Thank you, Jen, for your kind words. You actually made me tear up a bit reading them! I'm so glad you're enjoying this story. And most definitely, lorenamag, there is a flashback scene of when Lee and Emily first met coming ;)
I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
I give you just a little time...I wonder if you realize I've been waiting 'til I see it in your eyes.
Lee barely slept. He was angry at Craig for hurting Emily. He was angry at himself for feeling so confused. He was slightly ashamed at how his brain had almost convinced him to spend the night with Emily last night when she was intoxicated. What was wrong with him?
"IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!" Teddy hollered, dive bombing him on the pull out now.
"Argh!" Lee exclaimed, winded. Teddy was giggling and wriggling with excitement, his sharp elbows and knees digging into Lee as he did so.
"Uncle Lee, I'm seven now!" he said happily.
"Yes, you are," Lee agreed, getting his wits back about him. He sat up slowly while Teddy gripped his shoulders and bounced next to (and thankfully not on) him.
"Did you get me anything?" Teddy asked. "It's okay if you didn't." Lee reached to ruffle Teddy's hair fondly.
"You didn't think we wouldn't get you gifts, did you?"
"Did you?"
"Of course," Lee said, giving Teddy a playful shake. The boy whooped and leapt off the pull out, running to the stairs.
"I'll get Auntie Em!" he declared.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Lee said, catching Teddy before he could bolt up the stairs. "I'll do it. Auntie Em is not feeling so good."
"Oh. Is she sick?"
"Something like that."
"I'll make her some dry toast," Teddy said, nodding. "Mummy always ate that sometimes if she didn't feel well."
"Good plan." Lee released the boy, who tore off to the kitchen and pulled out the toaster and bread. Lee went up the stairs to Emily's room, pausing outside her door. His heart was starting to pound as he thought about what could have happened in here last night. He knocked softly and nudged the door open. He stuck his head in to find Emily sprawled on her back, her head facing him. Her eyes were closed.
"Em?" he said. Then again, louder: "Em."
"Hrngh," Emily replied nonverbally without opening her eyes.
"You gotta get up. It's Teddy's birthday, and he's about ready to charge in here with a bull horn."
"Oh God," Emily moaned, pressing her hands into her face and moving her head to stare at the ceiling. Lee hovered, unsure what to do. He didn't want to get too close to her. He felt like he might do something he'd regret.
He watched her sit up slowly and drop her hands onto her lap, finally looking at him.
"What the hell happened?" she asked. He felt slightly alarmed. Did she not remember?
"You got stood up and then drank almost an entire bottle of wine by yourself," he reminded her.
"Right," she said, pressing the heel of her hand into her forehead. "That's why I feel like I've been hit with a sledgehammer."
"I'll get you some painkillers."
"Thanks." She looked at him, and he could see her trying to work something out in her mind. If she didn't remember her inviting him to stay last night, that might be a good thing.
"You okay?" he asked. She scoffed.
"No," she answered, "but that's life. I'll get over it." She reached for her phone, opening it to look at her messages. "Huh. Six texts from Craig. Someone feels like shit."
"He should. That's a real shit thing he did to you last night."
"No kidding," she muttered, tapping back a message to Craig. Lee wanted to take the phone from her hands and stop her. She didn't owe Craig anything.
Jenna's morning shriek for attention stopped him from saying anything else about it. He could barely tear himself away, though. Emily just looked so sad and crumpled that he wanted to just take her in his arms and make her feel as important and cared for as she was and deserved to be.
"I'll be fine, Lee," she promised, knowing he was still worried. "Thanks for getting me home last night."
"It's the least I could do."
She gave a grim smile, and he left her to get Jenna. As he brought the girl downstairs to sit in her high chair and Teddy ran around all giddy, he couldn't help but wonder if Emily actually did remember what had almost happened in her room last night.
...
She'd invited him to stay.
Emily kept ruminating on this thought as she showered and got dressed. Her head was still pounding, and her heart was aching, but she clearly remembered asking Lee to spend the night. What had she been thinking? What must he be thinking?
