Tom sat up in the bed, his back against the headboard and duvet pooling around his waist.
You'd refused to sleep in the same room as him, telling him you'd prefer to stay in your own and he had been okay with that after a solid twenty minutes of having you under his arm, taking things slow was what he and you had agreed on. You had enjoyed the warmth and the comfort, but didn't want to ruin a good thing by taking it too fast or push your boundaries any further.
So instead you had collapsed in your own bed with a smile on your face, sheets pulled beneath your arms as the wheels in your brain ran at a fast pace. Your fingers ghosted over your lips with a cheeky smile, nose wrinkling remembering what had happened earlier and you had a moment of peace after a series of unfortunate events.
But there was another body in Toms' bed and it was one much littler then his, buried beneath the duvet that ended at her shoulders. Little hands stuck out of the blanket, limp fingers resting on the comforter only centimetres away and brown curls scattered around the perimeter. Rosie's lips were open agape as she slept despite Toms consistent rolling around during the night and even rustling now as he scrolled through his laptop, glasses resting on his nose. He found it funny that she had slept on her front, face smooshed into the bed.
The laptop rested on his lap, pictures and files open on the screen as he pieced things together. He had the details from the planted drugs, the hit and run attempt and the fact that your father had been poisoned. They were all of the negative, bone-chilling events that had occurred on the last few weeks that he didn't want to look at, but his anger fueled him. Everything was quite literally in front of his eyes like pieces of a puzzle that for some reason, just weren't fitting together and it frustrated him to no end.
Rosie stirred as she began to wake up and Tom looked away from the screen, every detail he'd read imprinted in his brain still as he directed his gaze to the mumbling child and he closes the screen, deciding the dark and gruesome business can come later. His girl had been shield from it for far too long and he wasn't about to change that.
"Hey, princess." His voice was hoarse as he spoke, throat dry.
She peaks an eye open, confused by her surroundings before she finds Tom and smiles, squinting her eyes as she tries to adjust to the light. It was something he'd never thought he'd see- his daughter was one thing but seeing her so tired, drawn between staying awake and falling back to sleep was another. There were many things he was yet to see as a new father and he didn't know whether he should be nervous or excited- probably both.
"Hi." Rosie mumbles.
"How'd you sleep?"
"Good." She murmurs, sitting up in the nightgown. Rosie looks around with messy hair and confused glances. She finds Tess, bouncing out of the sheets to pet the dog. "Was warm."
Tom was torn between work and doing something with Rosie and he knew he should've continued racking his brain to try and find out who was behind all of this but it was like staring at a blank wall, as if his mind was just a cloud of dust and nothing was making sense to him and it hadn't for a while now. The mobster shoved his laptop to the side, reading the bedside table clock that read seven twenty-seven. He knew that Rosie was a ball of energy, forever bouncing off of the walls and that he had to keep her busy to allow you to sleep longer, but he had a perfect idea.
"How about you and me go make Mommy breakfast?"
-
You creep down the hallway, nearly out of breath after climbing down the masses of stairs, following the giggles that led you straight to the kitchen. To get there it took at least three minutes and in your half awake - half asleep state, you wished he owned an elevator. But the mobster never really used his kitchen, nor the living room so why would he need on?
Somehow you were still on cloud nine from last night, brain turning and replaying every detail except the ones' you didn't want to remember, romanticizing each moment to the point where if this were a movie, it'd be a soft romance. You found yourself not only leaning into his outstretched grasp, but him leaning into yours too and whether he'd admit it outright or not you were unsure but all you knew was that he was accepting, willing to give you time and patience which was something you needed.
And well, you were ready to give him years that he missed out on.
You find yourself standing at the kitchen door frame, dressing gown draped over your pyjamas and hair thrown around in the worst doo you'd done in days but you looked no better then Tom who wore a shirt with a magnitude of tiny holes in the front, and sweatpants with wrinkles that ran for days. Comfort came naturally for both of you, there was no 'honeymoon phase' this time.
"What did you guys do? It's only Eight in the morning." You rub your eyes, trying to make out the scene in front of you and once you do, you nearly gasp in shock at the mess that decorated the once clean kitchen.
You knew Tom wasn't exactly one to cook, it wasn't a big skill of his and he tended to rely on his chef for each of his meals so cooking by himself was a task, but adding a four year old to the mix was an even bigger task and one he felt he was prepared for before actually getting into the kitchen. He had to watch Rosie constantly to make sure she didn't decide to eat the waffle mixture, afraid that she'd end up ill after consuming raw egg or flour.
He also had to keep his eye on the waffle iron to make sure the food didn't burn, and the sink that was slowly filling with water. He had, however, entrusted Rosie with adding chocolate chips to the batter and allowed her to attempt to stir it with the wooden spoon. Which ended up with her licking the spoon as he turned his back. But flour littered the table, egg shells scattered next to your daughter and some on the floor and steam threatened to set off the smoke detectors.
