Page 42 of Protecting Addison
He fell asleep within minutes with a huge smile on his face.
* * *
Addison was surprised when their lives fell into a normal rhythm very quickly after the excitement of the kids being removed by CPS. Tex was attempting to fast track the adoption and, amazingly, after only a few hiccups, Artem, Borysko, and Yana settled back into the routines they had before.
Her cake business was booming and she had to make a hard decision to limit the number of orders she accepted. Ricky had sat her down one night recently and said that she was working herself to exhaustion, and he wasn’t willing to stand by and watch her do it anymore. Between the kids and baking, she’d reached her limit.
So she’d backed off to a maximum of two cakes a day, and she found she actually enjoyed the more reasonable pace. Decorating had become a chore, and now she was liking what she did once more. Only making one or two cakes a day also freed up some afternoons to run errands, meet up with the other women—which had become one of the highlights of her week—and participate in school activities when they came up.
Things had been going so well, Addison was able to put in the back of her mind the fact that Ricky and his team would be deployed soon. They’d been preparing for a mission for the last four weeks, and the countdown was on. He couldn’t say exactly when they’d be leaving, but he’d begun talking to the kids about him being gone for a while, making sure they understood that it was a part of his job and that he’d be back.
Addison didn’t want to think about how lonely she’d be without Ricky there. He was a huge help with the kids. Was a very hands-on dad. They’d all miss him tremendously when he was gone.
And somehow, even though it was obvious they both wanted to move their relationship forward physically, they hadn’t found the time or energy to do anything about it. Addison was certainly enjoying the kissing and snuggling they did. But she was also getting frustrated. It felt as if just when they made the decision to go for it, something always happened to put a kink in her plans.
Borysko getting sick and vomiting all over his bed, which necessitated them cleaning him up and stripping the bedding. Artem having a nightmare. Yana crying about something she couldn’t articulate very well. It was all a part of having kids, but exasperating all the same. She wanted her husband, and she was starting to contemplate shipping all four kids off to Caroline’s house for that sleepover she proposed, just so she could have some uninterrupted time with Ricky.
Some of her favorite moments were right before Ricky got up to head to base for PT. She’d gotten in the habit of waking up right before his alarm, and they enjoyed a few minutes of quiet conversation before he had to get up and she went back to sleep for a couple of hours.
This morning was no exception.
“You awake?” he whispered.
Addison nodded against him. As usual, she was plastered against his side. Sometime during the night, one of her legs had hitched over his thigh, and she could feel almost every inch of his hard body against the length of hers.
“I’m worried about Ellory’s appointment,” he admitted.
Addison was too, but she did her best to allay his fears. “It’s just a meeting to discuss the results of the upper GI test they did and the bowel rest program the doctor wants to try.”
“I know, but I don’t like the idea of her not being able to eat.”
“I think she’s actually looking forward to it. You know she’s been in more pain lately. Even when she eats exactly what’s on her approved list, she still has issues. This will be like fasting. She’ll get the nutrients she needs through the special drinks and hopefully no painful cramping or diarrhea.”
“I hate this for her.”
“Me too. But honestly, I think most of the time eating is very stressful for her. Because all she can think about is how that food is going to make her feel later.”
“What about at school? Will she be made fun of even more for not eating?”
Addison loved this man so much for being so worried for Ellory. “She’s going to spend the lunch hour in the library. It’s already been approved. You know how much she loves to read. It’s a win-win in her book.”
“The flower chick hasn’t been messing with her…more than usual, that is, has she?”
Addison chuckled at his nickname for Chrysanthemum. “Ellory claims she hasn’t. Ever since she used a few of the comebacks you taught her…which I’m not sure was the best idea, but since they seem to be working, I won’t scold you too much.”
“Hey, all I said was that when she insulted her, to come back with creative and unexpected responses. To confuse her. Like when Flower Girl said that she was smelly, and Ellory shrugged and said, ‘Good thing I’m nice.’ And when she told her that she’s skinny as a stick, our girl just smiled and said, ‘At least I’m not ugly. And I can always gain weight to change.’ Classic.”
Addison did her best not to laugh. “I’m just glad their encounters haven’t turned violent.”
“If they do, Ellory will wipe the floor with her,” Ricky said smugly.
He’d had a few self-defense lessons so far, and Ellory’s self-confidence seemed to increase after each session. While Addison wasn’t a fan of her daughter using violence to solve any kind of problem, she wasn’t so naïve to believe it could never happen.
“So…doctor’s appointment today, then what?”
“I only booked one cake today, so then it’s back here to get that done. Afterward, Yana has her meeting with the child psychologist, Artem and Borysko have soccer, I need to go grocery shopping, and in case you haven’t noticed, the dirty clothes are taking over this house.”
He chuckled. “I’ll put a load in before I head out this morning.”