And oh...the way he'd removed her nylons...it gave her shivers.
"Buck up," she said to herself in the mirror, lightly smacking her cheeks. "You were drunk off your arse. You didn't mean it. It was nothing."
But was it? Or was she just projecting her feelings onto him because he was not treating her badly?
"Auntie Em!" Teddy cried, going to hug her. Emily winced from the sheer volume of his voice as she hugged him back. "You're awake! We can do presents now!"
"Ah, yes," Emily said, her ears ringing. "Happy birthday, little man."
"Thank you!"
Lee handed her a glass of water and a painkiller wordlessly when she released Teddy and went over to him.
"Thank you." She held his gaze. What was he thinking? She tried to read his mind, but he was good at keeping his thoughts to himself.
"Alright," Lee said now, looking at Teddy. "Sit here and close your eyes." Teddy obeyed, wiggling in his seat. Lee went to the laundry room where they'd hidden the bag of gifts for Teddy. Emily reflected on how much laughing they'd done at trying to wrap them since they both sucked at it. She'd gotten her feet involved, and then Lee had reached to knock her over, finding it hilarious.
"Open up," Lee said after returning and setting the bag on the table in front of Teddy. Jenna clapped her hands, eager to see what was going to come out of that bag. Teddy's eyes widened in delight upon seeing it.
"Thank you," he said to both of them. For some reason, this almost made Emily cry. It was like he'd thought they wouldn't get him a gift on his birthday or something.
"You're welcome, baby," she said, going to kiss the top of his head. "Happy birthday." He beamed up at her, and she smiled back. She watched from the corner of the cupboard, glass in hand and pressed against her cheek, as Teddy shredded all that hard work in seconds and got thrilled over and over again at what he'd received. She watched Lee's face and saw some pride there. She didn't look away when he looked at her after a moment. Something was happening between them. She could feel it.
But was it right?
The doorbell rang, and Teddy whipped his head around, looking slightly confused.
"I wonder who that could be," Lee commented, grinning. Teddy looked at him, still confused.
"Who is it?" he asked.
"Go and find out," Lee answered, gesturing. Teddy slid off the chair and hurried for the door. Seconds later, his shriek of delight could be heard:
"UNCLE BARNEY!"
"Barney, Barney, Barney," Jenna chanted, craning to see around the wall. Then:
"UNCLE TOLL! UNCLE GUNNER! UNCLE CAESAR! UNCLE YANG!"
Their voices could be heard, talking to Teddy and wishing him a happy birthday. Then finally:
"UNCLE TOOL!"
Emily was surprised. She thought Tool had been unable to come, but obviously something had changed.
"My boy," Tool said, picking Teddy up into a bear hug when she went to investigate. "You're already taller than the last time I saw you."
"I'm a weed," Teddy confirmed solemnly, and Tool laughed.
"That you are."
"Thanks for coming," Lee said to Barney off to the side.
"We wouldn't miss it. I know it's hard," Barney said quietly back. He nodded his head at Emily. "Hello again."
"Hi," she said back. She got sidetracked watching Teddy lead the men to show off his new toys. Jenna was picked up by Toll before too long, and then he was walking with her around the house as she pointed at everything and said words. Emily's phone rang, and she looked to see it was Craig. Feeling furious suddenly, she went to the backyard to answer it.
"What?" she asked, knowing she sounded pissed off.
"Babe, I'm so sorry," he started.
"You should be! You stood me up!"
"I swear it wasn't intentional. I got caught in a late meeting, and then..."
"It's always something, isn't it?" Emily cut him off. "You know what? I'm tired of this, Craig. You never show me how much I mean to you. You don't even tell me that I mean anything to you."
"Emily..."
"I just really, really need some space from you right now," she interrupted. "Okay? You hurt me a lot. You have no idea how humiliating it was for me to sit there alone for so long waiting for you."
"Okay. I'm so sorry, baby. I really am," Craig said. "But if you'd just let me explain..." Emily suddenly felt so tired.
