Page 68 of Protecting Addison
She was surrounded with all the help she could ask for and couldn’t be more thankful for her support network. Marrying Ricky had given her not only the man of her dreams, and three children who had quickly become the lights of her life, but a whole group of men and women who were now her rocks.
The only blight was her ex. Brady was still texting Ellory…which would’ve been fine, except it felt as if he was almost stalking her daughter. He wouldn’t leave her alone, sent her messages all day and into the evening. Ellory had started leaving her phone out on the kitchen counter at night to keep it from vibrating on her nightstand with every text, waking her up.
Addison had asked Brady more than once to tone it down, but he’d ignored her, wanting to know what Ellory was doing almost every moment of the day. At first, Ellory was flattered. Had loved being the center of her dad’s attention. But it quickly began to annoy her, and as a result, she’d put off meeting with him again.
But Brady was relentless. So eventually, she’d given in and agreed to a meet up—with Addison’s approval of course. This time, Remi, along with Ricky’s former SEAL friend Dude, were going with them to meet with Brady. Artem, Borysko, and Yana were also going, at Ellory’s insistence. She wanted her dad to meet her brothers and sister, in the hopes they’d all become one big happy family. Addison had her doubts, but since they were meeting at the playground at Yana’s elementary school, a nice public place where the younger kids would be entertained, it seemed harmless enough.
“Remi is going to meet us there, right?” Ellory asked when they were on their way.
“Yup. And Ricky’s friend Dude will be there too.”
“He’s kinda scary.”
“What? Dude isn’t scary,” Addison protested.
“Mom, he’s big and muscular, with dark hair, dark eyes, and he’s always…watching.”
“True. But Ricky and the rest of the guys on his team are also big and muscular. As for watching, they’ve all learned to be extremely cautious because of their job. Besides, you’ve seen him with Taylor. He’s a big marshmallow.”
“Yeah, okay. He kind of is,” Ellory agreed.
“Besides, you can’t judge people on their looks. The nicest-looking person, the most good-looking, could be a bad guy, and the scariest could be an angel in disguise.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, sweetheart. I’m glad you’re cautious. But you know that Ricky wouldn’t have suggested we invite Dude if he didn’t trust him one hundred percent.”
Addison had sent Ricky an email a few days ago. She was aware that it was unlikely he’d be able to respond, or even get the correspondence, but she’d really needed his advice about Brady. She’d asked Remi and the other women, but Ricky was the one she trusted fully since he’d already met her ex.
To her surprise, he’d responded. It was a short message, but he’d urged her to call Dude and see if he could go with them when they met with Brady. So she’d done just that and, to her relief, Dude was more than happy to meet them at the school.
“Borysko, it’s your turn to keep an eye on your sister,” Addison said, glancing into the backseat where the kids were sitting.
The boy frowned and tilted his head. “My eye? I do not understand.”
“Sorry. Watch her. Make sure she’s safe. That she keeps out of trouble.”
“Yana good girl. She safe with us.” Borysko sounded offended.
“Right, of course she is.” Sometimes Addison forgot that these kids had lived a life that most children couldn’t even comprehend. They’d been on their own in the middle of a war-torn country, having to scrounge for sustenance and stay hidden from soldiers and others who would do harm to a trio of young kids without a second thought.
“Artem? Are you all right? You’ve been quiet,” Addison said as she pulled into the parking lot of the school.
“Is Ellory going to leave?”
“What? Where would she go?”
“Live with father.”
“No. Definitely not. She’s simply getting to know him. Remember how I explained she hadn’t seen her father since she was a baby? Now that he’s back, it’s a chance for them both to get to know each other. She isn’t leaving our house.”
“Promise?” Artem asked.
It was Ellory who answered. “I’m not going anywhere,” she told the little boy. “I don’t want to live anywhere else except with my mom, Ricky, and you guys. Sorry, little man. You don’t get my room.” She smiled as she said that last part, teasing her brother.
“Okay,” Artem said.
“Okay,” Ellory echoed.
