I swore they were outgrowing their clothes every time I turned around.
Alex was hard on all his clothing and had holes in nearly every pair of pants at the knees.
Ella wasn’t growing in height or weight, but her arts and crafts were taking a toll on her outfits.
Then Kade had grown at least three inches, and Micah had filled out.
Remy came into the room next, and it was obvious he must have heard Kade because, after he laid down his duffel bag, he pulled out his wallet.
He dug into it and took out one of his cards.
“Why don’t you grab Micah and head down to the supply and buy five new pairs for both of you?
Grab another pair of boots and two packs each of black tees while you’re at it. ”
I was thankful that our supply and shoppette had the basics when it came to clothing.
The supply had all the uniforms we needed for our missions, and the shoppette had a small area of undergarments.
It saved us from having to run into town.
We already had enough to do before our trip without adding more errands.
I stood on my tiptoes to kiss Remy’s pec, the only thing I could reach in my bare feet.
I smiled my thanks at him. I knew it was futile to remind him that I could have given Kade my card.
I couldn’t remember the last time I had pulled it out, let alone seen it.
It was in the pocket of my cellphone cover, but I was never without one when things were being purchased.
Kade smiled. “Thanks. I think Micah said he needed socks and boxers too. Patrick’s been stealing his socks because he can’t find any in his room.”
Cora and Beth had decided that Patrick was old enough to handle his laundry once we began making the boys responsible for it.
Unfortunately, Patrick was a little lazy when it came to the cleanliness of his room and his laundry.
I knew Micah allowed him to “borrow” his clothing, but I hadn’t realized it went beyond t-shirts every now and then.
Remy’s face mirrored my own. It was a look of disgust. I would go commando before I borrowed someone’s underwear. I could give a pass to socks, but underwear was a hard no.
Remy finally spoke. “I’ll talk to Patrick.
We won’t take him to get more graphic novels or comics if he’s not responsible enough to clean his room and do his laundry.
In the meantime, get underwear and socks.
While you’re at it, take little Ms. Attitude and Alex to the BX so they can get some snacks. ”
In my absence, the men had made a point of going to one of the larger malls or cities at least twice a month with the kids.
Some months, they had over twenty children in tow, since the local town didn’t always carry a larger variety of items the kids enjoyed.
Patrick, Micah, and Victoria were obsessed with their graphic novels and comics.
I was sure it would be the right incentive for Patrick to get his act together.
Jerry Moore, Rachel’s dad, was trying to step up and be a strong role model for him, but he didn’t seem very receptive to his guidance. Generally, when my men spoke to him, he took their words to heart. Luckily, Pam and Cora appreciated their interventions and didn’t take offense.
Ella huffed and crossed her little arms over her chest. “Snacks won’t make leaving me behind any better.”
She could be so dramatic and outrageous at times. I bit my lip to keep from laughing. It would only encourage her, and she didn’t need that. I swear she was going to be more than a handful when her hormones finally kicked in.
Lincoln came into our room carrying his packed bag. “Uh oh, someone’s feeling sassy. Who’s to blame now?”
He shouldered off his bag and dramatically landed on the bed beside her, pulling her into his arms and squeezing her tight. I smiled and shook my head, knowing he was trying to get her out of her bad mood. I went into my closet to finish packing.
Paul had a plane scheduled to leave early tomorrow morning since not all of us could fit in Troy’s helicopter.
We wanted to make sure we were ready to go and had the bags staged in the living room before spending the night playing games with the kids.
They loved game nights, but Ella was still salty that she couldn’t come.
Ella’s face showed every emotion. She wanted to stay resentful, but Lincoln’s antics amused her.
“Lincoln!”
“Elly Belly!” he mimicked her whine. “Tell me your woes!”
She huffed in irritation. “I wanna go!”
He rolled back and forth, careful not to crush her. “And I want a unicorn!”
“Unicorns aren’t real!” she cried in frustration.
“Sure, they are,” Jaxson said, coming into the room. “Wanna see?”
