“Daddy, wake up!” Devin jumps onto me, kneeing me right in the crotch. I stifle my frustration and pain so I don’t scare him and hear London snickering in the doorway. “I’m going to Auntie’s house for a couple of days.”
“You are?” I groan, trying to sit up. “Who said so?” London went downstairs and returned with an ice pack for me to help ease the pain.
“Auntie said that you are going out of town to eat some crow. Is crow good? I want to try it.” Devin is so excited and bouncy that he is speaking fast. I see London holding a piece of paper in-between her fingers with a smile on her face.
“You got the information?”
“You bet I did.” I jump off the bed and groan in pain as I try to walk over to her. I pull her into a hug and thank her.
“I promise not to fuck it up and fix it even if she never wants to see me again.”
“Your flight leaves in two hours so you need to pack, and I’ll grab some clothes and Devin’s school stuff.”
“Thank you, thank you.”
“Oh, we had breakfast, do you want me to fix you something?” I shake my head and let her know that I can eat on the plane. I grab a shower thinking about what I am going to say to Riley when I see her. I decide once the water starts to get cold—I’m going to beg her to give me a chance.
I look in the mirror while I stand there with a towel around my waist. “Riley, please let me in to talk. I know you said that you didn’t want to be found but I need you to listen to what I have to say.” I clear my throat and shake my head. “No that’s not right.” I head into the bedroom to get dressed. I grab my favorite jeans and gray dress shirt. “Riley, I am an ass and my words come out before I can stop them. I loved the feel of your lips on mine but I wanted more for us not to be in front of everyone.” Feeling pleased with myself, I start packing my bag.
“You know you should say that you are an ass and that you are sorry. She is insecure about herself and saying you want to kiss her in private makes it sound like you are ashamed of her.”
“But I’m not,” I say in frustration.
“I know this, you know this, now convince her.”
“Daddy, you ready for the trip?” I nod my head and grab my bag. London and Devin are dropping me off. I hug them both and take off to check in. Once I’m checked in, I have about a thirty minutes before we start boarding. My nerves are so bad that I went to the bathroom to puke. I’m a successful businessman and have had meetings where I didn’t know the outcome and felt like I could conquer the world, but with Riley, I am scared shitless. I board the plane and take a deep breath.
Ready or not, here I come, Riley.
Riley - 12
I make it to my parents’ house after stopping for groceries for a few days. Since they won’t be here until the end of January, I decide not to stay long. I get everything unloaded and put away then put in a pizza so I can eat something other than McDonald’s food. I hear the doorbell and groan out loud. It’s probably the nosey neighbor from across the street. I open the heavy wooden door not paying attention.
“Mr. Marks, my parents know that I am here so—” I finally look up to see it isn’t Mr. Marks standing in my doorway but the man who I ran away from. Lance. I start to close the door, but his strong hand stops it. “Leave now. You are not welcomed here.”
“Riley, I’m an ass, and I need to explain what I said.”
“No, your words hurt enough, get out.”
“Sorry, I made a promise to myself and London that I will fix this even if you never speak to me again.”
“I’m calling the police.” I walk over to the house phone to pick up the phone. I feel him standing behind me.
“Give me ten minutes. If what I have to say doesn’t change your mind, I’ll leave.”
“When you leave,” I snap at him, “what will happen to our contract?”
“It’s still a binding contract. We can be adults even if we can’t be more than friends.”
“What about Devin?” I ask hesitantly.
“Devin?” The surprised look on his face makes me chuckle. “What about him?”
“He’s been texting me from London’s phone. Look at my phone.” I hand him my phone as he looks through the messages. They were about superheroes, cartoons, games. Lance stumbles backward and sits on the couch.
“Do you want to spend time with him?”
“Yes I do. Lance, I want to spend time with both of you, but I am scared. Your words are the same hurtful words I’ve been hearing all my life since the fire. I want to be cherished, made to feel beautiful and wanted. You made me like I was disgusting and a monster because of my face.”