First Impressions

"I can't believe you hung these up." Britain tried to reach up from her position to grab her sandals off of the wall. Apparently Dave really loved those shoes; so much so that he had hung them over his bed.

"No…don't move." Dave commanded while trying to catch his breath. There was something about making love to Britain that was so much more than physical; even in the afterglow, he never wanted that feeling to end. If she moved from off of him, the warmth of her body would go away and he was definitely not allowing that to happen. Besides, he liked those sandals just were they were.

Britain was still straddling him, lying on his chest; she could still feel him partially inside of her. It didn't matter that they weren't having sex anymore; she liked the feeling of being that close to him. His body was sweaty and for him being so muscular, he was surprisingly soft and comfortable. She couldn't resist kissing him. Even if he was trying to talk it didn't matter; his lips were moving and they should be moving on hers.

"This is nice." It had been ages since he had a woman spend the night in his bed. Dave's home was his sanctuary. It was the place that his children lived part of the time. His home was his castle and he didn't share that with people. It was his choice. But with Britain, he wanted her to experience what he was like when he was just being Dave.

"It is." Just lying around, making love, not having a care in the world, hundreds of miles from anyone who didn't want them together; it was more than nice. It was perfect. "I wouldn't have thought that your house would be so homey. I thought for sure it would be a bachelor pad."

Dave laughed. He had never had a bachelor pad because for as long as he could remember, he hadn't been a bachelor…well, not in the traditional sense. He had gone straight from his parents' house to being a husband and a father. And even when his marriage ended, he was still a father. He couldn't have the trappings of a bachelor pad; not when he had children that lived with him. "When I bought this house, I had my girls in mind."

The house was a beautiful two story brick Colonial with a perfectly manicured lawn. The outside of the house said well groomed, but once inside Britain knew right away that a man lived there. The house wasn't messy, but it definitely needed a woman's attention. The living room was huge with lots of couches and chairs, but the amount of portraits and trophies which belonged to his children, arranged in no particular order, afghans and the hideous old brown leather recliner, instantly made Britain cringe. The kitchen was large with an island in the middle, surprisingly this room was in pretty good shape. There were four stools, one for each of them to sit around and enjoy a family meal. The dining room was well used; it had housed many family dinners, which was noticeable by the strategically placed spots on the tan rug. The family room was busiest room in the house. Countless family hours were spent in that room playing board games and lounging around on the floor, staying up late watching movies together; the cushy body pillows from their last movie fest still laid on the floor as did the case from the unreturned DVD. The basement was probably the worst; it was definitely Dave's. There were weights and benches, for doing God knows what kind of exercises, all over the place. Britain wanted nothing more than to get in that room for a few hours and organize it. It was obvious from the way he kept his house that he was hardly in it. He was there long enough to make a bit of mess, nothing major and that clutter would keep until the next time he returned home. But even though there were things out of place, the home was warm and felt well lived in; Britain really didn't mind.

Upstairs, there were five bedrooms. Each room had a different motif. Each child had her own style. One room was pink with a white canopy bed. There were countless books and pom-poms hanging from the walls. That room belonged to Dave's oldest. The next room was so covered by posters and magazine covers that Britain couldn't make out the color of the walls. But she did notice the sparkly blue rug on the floor and cut out patterns of clothing. Apparently, Maddy had a flair for fashion. The other room looked more like a hall of fame, than a bed room. There were posters of Michael Jordan, Cal Ripken, Doug Flutie…Alli loved sports. Her room was messy, unlike the others, but she was only 11, so it was forgivable. There was a guest room, but it non-descript. That room was hardly ever used. In fact, at the time that Britain visited, it was a junk room. And then there was Dave's room. He had the largest bed ever created. His room was tan and it reminded her of a hotel. There were so many neutral colors in that room; it bothered Britain. But it was easy to maintain and he didn't have to try to find colors to match. Dave did attempt to add some spice to it by having beautiful coral window dressings. She was sure one of his daughters hooked that up. For some reason she had expected something flashy, but that wasn't him. He wasn't home long enough to be flashy and when he was, he was out with his kids. Dave could care less what color his room was. Britain liked the fact that Dave didn't try to impress her. She was comfortable in his cluttered house, sharing his cluttered life with him.

