Addicted

Chapter 5

There's a knock at the door and I glance at the clock. Three o'clock in the afternoon. Groaning, I stand up and walk to the door. Opening it, I find a dozen rose's waiting on the floor. It's been the same thing for the last two weeks. Apparently it's Owen's way of trying to win me over. Maybe it would work if he actually knew what my favorite flower was.

Picking the bouquet up, I close the door and head to the same window I've been going to every day. Opening it, I drop the flowers. Just as I'm about to close it, I hear a voice. "Madison!"

Rolling my eyes, I stick my head out the window and see Owen standing by the pile of rose's. "Go away, Owen."

"Why are you throwing my flowers away?" he asks.

"I don't have time for this."

I begin pulling away but he yells again. "No, wait!" Sighing, I look down at him again. "Can I see her?"

I bite my lip, thinking. "Only if you can answer one question."

"Okay."

"What's my favorite flower?" I ask.

He looks down at the pile of rose's then back up to me, holding his arms out. "I'm guessing it's not roses."

Rolling my eyes, I pull back and close the window. Anastasia begins crying so I go to her crib and pick her up. "He makes you mad too, huh?" I ask softly.

Placing her on the changing table, I quickly change her diaper. Taking her into the living room, I am about to sit down when there's a knock on the door. "Madison, please. She's my daughter too. I'll do anything you want."

"We have plans and we're leaving soon. Come back tomorrow."

"Madison."

Opening the door, I sigh. "We seriously have plans and I have to feed her first so there's no time for you to spend with her. You can come back tomorrow."

He frowns, glancing at Anastasia. "What time?"

"Any time. Just call or text beforehand."

"I don't have your phone number."

Sighing, I hold her out to him. "Take her and I'll find a pen."

He takes her, smiling down at her. I find a pen and paper, scribbling my number down. "They were in my bouquet at our wedding," I say without much thought.

"What?"

"My favorite flower," I say softly.

"Sunflowers," he answers immediately.

I stare at him, sad and confused. "You remember?"

"I remember so many details from that day."

No longer wanting to talk about it, I remain silent as I head back into the living room, I hand him the piece of paper and he tucks it in his pocket. "She's tiny. Especially compared to Bryant. He was two pounds more than her," he chuckles.

My heart aches at the sound of his name. "I miss him," I say, thinking aloud.

He glances up at me. "He should meet his sister."

I nod. "And I'd like to see him more often."

He nods a little. "We can talk about it."

There's two knocks on the door before it opens. Dominic freezes, causing Michael to run into him. "What the f**k, dude?" Michael asks, pushing him. When he notices Owen, he stops. "Oh."

Sighing, Owen looks down at Anastasia. "Bye sweetheart. I love you." He presses a kiss to her cheek and she smiles. My heart skips a beat at the sight. Owen beams at me happily. "Did you see that?" I nod, smiling. He stands up and passes her to me. "Thanks, Madison. I'll call you tomorrow."

He nods to the men before leaving. He was so civilized and it surprises me. Sitting on the couch turned away from me , I position her near my breast and adjust my shirt and bra. She latches on immediately and I glance over at the men. "She woke up before he got here so she hasn't eaten. It'll be just a few minutes."

"What was he doing here?" Michael asks.

"He wanted to see her but I told him I had plans so he'd have to wait and he held her while I wrote down my phone number."

"Did he make any rude comments?" Dominic asks.

I shake my head. "He was civil. He said Bryant should meet her and even said we could talk about me seeing him more," I smile happily.

"That's great, Madison," Dominic smiles.

All I want is for things to be civil between us. I'd like him to see Anastasia and I'd like to see Bryant. That's all I want from him.

**************************

Owen thought it'd be good to surprise Bryant so we decided to meet for dinner at the same pizza place he took me to so long ago. When I walk into the restaurant, I see Eva and Giovanni talking to Owen and Bryant. Taking a deep breath, I glance down at Anastasia before heading to the table. Bryant's eyes meet mine and he stares. Eva gasps, hugging me. "Oh, beautiful girl. Congratulations. I am so happy for you two. You have such a beautiful family."

"Thank you," I smile.

"Congratulations," Giovanni says. "We'll visit a little more once you guys have eaten."

"Thank you."

They give us some space and I turn to Bryant. He's gotten so big since I last saw him. He stares at me but doesn't say anything. "Bryant, do you remember Madison?" Owen asks.

We both wait for his reaction. His face slowly changes, his bottom lip sticking out slightly and his eyes filling with tears. My heart breaks and I put Anastasia's carrier down. "Come here, baby," I say softly, holding my arms open.

He crawls over Owen's lap and wraps his arms and legs around me. Holding him, I rub his back. I quickly wipe away a tear before leaning back to look at him. "I missed you, mommy."

My heart aches as tears stream down my cheeks. "I missed you too, Bryant." He wipes away my tears and I kiss his cheek. "Guess what? You have a baby sister now. Her name is Anastasia."

His eyes widen and he smiles in excitement. "A baby sister? I always wanted one of those."

Owen and I chuckle. I set him beside Owen then turn the baby's seat so he can see her. "She's sleeping but when she wakes up you can hold her."

"She's pretty. She looks like you, momma."

I smile. Seeing him warms my heart and hearing him call me that is music to my ears. I look up at Owen who gazes at me lovingly. My smile slowly fades as I stare back at him. I refuse to give in. The kids can't be the reason why we're together. Looking away, I pick up the seat and set her in the booth beside me. "I hope you don't mind. I ordered stromboli."

My mouth waters and I realize how hungry I am. "That's fine. I'm so hungry."

"Ana-sta-sia," Bryant says slowly. "Anastasia."

"You're going to be a good big brother, aren't you?" I ask.

Smiling, he nods. "I'm going to hug her whenever she cries."

I glance at Owen who is smiling warmly at me. "Thank you for agreeing to this."

I nod a little. "No problem. Just don't blur the lines of our relationship."

"I know." He looks down at the table. "I don't think either of us are ready for me to explain right now but promise me that you'll listen to everything I have to say when the time comes."

I swallow nervously. "Okay."

Eva returns to the table with our drinks, plates and silverware, Giovanni following behind with the stromboli. As we eat, I think about how happy I am. I love our little family.