Paul's POV
Today's the day Ronnie and Rick are supposed to arrive, Emily and Sam are putting the finishing touches on the house. We're all supposed to meet there around noon for their arrival and then a welcoming barbecue, but Sam has me running a last minute patrol which is gonna make me late.
Why do you even care about being late? You're the one that said them being here wasn't gonna affect any of us, so why do we even have to meet them? Leah. She's so negative all the time and it's just so irritating.
I never said that I cared.
Could've fooled me.
Instead of answering I tune her out until she phases out, patrolling is always easier when you're alone.
Ronnie's POV
Jerking forward, I'm shaken from my nap. I turn to glare at Ricky, but he already looks apologetic, he never has been the best driver. Turning back to the house in front of us, I'm surprised to see about ten people standing on the front porch. I wasn't expecting a welcoming party, one look at Ricky and I know he's thinking the same thing.
"Well, lets get this over with," I mumble under my breath. Ricky meets me at the front of the truck, reaching for my hand as we walk toward the porch. Just as our feet touch the first step, we're pulled into a hug, small arms squeezing the breath out of our lungs.
"Oh guys, I've missed you so much! I'm so glad to have you here," Emily whispers in our ears, I can tell she's trying not to cry. I didn't realize how much I've really missed her until now. Once she pulls away, she introduces everyone around her, but there are so many names I barely register any of them. I do register that all the men are in cutoff shorts with no shirts, a tribal tatto on their right shoulders. There's one girl with the same tattoo, Leah, I remember her name, because she keeps staring at Ricky with this weird look on her face. As I turn to look at him, Ricky has the same dumbstruck look on his face, really weird but okay.
"She's a girl dude." "Yeah a hot girl."
Two voices stick out, the younger boys. They're staring at me, seemingly confused, but clearly checking me out. I turn to ask Emily a question, only to realize that many of the boys are staring at me too.
"Do I have something on my face," I ask, reaching up self consciously. They all avert their eyes rather quickly, Leah, finally tearing her eyes away from my brother, being the one to answer.
"No, it's just when Emily and Sam said that Ronnie and Rick would be coming to stay with them, we all assumed it was two boys." Oh. So they were expecting a boy, well I mean they're basically getting one. I'm not exactly a girls girl, I prefer the company of an empty gym and a punching bag.
"Oh, yeah. Ronnie's short for Veronica, but don't ever call her that, she's very temperamental," Ricky says, as he raps an arm around my neck. I jerk away from him, punching his shoulder in the process.
"I am not temperamental, I just prefer to go by Ronnie," I say, turning away from his wince of pain. Apparently that's funny, cause everyone laughs. The tallest man steps forward, cutting everyone off.
"I'm Sam, this is our home which we are now extending to you. So, please, come in. We'll give you a short tour while the guys unload your stuff, then you can settle in for a bit while we start the barbecue," he states loudly, leading us into the house. I can see Emily smiling proudly, as she follows beside us.
"You'll love it guys," one of the boys shouts as they start unloading our stuff. Right inside the door is a decent sized kitchen. Off the the right is a big living room with stair in the corner leading up, another leading down. Sam says something about the laundry room being downstairs. Off the kitchen is a small hallway with a bathroom, guest bedroom, and a closeted the back door at the end of the hall. Ricky's room is built into the back porch, sort of like his own little condo. As Sam leads his towards it, Emily steers me back towards the laundry room.
"We converted the attic for you, I had the boys build you a permanent staircase so you wouldn't have to open and close the rickety trap door all the time. We installed a door too, so you'll still have privacy," she says excitedly, as she leads me up the stairs. Right across form the door is my own bathroom, my bed in the corner next to it. On the other side of the room is a beautiful grey couch with a matching chair. Little grey rugs are littered all over the floor, a nice contrast to the pale purple of my walls. A desk sits near the door with a brand new laptop, a wardrobe directly across on the other wall. It's all so beautiful.
"Oh honey, don't cry. We can change anything you don't like," Emily says, as she wraps her arms around my shoulders.
"No. No that's not it. It's beautiful and I love it. I'm just a little overwhelmed is all," I say as I hug her back. We pull away as the guys start carrying in my boxes, there aren't many. I only brought some of my favorite books, clothes, and some sentimental items. All of the boxes are set on the ground, everything there, except one.
"Oh I forgot something important in the truck, I'll be right back," I say, heading for the door. As I'm entering the kitchen, I hear voices. Looking up I see one of the guys from before, Seth I think, talking to a guy I've never seen before. I would definitely remember if I had ever seen that hunk of a man before, but as he turns around my blood begins to boil.
"Woah, watch it. You could ask nicely you know," the stranger says, as I yank the box out of his arms. I whip my head up to glare into his eyes.
"Ask nicely?! I could ask you nicely to not touch a box that clearly says DO NOT TOUCH?! Are you stupid or something? It clearly states not to touch it and yet you pick it up! Have some freaking respect!" A pair of arms wrap around my shoulders and turn me from the man, into a solid chest.
"Hey Ron. Ron, it's okay. He was just trying to be helpful, he didn't mean to cause a problem. He doesn't know the significance, okay? It's okay," Ricky says, as he rubs my back. I jerk away at his last words, eyes still angry.
"He doesn't know the significance? Yeah he doesn't know, but I wrote DO NOT TOUCH for a reason! NO ONE touches this box," I state angrily, turning on my heel to storm out of the room. I close my door right, before emptying the contents of the box onto my new bed. Pictures of a man surround by two kids and dogs spill across the bed. Pictures of him with a woman, some with just the children, and some of just him. In each picture you can see the glint of happiness in his eyes, the bright smile on his face, the love written all over his features. David James. I wonder if he knew falling in love with a girl from the rez would change his entire life. I wonder if he knew he'd become the best dad and husband in the entire world, only to be ripped away from his family too soon, causing catastrophic changes. I wonder if he knows how much I miss him.
Okay! So Chapter Two is done! Was it long enough? Too long? Does everything make sense to you guys so far? Let me know if you have any questions! I'm willing to answer anything you guys may ask!