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by S. E. Rose

  Eventually, the bag of candy runs out and the sugar rushes subside. We all are lying against cupboards, walls or the floor, in a post-sugar-induced haze.

  “That was amazing,” Zoe says, her head in Cody’s lap and a half-eaten dark chocolate bar on her chest.

  “What’s for dinner?” Leidy asks. She’s lying on the floor next to Lance, her head down by his knees and her legs are propped vertically up on the wall. We all look at her and burst out laughing.

  “What?” she asks with clear annoyance in her voice. “I’m hungry!” She gets a pouty look on her face. I can’t help it, I scoop her up in my arms and dangle her upside down. She squeals as I spin her in a circle. Rosa and Frankie pop up from my mom’s lap and start yelling for me to do that to them. I do and then set them all down in a row.

  “Who wants to order pizza?” I ask and the three of them start screaming and shouting and jumping up and down.

  “Nickie,” my mom chastises. “We are making manicotti.”

  “So,” I say with a shrug. “Put it in the fridge, we’ll make it tomorrow.” I give her my best pleading look, and she laughs.

  “Thirty minutes,” Lance says with a grin, holding up his phone to show us he has placed an order through a pizza app.

  Jack shakes his head. “Seriously, you are awful. Lance, you shouldn’t be using the app,” he scolds.

  Lance shrugs. “It’s fine. I’ll call the front gate,” Jesse says with a smile. One by one, we all get up and start to get out plates, napkins, and drinks for dinner.

  We eat pizza out on the back deck, and the kids run around catching fireflies. It’s one of those nights where you feel closer to your family, and you remember just how much you love them.

  “That was fun,” Lily says as she sips a glass of wine and puts her feet up on my knee. Lance has taken the kids up to bed and the rest of the adults are lounging on the rather spacious seating area around a fire pit.

  “Yeah,” I agree as I sip a beer.

  “I think everyone is getting cabin fever,” my mom says as she leans her head on Jack’s shoulder.

  “I know,” Jack says. His phone pings and he looks down at it. He gets up and walks out into the yard. His voice is low as I strain to hear what he’s saying, but eventually, I give up and go back to talking to Lily and Zoe. Zoe is snuggled against Cody, and she looks exhausted.

  “Why don’t you go up to bed, Zoe?” I ask her.

  She nods and closes her eyes. “Perhaps I will. I’m sooo tired,” she groans. Cody gently rubs her arm as he smiles down at her.

  “Time to get the princess to bed,” he whispers and picks her up like she weighs nothing. Which isn’t saying much, since Lance and Cody are like identical linebackers, seriously I’ve never seen twins as large as these two. Zoe is already passed out and her head rolls back as he carries her inside. “Goodnight, guys,” he says softly as Jesse opens the slider door for him.

  We all wave and go back to our conversations. Then I notice Jack walking back our way, and we all freeze and look at him.

  “Bermuda,” he says to us. “The vessel is heading toward Bermuda. It should be there soon.”

  The sigh of relief is evident as everyone relaxes.

  “You can all go back home tomorrow,” he says. “I’ll keep you posted.”

  “Thank God!” my mom says as she launches herself into Jack’s arms. He holds her tightly and kisses her forehead.

  “Well, that’s a fucking relief,” Lily says.

  “No shit,” I mutter. We all clink glasses and slowly, one by one, everyone heads to bed.

  I have to admit, I’m a little sad the next morning as I pack up my stuff and head to the waiting car. Zoe and Cody are already inside. I say my goodbyes to everyone, and we begin our trek back to Philadelphia. Zoe falls asleep once we near Baltimore and Cody is busy on his tablet. I look out the window as we pass the exit of our old home. I reminisce about my life, remembering my dad and all the happy times I had here. I’m not sure why I’m feeling so sentimental. I shake my head and pull out my cell phone to text Colin.

  Nick: On my way home.

  Colin: About fucking time.

  Nick: Fuck off.

  Colin: [smiley face]

  Nick: Whatever, you home tonight?

  Colin: Yup.

  Nick: Cool.