"Goodbye," she said, hanging up on him. She felt like crying as she pressed the back of her hand into her forehead.
"You okay?"
She whirled to see Lee, and he looked concerned. She put on a fake smile. "I'm fine."
"Becky is here now," Lee said, still looking at her intently. "We're gonna leave soon for laser tag. You coming?"
"No," Emily answered. "I think I'll hang out with Jenna today. I'll get lunch ready for when you come back."
"It's all taken care of, remember?" he said, and she frowned. Right. They were having lunch out and then pizza for supper. She'd forgotten.
"Okay, so I'll just hang out here and then see you all later," she corrected.
"I can't in good conscience leave you alone with your thoughts all day," Lee said, taking her hand suddenly and pulling her with him to the house. "You need to have some fun."
"Lee," she started. He stopped abruptly by the door, causing her to bump into him roughly. He caught her back with his hand, holding her almost against him.
"You're coming," he said firmly. "I need you."
She opened her mouth to argue, but hearing him say he needed her struck a chord inside of her. He was being vulnerable; she couldn't dismiss that.
"Okay," she said softly. "I'm coming."
"Thank you."
Emily wondered if Connie was going to be there. She didn't think she could handle seeing Lee and Connie being all handsy and silly with each other.
"Auntie Em! Come on!" Teddy called from inside as Lee opened the door.
"I'm coming," Emily replied, heading to get her shoes. Brenda was there with Jenna, giving Teddy a hug and wishing him a fun day. Emily felt bad leaving her to babysit again, but Brenda insisted she truly didn't mind. She was going to stay and eat with them for supper to celebrate.
Emily wondered how she was going to survive the day without bursting at the seams, for she was even more convinced now that she was starting to harbor feelings for Lee, but she had no idea what to do about it. It seemed like not a wise thing to do since they had to get along to care for Jenna and Teddy. If they didn't work out, what would happen to the children? And were these feelings real or just a rebound from Craig?
"It's gonna be alright," Lee said to her now, making her look at him again.
And she believed him.
...
They were split into teams of two: Lee and Emily, Barney and Tool, Teddy and Becky, Yang and Gunner, and Toll and Caesar. He could hear shouting as Barney took down one of them near the back, cackling with laughter afterwards.
He heard Emily give a yelp and grab his shoulder to pull him back. Gunner appeared, laser gun sweeping in front of him. Lee took him out before Gunner could shoot him.
"Aw, come on," Gunner groaned.
"Beat it," Lee ordered, flashing Gunner a smirk. Teddy and Becky were working together somewhere in the room. Lee thought it was cute that Teddy acted like her protector. He sensed a little crush coming one day between them. She was going to become a beautiful girl one day with that blonde hair and blue eyes.
"I am not good at this," Emily commented behind him.
"You're doing just fine," he argued. He couldn't see her well in the low lighting, but she wasn't letting him get too far out of her sight.
"This is not my version of fun," she added when she ducked along with him as Yang sprinted past. Lee shot him in the back before he disappeared. Some Mandarin cursing came back at him.
"So what is your version of fun?" he asked as they moved forward.
"I don't really know," she answered truthfully. He turned to look at her, surprised.
"You don't know?" he repeated.
"Look out!" she shrieked, grabbing his neck and pulling him towards her hard. He crashed into her, unable to stop himself from the momentum, and she aimed and fired behind him before they hit the wall behind them.
"Aw, man," Caesar whined. "So close." He shook his head and walked off. Lee disentangled himself from Emily and felt that pull once again as he looked at her in the semi-darkness.
"Thanks," he said.
"No problem."
"Good shot," he added. He was pretty sure she was blushing by now. She didn't take compliments too well.
"It was nothing," she insisted with a shrug. Lee wondered what would happen if he kissed her right now. He strongly considered it.
Then he got shot.
"Ah ha ha ha," Barney snickered. "Gotcha."
Emily promptly shot him in return, and he groaned instantly. Lee smirked as he turned to face him.
