Midnight Shades

Chapter 42

I unlock the door to my home and step in, immediately smelling the amazing smell of my mother's tacos. I have missed them all. A grin spreads across my face as I see Cronan and my father playfully playing karate, while my mother scolds them in the middle of making dinner.

"I'm back!" I announce loudly, grinning as Cronan gasps and runs over to me, engulfing me in a big hug.

"I thought you'd never come back." He mumbles as I wrap my arms around him.

I look confusedly at my father who rolls his eyes and points to my mother, silently telling me that she told Cronan. I sigh, tightening my grip around Cronan and placing a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm not going anywhere, buddy." I assure him.

"Good." He pouts.

"Ah, cheer up," I say and then whisper in his ear, "I'll get you Cheetos tonight."

"I don't want Cheetos; I want to stay with you." He says, resting his head on my shoulder.

My heart breaks a little for leaving him and for his words. It has been a long time since we both spent time together, and I haven't given him that much attention lately because I was too wrapped up in everything else, but I will make it up to him.

"We will spend the night together, don't worry." I tell him with another kiss to his cheek before I put him down.

"How was your stay?" My father asks after I give him a hug and a kiss.

"It was good, really good. He has a lovely wife and children; they were so kind and humble with me." I reply, smiling gently.

My father smiles. "I'm happy you enjoyed it."

"Thank you, father," I tell him. "For everything that you have done so far. For whatever you sacrificed for my mother and me, and everything that you will sacrifice and do. I cannot tell you how grateful I'm that I have you, as my true father." I blink away the tears.

"You're my family, honey," He smiles. "I'd sacrifice whatever it takes to keep you."

"Oh my," A broken voice is heard and I turn around to see my mother wiping away her tears. "You two will turn me into an ocean of tears one day."

We both laugh slightly as she walks over to us and engulfs the both of us in a hug, kissing both of our heads before muttering, "I love you two so much."

After dinner, taking a shower, and changing into my pyjamas for today, I'm about to sit down on the bed when I hear a knock on the door. Groaning, I get up to open the door since that everyone else is taking a nap. I'm greeted by Esme and Wren when I open the door, who scream and hug me tightly.

I laugh, patting them on their backs gently before they break away and invite themselves inside the house. We all sit down on the couch and Esme is the first to speak, "What happened? Tell us everything."

"About Louis or my father?" I ask, smirking slightly.

"Uh—oh," Wren says, her eyes wide in alert. "Leave Louis to the end, tell me what happened with your dad."

I sigh, "Well, I met his wife and two of his three children, and they're incredibly humble and kind. Like, it's so surprising because I thought they would treat me badly because, you know, I'm his old love's daughter and all that but the complete opposite happened," I shrug. "I even got incredibly close to Kiara in a matter of days. It was amazing, everything about it."

"That's good," Wren says, smiling widely.

"I honestly thought she'd be this awful step—mother, too." Esme says, scoffing.