by Toni Aleo
She dropped the mic to her side and then Claire came running on the stage, taking it as she flashed a wide smile before running back off stage. The light came on as Reese moved her body in position. When the music started to something slow, he didn’t recognize the song, but it didn’t stop him from listening and watching as Reese moved across the stage effortlessly. The song talked about needing your love, about having fear and dreaming about having the person she loved. He could have thought he had heard a techno version of the song, but this one was slow, acoustic maybe, and so beautiful, but not as beautiful as her. When she turned for what seemed like hours, she stopped, her eyes locked on his as she ran her hands roughly down her body before she kicked her leg up, grabbing it and falling into a split, before rolling around until she was on her back, arching it.
When she stood, tears started to fall down her face and she turned quickly, giving her back to the stage as she continued to move. He knew she was hiding her tears and he wasn’t sure anyone else had seen them, but he had. Standing, he went to the side of the stage and pulled himself up on it, walking towards her as she continued to dance slowly to the music. When she turned, she stopped, her brown eyes drowning in her tears and he reached out, taking her hand in his. He slowly spun her in and then back out before stepping close to her. Her eyes were locked on his, her lip wobbling, as he placed his hands on her hips, lifting her slowly into the air. She let out a sob and then wrapped all her limbs around him, crying into his neck.
He hated when she cried. Holding her close, he said, “Hey, I’m trying to channel my inner Johnny Castle here.”
She laughed against his neck before pulling back to look down at him. “I can’t believe I am saying this, since Dirty Dancing is my favorite movie, but I don’t want Johnny, I want Phillip.”
He grinned up at her, his eyes bright as he said, “You have me. Always have.”
Her lip wobbled again and then she sucked in a breath before whispering, “I’m so sorry.”
He shook his head. “I’m over that phrase, Reese. Tell me something I don’t know.”
She slowly bit into her lip, her tears rushing down her cheeks as she held onto him like he was a life preserver. “I fucked up. I was wrong and you were right, don’t get used to me saying that either cause it probably will never happen again.”
He scoffed, wrapping his arms tighter around her waist. “We will see about that.”
She leaned her head against his and took in a deep breath. “You’re right, we will, because I’m not letting you go, I’m not pushing you away, because I can’t. I need you. I need us. I need Claire. I know I’m hardheaded as hell and apparently, I hide pieces of myself from not only the world but even myself. I might be horrible with words when it comes to telling you how I feel and there is a good chance that I may not be the best for you, but I’m the best when I’m with you. I promise I’ll never walk away as long as you promise too because, if we are apart, I’ll never be the best I can be. I love you, Phillip, and I want to build a life with you. I want to try.”
He closed his eyes as his heart lurched in his chest. He wanted to laugh because she might think she wasn’t good with words, but she just said everything he needed to hear. His hands were shaking at her sides, and he had to be careful or he was going to lose it in front of the many eyes that were watching him. Moving his nose against hers, he said, “I want all that and then some.”
She went to say something but he clamped his mouth onto her, tangling his hands in her hair as he drank from her lips like she was a cup of water and he was a thirsty man in the desert. When they parted, she held a finger up and said, “About this some. I don’t want to get married or anything like that. I just want to build—”
“Shut up,” he said with a shake of his head and kissed her again. She tried to get away, but soon she realized that he wasn’t done and melted into him. Pulling away from her lips, he smiled as he said, “I want your forever, Reese. I know that makes you nervous, but we can go on your time. I don’t care because as long as I have you, what else do I need?”
“Kids?”
He laughed. “We have Claire, and we are young. If down the road you want to pop one out, baby I’m there, and you better believe we are going to do a lot of practicing for that baby.”
She closed her eyes as she let out a gut-busting laugh. He laughed along with her until he couldn’t take it anymore and then crashed his mouth to her again, needing to feel her lips on his. When they parted, not only because this was getting too hot, but because they were standing in front of hundreds of people, Phillip backed up and then dropped to one knee. The look that came across her face was priceless, and he had to hold in his laughter as he said, “Reese Allen, I love you.”
“What the hell are you doing, get up,” she whispered in a demanding way, but he ignored her and her family, who was gasping and basically losing their shit. He was pretty sure Mrs. Allen was on the her knees thanking God, while Harper and Piper hugged tightly, tears welling up in their eyes.
Holding in his laughter, he said, “And I would love the chance to date you, so what do you say?”
Her shoulders relax as she scoffed. “Are you serious?”
“Heck yeah, it’s baby steps with you.”
She laughed as she rolled her eyes and then pulled him up off his knee. When she nodded her head, everyone lost it as she said, “Yes, of course. I sort of love you.”
“Good,” he said, mushing his nose against her. “Cause I love you too.”
She gave him a quick peck and he turned, holding up her hand and said, “She said yes!”
When she pulled back, punching him in the arm, he laughed, scooping her up in his arms and kissing her loudly on the lips. “I’m gonna kick your ass for that!”
“I look forward to it, sweetheart.”
