Page 4 of Ayden

“I don’t like this house.” She looked up at the house and decided that she didn’t care for it either, the same as Harley said. Someone had painted it black, and it had black shutters, too. Even the windows looked like they were too dark, and she didn’t want to get out to look at it. “It looks like a monster house that Gilbert used to tell us about that he was going to sell us to.”

That was another thing. They didn’t call their dad ‘dad’ anymore. She was positive that they’d not been calling him that for a while, but she couldn’t put her finger on when it had started. Not that it mattered to her. She never liked the bastard anyway.

Ayden didn’t even try to talk them into seeing the house but told them to re-buckle, and they started toward the last house on the list they’d been given. She didn’t like house hunting, she thought, any more than she did job hunting. It was just too much work.

The last house on their list didn’t look any better than the one they’d just left. She wanted it finished with. A place where they didn’t have to pick up their sleeping bags nightly and then move them all around the next evening when they went to bed again. Living in a hotel like they were right now had its advantages, but they were few and far in between. She wanted, like a lot of things of late, finished so that she could move on with the rest of her life. One where she had a job, money in the bank, and her little girls were safe and sound. Summer wondered if that was goingto happen.

“Here’s one.” She was brought out of her musing when Ayden spoke. “It’s for sale by owner. While I know what the words mean, I have no idea why that’s different from having a realtor try to sell you one. But we can have a look at it if you’re willing.” She nodded, just wanting to get off her feet when they pulled into the big circular driveway. “It looks big enough for you guys, don’t you think?”

“There’s a pool too. See it?” Getting out of the car, she looked at the big place. It more than likely had too many bedrooms, and she wasn’t going to be able to do anything but clean house all day. The girls could have their own bedrooms, but it would be a lot of work to keep them up. Even if it had a pool, someone had to take care of that as well. “Mommy, look, there’s a big barn out back too. We can have a tractor.”

Summer didn’t know what the attraction was about a tractor, but the girls had been talking about it all morning. She did wonder if Ayden had said something about mowing the lawn, and that was where it had come from, but she just didn’t care. The sooner they could get back to the hotel, and she could put her feet up, the better. She was beginning to hate herself with all her whining, she realized. Putting a smile on her face, even if she didn’t mean it, made her feel just a little better.

She wasn’t even sure why she was so exhausted today. It had been wonderful sleeping on a good mattress, one that didn’t have lumps in it that were older than her. The girls were perfectly fine with sleeping on the floor, the room only had one bed in it, and for now, that was all they had. She’d had a long hot shower and a good breakfast, but she was so exhausted that she was sure that she could fall asleep at any second. Getting out of the car with the others, she leaned against it to have a look around.

Itwouldrequire a tractor to mow the lawn. But she couldalmost see herself doing it. She’d never once mowed anything and didn’t know why the thought of it appealed to her, but it was suddenly all she could think about. Mowing and caring for the lawn. She could almost see a tree for Christmas in the front window with those blow-up things all around the yard. Shaking her head, she went to meet the people who seemed to be in charge of showing the house.

Not only did the house have a nice sized pool, but there was a pool house as well. In addition to that, there was the barn that held not just a tractor but snowmobiles as well. She’d not even seen the inside of the house, the kitchen mostly, and she had herself living here and getting old with Ayden. Her mind was mush right now, and she didn’t know where any of these weird thoughts were coming from.

The living room was large. Larger than her old place by half, she’d bet. The fireplace had been running when they went into the house, but instead of it having to have logs to keep it going, there was gas coming into the house that would keep the room toasty all winter long. Summer hated that she was going to have to be going into the kitchen now. She just knew that it was going to be the worst kitchen that she’d ever seen. But that didn’t happen as it turned out. As soon as she walked in, Summer wanted to tell the people who lived in the house to go away. She’d found her dream home.

The Bradshaws, the owners of the house, were very nice people. Allowing the girls to wander around in the back yard that was indeed fenced in. But they also made them some hot cocoa and cookies so that they could sit in the living room with them while they talked about the house. She had to admit, she was impressed with the questions that her girls had asked, thinking that knowing what sort of heat the house had—gas, was a good one. Also, how new the roof was from Ayden. Apparently, they’d been watching renovation shows on television and knew thekind of questions that had been taken care of on the shows.

Before she knew it, they were headed out the door with an offer in on the house and headed to the bank to see if they could get a loan. It was done and finished, a saying her grannie used to say before the ink was dried on the paperwork. She had a house to move into now.