"Where did she come from?" Barney asked, having not seen Emily behind Lee.
"I was here the whole time," Emily advised. Barney sighed heavily and started walking to the exit. Lee looked back at Emily.
"You'll be alright," he said.
"I doubt it."
"I have faith. Now move before you're caught like a sitting duck."
"Okay, okay."
Lee watched her disappear into the darkness and headed for the exit. Tool leaped out and shot him, laughing almost maniacally.
"I'm already out," Lee retorted.
"Seriously?" Tool asked. "Damn it. And I wasted a perfectly good villain laugh on you too."
Lee snickered as he left, and he found Barney sitting in the row of chairs with the other losers. It appeared that Emily, Teddy, Becky, and Tool were the last ones standing.
"What were you doing with Emily in there?" Barney asked when he sat down next to him.
"Nothing."
"What did you want to do with Emily in there?" Barney corrected. Lee hoped his face wasn't burning in an obvious manner.
"Nothing."
"Liar."
"Oh look," Lee said, pulling out his now ringing phone. "It's the woman I'm actually dating. Excuse me." He stood and answered, moving away to somewhere quieter.
"Hey," Connie said. "Sorry I'm late. I got held up at home."
"It's okay."
"Teddy having fun?"
"He's having a blast," Lee answered.
"That's awesome. Okay, I'll be there in twenty minutes."
"Alright."
Lee stood off to the side as the game finished inside. Teddy and Becky had come out a moment before, so that left Emily and Tool. Lee felt bad, knowing that Emily was up against a good marksman. But then he was pleasantly surprised when Tool came out looking defeated.
"She's sneaky," he commented, shaking his head. "But I think she doesn't know she's won. You better go in there and get her."
"Alright," Lee said, chuckling a bit. He walked through the maze and found her peering around a corner. He reached to touch her shoulder, making her scream in fright.
"It's me," he said, holding his hands up when she aimed her laser gun at him. "Game's over."
"Oh. Is it?" she asked, lowering it.
"Yea, you won," he said.
"What?!"
"Yea," he laughed. "Didn't you know?"
"I had no idea."
"Well, you did." He stood there looking at her, and she was grinning, which made him grin back.
"Wow. That's so weird. I honestly was just winging it," she advised, walking beside him towards the exit.
"Sometimes winging it works," he commented. She didn't say anything but looked contemplative as he stepped away so Teddy could hug her enthusiastically.
"So, what's next?" Tool asked, looking around. Lee smiled.
"Dodgeball."
...
Emily remembered this game from school. She still hated it. She watched as Teddy and Barney chose teams since Teddy deemed him the other captain. She was not on the same team as Lee this time. He was with Barney, and Connie was with him too. Emily felt twisted inside at the sight of them together for some reason, so she did her best not to look. Tool had advised he was sitting this one out, claiming he was too old for this game. Caesar was doing some smack talk, and Emily was grateful he was on her team. He scared her a little bit with his height and the intense look he could get in his eyes. It was borderline psycho.
"We doing this or what?" Toll asked, looking around.
"Yea, yea," Barney said, waving his hand. Gunner and Yang were on his team too. Teddy and Becky were with Emily, Toll, and Caesar. She hid herself away near the back, eager to avoid as much of this as possible. She saw Connie rubbing her hands together and nudging Lee, saying something Emily couldn't hear. She appeared to be enjoying herself thoroughly already.
When the game started, Emily kept to the back, pacing and avoiding the flying balls easily. Teddy was hollering like a banshee, having the time of his life. She smiled at the sight of Becky and Teddy running back and forth and Teddy working hard to keep her "safe." It was cute. It was even cuter when Becky actually saved Teddy more than once.
Then Caesar got Gunner in the arm, and he was out. While Caesar was doing his victory jig, Yang nailed him in the stomach. Becky got hit next. Then Teddy.
It wasn't looking so good for their team.
