Chapter One-Hundred-Eighty-Five
“Joshy did WHAT?!” Elenore exclaimed, her eyes going wide and her mouth dropping in shock.
“Kissed me. On the cheek.” Dakota answered. Elenore stared at her for a few moments and then she erupted into laughter, literally dropping to the ground and rolling around. Dakota sat down in the chair to the racecar game and just watched her. When she finally calmed down Elenore sat up hugging her stomach.
“Okay…I’m sorry…it’s just funny. An’ he ran away afterward?” Dakota nodded.
“But he probably didn’ts mean it that way. He probably was just bein’ nice because he couldn’t play house withs me like I wanted him to.”
“Yeah…I’m sure that’s it,” Elenore agreed, stifling her laughter this time and the urge to tell her the truth. She swore to Josh she wouldn’t. “His new daddy kisses people on the cheek a lot. Maybe he is just getting it from him.”
“But he doesn’t go around kissing other girls on the cheek.”
“He’s kissed me on the cheek before…ah dagnabit…you didn’t hear that from me!” Elenore scolded herself and she whacked herself upside the head with her Raphael doll.
“But that’s different…you two are cousins.”
“Not until Kevy adopts me…” Elenore replied softly and she looked down at her Raphael doll that she so stupidly threw a fit for. There is no way Kevin is going to want to adopt her now when all she does is throw fits.
“He is going to adopt you Ellie, don’t worry” Dakota insisted, and she got up and sat next to her and she pulled her into a hug. “I will nots talk to him any more if he doesn’t.” Elenore rested her head against Dakota’s shoulder and hugged her back. She has missed having her friend there to give hugs to. She still can’t believe she had hurt her yesterday. Her first true friend in the whole world and she hurt her. It’s exactly what her father would’ve done.
“I love you Kota…”
“I love you too Ellie.”
“I will never hurt you again.”
“I know that Ellie.” The two girls sat there together for a long time just holding each other until Elenore was fully calm and smiling again. When she was the two of them stood up and they walked back out of the arcade to see what everybody else was doing and Q who had been hidden in a corner watching the two of them followed. When they arrived back to their bowling lane they found everybody bowling. Elenore walked up to Josh after she watched Dakota go over and sit next to Sarah and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and smiled at him with a knowing look.
“Shut up,” Josh demanded, knowing full well what is coming. Elenore smiled at him innocently.
“What?”
“You know what. Don’t even start.”
“I wasn’t starting anything all I wanted to do was come over here and say hi to my Joshy who I have nots seen all day! But if you want to be mean, fine.” Elenore replied, and she started to turn but Josh wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back to him.
“I’m sorry…hi.” He replied and he hugged her. Elenore smiled some and hugged back. She stood there with him quietly watching everybody bowl for a few moments and then spoke up.
“You’ve got my best friend all confused you know.” Josh rolled his eyes.
“Oh yeah, you’re just here to say hi all right.”
“All I wanna know is, why you ran away.”
“Brian wanted to talk to me.”
“Why don’t you just tell her Joshy-washy?”
“Call me Joshy-Washy again and I will hit you.”
“An’ then I will hit you much harder.”
“Nobody better be hitting anybody,” Brian reminded, as he came up behind them, sat down, and wrapped his arms around each of them before resting his chin on Ellie’s shoulder between them. “It is not okay to hit people. Both of you know that.”
“Course we do,” Josh answered innocently.
“Then what is this I hear about you two hitting each other? Hmm?”
“We didn’ts mean it. We were just playin’,” Elenore insisted.
“Yeah – just playin’. I wouldn’t hit my Ellie,” Josh insisted and he hugged her.
“An’ I would never hit my Joshy either,” Elenore added while hugging him back.
“Well I should hope not. I know you two enjoy wrestling with each other, but if I catch you intentionally hurting each other I will not be very happy.”
“We won’t,” Josh and Elenore answered in unison.
“Good little kiddies,” he replied and he kissed Elenore on the cheek and patted Josh on the head before getting up and walking away, though he turned and looked just on time to see Elenore shove Josh away from her and for Josh to shove her back. Brian shook his head smiling and went back to his game, as it was his turn.
“Just tell her already,” Elenore whispered and she shoved him again.
