Chapter 3
Owen
She didn’t tell her.
What the actual fuck?
The look of shock, confusion, and hurt on Mei’s face was a kick to the balls. It was the slight wobble of her chin that made my heart sink. Then the sheen of tears in her eyes and how her cheeks turned pink with embarrassment nearly did me in.
Why wouldn’t Jin tell her daughter about this arrangement?
I’ll have to confront her about it later. For now, I need to make sure Mei feels at home. She’s been blindsided and uprooted from where she lived. This has to suck for her.
Everyone sets to making themselves a plate, even Mei, and chatters politely until we’re seated at the dining room table. Penny stuffs her face with pieces of potato, grunting and kicking her legs with excitement in her highchair.
I didn’t expect Jin to have a toddler. That was a surprise, but not a bad one. Penny is cute as can be and Addison adores having her around.
Mei’s eyes remain on her plate as she quietly cuts through her meat.
She’s stiff and awkward as Cason tells us about his new girlfriend.
They’re almost to the stage where they can “swap Snapchat passwords.” Even though I don’t exactly know what that entails, it doesn’t sound like a good thing.
Addison is quick to tell him it’s stupid.
“What if she just deletes your account or something?” Addison demands. “What’s next? All your social media passwords? All that content you’ve created….poof. Gone.”
My son has a YouTube channel. He’s had it since he was little back when unboxing videos were popular.
Now that he’s older, he’s transformed it into more of a scandal channel.
I’ve advised him multiple times that it’s not a great idea, and that future employers might take issue with it.
But, my son is stubborn and does what he wants.
“It’s to show trust,” Cason explains to Addison as though she’s dense and needs him to speak slowly. “Proof I’m a good boyfriend.”
“Good boyfriends don’t need proof,” Addison counters, arching a blond eyebrow at him. “To me, she sounds like a psycho.”
As they continue to bicker about this subject, I dart my gaze over to Jin. She’s guzzled most of her wine and has only set her phone down long enough to cut her steak into a pile of bite-sized pieces. Now she’s stabs and pops each one into her mouth as she texts.
My eyes drift over to Mei. Since she’s not preoccupied like her mother or arguing like my kids, she’s nearly cleaned her entire plate.
She’s pretty like her mother, but there’s a softness to her.
Fuller lips, rounder eyes, cute nose. Mei has long, dark locks of hair that brush past the bottoms of her breasts, but it’s her bangs that are what draws your attention.
They’re not cut short or blunt. Instead, they’re more messy and hang in her eyes.
I have the urge to set down my silverware, reach across the table, and brush them away from her eyes.
And why the hell would you want to do that?
It must be because I feel bad for her getting caught up in me and Jin’s agreement. The inclination to comfort her is strong. Mei’s my stepdaughter now. I shouldn’t feel alarmed by having an overwhelming need to take care of her. The instinct was immediate with Penny, too.
“How was visiting your father?” I ask Mei, needing to engage with the poor girl. “Did you have fun?”
Her eyes lift, peeking at me through her bangs. “It was boring. Not really.”
I note that Jin has stopped texting to listen to Mei. When she doesn’t get more of an answer, she continues on her phone. Mei darts her a dirty look before quickly finishing the rest of her food.
“I’m done eating,” I say, pushing back from the table in my chair. “Let me show you where you’ll be staying.”
Mei nods and we both put our dishes in the sink. It’s Cason’s night for dishes, so I don’t worry about them.
I can tell Mei is eager to find a soft place to land. Something familiar. So, after quickly showing her the main rooms on the first floor, I take her upstairs to Addison’s room.
“This is my daughter’s room. It’s always sort of been set up for two people since we used to foster kids.”
Mei enters the room and studies her “side” of the room. Addison hung her posters, filled the bookshelf with her books, unpacked her clothes, and did her best to make it feel like home.
“Did Mom do this?” Mei asks, shooting me a frown over her shoulder.
Fuck.
“Umm, no. Adds did.”
She lets out a chuff. “Should have known.”
I shift on my feet, hating that I don’t know how to make things better for Mei.
When I told my children I was getting married to a woman I’d been secretly seeing, they were supportive.
It was a lie, but a necessary one. If only Jin would have called her daughter two weeks ago when we got married in the courthouse, Mei might’ve not been so upset.
And she’s clearly upset.
I don’t miss the occasional tremble of her hands or quiet sniffle. I ache to pull her to me and hug her tight. If my interactions thus far with Jin have told me anything, it’s she’s not a hugger.
“Where does Penny sleep?” Mei asks. “I’m assuming she got her own room since I’m made to share with Addison?”
My gut twists because now I’ll have to show her to that room.
I give her a nod and motion for her to follow.
We pass by Rhett’s room to Cason’s. Cason moved his stuff up to the mostly finished room in the attic.
Since it’s winter, not having AC up there is fine, but come summer, if this arrangement is still around, I’ll need to figure something out so he doesn’t cook to death.
“Penny’s room,” I say as I push through the door. “Your mom sleeps in here with her sometimes so she’s not scared.”
It’s a total lie.
Ugh, I feel like a dick for having to say this shit.