"Ah come on, come on," Toll was saying, clapping his hands and egging Lee on, who was looking at him with a smirk, ball in hand. Emily wasn't sure how to feel knowing it was the two of them against four on the other team. She had a ball in her hand now, watching as all eyes seemed to be on Toll and Lee. She took her chance and threw, hitting Barney in the side under his ribs.
"Oh!" he exclaimed, looking to see her. Emily smiled. This always happened. She acted invisible until no one remembered her...then she struck.
With this distraction, Toll nailed Yang, leaving Lee and Connie against her and Toll.
"You're mine, Christmas," Toll said, pacing like a cat and pointing at him.
"Oh yea? I'm gonna make you my little bi-" Lee started until Connie smacked him. "Ah!"
"Children," she hissed.
"Right," Lee said. "Sorry."
Emily took this chance to throw her ball at Connie, and she felt such satisfaction when it hit her just under her neck, still in the strike zone.
"Argh!" Connie exclaimed in shock.
"Nice one," Toll said to Emily, high fiving her. She smirked as Lee looked between both of them. "What's the matter, Lee? Outnumbered?" Toll tilted his head at him after.
"Taunt me all you want," Lee retorted. "You know it only makes me happier when I win."
"Come on, Lee!" Barney hollered at him.
"Go Auntie Em! Uncle Toll!" Teddy shouted, jumping up and down. She and Toll did their best, but Lee was fast. In the end, he got Toll, who fell down like a tree and groaned in defeat.
"Come on, baby!" Connie yelled at Lee, who was watching Emily carefully. She held his gaze, daring him to take her out. Everyone was hollering at either her or Lee, but she tuned it all out.
Don't underestimate me, she thought.
Lee went to throw, and she ducked it as it came at her. She waited for him to run for another ball before throwing hers. He ducked but not fast enough; it skipped off his back. He landed on his knees, pressing his knuckles into the floor, and turned his head to look at her. She grinned.
"YEEEAAAA!" Toll and Caesar were yelling, going to high five her and hug her. Teddy hugged her tight too while Becky jumped up and down hollering with glee. She looked over at Lee, who was getting a hug from Connie, and she saw him watching her. She knew he'd let her win, but that was okay.
She'd deal with him later.
...
Lee was helping orchestrate the pizza line up back at the house after the day was over. It had been an eventful afternoon, and he was tired. Teddy was still in seventh heaven, and that's what mattered the most.
"Hey," Connie said, coming up to hug him from behind and sliding her hands up to cup his shoulders. "Thanks for inviting me. It was so much fun."
"It was," he agreed. He felt her kiss his shoulder, and he turned his head to look at her. She was giving him a coy expression before patting his back and wandering off to talk to Yang.
Once he finished serving and making sure the kids had napkins, he went to the backyard for some air. He ran a hand over his head, exhaling and trying to focus. When he heard steps a moment later, he assumed it was Connie.
It was Emily.
He watched as she stopped in front of him, her hands in her pant pockets and her head tilted slightly to the right.
"Why'd you do it?" she asked.
"Do what?"
"Don't do that," she ordered. "You know what." He held her gaze, knowing exactly what she was talking about.
"You looked like you really wanted it," he replied honestly, "and I wanted to give you a win after all the bullshit you've gone through lately."
"I don't need anyone letting me win," she said a bit hotly. She moved until she was standing right in front of him. "I am more than capable of winning something for myself, as you well know."
"Is that so?" he asked teasingly, letting his eyes linger over her.
"Yes," she said firmly, jutting her chin out slightly. His stomach dropped a little, and he couldn't help but reach out and take her chin in his fingers. She didn't pull away, and he was about to close the foot gap between them and kiss her when they were interrupted.
"Um, Lee?" Connie said, making him see her standing by the back door. He let go of Emily's chin, but he saw Connie's face. There was some hurt there, and he felt really bad for what he'd almost done.
"Yea?" he said back.
"I, um, I'm gonna head out," she said. "I just...I wanted to say goodbye."
He knew that was not what she was going to say originally, and he felt even worse.
