Page 79 of Creed

Morgan took Addie to the hall bathroom, and I went up to my bedroom. When I returned back downstairs, Addie was holding on to Morgan’s leg as she stood in front of the stove stirring something. Morgan glanced at me and pouted.

“Addie, what do you say we show you your room now?” Morgan asked.

“Okay.” Addie answered in a whisper. “Can da big guy come?”

“Sure, I’ll come.” I answered and Addie let go of Morgan and reached her arms up for me. I picked her up and she once again held on to me like a monkey.

I carried her upstairs as Morgan followed. She still had a death grip around me when we opened the door to her room. Morgan did a great job, the room was neutral, and the queen sized bed looked comfortable. There weren’t any girly glittery things, which I thought Addie would like.

“This is your room. What do you think, Addie?” Morgan was definitely nervous as she spoke then waited for an answer.

Addie finally let go of me a little and looked around the room. She then looked at me then at Morgan and nodded her head.

“We wiv in a twee?”

Morgan and I looked at each other then laughed. "No, sweetie. Our house is made from logs from trees.” I said.

“Here’s your closet and I bought you all kinds of clothes. There’s some in here and your drawers. And this over here is a toy box. Creed and I thought you could pick out some toys online, but we also have some already here for you. This over here is your own bookshelf. I got you a bunch of books, but you can pick more out later.” Morgan walked over to the window. “All of us have a view of the lake.”

I walked over so Addie could see. “You can never go down there without me or Morgan because it’s not safe to go alone, okay?” I wanted her agreement. The thought of her drowning scared me the most about my property.

Addie nodded. “Mommy says never swim alone.”

“Perfect, so now do you want to see the rest of the house?” I was anxious to show her the play set outside, the side by side, and her toys downstairs. I knew Morgan wanted to show her the matching bikes she got for them.

We gave Addie the full tour, but unfortunately, she wouldn’t let me put her down. She was like a monkey with her arms and legs wrapped around me. The poor kid was scared and that was apparent, but also understandable.

Conflicted

Morgan

If it were any other occasion, I’d easily say Creed never looked hotter then when he allowed Addie to hold on to him.

Addie didn’t want to let go of Creed, but when he needed to take a call while I was making dinner, she held on to my leg the entire time. I held her, tried to comfort her, but it seemed like maybe she thought if she let go we would disappear.

Unlike Creed, who practically inhaled his homemade spaghetti and meatballs, Addie didn’t eat much. She had to sit right next to Creed and I was feeling uneasy about it. Creed was leaving, and I was afraid how that would effect Addie when the time came. I decided to give it a few days to see how she did because Creed had to go to work, and we would be alone more often.

After dinner, Creed helped clean up the kitchen, then we let Addie choose what to watch on television. She chose The Karate Kid, which of course made Creed happy. She sat on his lap through the whole movie, and they even shared a bowl of popcorn. Every once in a while, Addie would climb over to me and hug me before climbing back on Creed’s lap.

At bedtime, she chose the pajama set with suns and pink flowers. It was cute because it was a pair of cotton shorts with a baby doll top. We had bath time then I brushed her hair and braided it. As I was braiding her hair, I thought it was a good time to talk.

“Its me and you, always. I promise, Addie. I will never leave you behind.” She was sitting on my lap as I sat on her bed.

“Mommy died.” She was sitting too calmly for a six year old. A real consequence of the childhood she had with Callie and Shane. The poor little girl saw and lived through too much. She acted a bit older than she should from time to time.

“I know, and I’m sorry, Addie. Your mommy loved you more than anything.”

“Daddy died.”

What the hell was I supposed to say about that? That I hoped he burned in hell?

“Daddy had a sickness that made him do those things. It’s all gone now and that sickness can’t ever make him hurt anyone again. We are safe and I will always do what’s best to make it stay that way.”

“Da big guy too?” She asked.

Shit, I couldn’t exactly tell her that Creed was going somewhere dangerous and wouldn’t always be around.

“That big guy will always do his best to stay safe. Do you know what a soldier is, Addie?” I asked.

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