“What and risk losing her friendship when she says she doesn’t like me back? You’re crazy,” Josh replied while shoving her again.
“She won’t do that.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I am her best friend I know all,” Elenore insisted, and she gave him one last shove causing him to fall back into his chair and she leaned forward so they were face to face and whispered so only he could hear. “And because she likes you back” and with that she walked away leaving him gaping after her. She noticed Spencer standing next to Dakota and Sarah and she grinned before running up behind him and jumping onto his back.
“AHH!” Spencer exclaimed in surprise and Dakota placed her hand to her mouth before giggling.
“Ellie, how much sugar have you had?” He questioned as he lightly shoved her off of his back though made sure she landed on her feet and didn’t fall. Elenore grinned.
“None.”
“She is just a natural born disaster that’s all,” Kevin joked. Brian lightly elbowed Kevin in the side and Kevin flinched a little.
“But she’s my natural born disaster and I love her and wouldn’t trade her in for the world,” he corrected himself quickly. Elenore beamed and ran over to him with her arms outstretched and she flung them around his leg and hugged him tight.
“An’ you’re my Kevy an’ I wouldn’t trade you in for the world – even if you’re a meanie head sometimes.” Kevin chuckled and reached down and scooped her up into his arms and hugged her.
“Ohhh Ellie, you’re just too damn cute. I can’t stay mad at you for long…”
“You’re too damn cute too Kevy.” AJ who was just about to take a drink of his soda spit it out and Jerald, Tim, Howie, Brian, AJ, The Carter siblings, Denise – even Kevin was all laughing. He rested his forehead against hers and gazed into her eyes as his own were twinkling with happiness.
“Thank-you baby, but you can’t say damn alright?”
“You said it,” Elenore shrugged.
“And he shouldn’t have,” Tim replied. “It’s not a word made for five year olds.”
“Okay,” Elenore replied and she looked back up at Kevin. “Kevy I’m hungry.”
“Okay, well we’re going to go back to my mom’s and have dinner soon. How about a small snack until then?”
“Pretzel?” Elenore asked hopefully as she had seen a big picture of a pretzel on the wall behind the food counter.
“Those are some pretty big pretzels honey…how about I get you one with a couple of containers of cheese and you can share with your friends?”
“Okay,” Elenore replied eagerly and he carried her over to the snack stand as she slid her arms around his neck and rested her head against his shoulder, feeling better at the fact that her Kevy still loves her and isn’t mad at her for being so bad earlier.
~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile at the restaurant, Nick and Ashley finally got their food and they discovered that AJ and Brian were nice and ordered them spaghetti and they got a side of breadsticks to share also. Nick snorted.
“Well at least they didn’t give us one plate of spaghetti and make us eat it like Lady & The Tramp.” Ashley giggled a little.
“I guess we better have more faith in Brian and AJ next time. They did pretty good Nicky.”
“Oh I have plenty of faith in Brian, it’s AJ I can’t help but question sometimes.”
“Speaking of Brian…” Ashley began and she looked at Nick with a raised eyebrow.
“What?” Nick asked confused.
“You called him Uncle Brian earlier while talking to Sarah…what was that all about?”
“It was an accident,” Nick shrugged.
“Yeah, well, you kind of shocked Dakota…I don’t think she took it that way.”
“I get so used to calling him Uncle Brian when talking to Dakota I just got mixed up.”
“Are you sure you’re not just starting to think of her as your daughter?” Ashley questioned while looking him in the eyes with that look she gets when she is trying to read him. Nick was silent or a few moments before answering.
“Is that really such a bad thing?” he asked softly.
“No, of course not…I would be a hypocrite if I told you that it was,” Ashley reassured as she squeezed his hand gently, as he was now only holding one of her hands while they ate. “But you have Dakota to think about here before you go and make any crazy decisions.”
“Yeah, I know that. I won’t go making any spontaneous moves without talking to her about it first. But I think she gets used to her a little more every day…she’s doing really well. And I can’t help but hope that maybe when she finally does…she could let me adopt her.”
“She is doing very well Nicky I’ve noticed that too. We all have…but she is still very sensitive about her so my advice for you is to just be patient or a little while longer…okay?” Nick nodded and he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it softly.