"I'll walk you out," he said, moving past Emily, who was looking down at the grass. He reached Connie, and she turned away from him before he could meet her eyes. He followed her to the front door, waiting as she said goodbye to Teddy and put her shoes on. They were on the front step when she finally turned to face him.
"I get it now," Connie said, looking at him.
"Get what?"
"Why you won't kiss me," she said. "You're in love with Emily."
"No," Lee started.
"Yes, you are," she interrupted. "Lee, it's okay. She's beautiful, and you live with her. And you're raising two kids with her. I don't want to stand in the way of something great for you."
"I don't know if it will be," Lee insisted. He tried to say more but she stopped him.
"But you need to know for sure before we can move forward," Connie said. "I want you to be very sure. As long as you look at her the way you do, you'll never fully love me, and I need someone to love me with all they have. So...call me when you know for sure what it is you want. I might still be there." She kissed his cheek. "Goodbye, Lee." She left, and Lee was on his own staring at her car as she drove away. That was not how he'd thought that was going to go down, but a part of him was also relieved to not feel so conflicted anymore. He turned to go back inside, thinking hard about how he was going to approach Emily.
...
Emily could see on Lee's face that something had happened. She didn't want to talk about it with him while everyone was still there. She was in the office tidying up when she moved one of Lee's bags. She couldn't help but notice it was unzipped and some of his stuff was strewn around it on the couch. She furrowed her brow as she bent to pick up the medal in her fingers, examining it.
It was a Victoria Cross.
Her brain began to think hard. Those were usually awarded when someone did something really heroic and dangerous. She set it back down, unsure if she'd ask him about it later. She was currently doing her best to avoid him after what had almost happened earlier between them. The thing was: it made her heart beat a bit harder to think about. She left the office, trying to figure out what she wanted to do next when her phone rang.
"Hello?" she said, tucking herself into the laundry room and closing the door behind her.
"Emily," Andy said over the phone, her voice sounding both sad and unsure. "I have to tell you something."
"What?"
"I saw it with my own eyes," Andy added.
"What?" Emily asked again, more aggressively.
"Craig was with another woman last night," Andy blurted out quickly. "I took a photo." Emily heard her phone indicate she had a message, and she looked to see the photo of Craig with a very good looking blonde woman next to him.
"Are you kidding me?" Emily asked, outraged.
"I'm so sorry..."
"How could he do this to me?!" she exclaimed. Then she realized she couldn't get angry. They weren't exclusive. He didn't call her his girlfriend. How could she expect him to just see her when they weren't even in a relationship?
"Emily?" Andy asked. "You okay?"
"No," Emily answered in a small voice, "but I have to be."
"He's a jerk."
"Apparently," Emily whispered.
"Do you need anything?"
"No. I just want to be alone." She looked at the door, feeling angst that her house was full of people right now.
"I'm here if you need me," Andy promised. "Okay?"
"Okay. Thank you."
They hung up, and Emily pressed a hand to her mouth. Craig was with someone else. That explained everything. Business meeting her ass. He'd been out with another woman all night.
She barely heard the door opening and turned to see Lee standing there.
"Hey," he said. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head, unable to speak. Fresh tears went down her cheeks.
"Emily," Lee said, concerned as he came closer to her. "What happened?"
She held up her phone to show him the photo of Craig with the blonde, and his face grew dark as he took it in.
"He stood you up to be with her?" Lee asked, gesturing to the phone with his index finger.
"Apparently."
"That's it," Lee said, moving to leave when she grabbed his arm to stop him.
"Don't," she ordered. "Leave him alone."
"Emily, he cheated..."
"Technically, no," Emily corrected him, making him frown at her.
"What do you mean?"
"We never established that we were boyfriend and girlfriend," she said simply. "There was no rule in place that we were exclusive. He can do what he wants."
"Em..."
"It's fine," she cut him off. "I'm over it. Please, just go back out there and act normal, okay?"
"Okay..."
She wiped at her eyes and gave him a forced smile. "Go. Now."
Lee reached to touch her arm gently, comfortingly, before obliging. Emily took a few moments to collect herself, and then she followed him out.