“How about some dinner before I drop you off at the hotel?” Ayden had been coming by to see them at least twice a day since they moved into the hotel. The government was picking up the tab, he’d told her for their help in getting a man like Gilbert and his cohorts off the streets. There was going to be a bonus of sorts, too, that she’d get for helping get the criminals caught who had been selling drugs to the high school for some time now. “We can do pizza, or we can celebrate that you have a house now and are having something fun, too.”

“Fun.” Of course, the girls wanted fun. She honestly didn’t care so long as she didn’t have to cook or clean up. Something was the matter with her, and she was going to have to see someone about it soon. This was just crazy that she wanted to do nothing but sleep.

“I’ve spoken to my brothers about why you’re feeling off the way that you are.” She asked him why he’d do that. “You asked me why you were so exhausted, and I went to them. They’re the only people I know who might have an answer. But it was Mac that I think figured it out. She said that you were now in a place where you feel safe and sound, and the girls aren’t going to be hurt, and your body is just wanting to take advantage of the help. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but it sounds like something that seems right. What do you think?”

“I don’t know.” But she did think about it. “You know, you could be right. I have been sleeping better, but I’m still tired. I bet you’re right.”

The four of them ended up eating at a restaurant that didhave a kids’ menu, too. It was a burger place, of course, but it had pizzas and subs that the other joint didn’t. She just wanted a nice big salad and was pleasantly surprised that they had taco salad, something that she’d not had in ages. Her daughters both had subs, too, but each of them was different. While they loved to have hot subs, they didn’t care for spicy. Ayden had a taco salad with her but without meat. She almost felt sorry for him in his aversions.

He spoke to his brother Lica more than anyone, but when they were just getting their food, he and his wife showed up. She didn’t know the other woman all that well and was slightly intimidated by her. While she knew that she was something higher on the food chain about being an alpha bitch, that was the extent of her knowledge about what the couple did.

“The house is going to need a bit of work, as you were told.” The girls decided that they wanted to know all the details, and she didn’t turn them down when they asked when they could move in. “It’ll be after Thanksgiving, that’s for sure, but they think they can be out by Christmas. Since you don’t have much in the way of furniture, I’m thinking that you guys can be in there with a tree up in time for Santa Claus.”

The furnace had to be replaced and was going to be started on in the morning. Also, the air conditioning on the second floor needed to be updated. She was fine with that, and so were the girls. What she didn’t know was what they were going to do for the next month while they waited for the house to be ready.

“I have a couple of rentals that you can stay in. They’re sort of furnished but not with much. If you fall in love with the things there, you’re more than welcome to them. Also, I know that there are several houses that I own that you can pick and choose from them as well in the way of things you might need.”

“Bedroom sets for the girls most of all. Other than that, I can’t think of much else. I just want them to be able to sleep well.”Brandy said that she could handle that for them as she wanted to give them a welcome gift from the family. “You don’t have to do that. I’m sure they can use the sleeping bags until they’re ready.”

“Nonsense. They’re welcome here, and we’re happy to have them as part of the family. I believe that Ayden’s grandmother is going to get them computers so that they can keep up with their homework, too.” It was all too much, and she said as much to her. “We have money, which means that you have it as well. I won’t spoil them, for as much as I’d like to but there are things that we can do for them in light of how they have been treated. Besides, they’re my first nieces, and I want to have a bit of fun with them.”

“I don’t want them to be able to come to you when they want something, and I’ve told them no.” Brandy told her that she’d never do that. Not ever. That her word was what they would always go by. “Thank you for that.”

~*~

Ayden hadn’t ever wanted a woman like he did Summer. It was as if she was the only woman in the world for him, and he didn’t know how to react. As soon as they were settled at the hotel, he found himself a room to stay in, too, and was just settling down when Harley called him on the cell phone he’d gotten for them both. He never wanted them to feel unsafe or that they couldn’t get in touch with him. He also wanted them to be able to talk to him anytime they had questions about being in a family of wolves.

“Mr. Ayden, I have a question for you. Well, Selma and I have a question for you. What is it we’re supposed to call you? I know we’ve been calling you Mr. Ayden, but that’s not very much fun. Can we call you Ayden?” He told her that it was all right with him, but she had to ask her mom. “She said that we had to ask you. We already call your brothers uncle and their wives aunt so it’s good that we call you by your first name. We’ve not called ourdad, Gilbert, Dad in a very long time. He never liked us all that much anyway.”

“I already love you.” She said that they loved him too but were waiting on their mom. “Yes, I can understand that. Waiting on your mom is a good thing since she seems to be so stressed out.”

“I don’t think she’s stressed so much as she’s wigged out.” Ayden laughed and then asked her what that meant. “She told us that she’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. I kinda know what that means, but I think with the grandparents wanting us, she’s freaking out a little bit on that too.”

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