Chapter Four
Lee
I’m woken up to a heavy knock on my front door followed by the lock clicking.
Checking the security feed on my phone, I see that it’s my Papa.
Forcing myself out of bed, I throw on an oversized hoodie and a pair of cotton shorts before making my way out to the kitchen to meet him.
As soon as my bedroom door opens I can smell the coffee from The Landauer Cafe.
Best. Papa. Ever.
Half dancing from excitement, I make my way into the kitchen and stand on my toes to kiss him on the cheek.
“Kostbarkeit, you look pale. Are you feeling well?” He takes the back of his hand and holds it on my brow, “No fever. You are clammy, though.”
My Papa, Lukas Fischer, is in his early fifties.
About as tall as my brothers, at six foot three.
His hair is still the chocolate brown that it’s always been.
If not for the laugh lines on his face and small peppering of silver throughout his scruff that he always keeps, you’d never believe his age.
He’s protective, caring, and worries about me far more than necessary, while also having a silly and overly dramatic personality.
My brothers take after him a lot in that aspect.
He loves his kids fiercely and wants us all to thrive, far away from the life that he leads.
So far we’ve all managed to do that, even if I’m a little too close for his comfort.
“I’m okay, Papa. I was out a little late last night, but I’m okay.”
He makes a noise of displeasure in the back of his throat. Then, just like Jakob did last night, he begins sorting out medications, “You mean at the wedding you and Jakob went to without telling me or bringing security.”
Shit. Busted.
“Okay look, I know that it sounds bad, but really I just wanted to watch my friend get married. We went through so much together, and I wanted to watch her happy ending.”
His eyes soften like they always do when talking to Annie and me. “I know, and I would have allowed you to do that. I just wanted you both to be safe.”
“We were safe. We went, I got to talk to Phoenix and Kieran, we hung out for an hour, then Jakob made sure I got home safely.”
“What about the incident with Rossi and the other Byrne?”
Dammit, why does he have to know everything?
“It was handled quickly. No other incident took place after.”
“I just want make sure you guys are safe. I can’t do that if you’re playing wedding guest in Irish territory with no protection. I don’t like my children being around so many made men, and you two know that.”
“I know, Papa.” Picking up my drink, I smile at him before taking the pills set in front of me. “Thank you.”
We have our Sunday morning breakfast date before he heads off to work for a couple of meetings.
He has breakfast on Friday mornings with Annie, lunch on Mondays with Jakob, and lunch on Wednesdays with Dieter.
Mama sees all of us almost daily, and we do dinner together as a family every Sunday evening.
My apartment is a constant rotation of my siblings.
Mainly my brothers, because Annie’s off at school, but she comes when she can, which is about twice a week.
Thankfully we aren’t far from her school, because Annie and I are extremely close.
Mama also drops in on her and I at least twice a week.
So to say the least, our parents are extremely involved.
Not overly; they don’t pry or overwhelm us.
They just love and want to hang out with us.
I see at least one member of my family daily. They could be described by some as overwhelming, but that’s not the truth. They just want to make sure I’m taking care of myself.
My phone beeps from the nightstand where I left it. Deciding to check because it’s probably my siblings group chat, I walk into my bedroom and snatch up my phone before heading to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
Quill: I’m Sorry about last night.
My heart’s in my throat as I type a response.
Lee: It’s okay. I’m sorry I upset you.
Quill: You didn’t, Smart Girl. I did that all on my own.
Lee: Well still. I’m glad I can put a name to a face now.
Quill: Me too, and it is a stunning face.
My stomach drops at him calling me stunning.
He’s given me compliments more than once over the years, but then he didn’t know what I looked like.
These texts aren’t abnormal. We talk daily, we flirt, and we work in the same field.
It’s never been more than that, and we don’t move past harmless banter.
At the same time, I can’t deny the desire that floods my veins when I think about how incredibly handsome he looked last night.
Smiling at my phone and our little banter, I send off one more text before going to lounge around and slowly get ready. I told my Papa I felt fine, but that’s not the truth. I’m exhausted and I feel like I was hit by a truck.
Lee: Me?? Have you seen yourself? You in a suit might be my new favorite thing.
