Second Chance Addison

After dinner, Genevieve wanted to build a "unicorn castle." But first, she insisted that they clean up and change into their pajamas.

Once everyone had changed, the three of them gathered all the pillows and couch cushions in the apartment for their construction project. The dining room chairs were used as a kind of substructure to hold their sheet canopy up. It was dr.a.p.ed loosely over top of their rather impressive fortress.

With the addition of a few signs drawn by Genevieve, the castle was complete. Chance had gotten the paper, pens, and tape for the signs from his office. The signs said things like "beware of unicorns" and "no trespassing."

After a couple of hours of arranging and rearranging pillows, chairs, and sheets, the 'castle' was finished.

"Uncle Addy! Aunt Fay! Come inside the castle with me!" Genevieve had already gone inside and made herself at home.

The two a.d.u.l.ts looked at each other and shrugged.

"Alright, we're coming in then!" Fait got down on her hands and knees and crawled into the pillow fort.

Chance went to grab a tray of snacks first. He had cheese and crackers and apple slices and even brought over some juice boxes.

"Here I come!" He too crawled into the fort and then reached behind him to pull in the tray. "Just in case we get hungry."

They spent the rest of the evening snacking, chatting, and telling funny stories. Before long, Genevieve had fallen asleep and Fait was starting to yawn.

Chance removed the sheets from over their heads and gently picked up Genevieve. Fait sorted through the cushions and found the pillows they needed.

They walked over to the bedroom and Chance tucked Genevieve in. "Goodnight, Fait." He smiled softly and headed for the door.

"Goodnight Addison... and thank you." She returned in almost a whisper.

She closed the door and locked it, out of habit. Then she joined Genevieve in the bed and drifted off into a comfortable deep sleep. It was the best sleep she'd had in a long time.

Chance surveyed his living room and knew he couldn't leave it in its disheveled state. He set to work returning pillows and cushions and chairs and folding the sheets. He put all his office supplies away too. He even neatly gathered all of Genevieve's signs and drawings and set them on the coffee table in case she wanted them later.

Once everything was cleaned up in the living room, he went to the kitchen and did the dishes. After he set the last plate on the drying rack, he finally went to bed himself.

Tonight, if only for a few short hours, it was like he had a family of his own. He laid down and sighed. How great would it be if he really had such a family?

The next morning, he was the first one up. He showered and got dressed and went to start on breakfast.

He threw together some pancake batter and was halfway through it when Fait and Genevieve joined him in the kitchen. Fait helped Genevieve set the table while Chance finished cooking. She also started a pot of coffee and poured a glass of milk for Genevieve.

Fait was also enjoying this bit of family time. She never thought this sort of domestic lifestyle would suit her and yet she now felt she could get used to it easily.

After breakfast, Fait gave Roy a call to see what time he wanted to pick up his daughter. He said he would come by around eleven and he also had some news to share.

The time passed quickly and soon there was a knock at the door. Chance opened it to let Roy in. To his surprise, there was a younger man together with Roy.

"Genny! Papa is here!" Roy ignored Chance's confused look and called out to his beloved little daughter. Sure enough she came running. He caught her and lifted her up to hold her.

"Did you miss me?"

"Of course, Papa." She kissed his cheek.

"Did you have fun?"

"So much fun! Can I come here again?"

"We'll see."

"Aww, Papa."

"We need to talk to Mama and Uncle Addy and Aunt Fay."

"Okay."

Still holding Genevieve, he finally acknowledged the man he brought with him.

"Chance, this is Koty. Koty, this is your new boss, Chance Addison. Keep him safe and out of trouble please."

Fait, who was getting a ride from Roy, walked into the room with her and Genevieve's bags.

"Hey Roy. I see you found someone to fill the guard position." She looked carefully over the young man. He was certainly young, probably in his mid-twenties, had an athletic build, cropped reddish blond hair, fair complexion, and freckles.

"Yup. This is Koty."

She reached out her hand and shook his, "Nice to meet you."

"You as well Miss Foster." His voice was deep but scratchy, like he had been smoking for a long time. But there wasn't so much as a hint of a smell of tobacco on him.

"Well, I've got to get going so I'll leave you two to get aquatinted. Genny, say thank you to Uncle Addy." Roy set Genevieve down and she went over to Chance.

He squatted down to her level and gave her a hug goodbye.

"Thank you for letting me come over." She hugged him back and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for coming to visit. Tell your mama I said hi."

"Okay." She held her father's hand and they left with Fait close behind.

Just Chance and Koty were left in the apartment.