Chapter 25
“Sh, You have made me a better person in these past few weeks. You have made me feel more loved than I have ever felt.” His eyes seemed glossy and he kissed me on my forehead.
“I love you Baby Girl. Thank you.” I gave him a small smile and closed my eyes. He got up and left. It didn’t take long before I gave into the darkness.
I felt myself starting to come to. Instead of sunlight waking me up, it was the sound of fighting down the hall. I groaned and looked at the clock that hung on my wall. It was nine in the morning. I lifted my heavy body out of bed and left the room. I walked down the hallway and opened the door. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me. The kitchen part of the room held James, Grayson, Ethan, and Jake. The boys except James were at the breakfast bar. James was over the stove, making breakfast for everyone. Trevor, Brandon, Elli, and John were in the living room part of the room watching cartoons.
“Good morning Baby.” James said while turning off the stove. He lifted the pan and slid the eggs onto a plate. He set the plate down and came over and hugged me.
“Good morning.” As the words left my mouth, a yawn made its way out. James kissed my forehead and released me from the hug.
“Go eat.” I just nodded and walked over to the island. I sat on one of the stools. My stomach seemed full but I knew I wouldn’t get off that easy. I took a fork full of eggs and forced it into my mouth. I made myself swallow but started to gag. I felt eyes on me and I looked to my left to see Grayson and Jake staring at me. I felt a hand on my back and I flinched and quickly looked to my right. Ethan sat there with sadness in his eyes.
“It’s okay Bug. Don’t force it.” I sighed and put my head in my hands. James must have seen what happened because he also came over to me.
“My poor angel, can I make something else for you? Anything sounds good?” I just shook my head “no”. He sighed but smiled at me.
“I’ll just eat an apple. It should help with my stomach.” His smile got bigger and he nodded. I reached over and grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl. I got down from the stool and went over to the couch. I plopped down in between Brandon and John. I took a bite of the apple and felt okay. I slowly ate the fruit until I felt full. I groaned and looked over at Elli.
“Hey, Elli?” He looked up at me and smiled.
“Yes?”
“Would you be the big brother ever and throw away my apple core?” He chuckled but got up anyway.
“I would be honored, my dear.” He bowed like a prince and I giggled. He took it from me and put it in the trash. I finally looked up at the TV to see that the boys were watching ‘The Office’. I squealed and did a little dance.
“Woah Princess, you’re excited,” Trevor said while chuckling.
“Trevor you ignorant slut.” His eyes went wide and I laughed. I clutched my stomach and bent over. John was dying too. Elli came back over and started laughing because we were all laughing. Brandon chuckled but that led to full-on laughing also. Ethan, Grayson, and Jakes came over and joined in. James smiled at all of his kids laughing. Trevor was still shocked at my comment. I finally sobered up after being in pain from laughing so hard. Everyone else slowly sobered up as well.
“What just happened?” Trevor asked while looking at us. Before I could respond we heard Dwight’s voice from the TV.
“Isn’t depression a fancy word for being sad?”
“Dwight you ignorant slut.” Michaels’s voice cut through. That sent me over the edge and I was laughing again. I had tears streaming down my face. I sobered up again to see everyone smiling at me.
“Wait why are we still here?” John asked out of the blue. James sighed and shook his head.
“Way to ruin the mood John.” James broke out into another smile. Little giggles were heard around the room. “I'm joking with you son. Some stuff was broken last night and we are just waiting for them to finish cleaning so we don’t get in their way. We all nodded and made an “oh” face. I flopped back on the couch and sighed.
“I’m bored.” Murmurs of agreement were heard through the room. I just stood up and walked over to the game slash movie cabinet.
“Oh my gosh! We are playing Mario Kart.” They all laughed but shook their heads “yes”. I grabbed the game and threw it at Grayson. “I don’t know how it works.” He chuckled but set it up. I bounced in my seat in excitement. When he was done, he handed me a controller. I squealed in joy. “Dad! Come sit next to me.” He smiled at me and came to sit next to me. Brandon grumbled but moved. James sat down and put his arm around me. I snuggled into him like a child but I didn’t care. The boys “awed” at us and began to take pictures of us. I was too busy picking my character to notice. I clicked Daisy and then the motorbike and got ready. I waited for everyone else to set up and then the race started. I stuck my tongue out in concentration. I jumped up when I won.
“Woah Bri, you beat Trevor! No one has beaten Trevor, like ever.” Brandon said while smirking at him. I danced all around. I felt myself being lifted and I squealed.
“Nobody beats the master without paying munchkin.” Trevor flipped me upside down and held me like that. I was a giggly mess as he swung me around.
“Hey! Be careful with my daughter!” James came over and stole me from his grasp. I was set on my feet and hugged. All of a sudden there was a knock on the door. Not the code knock. James stiffened and pulled something out from his side. Before I could see it, Grayson picked me up and hightailed to the other door with the rooms. John, Jake, Elli, and Brandon followed behind. They quietly closed the door and bolt locked it. They then ran down to my room at the end of the hallway. Elli locked the door behind us while Grayson took me to the closet. We all sat on the floor huddled in the corner. Elli and Brandon had things in their hands but Grayson held my head in his chest so I couldn’t see anything. We heard banging and fighting. I whimpered and stuffed my head in his chest more.
“Sh, it’s okay,” Grayson whispered in my ear.
“Bri, I know you’re scared but why don’t you try to sleep,” Elli said while rubbing my hair. I just closed my eyes and nodded. To my surprise, sleep was coming fast. “Just sleep. Everything will be okay.”