Page 15 of Tormented Soul: Heather

He rests his chin on my shoulder, and encases me in the protection of his arms around my waist.

“You don’t need to get all spruced up for us,” he says, his eyes holding mine in my reflection in the bathroom mirror.

“It’s habit,” I say, shrugging my shoulder.

“Okay, I just want you to be comfortable with however you want to look. We hold no expectations on your appearance,” he says, kissing the top of my hair, and leaving me to decide whatIwant for the first time in years.

Landing on wearing a messy bun, I go out to see Gemini and Zander at the bar, and his brother with Jonas in the kitchen plating food.

I slide up on a stool next to my son, and give his dark hair a kiss.

They ordered pizza, and I see one of them is a supreme, my favorite. Orin sets a plate with two slices of it in front of me, and then grabs his own with sausage, taking a huge bite.

Zander’s plate has cheese, and the brothers both have pepperoni. It’s comfortable, and feels natural. They’re all great with Zander and he seems to be attaching himself to each of them too. Which in and of itself, is shocking.

9 Growing Pains

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“Iwasthinkingoftaking Zander to get some stuff for his room after we’re done eating. Is that okay?” Gemini asks me around a mouthful.

I hesitate, knowing I don’t have much left in my reserve funds. Certainly not any extra for unnecessary splurges.

“Not much, and it would my treat. A ‘welcome to your new home’ kind of gift,” Gemini says when I don’t answer him.

A slow nod of my head and a shy smile is my answer. Being embarrassed that I have to worry about money and spending is a new experience for me. I focus intently on my food as the others go on as if I’m not burning inside from my new financial situation. Thankfully, Jaz has the store covered until I can come back, and she doesn’t charge me an arm and a leg, she mostly helps out for free.

“I want a dinosaur picture!” Zander exclaims loudly, popping his butt off his seat and nearly toppling the stool over.

Jonas reaches out to catch him, but Zander manages to right himself at the last second.

“Finish up so we can go, bud,” Gemini says, taking his plate to the sink, and then rinsing it before putting it in the dishwasher.

Such a simple task shocks me to my core. Steven never cleaned up after himself and always expected me to. If I wasn’t right behind him to clean up any mess he made, I paid for it. Not having to do that now is… a huge relief.

Zander shoves the last of his pizza in his mouth, and races to his room yelling, “Getting my jacket!”

“Thank you,” I whisper to Gemini.

“For what?” He asks, tilting his head.

“Helping Zander make this place feel more like home,” I say, leaving off the part about him simply cleaning up.

His gaze gets soft, and has tears welling in my eyes, “Baby.” He comes to me, and wraps me in his strong arms. I breathe in his sweet, spicy cologne, and hide my face in his chest.

Zander’s clomping footsteps have me gathering myself and pulling out of his arms, even though it’s the last thing I want to do.

“Ready!” Zander shouts, bouncing on his toes. He’s got a huge smile, looking up at Gemini.

“Okay, bud, let me get my jacket. Tell your mom bye,” Gemini ruffles Zander’s hair, then strides to the coat closet by the front door. Though I try not to ogle him, his nicely muscled legs catch my eye.I absolutely am not checking out his ass. Nope, not at all.

“Bye, mama!” Zander wraps his little arms around one of my legs. Orin comes over, and lifts him up so that he can give me a proper hug without me having to bend down or lift him in my current condition.

“Bye, my sweet boy. Have fun, and be good for Gem, ‘kay,” I say, kissing the top of his dark hair, reminding me of his father. Hopefully someday, I’ll be able to not think of Steven and see him in my beloved son.

“’Kay! Let’s go!” He wiggles, and Orin lets him down as Gemini comes over and squeezes my hand.

“Come on then,” Gemini says, taking Zander’s hand and heading out.

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