"Once I started making money, I bought my ex-wife a house down here so my girls wouldn't have to travel to see me. I hated that commute." Florida to Maryland was not a commute, it was a freaking excursion.

Britain rested her head on his shoulder. "How long have you been divorced?" She asked softly still massaging his scalp with her nails.

"Which time?" He asked closing his eyes. "You're going to put me to sleep if you keep doing that."

She didn't care. "Either."

"I divorced Emily 11 years ago." He opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling. "We should've never gotten married to begin with. We were so young…she was 19. I wasn't in love with her, but I liked her a lot. I was in love with her little girl. I couldn't understand how someone could walk away from her. I figured I'd grow to love Em…and I did, but not the way I think you should when you're married. Anyway, before I knew it, we had two more kids and we had become roommates. We didn't sleep in the same bed anymore, we hardly talked and when we did, we argued about money. I wanted my girls to have everything and she didn't have faith that I could provide for them."

"Do you get along now?" The last thing she needed was to walk into The War of the Roses.

He shrugged. "We have our moments. But for the most part, yeah. Our divorce was relatively painless and we agreed to be friends for the girls." Dave loved to play with Britain's hair as he talked to her. "Now, my second wife…big fucking mistake."

Even though he had been married twice unsuccessfully, Britain didn't hold it against him. People make mistakes, they grow apart. She could totally understand that. "What happened?"

"I didn't love her, but she was sick and it's seemed like the right thing to do."

"You're big on nobility, huh?" That's just she needed, a guy with a noble streak. She was probably the least noble person out there. "Do you still talk to her?"

"Angie…no. There was nothing left to say. She got better and told me to leave. I was fine with it." He had never regretted leaving his second wife. He knew they were doomed from the start. "I don't really have great taste in women." He laughed when Britain stopped rubbing his head to pop him upside it. "That's not what I mean. I have this image of what marriage should be…and I keep picking the wrong women to try to make that happen."

Britain shifted slightly, causing a low groan from the man that lay beneath her. "See, that's what's great about me. I don't want to get married. This…" She gyrated her hips a little, "is enough for me."

Dave closed his eyes against the feeling of her moving on him. His breathing started to deepen and he felt the blood rush from his head and head straight to his nether regions. "Are you just using me for my body?"

"Yup." She answered with a smile before kissing him.

"Okay…just checking." He responded, kissing her back.

This was going to be their only night alone together. He was only home for three days and once they woke up, she knew that she would have to share him with his children. It was going to be interesting at best, but for right now, just the two of them alone in his house was enough for her.

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Britain wrapped herself in a towel and headed out of the bathroom. She peeked in Dave's room, but he wasn't there. She didn't really want to go traipsing through his house in only a towel, but she wasn't finished with her shower. She padded her way down the carpeted stairs quietly in search for Dave.

"Hey Dave, can I borrow your razor?" She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him turn around. Standing directly behind him was a petite brunette with bright blue eyes. She was an attractive woman with childish features, like a round shaped face and dimples. Britain noticed just how deep her dimples were because they showed when she pursed her lips. The woman was easily five foot five, but it was something about the way she stood there with her hand on her hip that made her seem taller. "Oh…I'm sorry."

Dave sighed and ran his hand through his hair. This was not how he pictured this going. "Ahh…Britain this is Emily, my ex-wife. Emily this is Britain…my girlfriend."

Britain hitched the towel higher up on her body and offered a small smile. "It's nice to meet you. I'm really sorry that it had to be like this though."

Emily didn't say anything; instead she raised her brow and nodded. She fixed her gaze back on Dave. Dave closed his eyes and turned to Britain. "The razors are in the medicine cabinet."

"Thanks." Britain headed back toward the stairs. She would talk to Dave once his ex-wife left.

Dave turned around and held up his hand. "Don't."

"I don't believe you. You don't see your kids that much as it is. Then you have the nerve to bring the flavor of the fucking week home? What kind of father are you?" Emily narrowed her eyes. "Do you know how excited they are to spend time with you? Why the fuck would you bring her?"

"Don't insult my parenting skills, Em. The girls knew she was coming, they asked to meet her. And don't tell me who can come to my house and visit my kids." He didn't want an argument, but he knew it was going to happen. Emily always got like this when she found out about him dating someone. "I don't say shit when that fucking guy, Greg, sleeps at your house. I don't wanna hear it."

