Bailey
"I don't think I can move," Spencer quite literally drops himself onto the couch in our front room. Closing his eyes as he does so, he looks like he's about to pass out.
In hindsight it probably wasn't the best decision to take them to Kanes in terms of our fittings tonight...however it was definitely the best for our souls.
Kane's was a cure all in my opinion.
We weren't gone long, we drove around town and I got to show them some of our favorite places growing up. I showed them the high school, and eventually the football field dedicated to my best friend. Once we came back around town we stopped at Kane's and then home again.
"I should go get Elle, I dropped her with Caleb earlier,"
"I thought she wanted to hang out with Arya," Spencer questions, his words slow as he slips in and out of his food coma. It was quite comical.
"She did but Arya wasn't there, Caleb said he'd watch her for a bit" he huffs as he stands up "Wanna come with us kid?"
"I can't move," Spencer groans "Go without me I'm going—"
He cut off by Tyler and Wes walking in, tossing everyone in the vicinity a beer.
It's 3 pm.
"Day drinking before fittings," Wes smiles
"Wes I'm already bloated as hell, at this rate I won't fit into my dress," I toss it back to him.
Like they typically do, Tyler along with Wes make themselves at home. Sitting besides Spencer, handing him a bottle, the three clink them together before drinking.
God they're corrupting my sweet Spencer.
"How do women's fittings work? I've always been curious cause guys, for the most part, are proportional but Bails for instance, you have a big ass but a small waist but fuckin linebacker shoulders so like—" Ty chimes after a second
Thanks Ty. Really appreciate you.
"Hey I happen to like my linebacker shoulders!" I subconsciously touch my shoulders. He had a point, I had huge shoulders, it was hilarious.
"Yeah I do too, the make your tits look nice but I just am confused as to how a tailor accounts for it all," he says in bewilderment...with a straight face.
"Wes, punch him for me will you,"
My request is followed my a very satisfactory "ow" and I am left smiling.
"Okay in all fairness I didn't mean it in a mean way, you have one of the best asses I've ever seen Bails but like how do things fit an ass like yours and still make your waist look good and-" I motion for another punch, this time Spencer's the one giving it.
"How the hell are you a teacher?" I mumble into my hands.
I didn't take offense really, it was just Tyler being...well, Tyler. His lack of filter is refreshing ... sometimes.
"I'm just gonna shut up now," He smiles before taking a sip of whatever his beer of choice is today.
"We're gonna go get Elle before we leave for fittings,"
"Grab Kazer too," Wes chimes
"We haven't seen the golden boy's pretty face in a minute," Tyler smirks.
Their bromance never wavered.
"We'll watch the other child," Wes gestures to Spencer and just like Tyler, earned himself another punch in the arm.
"Rude," Spencer snorts at them before getting up "Wake me up when you leave,"
"Will do," Danny laughs as he opens the door allowing me to go first.
We both walk across the street to the familiar house, still void of Arya's car but not the old truck belonging to Caleb.
"Arya's still not home?" He questions noticing her car missing.
"Yeah I'm not sure where she's at, probably with Colton somewhere," I shrug, knocking on the door. There was no answer still after a few.
Danny takes it upon himself to walk in.
"I see you've gotten comfortable already," I snort
"Oh yeah, Elle and I have been upgraded to family status," The smile on his face is hilarious.
It made me happy that my family was able to be that for him and Elle, he didn't have this growing up, up until he and I got close. It was just him and Elle.
A laugh gets stuck in the throat as I almost freeze at the sight in front of me when we walk into the kitchen. Turning towards the open living room, I see Caleb laid on the couch. He was asleep, Danielle passed out right there with him, sprawled out on his chest with a marker in her hand.
His arms, spanning onto his chest, showcasing arrays of colors.
He let her color his tattoos.
Fuck.
There's just something about a man with
"This is gold," Danny's whispers quietly, taking a picture of the two.
"Oh hey guys," Liv smiles, entering the kitchen behind us.
"Shh," Danny shushes her, clearly she wasn't used to the notions as the look on her face conveyed minor offense. "Sorry they're sleeping,"
"You should wake him, you've got fittings soon don't you?" She questions. The three of us walk back further into the kitchen, still having view into the living room. "He's been asleep for awhile,"
"Eh not too soon, let him sleep a little longer," I shake my head, having to tear my eyes away from the my walking back into the kitchen beside Danny. Ace had us up early this morning and has been stressing us out, he deserves a little more sleep. "Arya's not home?"
"No she texted Caleb like ten minutes ago and said she'll be home soon," She shrugs, pulling a container out.
If he had been asleep...? Did she go through his phone?
He doesn't have a password on his phone.
"You guys want some food or anything?"