Ella sat up, trying in vain to push her hair out of her face. Her hair tie had fallen out when Lincoln had been horsing around with her, leaving her hair a tangled mess. She scowled at Lincoln, then glared at Jaxson. “Your illusions don’t count.”
While they continued to bicker like children, I double-checked that I had my toothbrush, shampoo, underwear, and everything else.
Once I realized I had everything I needed, I nodded and began to zip up my bag.
I slipped my hand through the shoulder strap, and I hadn’t even fully put it on before Remy removed it and placed it on his own shoulder.
I pretended to be annoyed at him, and he grinned before kissing my forehead. “You’re already carrying precious cargo and shouldn’t be lifting things while we’re here.”
“It weighs twenty-five pounds at most,” I said, exasperated.
He deliberately acted obtuse as he lifted my bag up and down. “Yeah, I’d say your guesstimate is correct.”
My half-hearted attempt at arguing with him was cut off when Ella squealed, “Jaxson, I’m telling Pops! He said no more animals indoors.”
I whirled around and let out a surprised laugh when I realized Jaxson had produced a miniature unicorn on the bed. It was the size of a Great Dane, white, with a glowing horn atop its head. In short, it was majestically beautiful.
“What animal?” Jaxson asked, feigning ignorance.
Ella struggled to free her shirt from one of the unicorn’s hooves and looked at him with frustration. “The unicorn!”
“What unicorn?” Jaxson countered.
Lincoln, Remy, and I covered our mouths to keep our laughter from escaping. We already knew where this discussion was going. If we showed our amusement, it would only upset Ella more. She hated feeling like the butt of a joke.
“The unicorn that’s going to tear my shirt,” she huffed, feebly pushing on the side of the unicorn.
It made a quiet nickering noise and head-butted her, causing her to squeal in frustration.
“You said unicorns weren’t real,” Jaxson reminded her smugly.
The glare she shot him was full of attitude and sass. “They. Aren’t.”
Jaxson casually shrugged. “Then what’s standing on your shirt and currently trying to eat your hair?”
The scream she let out made me wince. I decided to see what the others were doing while the children argued. Not my circus, not my monkeys. At least, not for now.
Kade shook his head with a laugh as he left the room. “El, I’m going to grab Alex. If you’re not ready to leave by the time I get back, we’re leaving without you!”
As I walked past Drake’s door, I saw him unnaturally still on his bed. An open box sat beside him, and he was staring down at something in his hands. I tapped Remy, indicating I was going to check on him. He understood my unspoken words and nodded. I entered the room and took a seat next to Drake.
He jumped, clearly not hearing me come in. He attempted a smile, but I saw the pain in his eyes. “Hi. All packed?”
I nodded and leaned in, resting my head on his shoulder. I realized he was staring down at a photo. The edges were worn, and it was clear it had been handled many times. “I am. You okay?”
He nodded, then shook his head. “No.” He reached out, stroking his hand over the picture before handing it to me.
“I finally got the results of the DNA test. I am not Daisy’s father.”
For a second, I didn’t understand his moroseness.
Had he had a change of heart and suddenly wanted her to be?
The baby was almost a month old, and since Drake had cut Rose off financially, she refused to allow him to attend any of her appointments or the birth of their daughter.
Still, she had been posting all over her social media about how Drake was a deadbeat dad and refused to be there for their daughter.
She had a lawyer contact Drake and insisted that he start paying child support.
Of course, Drake insisted on a DNA test first. She continued to slander his name and somehow got pictures of us, posting them on her socials.
She painted me as a whore and Drake as a man who wouldn’t take care of his responsibilities.
Pops finally stepped in and had a cease-and-desist letter sent to her, along with a demand for a DNA test.
Rose’s mom had been harassing Drake as well, believing her daughter’s lies.
Pops had sweet-talked her into getting the test done, and unbeknownst to Rose, she had taken her granddaughter for testing last week.
Rose had been blowing up Drake’s phone since then and insisted it wasn’t admissible because she hadn’t given her mother permission to do so, despite her mother having power of attorney for her grandbaby.
“Do you wish you were?” I asked hesitantly, looking down at the photo.