Page 53 of Protecting Addison
Addison was having trouble concentrating on her work. Smiling as she worked on the Batman cake she was making for a customer’s six-year-old son, she thought about the last few days. She and Ricky hadn’t made love since that first time, but he’d proven how good he was at oral sex, and she’d returned the favor. Nothing with him seemed awkward. Their time was limited to after the kids were all put to bed, and even then it was a crapshoot if Yana or one of the boys woke up and needed something. But they made the little time theydidhave count.
Standing up and stretching her back, her smile faded as her mind switched to a less pleasant topic.
Today after school, Ellory would be meeting her biological father for the first time.
To her and Ricky’s surprise, she’d been excited to learn about Brady, even more so to know that he wanted to meet her. Addison was relieved but also cautious. She just hoped Brady would follow through, wouldn’t just meet her once and then decide he didn’t want to be a father anymore. That would crush Ellory.
Since Ricky would be going with them, Artem, Borysko, and Yana would hang out with Preacher and Maggie after school, here at the house. Their friends would pick the boys up from school while Ricky grabbed the girls.
The truth was, the closer the time came for Ellory to meet her bio-dad, the more worried Addison got. Time had a way of making things she hadn’t seen back when she was in her twenties clearer. Brady had been impatient, concerned with outward appearances, and he didn’t have a very high tolerance for any kind of behavior that was outside the norm. She just hoped that he’d changed over the years.
A few hours later, the woman who’d ordered the Batman cake arrived and gushed over how adorable it turned out. Addison was pretty pleased with it herself. She still had an hour or so before Ricky arrived home with Ellory and Yana, and she figured she should do something productive, like laundry or vacuuming, but she was too nervous.
She sat on the couch, then immediately got up. She couldn’t stop wondering how today would go. Worries about how Brady could treat Ellory kept creeping in.
When her phone rang, Addison was glad for the distraction. Looking down, she saw Maggie’s name on the caller ID.
“Hi, Maggie.”
“Hey.”
“Please tell me you aren’t calling to cancel,” Addison begged.
“Nope. Shawn and I will be there soon. I was just calling to check on you. See how you were doing. I know when we get there, we won’t have much time to chat.”
“Oh…I’m okay.”
“We haven’t been friends for long, but you can talk to me.”
And with that, Addison found herself pouring out all her worries to the other woman. “It’s just that…Brady wasn’t reliable twelve years ago, and I have no idea what kind of person he is today.Ican handle him being a jerk, but I don’t want that for Ellory.”
“You’ve warned her that things might not go the way she wants, right?” Maggie asked.
“Of course. But that doesn’t mean she still isn’t hoping he’ll end up being the perfect dad.”
“Right. So…what’s the worst-case scenario?”
“Huh?”
“The worst case? If you think about what that might be, anything he actually does has to be better, right?”
Addison chuckled. “Right. Um…he’s a drug kingpin who wants to use Ellory to run drugs?”
“Or he owns a circus and wants Ellory to move in with him and become his main act.”
They both laughed. Addison took a deep breath. “Or he’s a changed man, honestly wants to get to know his daughter, and they click and things work out just fine,” she said quietly.
“Yeah. I’m hoping for that one,” Maggie agreed.
“I appreciate you coming over to stay with the kids while we meet with Brady.”
“Of course. I miss them. And since they already know Shawn and I, hopefully they won’t be as nervous with you guys gone.”
Addison had already warned Maggie that the three of them were still a little skittish when it came to being separated from her and Ricky. She didn’t blame them, and they were working on building their confidence back up. “They’re looking forward to hanging out with you guys,” she said. “How areyoudoing? Everything all right with the baby?”
“So far, so good. I’ve been getting a little nauseous in the mornings, but I’m hoping this will be the worst of it.”
Addison couldn’t help but chuckle.