“They think we are getting married!” she said, her lips still in a frown.
“Yeah, but we will, one day.”
“Like in years!” she exclaimed, still shocked he had did that, but he liked that. He wanted to keep her on her toes. She sure as hell kept him on his.
With a content smile, he said, “That’s fine with me, as long as I get to spend every single second, minute, and hour with you.”
“And me!” Claire chimed in.
He smiled as he put Reese back on her feet before saying, “Of course you. I couldn’t live a single second without you either.”
“Good! So we are like a family now, right?”
Reese smiled as she met his gaze, and then she slowly nodded. “Yeah.”
The look that came over Claire’s face stunned him as she wrapped her arms around Reese, hugging her tightly. When they parted, he wrapped his arm around Claire’s neck, hugging her in close, before he reached for Reese, holding her in the nook of his arm, kissing her temple. He watched as Reese shared a smile with Claire before snuggling close into him, closing her eyes as a blissful look came over her beautiful face. Holding them felt so perfect, so right, and he knew that it wouldn’t be easy loving these two. They were going to drive him nuts, piss him off, and gang up on him, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He needed them. He was theirs for the rest of his life. When Reese looked up at him and gave him a sneaky grin, he wondered if she felt the same way he did…
Complete.
Two years later…
“WANNA GO for a quickie in the bathroom?” Phillip whispered in her ear, and she waved him off.
“Shh, we are singing,” Reese scolded as everyone sang together.
“Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Dimitri, happy birthday to you!”
Everyone cheered as Dimitri blew out the candles of his cake before dropping his face into the icing for a big mouthful. Piper and Erik laughed as they pulled him up, wiping and licking the icing off his cute little face before posing for a picture. Reese stood with her arms wrapped around Phillip’s waist, a satisfied grin on her face as she watched the festivities happen before her eyes.
All the kids, Ally, Journey, Shelli, Posey, Owen, Even, Penny, Asher, Aiden, and Claire all sat at the table, waiting for their piece of cake. It was loud and rambunctious, but that was usually how a typical Assassins’ family party was.
When Claire turned and grinned back at them, completely beautiful and stunning in all her eighteen-year-old glory, Reese’s heart stopped. She knew that she should be happy that her nephew was turning three and she was, but at the same time, dread filled her from the inside out. When she glanced up at Phillip, a sad smile sat on his lips, and she knew he felt the same way.
They were sending Claire off to college in a matter of hours.
She knew she should be glad that Claire was staying close to home, going to Bellevue University, with only a thirty-minute commute, but she was moving into the dorms and out of the house they had made their home. She felt like a piece of her was leaving. She knew she was probably overreacting, but she was going to miss her, so much, and she knew that Phillip would, too.
“Reese, can you hold Quinn for me?” Elli asked, holding out the youngest of the Adler clan.
“Sure,” she said, letting go of Phillip to take the sweet, dark-haired, blue-eyed toddler that looked just like his daddy.
“Thanks, I need to clean cake off the rest of my kids,” she said in a hurry before rushing to the table where her babies sat, but Shea made it there before she could. He flashed a grin before giving her a quick kiss. They shared a loving look, and Reese decided that Shea really was the best husband in the world. As Reese held Quinn close to her, he laid his head on her chest and let out a sigh as she watched the moms work hard to pass out cake to their offspring. Audrey had Penny in her lap, feeding her the cake and playing with Posey at the same time. Despite trying and trying, she and Tate hadn’t been blessed with another baby, but Piper had said that they were fine with it. While Lucas fed Asher and Aiden, Fallon sat with her feet up, a piece of cake resting on her protruding belly as she downed a whole bottle of water. She was due in a week with a little girl, named Stella, and they were extremely excited. Reese had fully expected a new baby from Piper at any time, but Piper said she wasn’t doing it, that Dimitri had ruined any thought of ever having another child. Reese hoped she would change her mind because she was ready for another baby that she could spoil. She was going to be bored without Claire. Maybe Fallon would let her borrow Stella every once in and while?
Kissing the top of Quinn’s head, she looked over at Phillip since she felt his eyes on hers. With a wink, he said, “You look really good with that baby.”
She smiled. “Thanks, he is a doll, isn’t he?”
“He is, and I love watching you with him. He likes you.”
He reached out, slowly running the back of his fingers against Quinn’s cheek. “Yeah, I like him too.”
“We could have one, you know,” he suggested, and Reese shook her head.
“No way, I don’t want to mess up a kid.”
Phillip shrugged. “We’ve done good with her.”
Claire followed his gaze and nodded. “I know, but the real test is coming with her leaving.”
“She’ll do fine. We are right here, and she’s smart.”
He was right. “I’m gonna miss her.”
Phillip wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple. “Me too.”
The whole ride to Bellevue University was quiet. Neither Reese nor Phillip said anything as they followed Claire to her dorms. Her car had been packed since the day before. Reese wished like hell that they weren’t doing this but when they got out of the car, they put on the biggest smiles imaginable and made this day Claire’s. She was excited, and they didn’t want to put a damper on that. She was basically bouncing on her heels, excited for her future, and while Reese was excited, the thought of not seeing her every day broke her heart.