"We wanted to make you breakfast!" Rosie cheers, flinging the spoon into the air causing the unmixed batter to hit the ceiling. She didn't seem phased but you crinkle your nose and tried not to laugh at Toms' horrified reaction.
You smile at her, giving the girl a kiss on the cheek and she returns it. She had been really cuddly lately. "That's nice, did you get far?"
"Daddy don't know how to cook." She shakes her head and you had just noticed how her hair was done. "He wanted to add raisins."
You playfully gasp, placing a hand over your heart and Tom chuckles, a packet of still sealed raisins sitting next to the container of chocolate chips. You loved raisins during your pregnancy, snacking on them whenever you could and because of that you had expected that Rosie would've loved them but neither of you could stand them.
"Raisins aren't that bad, okay." Tom raises his hands in defence, one hand going to the iron as he checks a waffle and nearly hisses as the steam hits his skin. "Also good morning."
You let out a yawn, hand slipping over your mouth. "Morning."
"I wanna go outside," Rosie grumbles, beginning to climb towards the edge of the table.
You were quick to race to your girl's side, grabbing her and placing her down on the tile floor instead of her falling and plummeting, causing another dreaded hospital visit. You had to admit, the clothes she'd picked out this morning wasn't entirely bad.
Tom makes a noise and begins to speak; "Are you sure that's a good-"
"Yeah, but not far, okay?" You interrupt, giving Tom a glance. Rosie needed outdoor time or she'd go ballistic, growing more and antsier as she grew bored, but he didn't know that yet.
Noticing your expression as well as the tiredness written all over your features he sighs, waving a dirty fork. "Not passed the large rocks and take Tess with you, I'm sure she could use a runaround."
She smiles, waddling towards the dog and taps her on the head before racing to the front door that she'd somehow manage to unlock by herself. As a mom, you learned that nothing was really 'childproof'.
Rosie didn't like rules very much, of course, she understood the basics and why they existed but sometimes she wanted to let loose and do her own thing. So that was why right now, she plopped on the front lawn despite Toms warnings to stay near the house with a toy in one hand and dirt slowly staining the back of her leggings. She briefly remembered her parents telling her not to go past the giant rock next to the apple tree, but that was a while ago and the little fish pond had interested her.
Tessa was rolling around on the grass beside her with her tongue hanging out of her mouth, huffing gently as Rosie waddled around between collecting rocks with little fists and putting them in order from smallest to biggest. It was a rather fun past time.
Rosie giggled, bending down to pat the dog that melted into her touch, eyes squinting as her ears fell back. The two had gotten along quickly, bonding over their love for not listening to the older ones and dog biscuits. (Yes, Rosie had tried to eat one behind her mommy's back and yes- she spat it out almost immediately.)
She was watching the fish swim around the pond, too distracted by the blue with the black tail to notice a car pull up the drive- stopping directly next to her only shielded by the gate and fence that surrounded the entire perimeter. She had nearly missed the rumble of the car, gaping at the sea creatures and wondering if Peter would like the join the gang.
The man put his window down all the way, sticking his head out causing Rosie to look up, one hand wet from trying to catch the fish as she looked at the stranger.
"Hi there." He smiled, grey hair blowing in the wind gently.
"Hello." The little girl replies, crawling away from the pond to go back to her rocks. It was only a small crawl, three steps maybe. She wouldn't like, she recognised the voice but still... stranger danger.
"Do you remember me? I spoke to you on the phone the other day?" The man asks, tilting his head. "God, you really do look just like him."
Rosie, who had innocently been trying to play on the grass with Tessa and her stuffed toy just continue playing with the muck, trying to ignoring the man that was almost pestering. She felt partially protected by the front lawn fence, trusting it to keep her safe but maybe she should have run inside and called for her mom or new- and first ever, dad.
She ignores him and Dom scoffs. "It's rude to ignore people, you know? Why don't you come out here and we can talk more? I think I have popcorn in the back seat, maybe we can go out to the beach or something?" He tells her, hoping the food would be enough to wean her over.
Rosie shakes her head and continues to play on the front lawn. "No."
"C'mon, I'll bring you back later? Your mom won't even know that you left." He presses, gritting his teeth as the girl defies him. It wasn't something he was used too, considering his sons never dared to disrespect him.
"I said no! Go away." She spits, beginning to tremble gently as the dog next to her pipes up, standing in front of her protectively.
She doesn't even debate it, the man was scary and besides, she'd been taught from a young age not to get in the car with strangers or even talk to them so technically she'd already broken one rule. The little girl clings onto her stuffed toy with one hand, ignoring the fact that it was quickly growing a different shade of grey thanks to the muck around her.
The older guy sighs, wrinkles lining his forehead. "That's no way to talk to someone older then you is it? especially your grandad."
Rosie quirks a brow, dropping her stuffed toy on the grass where it lays face down. "My grandad is dead."
"Well I'm right here aren't I?" Dom grins, "Just put the password in, it's 481672, You can do that can't you?"
For a moment he felt hopeful as he watched the girl clamber up on two feet, dirt staining her black leggings and muddy hands reaching out to grab the dog by the collar that was still growing towards the man.
