Page 111 of Totally Shipped
I nod, and Brooke takes off to get my bag.
Tears filling my eyes for my sister and my niece. Amelia doesn’t look upset at all; she chuckles while I begin to strip Thea. When I blow a raspberry, it cracks her up.
“It’s all going to work out isn’t it, Amelia? Aunty Daisy is going to figure out a plan…but first we have to clean your cousin’s smelly butt!”
???
The guys rejoined me—us—for dinner. And that wasn’t at all awkward. The four of them were freshly showered, and in the crisp new clothes we’d all had Amazon deliver when we were in Jefferson City, but boy, did they all look out of place.
“Is this the first time you’ve bought a boy home, Daisy?” my sister grins at me. Evil witch.
“Very funny, sis.”
The guys don’t know how to react to any of this. Leander is the only one who looks even slightly comfortable. He also brought several bottles of wine to have with dinner, which was a good thought. I’ve heard the phrase ‘pump and dump’ but have never used a breast pump, so no wine for me, unfortunately. I’ll just plow through the evening completely sober.
“Lovely pot-roast, Mrs. Jackson,” Gray mumbles.
“Oh, er, thank you. I guess you can call me Angela.”
“Angela, yeah. It’s tasty. Err, where did you grow up, Angela?”
Bless Gray for trying to make small talk.
“Just a little north of here,” my mom replies.
“Isn’t Thea adorable, Mr. Jackson,” Leander beams at my dad. “She doesn’t look much like you, but I definitely see some Angela in there.”
Dad shifts in his seat, then puts down his silverware.
“Alright. Enough.”
The room goes quiet and we all turn his way. Gosh, it feels just like home used to.
“Thea. I want to know about her. Who is daddy there?”
My, how things don’t change. Dad is very much still Dad.
I close my eyes for a moment then open them again. “I understand that you have questions…”
Alright, this is when it might get awkward.
“...and I’m not sure where to start.”
Leander holds my hand under the table. We’d talked on the drive down, and I said I’d explain about our situation. Now though, I'm having second thoughts. I’m a teenage girl again, having to explain a C minus. Or a dent on the fender. Or forgetting to hang out the laundry.
“Mr. Jackson, firstly I’d like to say thank you for you and Angela’s hospitality. As Gray has said, it’s a delicious pot roast. We are all pleased to make your acquaintance, because I imagine we will be seeing each other, somewhat frequently, from now on.”
My dad opens his mouth, but Leander doesn’t give him a chance to speak.
“You asked about Thea’s parentage, and we’ll get to that, but firstly, I’d like to express what a wonderful daughter you have.”
It’s incredible, but when Dad turns his head, he doesn’t look at me…
HE LOOKS AT BROOKE!
Rex gets to his feet and comes to stand behind me. “Leander is completely correct, Daisy is the most beautiful human being I have ever met, and I love her so utterly and completely.”
Killian straightens in his seat, “And so do I. For you to have had this amazing girl, this amazing woman in your life for twenty-nine years, and not appreciate how special she is? It boggles the mind.”