...
Lee was furious. He wanted to rip Craig apart limb by limb. How could he do that to Emily? He didn't get it. He found Barney and pulled him aside while the others were entertaining Teddy and Jenna. Becky's mother was on her way to pick her up, so he had a few minutes.
"What's wrong?" Barney asked, his beer in his hand still.
"Emily's guy she was seeing," Lee answered. "He's gotten with someone else without telling her."
"What?!"
"What do I do, Barns?" Lee asked. "I want to hurt him."
"Leave it to me," Barney advised. "That way, you won't get in trouble. Where does he live?"
"I don't know."
"His full name?"
"Craig Ward."
"That's all I need. I'll take care of it," Barney said, patting Lee's shoulder. He watched Barney approach Gunner on the down low, and the big man nodded in agreement to whatever it was Barney was saying. Lee busied himself with cleaning and getting Becky ready to go. Teddy was sad to see her leave, and Lee smiled at the hug the boy gave her before she left. Then it was time for everyone else to leave. Toll, Yang, Gunner, Barney, and Caesar all said goodnight to both children and made their way out. Barney gave Lee a knowing look before closing the door behind him. Lee took comfort in knowing that Craig was going to have some discomfort coming his way. He went to get the broom from the pantry when he found Tool and Brenda making out inside of it.
"Oh!" he yelped, jumping back slightly and shutting the door again in one swift motion. How had that happened? He thought hard, and he realized that Brenda had taken a shine to Tool and talked mostly with him during the evening. He turned his head when Tool opened the pantry door and stuck his head out.
"Ever heard of knocking, boy?" he asked.
"Ever heard of not shagging in a public pantry?" Lee shot back at him.
"None of that. We're just doing some kissin'," Tool insisted.
"Go do it somewhere else, please."
"Sorry, Lee," Brenda said, poking her head out next. "I couldn't help it. He's just so handsome."
"It's alright. I just don't want to see it again," Lee advised. They laughed, and Brenda smoothed out Tool's shirt.
"Deal," she said. "Come on, honey. My place is just down the street."
"Oohh," Tool said, following her as she took his hand and headed for the door. "Bye, Christmas."
"Bye," Lee retorted. He gave himself a shake and gave up on the broom for now. He went to get the kids to bed instead. Emily had gotten them all ready and said her goodnights to them before going into her room and shutting the door.
"That was the bestest day ever," Teddy said happily from his bed. Emily had already put Jenna down, who thankfully hadn't fussed since she was so tired. He'd felt angry and sad for Emily. He hoped the git Craig was getting what was coming to him.
"Yea? That's good," Lee said, tucking the boy in.
"Do you think my parents were here with us?" Teddy asked. Lee reached to brush hair from the boy's eyes.
"I do," he answered. "Cos they're in here." He tapped his chest with his fingers. "And here." He tapped the side of his head too. "They're always with us."
"Yea," Teddy agreed sleepily. "I think so too. Sometimes...sometimes I talk to them."
"I do too," Lee confessed.
"They can hear me, right?"
"I think so."
Teddy was unable to keep his eyes open at this point, and Lee sat there watching him for a moment, feeling torn up inside that this was the first birthday of many that Charlie and Monica were going to miss.
"Goodnight, Teddy," Lee said.
"G'night."
Lee shut off the light and pulled the door semi-shut behind him. He hovered, wondering if he should check on Emily or leave her be. He was worried about her, but he didn't want to invade her space either. In the end, he decided to just leave it alone. He'd get a chance to talk to her tomorrow.
When he couldn't fall asleep, he gave up and went out to the garage. He just needed to think about anything else, and this was a good solution. He was close to finishing it, and he didn't know what he'd do after that. It didn't seem fair that Charlie couldn't drive it. Lee didn't know if he could drive it. It just reminded him of his friend too much.
"Alright, Charlie Boy," he said out loud, opening the hood. "Let's finish 'er together, eh?" He pulled out a rag from the pile on the bench and tucked it into his back pocket. Then he got to work.