Getting up on her feet, Rosie begins to step back uncomfortably. The stranger looks around wildly before climbing out of his car, rough boots hitting the ground with a thud and Tessa growls, teeth-baring as she stands defiantly. Dom wasn't able to get in because of the closed gate but Rosie didn't know that- she didn't fully understand the wall that separated them and how they worked and grew even more fearful then he'd been before.
"I don't want to." She tells him, looking down guiltily as he presses on.
Dom grips the metal fence with nearly white fists, cheeks turning flushed as he waits impatiently.
He taps his foot, heavy boots thumping. "You don't want to let your mom down do you? What about Tom? They're expecting me and I can't be late."
She tilts her head, "Oh?"
Dominic nods his head, raising his brows. "Yeah, now just put the number in the keypad and I can surprise them."
Rosie steps towards the keypad, using a garden chair to get up to the correct height and her chubby fingers hover over the keys, thinking deeply for a moment. She barely remembered the series of numbers the stranger had listed but knew it started with a four. She was only four years old- nearing five and was very good when it came to her feelings and while she still frequently did things on instinct, such as dipping her finger in the hot chocolate that was still scorching hot and jumping down the last two steps that caused her to fall on her butt.
Rosie, who had started to sway, shakes her head and jumps down from the seat, feet aching as the shock runs through her heels.
"Seriously-" Dominic begins, anger getting the best of him as threats threaten to spill from the back of his throat. But before he can begin, the little girl takes off on her heels, sprinting towards the house as best she can with a thick, hot pink cast around her arm. "Fuck sake." He curses.
Her hair wipes around as she runs, strands smacking her right in the face and she nearly tripped over three holes in the ground but the closer to the front door she gets, the more determined she finds herself- even refusing to get distracted by the hot red roses directly outside.
"Mommy!" She calls, attempting to catch her breath as she runs straight through the front door that was swung open. Her bare feet pad against the marble floor, making sticking noises with every step. "Mommy!"
You rush to the entryway, nearly knowing Rosie over and she pants, gasping for air from running here all the way from the front lawn. Tom's house was enormous so she classed it as an entire workout.
"Hey, yeah, what happened?" You ask her, getting down to knee level. Her shirt was covered in grass stains and feet muddy.
Tom walked in not far behind you with his hands in his front pockets, dressed and ready for a meeting that he was already ten minutes late for but didn't mind waiting for another few.
"A man at the-" She has to stop to take a deep breath. "A man at the front."
You furrow your brows, trying to understand her mumbled words. "A man?"
She nods. "An old man and- and he said he was grandad."
Toms' eyes widen in both fear and confusion and without another word, he rushes out the front door but instead of his cheeks flushing as he runs, they run white. He can vaguely hear Tessa barking from afar, her deep growls and threats drawing him towards the front gate and he was quick enough to hear the distant rumbling of a vehicle.
"Fuck!" He curses under his breath, gripping at the roots of his hair. "Fucking- fuck!"
Tessa turns to him, halting her barking to run up to Tom and lick the side of his jeans as if she were trying to tell him something and even in his frustrated state he bends down to pet the girl he'd had for many, many years. If Dom had shown up at his house, then did she really talk to him on the phone a few days ago?
Tom had a hundred questions, ranging from his intentions to where he'd been after Tom had practically disowned him but in that moment his main focus was to protect his family.
-
"It's dad."
The twins haul forward, both confused and not believing the words that fell from their brother's lips. It seemed unreal that he'd be back after so long- especially since being kicked out by his eldest. So to hear his name again was a shock.
"What?!" Both boys gasped at the same time, leaning forward in their seats almost simultaneously.
Tom, who had been filled with all kinds of rage all morning nods his head, not knowing completely how to tell his younger brothers that their dad was back and causing havoc once more. "It's dad- Dominic, it's Dom god damn it."
Maybe Tom should have seen it coming sooner and maybe he did but he hadn't wanted to believe that it was Dom. Because Tom had adapted to his new lifestyle, and he'd adapted to making decisions without his father constantly hanging other his shoulder with devil horns. (though Harry had soon replaced him) Tom had always had a hunch, from the second he saw your father in the morgue... no, from the second Aiden said that he wasn't alone in his maniacal plans.
The twins didn't know how to react, heck, they'd never been close with Dom or at least as close as Tom had been and maybe they despised him for that, as well as for putting a wedge between the brothers. But Harry stayed quiet as Sam and Tom spoke, even doing so much as to zone out and come up with his own plan which probably wasn't the best idea.
The second Harry left the house, closing the door with a gentle thud, Harry pulled his phone out of his pant pocket, going straight to his contacts and allowed his thumb to hover over the call button for a moment. He felt like he was backstabbing and a part of him new that he was, and that this was probably the worst thing he could do to his brother and his family right now.
He waits patiently for the man to pick up and when he does, Harry sighs into the phone, realising that it was too late to go back now.
"Hey, dad," He starts, sighing into the phone. "It's Harry, yeah. We need to talk."