* * *
Annie and I walk into our parents house, knowing this is going to be an entertaining dinner.
No doubt Jakob is going to get an earful about last night, and I heard a little rumor that Dieter was hooking up with some Bratva chick.
We walk into the front door and already can hear Papa’s deep voice ringing out from what sounds like the living room.
Looking at each other with raised eyebrows, we tiptoe our way in.
“I don’t give a shit, Rossi. You’re out of your mind if you think I’m subjecting my daughter to this. My kids don’t step on a single toe in this world and you know that. My stance on the matter hasn’t changed since the day Jakob was born.”
Oh, shit. They’re talking about me.
Papa listens for a minute or two before erupting.
“No, I don’t think you understand, Theo.
These are my kids-” He’s cut off and listens to Theo Rossi for a beat, “Be that as it may, she is my daughter. She has been for damn near a decade. I’m sorry she caught you off guard last night.
That went against our agreement. However, make no mistake, I’ll be six feet under the earth before I allow this life to touch her again.
She’s suffered enough. She’s suffering enough.
” He listens a few seconds more before responding, “Yeah, thank you. You’re going to have to because we know he won’t let it go-…
Yeah, I’ll see you next week, bye.” Papa hangs up as he turns around and catches Annie and I standing behind him.
“Oh, my Kostbarkeiten. I didn’t hear you come in.” His light blue eyes widen in surprise.
“Who were you talking to Papa?” My eyes narrow at him. I didn’t know he and Rossi were in contact like that. I know he knows where I am, hell he signed over for the adoption. I just didn’t know they talked more than that.
“We’ll talk about that over dinner.” He kisses us both on the head before leading us to the dining room where my Mama, Mila Elke Fischer, is setting the room up.
She looks as beautiful as ever in just a pair of jeans and a light sweater.
Annie and I are dressed similarly. Mama is shorter than me, standing maybe five foot five, and her frame is slimmer than mine, but not by a whole lot.
Annie looks like her clone, from her height and build to the same medium brown hair and pale green eyes.
Her eyes come up to us, but not before shooting my Papa a mean side eye.
She rushes over and hugs us both, “Oh, look at my beautiful girls.” She takes a moment to look us over, doting on us, before her thumb comes up gently under my eyes. “Lelonie…” Her voice trails off in concern.
“I’m fine, Mama. Just tired.”
Before she can ask me more questions, the front door opens and shuts, then my favorite voice in the world fills the space.
“Oma! Opa! Tante Annie! Tante Lee!” I barely have time to brace before little legs and a mess of brown hair barrels into me. Catching my niece around the waist and lifting her onto my hip, I can’t help the smile that overtakes my face.
“Hannah Banana!” Squeezing her tightly, I breathe her in because I know I only have a few seconds before her Papa pulls her out of my arms.
Right on cue Dieter pries his four year old daughter out of my arms, making a noise of disapproval in his throat.
“Kindchen, easy with Tante.” He gently chastises her while pulling me in for a hug and kissing the top of my head, “How are you feeling?” His hand goes to my forehead.
Much like everyone else when we get together, he’s checking for symptoms. It’s aggravating most times, but they love me. So I let it slide.
“I’m tired, but that’s it. I’m okay.” Like this morning, I leave out my body aching. No need in worrying them about something that isn’t a big deal.
By the time Dieter lets me go, Jakob is sweeping me into a hug. He tries to be sneaky about checking to see if I’m okay by grabbing my hand with his and squeezing gently. I know what he’s doing though, it’s the same thing he’s been doing for the past five years.
“I’m okay. I don’t have a fever, my hands aren’t swollen, and I’m breathing fine. I’m not made of glass. And as much as I love that you guys love me enough to care about my health. I’m more interested in what Papa was talking to Theo Rossi about when I first got here.”
Just like that, everyone’s eyes swing to my Papa and I’m long forgotten about. Well, mostly because he glares at me as he answers, “Let’s all sit, and we can discuss during dinner.”
No one protests as we take our seats. Annie on one side of me, Mama at the foot of the table on my other side.
We all stay quiet and wait for my Papa to start after our dinner is served to us by our chef.
Steak, rice, and veggies for everyone except for Hannah, who will only eat chicken nuggets and applesauce right now.