Mei’s eyebrows furl together as she enters the room. She walks over to Penny’s toddler bed and arranges the stuffed animals in a way that must make sense to her. I wait with my hands on my hips, unsure what to do. Mei walks over to Cason’s bed, where Jin’s been sleeping, and sits.
“What’s really going on with you two?” Mei asks, lifting her chin and boring her dark brown eyes into mine.
“What do you mean?” Play dumb. It’s easier than lying.
She scowls. “I’m not an idiot, Owen. Mom isn’t sleeping in here to comfort Penny. That’s not really her thing. She’s sleeping in here because the two of you aren’t sharing a bed for whatever reason. Make it make sense.”
Being confronted with a demand for cold, hard truth is too much.
I nervously rub at the back of my neck, wondering how much I should tell her.
Mei’s obviously a lot more mature than my daughter despite only being a year or so older.
If I had to guess, with Jin’s natural cold nature, Mei takes on the maternal roles in her home where it concerns her baby sister.
With a sigh, I approach her and then sit down next to her. Her jean-clad thigh barely brushes against my dark slacks. I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees and absently spin my new wedding ring.
“How good are you at keeping secrets?” I ask, voice low.
I suppose the only way to get her to warm up is to give her something. Anything.
“It’s not like I have tons of friends or family who care what goes on in my life,” Mei says, voice sharp like a blade.
Leaning back, I shoot her a sidelong glance. “My kids don’t know all the…mechanics. I’d prefer to keep it that way.”
Her eyes narrow. “Mechanics. Never heard of a marriage being described like that. Careful, the passion between the two of you is so hot it might burn the house down.”
The snark in her tone is better than bitterness. I’m used to sparring with my children who are snarky all the damn time.
“Your mom needed help,” I say simply. “And so did I.”
Irritation bleeds from her and the crease between her eyebrows softens. “With what? Money?”
“Money would be a lot less complicated,” I admit with a chuckle. “Let’s just say our marriage is mutually beneficial. My ex-wife lives to terrorize me. Your mom helps prevent that.”
“Sounds fishy,” she grumbles.
“Totally is.”
An adorable grin tugs at her lips, giving me the first glimpse of what she looks like when amused. “So, everyone’s just playing house around here while the adults sort their shit out?”
“Pretty much.” Before I can stop myself, I reach over and cover her knee with my hand, squeezing it in hopes to comfort her. “I promise I’ll be the best stepfather I can be to you and Penny. Whatever you need, ask. Don’t ever hesitate.”
I pull my palm away, wondering why it feels as if it’s on fire.
Once I fist it and set it on my lap, I let out a ragged sigh.
This entire ordeal is messy. But, at least I feel a little better knowing the loan to purchase the Jenkins home is on its way.
Jin was beyond relieved to get that rolling.
As she assumed, my credit, lack of debt to income, and overall business stability was enough to help secure the loan.
“How did you and Mom meet?” Mei asks as she absently picks at her nail. “She doesn’t do dating apps or anything. How long has this been going on?”
I rub at my neck again as heat creeps over my skin. “It’s not glamorous,” I say with a soft laugh. “She’s my doctor.”
Mei cants her head to the side, studying me with new intensity. “You have a sleep disorder?”
“Yeah.” I grunt and shrug. “It’s being managed. Your mother prescribed me meds that actually mostly help.”
“Mostly?”
“I still wake up in random places if under high amounts of stress.”
Her eyebrows pinch together. “Wake up places?”
It’s only happened once this week, but I woke up outside again. Rhett got to me first and brought me inside.
“Sometimes I go outside.”
She gapes at me. “It’s cold. And there’s snow on the ground.”
“The last time, my oldest son, Rhett, was the first to get to me. You’ll meet him hopefully tonight or tomorrow. He’s a good kid.”
“You’re lucky your toes haven’t fallen off,” Mei says, glancing down at my dress shoes. “Or have they?”
I chuckle and shake my head. “All present and accounted for.”
“What else do you do when sleepwalking?”
Shame wraps its sticky tentacles around me, squeezing the air out of me. I jerk to my feet and crack my neck, needing to loose out some of the tension forming in my shoulders.
“Owen,” Mei murmurs, a trickle of fear in her tone. “What else do you do?”
Images flood through my mind over the years. There was a time when I turned on all the burners on the stove. Another time I got in the neighbor’s pool. And, there were a few horrible times I’d wake up in one of the kids’ rooms.
Which is why Leah knows that’ll get inside my head. Accusing me of being untoward with Addison. Never fucking happened.
What about Savvy?
There was a foster girl we took care of after her parents died.
For some reason I kept waking up near her bed, and once, in it.
Even though I had no physical attraction or any sick shit in my head in regard to her, I still felt like a damn pedophile.
To make matters worse, because of Rhett sneaking a girl in his room, Leah had all the locks on the doors removed.
Looking back, I think she knew it upset me to find myself in one of their rooms, especially Addison’s, and she secretly got off on my disgust and discomfort.
“Don’t worry,” I rasp out, voice hoarse with emotion. “I’ve installed locks on the bedroom doors. You’re safe.”