Mistake
Chapter 6
Mike smiled at Maddie's small upstairs apartment. It was comfortably decorated with lots of pillows and blankets. Soft velvet blankets and a comfortable couch and chairs. It was open concept with the bedroom separated by French Doors. The kitchen was open to the living area.
"Please make yourself at home. Its not the best but not a hotel." Maddie said.
"I was just thinking how comfortable it seems." Mike remarked. He put his suitcase in the bedroom and his shaving kit in the bathroom.
"I figured I would reheat some chicken soup Mama made. I have a fresh baguette too." Maddie said.
"Sounds delicious." Mike remarked. Maddie put the soup in a dutch oven to reheat and the bread in the oven to warm back up. She lit a candle and turned some music on.
"I usually have some sort of music on while I'm here. My taste is varied. Sometimes hard rock, sometimes classical, sometimes jazz, sometimes country. All over the place." Maddie said.
"Sounds good." Mike said. He sat down at the island and watched her work. "Does your mom know I'm here?" Mike asked.
"She does. I may have to open for her in the morning. Billy has a bit of a cold and she wants to stay home with him." Maddie said.
"I can help." Mike said.
"With the kids or the restaurant?" Maddie asked with a smile.
"Restaurant. I am not sure how good I would be with kids now." Mike answered.
"Its hard to imagine you with kids." Maddie remarked.
"Oh, I always enjoyed them. Now, its hard to be around them a lot without thinking about my own kids." Mike answered.
"You've spoken about Hannah but not the other two." Maddie encouraged.
"Katie would be in college now. She wanted to be a doctor. Was smart enough for it too. Lucas was her opposite. Smart but he was dyslexic. He struggled but he was a sweet kid. He was the first to die in my family. He'd be twelve now." Mike explained.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up." Maddie said.
"No, its fine. I actually enjoy talking about them. You're easy to talk to." Mike answered.
"Good." Maddie said with a smile. She leaned over the counter and gave him a long kiss before getting the bread out of the oven and putting it in a basket. Within a few minutes, she settled next to him and they began eating.
It was a little early yet, but Mike could feel himself settling in. Something he hadn't done in years. He could see a future with Maddie. For him, it wasn't just about the sex. He had someone to talk to, something he had missed for years.
He enjoyed watching TV with her, enjoyed feeling her fall asleep against him and then felt her fall to sleep next to him in the bed. He was going to need to reevaluate soon. Did he really want to leave New Orleans and Maddie in three weeks?
Five am came really early. He followed Maddie downstairs and was put to work peeling potatoes. He got lost in his work until he heard Sarah approach him.
"How about a break? I'll fix you some breakfast. Maddie can be a slave driver." Sarah suggested.
"Thanks. That does sound good. I am surprised to see you. Maddie said Billy had a cold." Mike said.
"Yeah. He's a bit congested but he'll be okay." Sarah said.
"Good. Thanks for breakfast." Mike said.
"Thanks for peeling all these potatoes." Sarah said. He walked into the dining room and got himself a cup of coffee before focusing on the little boy that Maddie was talking to. He resembled Lucas closely, so much so that Mike had to look away for a moment. His mind was in another place until he heard a word he hadn't heard in years.
"Daddy?!" A young girl's voice rang out across the restaurant. His eyes darted to the direction it came from and he saw a young girl coming towards him at a full run. She flung herself at him and he looked at Maddie in shock as he held the sobbing girl.
"She…must be your Hannah." Maddie said quietly. He nodded but concentrated on the young girl in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and let the tears fall freely. Maddie was keeping Billy occupied so Mike could talk to Hannah more freely and she finally pulled away.
"Can you sit with me for a minute? We'll keep an eye out for your brother." Mike asked. Maddie had gone back to the kitchen, presumably to tell Sarah about Hannah being his daughter.
"How'd you know he was my brother?" Hannah asked.
"Maddie told me. Look…we are kind of dating. I had gotten confirmation of your mom dying years ago. And Katie too. I'm just confused, I suppose." Mike said.
"I like Maddie." Hannah said.
"Good." Mike answered.
"What's gonna happen to us now? We like Miss Sarah." Hannah asked.
"I'm going to have to figure things out." Mike said. Just then Sarah and Maddie joined them.
"They are welcome to stay with me until you figure things out. I've enjoyed having them. They're good kids." Sarah said.
"I appreciate that and may have to take you up on it." Mike said. He had a huge to-do list. Mostly, what was he going to do about his job. Hannah and Billy needed stability. A house. Him there. They had already lost Christine. They needed him. And he had to figure out what to do about Maddie, who he was wanting to build something with.
"Mike, I didn't know. If I did, I would have told you." Maddie said.
"I know. Its okay." Mike answered. He gave Maddie a smile and focused on the little boy, sitting at one of the tables completely unfazed by everything, coloring a picture. His red-hair was unruly. He had freckles dotting his face and Christine's expressive brown eyes. He looked at Mike and Hannah as they walked up to the table he was sitting at, almost like he was sizing Mike up.
"Billy, do you remember me talking about our dad?" Hannah asked.
"Yeah." Billy said.
"Billy, I'm your dad. Do you understand what that is?" Mike asked. The little boy, at just six years old, seemed much smaller and more fragile. When Lucas was that age, he was at least six inches taller and twenty pounds heavier.
"No." Billy said.
"Its okay, Daddy. I'll explain it to him. Maybe it'll be better if we have to stay with Miss Sarah for a while. It'll get him used to you." Hannah suggested. Mike could tell she was very protective of her little brother and Billy looked to her for help.
"Mike, its perfectly fine for them to stay with me while you get sorted. I imagine you have some decisions to make." Sarah told him.
"Thank you." Mike said simply. He had sat down at Billy's table and was watching the little boy, who seemed to be quite the little artist.
"Mike, here's your breakfast." Maddie said. She put a plate in front of him, which Billy immediately noticed.
"I like bacon." The little boy said.
"Me too." Mike told him, but he handed the little boy a piece of bacon.
"He's small for his age but he's catching up. I've already had to buy him new blue jeans." Sarah said.
"I'll pay you back…" Mike started.
"No, no. I'm not worried about that. My point was; he's growing and catching up." Sarah insisted.
"Thank you for taking care of them. I promise, I won't just pull them away. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do." Mike admitted. Maddie and Hannah had gone back to the kitchen, leaving Mike and Sarah to talk.
"Mike, I know you care about Maddie. Even love her. And now you have two kids to take care of. You've done your bit. There is nothing wrong with settling in and licking your wounds. Take care of you, the kids and Maddie. Grieve your losses." Sarah advised.
"Retirement?" Mike asked.
"Would you ever be happy out there again? You would be too worried about them." Sarah asked. She had a point and Mike nodded. He focused on the picture Billy was drawing. It was of a house.
"Is that your house?" Mike asked Sarah.
"No. He draws a lot of houses. Its kind of a thing with him." Sarah answered. She squeezed Mike's shoulder before heading back into the kitchen, leaving Mike with Billy.