  Colin: Ordering Chinese food.

  Nick: Awww…you missed me.

  Colin: Who said I was ordering it for you, fucker?

  Nick: Don’t be a hater, cupcake.

  Colin: Whatever – c u soon.

  Nick: If ur lucky.

  Colin: Oh I’ve been getting lucky…how bout you?

  Nick: We will be talking about that.

  Colin: [middle finger emoji]

  I put my phone down and glance over at Zoe. How can she sleep so fucking much, seriously? She used to be a party animal, but I guess married life has tamed her.

  Cody catches me watching Zoe and gives a smile. “She’s had a long week,” he says.

  “We all have, but you’d think Zoe turned into sleeping beauty over there,” I say with a nod toward her.

  He shrugs and places his hand over her protectively. They really are a good-looking couple. Zoe is my cousin, but I’m not blind, she’s hot and my friends used to rub that in every time she came to visit. Hell, some of them still do it. But to me, she’ll always be the big sister I never had.

  Zoe wakes when we reach Wilmington. “Are we there yet?” she asks sleepily, her head now resting in Cody’s lap.

  He leans down and kisses her forehead. “Almost, princess,” he says with a smile.

  “Good, because I am starving,” she announces as she grabs a bottle of water and chugs it. I give her a look, and she smiles sheepishly at me. I roll my eyes and glance back out at the river.

  Colin has Chinese food waiting on our breakfast bar when I come in.

  “Well, look who got domestic while I was gone,” I laugh as I open a beer and take a seat next to him.

  “Fuck off,” he says with a sneer as he pours more honey sesame chicken on his plate.

  “Sooooo…Cami?” I say, not wasting any time.

  He gives me the middle finger. “None of your business, fucker.”

  “Oh, so that’s going well is it?”

  He groans. “How’s Melissa? It’s Melissa, right?” he asks raising his eyebrow.

  “She’s fine, thanks for asking. How’s Cami?” I snicker.

  “Jesus, OK. Yes, I’m seeing Cami. Yes, she sometimes sleeps over. Yes, we are having sex. Yes, things are good. OK?”

  I put up my hands. “OK then,” I say.

  “God, Stevenson, sometimes you can be so irritating,” he huffs.

  I laugh. “Wow, did someone wake up on the wrong side of the hospital cot?”

  He rolls his eyes. “Don’t ask. Work is literally killing me.”

  “Well, sounds like you’re living the dream,” I smile as I take a bite of sweet and sour shrimp.

  “I can’t wait till I can just be a normal doctor, no more residency, no more shitty hours,” he says.

  “And what type of doctor are we going to be this week?” I ask. Poor Colin has been changing his mind so much, he’s like a girl with a closet full of shoes getting ready for a night out clubbing.

  He sighs. “I’m thinking orthopedics.”

  “Cool.”

  “Yeah, I really liked that rotation the best. Plus, my buddy has a practice, and they treat a lot of sports stars, so you know…” He trails off. Colin is a huge sports fan. In fact, it’s his intense love of all Philly sports teams that had him getting this place instead of staying down in Maryland after we graduated. Our diplomas’ ink hadn’t yet dried, and he was already heading back up here for medical school. Once my first job had me on a project up here, well, I sort of moved in, and now we’re like a bad sitcom.

  “That’d be cool,” I say as I hear my phone ping.

  Melissa: Remember you mentioned a couch or something.

 
“Oh shit,” I mutter with food in my mouth.

  “What?!” Colin asks, bemused by omission.

  “I don’t know yet. I need to call Melissa, I’ll be right back,” I say as I head toward the terrace of our apartment.

  “Melissa?” I ask when she answers.

  She’s crying…sobbing really. “Hey, hey…calm down…take a deep breath,” I say, now slightly freaked out.

  “I-I h-have to l-leave,” she manages between sobs.

  “What, beautiful? What do you mean?” I ask her, keeping my voice calm.

  “M-my v-visa,” she says while crying.

  “Mel, you need to breathe, sweetheart. Just take a few deep breaths, alright?”

