Page 77 of Protecting Addison
She let out an adorable mix between a snort and a laugh, then threw herself at him. MacGyver went back on a foot, but held steady as he hugged her tight.This.This was what he’d dreamed of. Waited for. Yearned for. Holding his wife.
But she didn’t stay in his arms for nearly long enough. She pulled back and her gaze swept over him from head to toe. “Are you all right? You look like you’ve lost weight. Did you get hurt? Is everyone else okay?”
“I’m good, everyone else is fine, and I probably did lose a few pounds, but whatever smells so damn good I’m sure will put the weight back on me in no time.”
“Mom made pound cake,” Artem said, leaning against MacGyver as if he couldn’t bear to be away from him for a second. “We never ate. But it is good.”
“Strawberries!” Yana exclaimed from his other side.
“You had pound cake with strawberries?” MacGyver asked.
“Yes!” Borysko told him with a huge smile.
“And what happened to your hair?” MacGyver asked, brushing an uneven lock back from Yana’s forehead.
“She got a hold of a pair of kitchen scissors,” Addison said dryly, with a small shake of her head.
“And you, Borysko? That’s a big bruise on your forehead.”
“Fell at school.” Then he clapped his hands together, obviously showing MacGyver how he’d hit the floor with his head.
MacGyver winced. “Ouch. But you’re okay?”
“I am okay,” he said with a smile.
“And how are you, Ellory? School going all right?”
“If you’re asking about Chrys, she hasn’t been bothering me. Well, she did once. Before school. She came up to me with some of her friends and started saying mean things, but I just stared at her with big scary eyes, like you suggested. When I didn’t say anything or do anything, she got weirded out and left me alone.”
MacGyver chuckled. “Good. And your theater work? How’s that going?”
She beamed. It was the right question to ask, apparently.
“It’s awesome! I love it. Before this year, I thought theater was only about acting, which I didn’t want to do. But I love being behind the scenes. I was actually able to fix one of the lights last week. It went out and wouldn’t work and no one could figure it out. But I channeled my inner MacGyver and tweaked this and turned that, wiggled a few wires, and it started working again!”
“That’s my girl!” MacGyver praised.
It took over an hour to get caught up with each of the four kids and what they’d been doing while he was away. As he gave all his attention to the children, Addison quietly heated up some leftovers and brought him a fork and plate while he was talking. Then she took the dirty dishes away when he was done, bringing him a glass of water and a large chunk of pound cake smothered with strawberries.
The kids weren’t wrong, it was one of the best desserts he’d ever eaten. His taste buds were tingling as he enjoyed every bite.
It took another forty-five minutes to get the kids into bed. They were keyed up because he was home, and they all wanted to talk to him at the same time. MacGyver read three stories to Yana, tucked the boys in and reassured them that he’d be home for a while. He had a quiet moment with Ellory to ask about her health. He told her that he wanted to hear all about her visit with her father when they had a bit more time and privacy, and to his relief, she simply nodded, didn’t say she didn’t want to talk about it.
MacGyver was exhausted—from the trip, the emotional reunion with his family—but he felt a contentment deep in his bones. This was what he’d been missing. Yes, it was tiring being a father to four children and making sure all their different needs were met, but extremely rewarding as well. Thinking about what Artem, Borysko, and Yana would be doing, where they’d be sleeping or what they’d be eating if he hadn’t brought them to the States, was enough to give him an anxiety attack.
Now, finally, the kids were in bed and he could turn his attention to his wife.
Addison was waiting for him in the living room. She’d cleaned the kitchen, folded the blankets, and had started getting the kids’ lunches ready for the next day. Once again, he was amazed at how good a caretaker she was.
Without a word, he walked over to her and took her in his arms. Neither of them spoke for a long moment.
“Welcome home,” she murmured into his hair. “To the crazy.”
“I missed it,” MacGyver reassured her.
She chuckled against him, then pulled back, keeping her arms around his waist. “I can’t believe you didn’t call and warn me you were coming home,” she said with a small frown.
“Didn’t want to take the time. The only thing I could think about was getting here and seeing everyone.”
