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“It’s over. What are we going to do today?” she asks, still pushing me with her foot.
“I’m going to break your foot today, if you don’t stop,” I answer. I grab her foot and start tickling her.
“Okay, okay!” she squeals, pulling her foot out of reach.
She tucks her feet under her and stares at me expectantly. I lay my head back and look up. Can’t I just sit here and watch the Fixer Upper marathon? I don’t dare ask because she’d never let me.
I shrug, tilting my head in her direction. “What’s Damon doing?”
She shrugs back. “I don’t know. He said he had a date tonight.” My eyes widen.
“What? I thought you two …”
She waves her hand in the air. “I don’t even know what to think. He’s hot one minute, the next he’s cold. I don’t know what he wants. I don’t think he knows what he wants.”
“Well, he’s a stupid man not to see what’s right in front of him,” I say, smiling at her.
“Yep, his loss,” she says quietly, looking at the TV. I watch her for a few moments. I know they like each other so I’m confused. Seems there’s a lot more to the story than she’s telling me. Typical. It’s the same with everyone. They only tell me things they think I can handle. I sigh as I push off the couch.
“I’ll go take a shower so we can do something,” I say, dragging my feet to my bedroom.
As I turn off my hair dryer, I hear voices coming from the living room. I freeze, trying to hear who it is. Sydney laughs and then I hear a male voice. My hands fist and my body tenses up from anxiety. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. Addison, calm down. Syd wouldn’t be out there laughing if it were someone to worry about.
It’s not until I hear the male voice yell, “Add Cat, get out here,” that I know who’s here. My lips curl when I recognize Frankie’s voice. I walk out of my room and a surprise stops me in my tracks. A Caribbean, blue-eyed surprise.
“Travis,” I say. I look around the room as Travis, Frankie, and Syd all watch my reaction. I don’t even know what I feel. I haven’t seen him since the day I was kidnapped, and I didn’t leave there with any warm and fuzzies. But I know it’s because of him and Frankie that I was rescued, so there is gratitude. And a small part of me recognizes that he is my father, even though I know we can’t have a relationship.
He stands up from the barstool. “Addison, it’s good to see you,” he says, embracing me in a hug. My arms hang at my side because I’m confused about what to do. Do I hug him back, push him away, or just stand here hoping he’ll stop soon?
It’s not until I take a deep breath and his scent reaches me that I break. I wrap my arms around him as tears begin to fall. His embrace tightens. It feels surreal that I’m in my father’s arms. So many years I wondered what he was like and now he’s right here, holding me in his arms. Wavering emotions flow through me.
“I’m so sorry,” he repeats softly into my hair.
I blink my tears away and draw in a breath. My arms go lax as I step back, and I smile up at him.
“Thanks,” I say sheepishly.
“Anytime,” he says as he wipes away a tear on his own face. “You look great.”
I nod and let out a soft sigh. I look at his dark denim jeans and off-white sweater. If it weren’t for his salt-n-pepper hair, I’d have a hard time thinking he was old enough to be my father. He definitely looks better than the last time I saw him.
“You do, too. Orange definitely wasn’t your color.”
His powerful laugh echoes in my small apartment. “I hope to God I never have to wear it again,” he chuckles.
“C’mere and give me a hug,” Frankie says with his arms open wide. I walk over, laughing at his big, goofy smile.
As soon as my arms wrap around his neck, he picks me up and spins me around. I cherish the moments when someone does something, not expecting me to break. I think that’s why I like to go to the gym a lot with Tony. Shit, sometimes I think he’s actually trying to break me—but in a good way.
“Well, I guess we’re even,” I say when he puts me down. If it weren’t for Frankie, I would have died in that prison. It’s eye opening to think about why a person was placed in your life. When I met Frankie, I would have never figured that he would be my angel. I thought I was his. But our relationship was bigger than that. And I’ll forever be grateful for him.
“We’re not keeping tabs, Add Cat,” he says, his voice turning serious.
“I know,” I whisper. “Thank you. For everything.” He nods in understanding. “So, do y’all want something to drink?” I ask, needing to do something. I walk to the kitchen, grab a bottle of water, and hold it up. “I have … water.” I laugh when I look back into the refrigerator and notice it’s almost empty except for the waters. I guess I should go grocery shopping today.
Grabbing one for everyone, we all sit in the living room. I sit in the cushioned chair, Sydney and Frankie take the couch, and Travis grabs a kitchen chair. He sits in it, leaning back with his leg propped up on his knee.
“So what brings you to New York City?” I ask, looking between the two guys.
