Strings Attached

Chapter Twenty-Two

Teddy chuckled. "Does that make you uncomfortable?" he asked.

"What do you think?" I asked sarcastically.

Teddy chuckled once more. "Poor Chris. I wish I were there with you."

I rolled my eyes. "You wish you were here just so you could listen to their moans."

Teddy laughed. "Ouch, Chris! I didn't think you saw me as that kind of boy!"

I smiled. "Whatever," I said.

Teddy sighed. "I miss you, Chris," he said.

"I miss you, too," I muttered.

Brianna smiled. "Is that Mom?" she asked.

I shook my head. "It's Teddy."

Brianna smirked. "Theo and Tina, sitting on a tree!"

I rolled my eyes. "Stop it!"

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Bri, seriously," I warned her.

Brianna shook her head and started playing with the baby.

"First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby and a baby carriage!" finished Teddy from the other side of the line.

I frowned. "You suck."

Teddy chuckled. "I know."

I sighed. "I want to go home," I said.

"I want you to come home," he said.

I was about to say something, but Dad entered the room and sighed. "I need to talk to you, girls," he said.

I took a deep breath. "I'll talk to you later. Dad wants to talk," I said.

Teddy whined. "But I want to talk to you!"

I smiled. "I will call back. I promise."

"Okay," he said, sighing. "Take care!"

"You too!"

"I miss you!"

"Me too!"

With that said, I hung up and turned to see my dad.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Was that your mom?" he asked.

"No," I said.

"It was her boyfriend," said Brianna.

I shot her a glare. "He's not my boyfriend."

Brianna shrugged. "He might as well be. You are together all the time."

Dad turned to see me with a serious expression on his face. "Is this true?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Who cares?"

"I do," he said.

"If you really did, you would've called sooner."

Dad sighed. "I was busy..."

"Too busy to call your own daughters? Wow, Dad, you really seem to have your priorities set straight."

Dad frowned. "Don't talk to me that way," he said.

I turned to see the ground and sighed.

"What did you want to tell us?" asked Brianna, turning to see Dad with curiosity.

Dad took a deep breath. "I want you guys to know that I love you, and I don't want you to think that I don't."

"Dad," I said. "Don't go there, okay? Just tell us what was so important that you made us come to your perfect house to meet your perfect family?"