"God no, thank you though. I think we just ate my weight in burgers, fries and fried pickles," Danny's snorts looking over at me. My mind was still stuck on the phone thing as I plaster a smile on my face.
"Before fittings?" She snorts with a grin
"Probably not our best idea," He grins nudging me. I shake my head at him, our means of silent communication proving to be useful in this moment, before glancing back at Elle and Caleb.
"He loves Danielle," She noticed my staring, my eyes now meeting hers.
There was an almsot territorial sense within them. I attempt to ignore the feeling growing in the pit of my stomach at the eery reminder of my ex.
She isn't him. My mind just finds reminders when it can. God I hope she is nothing like him, for Calebs sake.
Caleb would never hit a woman.
"It's hard not to love her," The plastered on grin remains. I didn't appreciate the message her look conveyed but I understood it all the same. There was history here that runs deeper than her relationship with him. In complete honesty, It'd be slightly off putting to me too. But, I was here for my brother and Jordan. Period. "Danny did good with that one,"
"Please, we pulled a full house with her," he snorts "You and Beck saved me,"
"We did," I can't help but genuinely laugh at the memories of Danielle's first few months, "The first time she puked on him, I had to clean not only her puke but his too,"
I treated Elle like she was my own, I was her god mom and aunt, of course I treated her like my kid.
"Thats cute though, that you had each other," Liv nods looking between the two of us. Danny continues to converse with her, but my mind is drawn away by the sound of quiet giggling.
Glancing through the walkway, I see Danielle has her peas propped up on her hand, still laying on Caleb's chest only now looking at him.
"Aunt Belle is here," I hear Danielle's not-at-all-quiet whisper from my space in the walk way. To the living room.
"I know," his whisper volume matches hers "She's got a loud laugh doesn't she?"
"She does, but so do I," she giggles again, this time crinkling her nose, she looks up and makes brief eye contact with me in the doorway and shoots her head back down to lay on Calebs chest "She saw me,"
I want to laugh at her attempted whisper.
He moves his head to look at me a grin, lifting his hand slightly to wave before sitting up. Danielle still on his chest as he held her.
"Hey kid," I grin "You know you can't hide from me,"
"Uncle Caleb would hide me,"
Uncle Caleb.
If I could change forms I'd be a puddle.
"She's already got you wrapped around your finger?" I snort, forcing myself to focus on his face and Danielle.
Not his chest.
Or the tattoos.
Or his muscular chest.
Definitely not any lower.
He is attractive, he always has been attractive. It was a simple fact, football did him good.
He's also engaged, and I am not that type of woman.
"I would bury a body for her," he says in all seriousness despite the smile on his face.
"Yeah join the club," Danny snorts as we return to the kitchen "You really let her color on you?"
"She called me a coloring book, how could I not?" He snorts. I take a second to actually look at the art scattering his arms.
His first tattoo was still visible on the inside of his wrist. Ivy vines, reminding me of the wall of Wrigley field, wrapped around his arm winding from wrist to shoulder. He had a music staff and a quote spanning form a book. There was also a rose, it was beautiful. All of them were honestly.
"You look ridiculous," Olivia snorts as she walks over, kissing him on the cheek. That breaks me from my observation, quickly averting my eyes to Danny as he teasingly coos.
"He looks adorable," Danny patronizes.
"He's colorful," Danielle smiles at all of us "Aunt Belle we watched Tangled,"
I always made her watch that one. Thankfully she loved it as much as I did. It was one of the things I'd indulge in to remind me of here.
When I was having a hard day at work. Tangled.
When school wasn't going my way. tangled.
When Vince was in a bad mood. Especially then, Tangled.
As stupid as it sounds. A grown woman relying on a children's movie to ground her, it did. I'd close my eyes and think about home.
"Aw without me,"
She just smiles proudly looking at Caleb from her fathers arms "It's okay we watched without Olivia too,"
"She was working bud," He's quick to defend her, his eyes meeting hers quickly "She'll watch with us next time, right Liv?"
"Mhm,"
"Aunt Bailey too? It's her favorite movie,"
"If Aunt Bailey wants, then of course," he smiles softly, shifting his eyes from hers to mine. Nodding subtly in understanding. We loved that movie.
"Alright Elle, go clean up your markers, we gotta go," Danny sets her down to return to the living room where mess of markers remains but before she can even run back, Arya makes her loud arrival into the house.
Elle almost immediately diverts her intended path to Arya instead of her mess.
"Hey Dani," Arya picks her up, smiling at her "Sorry I wasn't here earlier kid,"
"I watched tangled with Uncle Caleb,"
"Solid, Uncle Caleb loves that movie,"
Elle honestly didn't care much about that stuff. As long as she had people around her and was doing soemthing she deemed fun, she didn't care.