"How old is she Dave? 18… 19 what?" Emily raised her voice, hoping that Britain heard it.

Dave remained calm; he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction. "She's 25. Does it matter?"

"That's disgusting. She's practically Chase's age." Emily was going to find a reason that Dave didn't need to see Britain. "They're not coming…not if she's here."

That was about as much as Dave was going to take. He could stand for Emily insulting him and calling him names, but what he wouldn't stand for was her trying to tell him that he couldn't see his daughters. "You don't even know her. What the fuck is your problem?"

"The fact that you wanna bring your bitches around my children is my fucking problem."

"I'm not doing this. I'll be there to get them by two. I'll have them home on Sunday." Dave turned around and walked out of the kitchen. He didn't care if Emily let herself out or not, he had to make sure things with Britain were alright.

As he entered his bedroom, he saw Britain standing there with her arms folded. She had the same look in her eyes that Emily did. "What?"

"I don't believe you."

"What did I do?" Why was everyone accusing him of something? From where he stood, he didn't do anything wrong.

Britain could read the signs like they were painted on the walls. "You're still sleeping with her..."

Dave was caught off guard. To his knowledge no one knew about that. "I haven't…not for a few months."

God he was clueless. "Dave…she's still in love with you. Don't you see that?" Britain had spent all of two minutes with Emily and she could tell, why couldn't Dave?

"No she's not." Is she?

She had to put this in man language for him to understand. "You've been divorced from her for 11 years and you're still sleeping with her. She's not over you." Britain folded her arms across her chest. "Let me guess, she hates anyone you date. You two only get alone when you come home alone. She's trying to say that you're daughters can't go with us today because I'm here. She's found something wrong with me in the two minutes I saw her and now I'm a bad influence and suddenly you're a bad father. Am I right?"

Dave was slightly impressed by that little parlor trick. He had never thought about that before. He occasionally slept with Emily because he had needs, she was there, she was familiar, and he was comfortable with her. They're marriage was over though; it had been for a long time. He could sleep with her without any emotional connection, he thought she did too. They had been sleeping together on and off for years.

"That's not it…"

"Oh really? Then what is it?" Britain dropped her hands by her sides. That's all she needed, baby mama drama. She knew Dave had to have a fault and this was it. But from the look on his face, he had no idea. "Jesus, you're clueless. You made that woman hate me and she doesn't even know me."

Dave walked over to Britain and wrapped his arms around her. "I'll fix this. Don't worry."

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Britain was a nervous wreck. She had changed her outfit four times before settling on something that she thought was appropriate. What exactly do you wear to meet your boyfriend's kids? Jeans and tank top would have to do. She didn't want to over do it, nor did she want to come off looking like a tramp. This was going to be the most awkward thing she had ever done.

The entire ride over was silent. Dave watched the way that Britain wrenched her hands together, that is, when she wasn't twirling the ends of her hair in her fingers. He thought it was cute that she was so nervous. But he knew his girls; she had nothing to worry about. He smiled when she sighed and reached his hand out to touch her lap. "Stop worrying…it'll be fine."

"Emily already hates me, she's gonna make them hate me too." Britain looked at Dave and shook her head. She was good with kids, hell, most of the time she acted like a big kid herself. But Emily…that was a different story.

"Maddy's already decided that you walk on water. Chase is really polite; she'll try to feel you out first." Dave scrunched his brows for a moment. "Alli might be the only problem. She doesn't really take to people that easily, she's a lot like her mom. But she won't be rude; she just might not talk to you."

"Great." One out of three, she'd had worst odds before. All she had to do was go in there and be herself. How would I act if Vati brought some strange woman home? No, she wasn't going to think like that. She was going to be natural and take whatever they dished out. "This is beautiful." She regarded the large Bungalow style house as Dave pulled into the driveway.

Dave nodded as he turned off the engine. He squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "Ready?"

"Yeah. Let's do this." Britain hopped out of the truck first and waited until Dave walked up to her.

He grabbed her hand and they started up the walk. Before Dave got to the top step, a small dark haired child practically tackled him to the ground. "Daddy!" The young girl yelled while attaching her body around Dave's.

"Hey Pumpkin." Dave hugged the girl and closed his eyes. He loved his children; it was evident to anyone that saw him with them.