“So you would be a hypocrite huh?” he questioned while smiling a little and looking at her curiously. “Do you think of Sarah as your daughter?”
“Sometimes I get so lost in the moment that I tend to forget she’s not…” Ashley admitted sheepishly. “Her and Kota both.” Nick chuckled.
“I’ve noticed. Sometimes when I look at you with them, it feels like I’m watching them with their mother and then other times I remember you’re just seventeen years old and most girls your age don’t even think about being a mother yet.” Ashley shrugged.
“Most girls my age haven’t met Dakota and Sarah…”
“Or have been forced to grow up either because of Sean?” Ashley nodded quietly and looked down at her spaghetti while twirling it on her fork.
“I’m sorry honey I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I’m fine,” Ashley replied softly. “I can handle it…I’m not running away anymore.” Nick reached out and gently cupped her cheek in his hand while lifting her chin so she is looking him in the eyes.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive,” She insisted and she gave him a small smile to reassure him and he relaxed when he knew it wasn’t a fake one or that she wasn’t lying to him. “Kota and Sarah don’t have a mommy though…and I know how much it sucks to not have one…so is it all right if I pretend? Will you let me do that?” She asked softly.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he reassured, and he wiped the lone tear that had spilled down her cheek away. As he did he thought about how she has no idea that he is about to make a promise to her that she really will be their mommy some day. The two of them sat there quietly as they ate their spaghetti for a few moments, until suddenly they heard the song ‘Angel of Mine’ by Monica come on the radio and the two of them looked up at each other, both of them thinking the same thing. He smiled at her some and gently squeezed her hand.
“Come dance with me…” he pleaded and he got up before helping her up from her chair and he brought her out into the open space of the restaurant before wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her near. She rested her chin on his shoulder as the two of them began to dance.
~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, when the adults had finished up their bowling game, everybody had headed on over to Kevin, Jerald, and Tim’s mom’s house where they found her making corn bread and chili and hot dogs for Ellie as she discovered that she isn’t a big fan of chili. When they walked into the house Ann greeted them all with overly excited hugs and kisses for her sons.
“I hope you don’t mind a bunch of puppies in your house Auntie Ann,” Brian told her as she pulled him into a hug and gave him a kiss on the cheek also. It was then that she noticed Kori holding a westie, Ellie holding her pug whom she knows as Lil’ Rok, Dakota holding two Chihuahuas in her arms…one she recognizes as Tyke, but the other one she’s never met before and of course Josh has Chance. “We would have left them at my parents house but mom is busy cooking dinner for tomorrow and doesn’t want to be disturbed unless absolutely necessary and Dad will be here shortly. But we had an incident earlier so it’s important that we keep an eye on our puppies.”
“Oh it’s perfectly fine. I’ve gotten the pleasure of meeting Lil Rok the other day and have fallen completely in love with him. Plus you know I adore Tyke I am quite used to dogs being around.”
“Yes, but now you have five of them. If you want us to take them outside we will at anytime.” Ann waved him off and led everybody into the house and she insisted they all make themselves at home. Elenore linked her arm with Sarah and Dakota, standing between them both.
“Come on Kota, Sarah, let me show you the cool toys up in the attic!” she insisted, and she began to steer her two friends toward the stairs. Spencer scooped up Abbie and began to follow.
“Ellie,” Kevin called after her, and the kids turned and looked at him.
“Behave yourself,” he warned gently. Elenore nodded only half listening to him as she turned and excitedly pulled her friends up the stairs, as she cannot wait to show them the neat things she found up there when her and Tim had gone exploring. Laila who did not want to part from the big kids, excitedly hurried after them.
“And keep an eye on the baby! Be careful with her!” Brian called after them. Dakota turned forcing Elenore to stop momentarily and she grinned and held her hand out to Laila.
“Come here Laila,” She called after her. When Laila had caught up Dakota took her hand and began to gently lead her up the stairs. AJ looked at Howie and Kevin a little protectively.
“She’ll be fine. Kota will take care of her. She is really good with her.”
“Yeah…but…”
“AJ chill. You can always go up there every few minutes and check on them.”
“I’ll go up there and keep an eye on them,” Q spoke up and without waiting for anyone to reply he headed up the stairs.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy =)
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