  I hear her breathing and after a moment or two, she manages to pull herself together.

  “M-my visa is only good if I’m working. I-I have to leave by next week,” she stutters through more sobs.

  “OK. I can come out tomorrow,” I say. I don’t really know if I can, but dammit, Cody owes me.

  “N-no. That’s OK,” she says, sniffling and taking in a deep breath. “I just…I can’t go to my brother, and I don’t want to tell my parents.”

  “Alright, so you come stay with me, and we’ll figure it out,” I say to her.

  “Really?” she asks.

  “Of course, really,” I say.

  “Just for a week or so, until I can figure something out,” she says, her sobs vanishing as her brain kicks into overdrive.

  “Slow down there, sport. Let’s just get you stateside first, and then we’ll work on the job front,” I laugh. “Book a flight and give me the details, and we’ll go from there.”

  “OK,” she says softly. “Thank you, Nick.”

  “It’s my pleasure,” I say. We hang up and I walk back inside.

  “So, Mel is coming to stay with us for a bit,” I say to him.

  He smirks. “Oh really?”

  I put up a hand to stop him. “No, no…not like that. She lost her grant, and now her visa requirements aren’t met, so she has to leave the country. I think she’s too mortified to tell her family, so I offered up our place while she figures out what to do next.”

  “Well, well…I finally get to meet this mystery woman who’s tamed the heart of the relationship-free Nicholas Stevenson,” Colin says with a smirk.

  “Oh, fuck off, Colin. You really are a dick,” I add.

  “Yeah, yeah. We going to get the gang together for a late-night happy hour?” he asks me. I look at my watch. It’s late, but it’d be fun to see folks. I text a few of our crowd and pretty soon we’re down at the local pub having pints and appetizers.

  It’s relaxing and normal and takes my mind off all the other shit going on, all the other shit I can’t control. Cami and Colin definitely have something going on, and I love how they try to be nonchalant with their touching. I repeatedly find myself raising an eyebrow at them. Cami just blushes and looks away, but Colin gives me a “fuck off and mind your own business” look.

  Chelsea, Rob, and Lena are also there. Zoe and Cody bailed. Zoe claims she’s coming down with something, but I suspect that something else is going on with them. I push those thoughts aside and catch up with Rob. He’s aware of what’s been going on, and he has had a security detail on him as well. We haven’t chatted about it yet, but I know he wants to talk with me.

  He leans in from his seat next to me.

  “I would like an update from you later,” he says.

  I nod. “Later,” I say, looking around at the table, but no one is paying us any attention.

  He nods and goes back to listening to Chelsea and Lena talk about some crazy shooting that recently occurred. The kid is a patient of Lena’s and Chelsea is working with a reporter on the story. I zone out until I hear a ping on my phone.

  I glance down and see a text from Mel giving me her flight details. She comes in tomorrow night. Well shit, my girl isn’t wasting any time getting stateside. I text her back that I’ll see her tomorrow, and she sends me a sleepy face and kissy face emoji. I laugh and text to her goodnight.

  Colin looks over at me and gives me a shit-eating grin. I give him a subtle middle finger, and he laughs. It’s great to relax and hang out with everyone after the craziness of the past few days. I hate that my family has been through such crazy shit these past few years, and I really had hoped we could put the past behind us and move forward. It’s killing me knowing that Ben is out there and that anyone of us could be in danger.

  Colin and I stumble home late, and I fall asleep wondering what will happen if Ben would come after one of us. It’s unsettling and my sleep is racked with nightmares.

  Chapter 12

  Nick’s Playlist: “Nobody Else Will Be There” The National

  Four coffees into my day and I’m still exhausted. I try to pay attention in a meeting as Garrett explains to our team a new project near the Chesapeake Bay. I’m excited about it. It gives me the chance to work near my family and perhaps even stay down there for a while, but I’m also dead tired and nervous about seeing Melissa. I get a text just after lunch that she’s about to board her international flight and will arrive in Philly around six. I smile, and after two more coffees, I’m finally feeling more awake.