"You look...colorful," Arya laughs, leaning on the table beside me, looking at her brother. "Two of the three stooges are demanding your presence by the way,"
"I know they've been blowing up my phone," he rolls his eyes "We gotta go soon though don't we?"
"I'm tired," Arya drops her head on my shoulder, still holding Danielle in her arms who is now playing with her hair "I don't want to go,"
"You'll get to see your dress," I chime, glancing at the two.
Ace let us pick out the style of our dresses as long as it fit the Dark green, white and gold theme. The only request I had received form my brother and Brett was that I chose a gold dress, contrasting the other women in the wedding party who are wearing green. All the guys were wearing green tux's with white bow ties.
"I already saw my dress,"
"Yeah but this time you'll get to see it in person," she just groans at this. Clearly she was not nearly as excited as I was.
I wanted to see my dress. It was a floor length soft gold satin dress with a cowl-neck neckline and a high thigh slit. Easily the classiest dress I will ever own. From the pictures I've seen of it, it's beautiful, both Brett and Ace were excited to see it as well. As long as it kept them happy, I'd do anything.
"What color is the wedding party?" Liv questions
"Well everyones wearing green, except our queen Bailey here," Arya smiles at me "Best Woman status earned her a gold dress,"
"All I got was a gold bow tie," Caleb snorts, pulling on the t-shirt he'd been wearing earlier today.
"Guess you're just not as important?" Olivia deadpans, glancing down at her phone for the third time within the last minute.
Arya tenses besides me until I jump in, half joking half not, in his defense.
"God no," I shake my head "My brothers love him more than me,"
"They're forced to love you Bails," Arya chimes with a snort.
"What? Like I'm forced to love you?" Caleb jumps in
"You aren't!"
"I would strongly dislike you if I weren't related to you Ary," Calebs brutal honesty never fails. Danny laughs and I even find myself holding back a snort.
"Okay we're leaving now," she turns from us and continues to march down the hall, Danny following behind her, asking for his daughter back.
I shake my head and follow the two.
"Sweetheart she does not love you more that me," I walk into their continuing conversation to be met with Danny's smirk.
Don't fall for it Arya.
It'd be fun to watch him have to work for someone, and if anyone's going to make him work it'd be Arya.
"Nice try pretty boy, she still wants to hang out with me, ain't that right kid?" Arya mirrors his smirk as she looks down at Elle, who is now standing between them.
Danielle however, clings to her fathers leg.
Yeah I saw that one coming.
"Let's go jackasses," Caleb comes up behind me, ushering us out the door.
"I don't include myself in the whole jackasses thing," I retort, turning slightly to look at him. What I didn't account for was his close proximity. Closer than he's been this far at least behind me.
"You especially are included in the whole jackass thing," he states it matter of factory, but a grin blesses his face as he meets my eyes.
"Danielle remind me of the rule again just to be sure?"
"Don't repeat anything Aunt Belle and Uncle Caleb say," the child answers her father.
"Trained her well," Arya grins. "We told Bex the same thing,"
Danny just laughs at that as the four of us approach my house, just as the other three are leaving it.
"Damn, Y'all finally ready?" Wes questions, joining us down the drive
"Shoot I forgot Elles bag," Danny snips.
I knew we were forgetting something.
"I'll grab it,"
I hear Danny mutter his quick thank you while he straps Elle into her car seat. Leaving the group, I return to the Kazer a, not bothering to knock as the only one home was Liv.
"Hey Liv," I call out. Assuming she'd heard me I walk further back into the kitchen. Only to hear her speaking.
"He just left," she chimes, her voice sweet. Well at least sweeter than the tone she's used with Caleb earlier. "His family's insane,"
She had a point of I'm being honest, we were a lot to handle.
"Yeah I'm watching it, there's something there,"she snorts to whoever she was talking to "And ill be back next week so I can see you then,"
As curious as I was, I felt guilty for eavesdropping.
"Olivia?" I question again, walking directly into the kitchen.
This time catching her attention, she rings the phone away from her ear, "Hey,"
"Hi, sorry, I just left Danielle's bag,"
"Oh no you're fine, I was just catching my sister up on everything," she smiles "It's hard being away from her,"
"Believe me, I completely get it," I smile lightly.
Okay, her sister. Just her sister.
"Mhm," she nods "Have fun at fittings,"
"Yeah, I'll see you later," I offer a smile despite her dismissive tone.
Kill her with kindness as Cheri would say
Yet despite my initial impression, I'm not too sure I quite appreciate Olivia. There's something off in how she treats Calebs.
Reminding me way too much of a relationship dynamic I know way too well.