4

"I'm in front of your apartment with the baking supplies, but I can't find a parking space." Rhys cradles the phone between his jaw and shoulder. Mother's always doing these things to him. Last minute. Today it's picking up baking supplies for the bake sale to benefit the homeless shelter.

"Just double park," she replies. "Anwen and I will come out and help."

"Stay where you are." Rhys glances up and down the busy street. It's evening already and Anwen's bedtime is in an hour. He will never get her home on time "Let me find a side street. I don't like Anwen darting out into traffic."

Has Mother forgotten how unpredictable a four-year-old can be? Anwen can sound logical and reasonable, but she's only parroting back whatever instructions he give her. Doesn't matter how many stranger danger classes he enrols her in, she's always making exceptions. His mother never holds her hand, this chid is as stubborn and forward as her Mama.

Fuck this, Gwen should be the one doing things with Anwen, not his mother. She raised her kids already, she is supposed to be taking it easy, especially after Dad died. But here she is, entertaining Anwen like a surrogate mother or something. Rhys feels like sooner or later he and Gwen will have to have a serious conversation about things. Is she part of this family? She acts like a bloody flatmate or something. A boarder.

Rhys stops chewing on things as he checks along the street. Is that one pulling out, or in?

Rhys is in luck.

A car pulls out of a spot a block from his mother's apartment. He flicks on the signal and swoops in. Finally, something goes his way. A block isn't too bad, except he has milk, flour, and sugar—heavy stuff.

He loops a cloth tote bag over each shoulder and dangles two more bags on his forearms. Schlepping groceries is one of the things he will do for his mother since she watches Anwen during the evenings when he works. Gwen? Says she is too tired for Anwen's energy… that's the nights she even comes home. He knows she is not in Jack's bed but at the same time… it feels like she would rather be in any other than theirs.

Rhys makes it almost a block before he hears a voice. "Need a hand, mate?"

Rhys's gaze stops at a broad chest and strong shoulders belonging to none other than Andy. He slides a grin and tips his Cymru cap. "We didn't get a chance to talk last time, I'm afraid."

He slides one of the bags from Rhys's arms. "Let me get some of those for you."

Unlike the other day at the mall, he's clean shaven and his hair's combed, although curling at the tips.

He walks toward the apartment building. "Which door?"

"Yeah, that's my mum's place there. Miracle Day really screwed things for us, I am not enjoying this place much, but Gwen was happy with the move and look, I'm sorry about the misunderstanding with my daughter." Rys blurts out in a rush "we all left so fast; I never got to see ya off".

Andy puts the bag on the ground and wipes his fingers through his hair. "I meant no harm."

Whoa. Mention of the Happenings seems to have sobered him. The cocky grin is gone. The light-heartedness is replaced by stone, cold seriousness. The sparkle in his eyes has gone flat, and in its place is a hollow emptiness.

"Sure, none taken." Rhys swallows as he loops the bag over his outstretched arm.

"Good evening, Rhys." He tucks his hands into his pockets, shrugs, and ambles past him toward the street corner.

"Wait, Andy," Rhys yells out. "wanna come up? Anwen will be well made up to see ya again."

"Nah, I don't want to upset her. Bye." He waves and strides off, cutting between two cars and into the street.

"Tadda!" Anwen's voice calls from the building entrance.

Did she see Andy?

Rhys glances over his shoulder, but he's gone already.

Andy peered at Rhys, his mother, and Anwen from behind the bus stop barrier. They belonged together, had each other: grandmother, father, daughter. Was there no Gwen in their lives?

What kind of mother would abandon little Anwen, a sweet child, so trusting and innocent? She had to be a real bitch, an idiot. The thought that she'd had Rhys in her arms, used him to impregnate her, and left the little one to his care like a puppy, had Andy raging at the silly twat.

After what she did to him, it burns that she is fucking Rhys over too.

.

.

"Mama!" Anwen cries out with delight as her mother makes a grand entrance, the little girl already past her bedtime and Rhys knows she will definitely not go down now as she runs for her mother who makes a face of annoyance glancing at Rhys as if to tell him to get her away from her. Yeah, she waited this late hoping Anwen would be down already.

Rhys feels a flush of anger.

"Right, Saw Andy again today. He didn't say hi to you, didn't even ask about ya" Rhys says once Anwen is sitting with her earphones on, listening to her showtunes. Something Jack gave her, a love of showtunes. Who knew the man could sing like that. He watches for Gwen's response.

"Oh god. Really? Since he left the force, he has become a bit of a bum, so I hear" she sniffs as she settles at the table and looks at him expectantly. Right. She wats a feed of the lasagne she can smell?

Rhys is feeling petty, and he crosses his arms, staring back like he doesn't know why she is there. Finally, she is forced to ask, "Any food left?"

He feeds her, of course he does. He is not a monster. He wants to ask about Andy but feels that he will not like the answer, so instead he watches her eat like she might transform like Jekyll and Hyde or something. Well, sometimes she can be explosive.

Anwen has grown quiet watching her parents as they interact silently, her frown deep as she leans in to ask, "don't you like my Papa?"

Gwen chokes on the mouthful and manages to say "Of course I like him, he's my fella, right?"

Anwen stares at Gwen for a while and then says calmly "Not Tadda Rhys, I mean Papa Andy."

Gwen roars with mirth, slapping at the table as she looks over at Rhys "Did ya hear that! She has ya as a shirt lifter!"

Rhys feels instant anger there, "Oi, your beloved boss plays for both teams, right? Scores in any goal?"

Gwen's mirth fades as she stares at him, then rose "Right. Shower and change I am on night duty."

"Of course, ya are" Rhys scoffs as he turns away, unable to watch his daughter's face fall as it does each time her mother leaves again.

Damn.

As much as he loves this woman, he is starting to imagine a life after a fucking alien eats her or something.

It looks appealing.

As he mulls over things, he has a horrible epiphany. Didn't want to upset her. Her. Not Anwen… Gwen. Does Gwen know why Andy left so suddenly? Is it her that he is avoiding? Not Rhys or Anwen at all?

What has Gwen done this time.