"Oh my God. You're her…you're really here." Madison jumped down from her father's arms, suddenly embarrassed that she was acting like a little kid in front of a guest. "You really do know her." She looked at Dave and smiled.

"Maddy, this is Britain. Britain, this is Madison."

"It's nice to meet you Madison." Britain said with a smile. She immediately fell in love with this child who looked so much like her father. She had the warmest brown eyes and dimples. Even with braces, she was beautiful. And even more beautiful was the surprising bear hug Maddy trapped her in.

"I'm Maddy. Nobody calls me Madison…unless I'm in trouble." Maddy walked Britain into the house with her arms looped around hers. "My mom is pissed." Suddenly her eyes got big. "Sorry. I mean she's really mad."

Britain nodded. She expected as much. "So what else should I expect?" If nothing else, Maddy was an ally. She could tell the two of them would be fast friends.

"Well…Chase is fine. But Alli…she's weird. Just ignore her; we do." Maddy stood in the foyer with Britain smiling as Chase walked into the room.

Britain was memorized at how pretty Chase was. She looked like a child, with her round face and big blue eyes. As soon as she saw the way Chase's eyes lit up when she looked at Dave and vice versa, she knew right away that Chase was his favorite.

"Hey Princess." Dave smiled hugging his oldest daughter. "Been good?"

Chase nodded and returned Dave's hug.

Maddy pulled Britain down to her. "They're sickening."

"Hi." Chase addressed Britain very professionally. She extended her hand for Britain to shake. "I'm Chase."

"I'm Britain." Britain took in Chase's smile and saw those same dimples that Emily and Maddy shared, in her cheeks. She was just so cute that Britain wanted to pinch her, but she wouldn't; not if she wanted her to like her. They stood there awkwardly smiling. Britain looked up when she heard someone running down the stairs. She was taller than the other two girls, but she looked like a lot like Maddy, only younger in the face and minus the dimples. "And you must be Allin."

"Alli." She said completely dismissing Britain and hugging her father.

"How's my Peanut?" Dave addressed his youngest child, kissing her head. Dave noticed the way Alli shrugged and peeked around him at Britain. "Where's mom?"

Britain stood in the living room with Chase and Maddy, wondering what the hell was about to happen. This wasn't going to be pretty. It was awkward enough to be in Dave's hostile ex's house, but to have two of his children staring down her throat made it worse. She was fortunate though, she didn't have to make up small talk because Maddy asked her enough questions to keep her entertained. Just as she was starting to feel comfortable, their conversation was interrupted by yelling from the kitchen.

"She's a child Dave. I don't need her teaching them any more bad habits." Emily walked into the living room and glared at Britain. "Look, this is nothing personal, but I don't want my kids hanging out with just anyone."

Britain tried her best to still her temper and bite her tongue, especially in front of Dave's children. "Well it's a good thing then because I don't hang out with just anyone." Britain kept her voice steady and smile on her face, although she was starting to boil inside.

There was a part of Dave's brain that told him to intervene, but there was larger part that made him keep quiet and see how Britain would handle this. He knew Emily; he knew this would get ugly. What he didn't know was that Britain could hold her own.

Britain watched as Emily put her hand on her hip and stepped back as if it was on. Before anything else could come out of Emily's mouth, Britain spoke. "Ladies, if you'll excuse us, I think you're mom has a few things to say to me in private."

Dave was impressed. Britain knew what she was dealing with. He also liked the fact she knew that his girls didn't need to be involved. He threw Chase the keys to the car. "Start the truck for me."

As soon as the girls were out of the house, Britain whipped her head around. "Emily…I don't know you. I'm sure you're a wonderful woman with great kids. I trust that you have only their best interests at heart…but you will not insult me. Understand?"

"I know you aren't coming to my house and trying to lay down the rules." Emily stepped closer to Britain.

"Em…" Dave tried to step in but was silenced by Britain raising her hand to silence him.

"Look lady, I don't want this to get ugly. You don't want me a round your kids …fine. But Dave misses them and he really wants to spend some time with them. You said so yourself; they're excited. Don't take that from them because you're mad that I'm fucking him now." It was cheap shot, but Britain took it. She walked out the house with nothing else to say.

Dave stood in the living room trying to hide his smirk. "They'll be back on Sunday." So much for first impressions...