Addison (The Mitchell/Healy Family #6)(33)

I pulled my phone from my pocket to let her know I was available for pick-up.

I’m finished if you want to come get me early. – C





I’ll be there in five. Just checking out at the grocery store. – A

It took her about seven total minutes to pull up in front of where I was standing. She had changed her clothes and put her hair in a messy ponytail. Her makeup was light, and I liked her better that way. She was beautiful naturally. She didn’t need to hide it with shit caked on her face. As soon as I climbed in the car she was waiting to kiss me. I welcomed it, lifting my hand up to hold her cheek as we greeted each other.

A knock on the passenger side window stopped us. One of the girls from earlier was standing outside of the vehicle. I pushed the button and let it lower so I could see what she wanted. “Yeah?”

“I forgot to give a tip earlier.” She looked at Addison’s car, which happened to be an expensive sedan. “Now I know why you said you were exclusive. Anyway? you have my number. Call me if your status ever changes.”

I took the cash and clenched my jaw, wondering how I was going to explain this without hearing shit. By the time the window was up Addison was laughing her ass off. “Oh my god. What was that about?”

“Apparently she wants me.”

“She said you were exclusive. Do you have a girlfriend I don’t know about?”

Her smile changed when she realized who I was talking about. I’d been clear that this was casual. Now I had her concerned, and I wasn’t sure how to go about it. “I’m looking at her.”

“What changed your mind?”

“Everything. You did. I don’t know. Can we talk about it later? I just want to get the hell out of here.”

It was a douche move to ask her to drop it, but I couldn’t be responsible for my answers otherwise. This girl had me by my nuts. It wasn’t about the sex, or lack thereof. It was deeper; a connection that would bring me to my knees in pain if I didn’t figure something out quick. This woman would break me, more than the one before her.

When we pulled up at the ranch there was someone already swimming in the pool. A girl, resembling Addison walked up to the gate to greet us. “You must be Cole. I’ve heard so much about you.” She extended her hand for me to shake.

Addison came up behind me. “Don’t listen to her. I haven’t told her anything but your name. She’s nosey like that.”

I realized after that it was her sister Christian. “Oh, you’re Christian.”

“Chris. That’s Ethan over there.” She pointed to the guy who was reading a book with ear buds in, so he couldn’t hear a word we were saying.

“Cool.” I lifted up the bags of cold food. “We better get these in the refrigerator.”

Addison led the way into the main house. Once inside we put the food away. She came over and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me without a real explanation. “You okay, precious?”

“I am now.”

“Do you want to elaborate?”

She peered up into my eyes. “Do you want to be exclusive? I’m only asking because I hate sharing. I’m not selfish. I just like having my own things.”

“Am I a thing?”

“Well,” she snickered, “sort of.”

I placed my hands on her ass and squeezed. “I think I might be okay with this arrangement.”

“This is bad.”

I kissed her on the nose. “Says who? Seriously. Who makes the rules?”

She shrugged. “I’m not used to letting new people into my life.”

“I want to know all of you,” I explained while running a hand over her cheek. “Let’s forget about everyone else for once. We can call this what it is. I’m tired of searching for reasons why it shouldn’t happen.”

“No one is going to understand how all of a sudden we’re a couple.”

“We’ll take it slow. They don’t need to know details.”

“What about me being your sponsor?”

“Why don’t we try to keep our relationship separate from your professional life. I’m not saying you shouldn’t keep our relationship a secret, but maybe it’s better if I find somewhere else to go to meetings and be sponsored, if I go at all. To be honest I used more for recreation. I mean, yeah, it got out of hand. For a while there I went crazy. I’m not justifying my actions to sugar coat them. I’m just saying I’m in control. I don’t need a twelve step program to keep me in check. I’m not worried about going back there. It’s not even remotely interesting, not when I have something so much more worthwhile to look forward to every day.”

“How about this then. I’ll skip that extra meeting tonight. We can have a nice meal and do what normal people would do without having to think about an addiction.”

“I’m only okay with that if you are. If you need to go to a meeting I won’t stand in your way. I don’t want you losing track of what’s important.”

“I’m okay. When I’m with you I don’t think about who I used to be.”

“That’s good. You must really like me.”

“I do,” she agreed. “Probably way too much.”

Since we didn’t have to rush out to a meeting in town, Addison helped me marinate the steaks. She put a salad together, while I headed outside to start the grill. I’d only been outside a couple minutes before her sister found me. “So, how long have you been interested in my sister?”