Page 30 of Protecting Addison
The presentation continued, with other kids asking questions, and soon their time was up. Chrys didn’t look at Ellory as she left the room, and MacGyver was taking that as a win. Time would tell if what he’d said sank in for the mean girl.
Ellory came up and gave him another big hug before she left the room, whispering, “Thank you,” against his chest before pulling away and following after her classmates.
MacGyver saw the tears in her eyes, and he hoped like hell he’d done the right thing.
“Good job, man,” Blink told him when they were alone once more. They had one last group before their demonstration outside. “I’m thinking you might have made her think a little.”
“I hope so. I mean, she’s too young and pretty to be such a meanie-head.”
Flash overheard his comment and burst out laughing. “Meanie-head?” he asked.
“Hey, we’re in a school. Can’t exactly say what I’m thinking,” MacGyver retorted.
“True.”
“You didn’t play the trombone in high school,” Safe said with a small chuckle.
“Nope. And Iwason our football team. We won a state championship too,” he bragged. “But I didn’t think that would help Ellory’s case any, so I embellished a bit.”
“I was in band,” Flash said. “I played clarinet. And I was in theater. I was bullied all the time, but I mostly ignored the assholes. Except the one time, when I was cornered by three guys.”
“And?” Kevlar asked, when he didn’t finish his story.
“I beat the shit out of them, and no one ever bothered me again,” Flash said smugly. “So you’re right, MacGyver. It’s not about being big and strong. Those karate lessons I had when I was little paid off. Self-defense forallour women isn’t a bad idea.”
“Our women? You don’t have a woman,” Preacher said with a grin.
“Well, being around all you guys has to rub off on me at some point,” Flash said with a smile. “Maybe I’ll find one by osmosis or something.”
He was being ridiculous, but MacGyver could hear something in his friend’s tone. He might act like he didn’t care if he had a girlfriend…but being around couples all the time might be making his friend a little weary.
Kevlar shared a loaded look with Safe, then the two men pounced on Flash and began to gyrate against either side of him.
“Hey! What the hell are you doing? Stop it!” Flash exclaimed, trying to push his friends away, with no luck.
“Cooties! Girlfriend cooties! We’re getting them all over you. Maybe it’ll attract a woman,” Safe told him.
Everyone was laughing hysterically, and it didn’t help when the next batch of kids entered the room and found two big men basically dirty dancing against a third.
Getting through the presentation was difficult, as everyone kept giggling and it was almost impossible to keep a straight face. When it was over, and they met up with Wolf and his team, everyone laughed all over again when they tried to explain what was so funny.
The rest of the day went by without a hitch. The obstacle course was a huge hit with the kids and it was fun to watch them try to navigate it. Even the biggest boys had problems finishing, and MacGyver loved that it was ultimately a girl who outperformed everyone else.
Then the students got to try on the armor the SEALs wore, check out the scuba gear and wetsuits they used for underwater missions. Watching them attempt to lift the forty-pound packs and walk around was hilarious.
All in all, it was a good day. MacGyver had enjoyed himself, and not only because he’d gotten to speak his mind to Ellory’s main bully. He had no idea if it would make a difference or not, but the gratitude in his stepdaughter’s eyes was all the thanks he needed.
He was in a great mood—which made the phone call he got when they were packing up the gear and obstacle course a total shock.
The number on his screen read “unknown.” Normally he didn’t answer those kinds of calls because they were usually from spammers, but for some reason, his gut told him to pick up.
“Hello?”
“Is this Ricardo Douglas?”
“Yes, who is this?”
“My name is Samantha Price, and I’m with Child Protective Services. We understand that you’re in the process of attempting to adopt three children from the Ukraine. As you probably know, our office is swamped with cases and we recently began working on yours, and some irregularities in your case have come to our attention. Therefore, while an investigation is ongoing, the children have been removed from your care.”
