Page 29 of Blossom and the Alien Actor

“Are you going to the studio like that? Because while I enjoy the view, you may cause a few accidents if you drive to work without a shirt.”

He glanced down then shrugged. “I’ll put one on, but I’ll have to change when I get there. We’re re-filming a scene the director isn’t quite happy with just yet. You can tag along while wardrobe and makeup do their thing, then you can have my seat on set while I’m working.”

“I get to sit in the mighty Brexton’s seat? Whatever will people think?”

He smiled. “They’ll think I’m happily mated.”

“I’m heading downstairs to see if Mrs. Connors needs to be rescued. If she’s going to have the children to herself later, she’ll need a break now. They can be exhausting.”

“We’ll need to leave before lunch,” he said. “There’s food at the studio. You can help yourself to whatever you want while we’re there, then later tonight we’ll go out to dinner as a family.”

“Is that wise?” she asked, worrying at her lower lip. “What about Mike? He’s still out there, lurking somewhere, just waiting for his opportunity. I mean, I was worried before, but after learning who he really is?”

Brexton moved closer and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against his body. “No one will hurt you or the children. I’ll spare no expense to ensure your safety. All three of you.”

“We’re so lucky to have you.”

“Go see the children while I finish dressing. After breakfast, we can watch cartoons with the kids or bring them back up here to play.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about running up and down the stairs all the time while the kids were so small. “There’s a room downstairs I’ve never really used. I think we should turn it into a playroom.”

“You can show me the room after we eat. It would be nice to have the kids downstairs during the day, and yet let them have their own space.”

He kissed her cheek then released her. Blossom went downstairs while Brexton finished dressing. By the time he reached the kitchen, the table was full of food. Far more than he’d ever seen Mrs. Connors fix for one morning. She’d said she would prepare a feast, and it seemed she’d kept her word.

RaeLynn must have been finished already because she had a few toys on her tray. Drew was making a mess, bits of egg and biscuit all over him and the table, but it made Brexton smile. He didn’t care if the kids were messy, he was just grateful they were here and that he could claim them as his. He now had everything he’d ever wanted. A family.

When Drew was finished eating, he squirmed and fussed until Mrs. Connors unbuckled him from the booster seat. He immediately went to Brexton and lifted his arms. Once his son was settled in his lap, Brexton finished his meal, but noticed Blossom kept casting glances his way. She almost looked surprised to find Drew sitting with him, but the little boy had taken to him almost instantly the moment they’d met.

“Something wrong?” Brexton asked Blossom.

“No, it’s just… he’s normally shy around anyone but me.”

“Boy knows his daddy,” Mrs. Connors said. “Nothing wrong with that.”

Brexton paused, remembering that Drew had called him Daddy earlier.

“Mrs. Connors, did you tell the children to call me Daddy?” he asked.

The older woman’s cheeks flushed and she blustered a moment before placing her hands on her hips and taking a stand. “Well, that’s what you are, isn’t it? You’re their daddy, and there’s no reason they shouldn’t call you that.”

Blossom looked like she was trying not to smile as she stared at him. Probably waiting to see how he’d react, which meant he needed to say all the right things, or he’d have two angry women on his hands.

“Yes, that’s who I am to them, but… it just took me by surprise to hear Drew call me that this morning,” Brexton said.

“I’m not usually a busybody, but it just seemed wrong that your own children didn’t call you Daddy or some variation of it. I don’t know what kind of relationship you’ve had with them before now…”

“Mrs. Connors, have you forgotten that…” He stopped and looked down, noticing that Drew was listening to everything he said. No, he wasn’t about to say the kids weren’t really his. What if Drew understood what he was saying and was hurt by his words? “Never mind.”

The housekeeper nodded, and went about straightening the kitchen. Brexton finished his meal then led his new family down the hall to a room that was supposed to be a bedroom. He’d used it as storage for a bit, but for the moment, it was empty. It would make the perfect playroom for the kids, until they were older. Then maybe they could turn it into a media room or something suitable for kids who weren’t quite adults yet.

It was a large area, and was currently painted a soft gray. Before the kids could move into the space, he’d need to brighten it up a little. Maybe bring in some larger toys like the small plastic slide he’d noticed at the baby store. He still didn’t know why it was called that. Yes, they had a lot of baby items, but they seemed to carry things for children Drew’s age too.

“I can call a painter and have the room brightened up a bit before the day is over. It would probably need to air out at least overnight before the kids could be in here though. It’s nice enough outside that we could crack a window open so the fumes wouldn’t be so bad,” he said.

“Maybe an aqua or soft teal?” she asked. “It would be appropriate for both a boy and a girl.”

“Does it need some of those wall mural things?” he asked.

Blossom shook her head. “No, if we leave the walls plain and just use framed prints and cute curtains to accent the room, then we can easily change it as they get older. It’s perfect!”

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