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CHASE
On my way home from work Tuesday night, I stop at the grocery store to get the fixings for fajitas. Addison mentioned last night that she has been craving them, and Willow can throw down on some Mexican, so I thought it might be a nice surprise for them both.
I know very little about women other than food being the key to their hearts, and nothing says bonding like chips and queso.
After pulling up in the driveway, I load my arms up with grocery sacks. Willow must have seen me pull up, because she’s already opening the door and helping me inside.
“Did you get me anything?” she asks sweetly.
“Maybe.” I bump her arm with a handful of groceries. “Did you behave today?”
“Seriously?” She smirks at me. “I always behave.”
I lean down to kiss the top of her head and follow her into the kitchen to see Emily and Addison coming in from the living room. The two are grinning, and when they see me, they exchange a look before bursting into laughter.
I’m not even bothered that they seem to be making fun of me, because I’m too focused on the way my chest squeezes when I see Addison for the first time all day. I’ve always loved coming home to Emily and Willow at night, but having Addison waiting for me this past week too, has been a different feeling entirely.
Besides, I don’t mind being the glue that brings those two together, even if it’s at the expense of my pride.
“Did you get enough?” Emily asks now, putting away the groceries that Willow’s tearing out of the sacks in search of her chocolate. When she finds it, she jumps up and down with excitement and thanks me with a big hug before running out of the room.
I shrug, grabbing the three jars of salsa and taking them to the pantry. Emily has always complained about my inability to go grocery shopping without buying the whole store. Even if I go in with her well-planned list, I end up walking out with things she never intended for me to buy, and possibly without things we actually needed. At least I never forget Willow’s chocolate.
“In my defense, I had no idea what Addison liked, so I got plenty of options.” I walk over to the counter and rifle through the last bag, pulling out a package of blueberry Pop-Tarts and two bouquets of cheap grocery-store flowers. The first is a handful of sunflowers that I promptly place in Emily’s hands, along with a kiss to the top of her head. “You’re lucky I love you.”
Flowers and Pop-Tarts in hand, I make my way over to Addison. Her bouquet was much harder to pick out, especially since I’ve gotten the same old sunflowers for Emily for the past ten years.
I probably stood in front of the flower section for a good twenty minutes, judging and comparing, until I finally decided on the group of brightly colored daisies. At the time, I felt confident in my decision, but now that I’m standing in front of her, I’m not so sure.
“These are for you,” I say quietly, reluctant to hand them over.
Maybe I should have gotten the roses.
Or stopped at an actual flower shop and gotten her something fancier. I doubt her ex ever bought her grocery-store flowers, and here I am, trying to impress her with a five-dollar bouquet.
“Thank you.” She reaches out to grab them, her soft fingers touching mine.
When her eyes find the floor, I want to kick myself. She probably hates them and doesn’t know how to tell me.
“I’ve never gotten flowers before,” she says. A small smile plays on her lips, and when she looks back up, it grows wide on her face. “They’re really beautiful.”
Her tongue swipes out across her lips, drawing my gaze down to them and reminding me of how sweet they tasted against my own. Our hands are still locked on the bouquet, and I run my fingers down to her wrist and settle my thumb on her pulse. I press into it, enjoying the feel of it fluttering against me. Her gasp is quiet, but right before I can I pull her closer, Emily makes a sound beside us.
“Oh, um, don’t mind me. I was just going to get these into a vase.” She holds her bouquet in the air as evidence.
Addison clears her throat and takes a step back, her hand flying to her cheek. “Wow, it’s really warm in here. I, uh, I’m going to go get some fresh air.” She scurries away, her ponytail swaying with each step. Even after she’s out of the room, I stand there, playing back what just happened.
Emily walks up beside me, meeting my scowl with a sly grin. “If you’re going to win her over, you’re going to have to try a lot harder than some cheap flowers,” she whispers teasingly.
“Your commentary is unnecessary.” I grab her by the shoulders and push her out of the room. “Now get out of my kitchen.”
* * *
“What grade are you going into, Willow?” Addison asks. She’s sitting across from me at the kitchen table in what has quickly become her spot. Unless Drake’s over, that seat’s remained vacant over the years, so to have a full table every night has been pretty amazing, especially when she’s the one to fill it.
“Fifth grade. It’s the last year before middle school.”
“So you’re going to be the oldest in the school, huh?”