  “Uh, how many cups is that today?” Cody asks as he walks into my office.

  I laugh. “Uh, too many,” I say with a grin.

  “Not sleeping?” he asks, his voice sounding concerned.

  I shrug.

  He closes my door and sits down across from my desk. I look at him, and I can suddenly see the dark lines under his eyes. He hasn’t been sleeping either.

  “You’re worried,” I state.

  He nods. “I am.”

  “I haven’t heard anything else,” I tell him.

  “I know. Me either. I hate not knowing, not being in control,” he admits.

  “Maybe we need to go on the offensive,” I suggest.

  Cody’s eyes find mine, and I can tell my thought interests him. Of course, I was only being half-serious, but now that I think of it, why the fuck not?

  “That’s actually not a bad idea,” he says, his fingers finding his chin as he strokes it with his thumb and index finger. I can tell he’s deeply contemplating this idea.

  “Cody, I’m not…I mean what could we possibly do? It’d be dangerous,” I point out.

  “Perhaps,” he muses.

  I roll my eyes. “You can’t be serious,” I say to him.

  He shrugs. “I’m going to call Jack,” he says as he stands and walks to my door. He turns as his hand reaches the doorknob. “When does Melissa get in?”

  “How do you…oh, never mind. Three hours,” I say.

  He smiles. “Word travels fast in this family.” He smirks as he leaves my office.

  It seems like the next few hours take days to pass. I get to the airport at 5:30 p.m. and wait and wait. At 6:05 p.m., Melissa texts me that her plane just landed. Thirty minutes later, I meet her in baggage claim by the international arrivals exit. She has two bags with her and even though she’s been traveling for several hours, she looks amazing. She has her hair tied up in a knot, exposing her long neck, and I itch to kiss it.

  I walk slowly over toward her, drinking in her beauty and then her smell as I stand inches away from her.

  “Fancy meeting you here, beautiful,” I murmur in her ear, and she jumps before turning around to face me. She’s grinning as she throws her arms around my neck and pulls me down to kiss her. I wrap my arms around her and force her tightly against my body. She feels so good, her lips on mine feel so good. It takes a moment to remind myself that we are standing in baggage claim and perhaps we should slow down before we begin ripping clothes off in front of families with small children.

  “Hi,” she says shyly as she pulls back and looks up at me.

  “Hi,” I say back to her. “Do you have everything?”

  She nods, and I take her hand in one of mine.

  “Is that it?” I say facetiously.
/>   She rolls her eyes, and for some reason, that movement goes straight to my groin. “I have a few boxes getting shipped to your house. I hope that’s alright,” she says. “I didn’t know where else to send them. Marco said he could hold onto them for me, but I didn’t feel right leaving a bunch of stuff with him.”

  “That’s fine. I’m honestly surprised you packed so quickly,” I admit to her.

  “Oh, well, all the furniture came with the apartment as did some of the pots, pans, and dishes. I really didn’t have too much that was mine. I’ve moved around enough that I have most of my things at my parents’ homes still,” she says with a shrug as we make our way to my car.

  “A Honda, huh?” she says as I load her bags into my car.

  “My apologies…this is Lucy; Lucy, this is Melissa,” I say, motioning to my car.

  Melissa laughs. “I didn’t peg you as a ‘naming your car’ sort of guy,” she says.

  “Oh, beautiful, there’s a lot you don’t know about me.” I smirk. I turn and frown a bit as I wonder whether there will be things she finds out about me that she doesn’t like and then quickly dismiss the thought as irrational since there will, of course, be things she doesn’t like about me.

  I open the car door for her and corner her against the car. “I missed you,” she whispers as she looks up at me.

  “I missed you too, beautiful,” I reply as I tilt my head down and kiss her again, more intensely than before in the safety of this quiet corner of the parking garage. When I pull back, her eyes are still closed, and I grin at the look of pure lust on her face. Tonight will be fun, I think to myself as she opens her eyes and takes a seat in my car.

  We head toward my apartment. “I’m actually thinking of upgrading cars,” I say. “But shhhh…don't tell Lucy.”