Walking across the courtyard, carrying all her things, Reese took in her surroundings and decided that Claire was going to love it here. The courtyard was huge; they had a Starbucks, a Dominos, and Panera Bread. All Claire’s favorite things. As they walked, she noticed Claire checking out the boys and if Reese were a decade younger and not in love with Phillip, she would have been looking, too. As they came up to Fisher Hall, which held Claire’s dorm, Reese liked how clean it was and she knew that had a lot to do with the University being so young. That was one of the things that sold Reese and Phillip to the campus. It was safe and so close that between the security and Phillip, Claire should be safe.
“They have a hockey team, Phillip,” Claire said as she unlocked her door and pushed it open.
“That’s good, stay away from the players,” he mumbled. Reese rolled her eyes as she followed them in.
“But I like hockey players,” Claire pouted playfully.
“Yeah, well, unless you want them to die, stay away. Boys are off limits.”
Claire and Reese both laughed at that. She figured that pissed him off because he grumbled that he was going to go get the rest of Claire’s things and left.
“Don’t listen to him,” Reese said, waving a hand. “He’s just being silly.”
“I know,” she said, pushing her long, red hair off her shoulders. “He doesn’t want me to leave home, but I want to follow my dreams.”
“I know,” Reese said. Even though she didn’t like it, she knew that Claire needed it. “They have a dance team here, you know, for the hockey team,” Reese said as she helped unpack a few things. When she came to the picture of the three of them in the Fiji islands holding up the Lord Stanley cup, she smiled. Her eyes dusted with tears as she reminisced about the first summer vacation they had ever taken. They had so much fun that week and, despite the fact that Phillip was carrying the cup around like it was a solo cup and not a thirty-five pound cup, they had a blast.
“Yeah, you can’t try out till you’re a sophomore, so next year.”
“Awesome,” Reese said as she laid the picture down and then turned to look at Claire. “Are you sure about this? You don’t want to go to New York? LA? You want to stay here?”
Claire smiled. “I haven’t had a real family my whole life and now I do. I’m not ready to leave. I am good here. I will get my business degree, teach dance, and be happy because I have you guys only thirty-two minutes away.”
She couldn’t hold in the sob that was bubbling at the base of her throat. She wrapped her arms around Claire tightly and kissed her cheek. “I love you so much.”
Claire held onto her as she whispered, “I love you.”
Parting, Reese wiped her face as she shook her head to try to collect herself. Pulling in a deep breath, she said, “Don’t drink anything that is handed to you from someone. Don’t let anyone tell you what to do, and no means no. If someone has a problem with that, you have your mace and call us. Phillip will be down here faster than a bat out of hell.”
“Hell yeah I will,” Phillip said, carrying in three more boxes before laying them on the ground.
Claire smiled. “I got this, guys, and you’re right up the road. I’ll be fine.”
Phillip looked around. “Do you want us to stay and help set up?”
She shook her head, and Reese was sure that hurt Phillip because it hurt her. “My roommate will be here, and I doubt her parents will be with her.”
They both nodded and then Phillip pulled Claire into his arms, fiercely hugging her and drawing more tears out of Reese.
God, this sucked.
As she watched Phillip hold his niece, or better yet, his daughter, Reese’s heart lurched in her chest as she took in deep breaths. She loved these two, more than anything. The last two years had been perfect, and it all had to do with him. He brought them together and held them there. He loved with everything inside him and boy, did they love him.
Parting, he kissed Claire’s nose and then said, “I love you, and I’ve raised you to be a good girl. Don’t get pregnant, kick boys in the nuts if they touch you, and please be happy.”
Claire smiled as she hugged him tightly again b
efore saying, “I don’t know why we are all acting like I am going halfway across the world, but I’m really going to miss you guys.”
“Not as much as we’ll miss you,” he whispered, pulling away before looking at Reese. “We gotta get out of here before I set up a tent in here and never leave. You don’t know how many guys I saw with tattoos and One Direction hair as I walked in here. Trouble, they are all trouble. Stay away, Claire!”
Claire giggled as she playfully saluted him. “Yes sir.”
They said their goodbyes and then left, heading to their car. As they walked hand in hand, Reese’s heart ached but when she looked up at Phillip, everything seemed okay because he was there. They might have just left a part of them to fend on her own, but they had each other and would always be there for her. They were just a phone call away.
Getting into the car, they both sat there not moving, and she let out a long breath.
“That sucked.”
“Sure did,” he agreed with a quick nod. “Hey, want to go fool around in the car?”
“In the school parking lot?” Reese exclaimed. “Are you crazy?”
“No, I scoped the place out when we came for that visit so just in case I can’t find her on campus, I know the sex spots.”
Reese laughed as she rolled her eyes. “You are unreal.”
“I worry.”
“I know,” she said, reaching over to squeeze his hand. “And I love you for it. She’s going to be okay.”