Finding Nymphaea's Haven

Chapter Five: Finding Truth

POV:

Atticus

It was close to seven in the morning when I woke up. The sunshine beaming in from the window. Revealing the bed to be empty next to me.

I remember Delilah saying she had to leave. I didn't want her to leave so soon. It made me wonder what the rush was to get back home. I laid there for a bit. Remembering our glorious night last night. Making me agitated that she was gone. I could have gone for round two in the shower. God, that would be spectacular right now.

I finally got up to get a shower. I'm drying off and getting dressed in a maroon v-neck t-shirt and jeans. When I was making me a protein smoothie, I heard a knock at the door.

I go answer it to find Justin on the other side of the door. His arms crossed against his chest. He looked like he wasn't happy making this visit this early. I grinned at him and gestured for him to come in.

"Please, cousin, come in. What do I owe this visit so early? Since I didn't see you at all last night." I said to him, stepping to the side for him to walk in.

The look on his face was a smudged expression to my greeting. I knew already what it was somewhat about. I'm just waiting for him to say what he knows before blurting out anything.

"Yeah? Well, I saw you just fine last night. Especially saw Aris too when you left." He said while walking in. Heading towards the kitchen down the hall.

I knew it was about Aris. Little cry baby had to go boohooing to Justin. Knowing he would say something about it. Afraid to do his own dirty work. I followed behind Justin to the kitchen. I'm going back to finishing my smoothie. I offered him one, but he only took a water bottle from the fridge. Walking to the barstool to sit on it. Resting his arms on the countertop. Waiting for me to respond.

"So we had a little heated conversation. Nothing else, besides he wouldn't stop, so I stepped in." I said, then staking a drink of the smoothie. Shrugging at him cause it was nothing to discuss. He got what he deserved, and I won from it.

"Stop flirting with Delilah, you mean? Tell me something, cousin, what are you planning with her?" He said to me. Focusing his attention on me. My body did tense up a little when he asked me that. Making my face go straight looking at him. Challenging his stare on me.

"What does it concern you for, cousin? You got a girl. Her friend, right?" I said firmly at him. Making his face furrow at me.

"Don't be an asshole, Atticus. That girl doesn't need a playboy like you. She's a good friend of mine, and I don't want to see her get hurt, man." He said calmly, then taking a drink from the water bottle.

He had a point, and I didn't blame him for looking out for a friend. But honestly, I still don't know what my intentions are in this. I wasn't expecting things to go the way they did last night. I mean, yeah, I hoped it would, but surely wasn't going for that. It just happened.

"I get it, Justin. I mean, I just met her. Didn't know Ari had a thing for her." I said to him after I thought about what he said. He nodded his head at me.

"Just know she's not like the girls you mess around with either." He chuckled for a second. Making me curious what he meant by that.

"What makes you say that, dear cousin? Don't think I can handle the wait?" I said, trying to hide my curiosity and challenge him to tell me what obstacles I had against me.

"I mean, she's not those easy girls that answer to your beckoning Atti. She's very independent and doesn't beg for help. The girls find it frustrating." He said, taking a swig of water. I thought that was attractive in a woman. Wanting no help from no one when she knows she can do it all herself. Makes me want to challenge her when I want to help her with anything I feel like I can help with.

"But they don't give her crap about it since she let's them help with the twins. They're really great aunts to them. They're really smart kids, and she'd do anything for them. I've never seen such a devoted single mother like her. She makes it look so easy." He was saying as he walked to the trash can. Throwing the bottle away and then walking out of the kitchen.

Wait, she's a mother? Not to one but two kids? Twins, to be exact. It's a lot with just one kid, I can't imagine being a single parent to two kids. She seemed so well composed. Her health was astonishing, and her body was in perfect shape. No wonder she left when she did. Also, why didn't she want to go to her house. It was understandable then knowing some more about her.

I followed him up the stairs to the gaming room. He went straight to the pool table. Grabbing a cue stick and putting chalk on it. I was up for a game and chatting with him. It has been a while since we've just hung out.

"So how are you settling back?" He asked me while lining up before he took his shot. He looked up at me after he took his shot. Making a ball into the pocket.

I shrugged my shoulders at him. Watching him hit for a ball and miss this time. "It's been alright. Still need to do my own decorating since mom thought she needed to keep things the same. I haven't been able to go to my job yet. I'm still settling dad's stuff with family."

I took my shot, making it in the pocket twice before I missed the third try. He looked at me and nodded. "I'm surprised your dad left the house to you. I thought you didn't want to come back to this town after everything." He stopped on his turn to look at me. He's trying to get me to talk about it.

I stood there with the cue stick in front of me. I'm barely leaning on it while holding it. "Well, I saw a business opportunity while being here, and I wanted a fresh start. So things worked out in a weird way. Plus, dad knew it would get under mom's skin. Ever since they divorced, it has been an interesting power struggle between them. I just stand in the back when they do this." I said with a small laugh.

He let out a laugh with me. Knowing my parents never got along like a normal couple. We stood there like that for a second. Then he let out a sigh and shook his head. "You know, Travian would have thought this was a good thing that they did this. He knew they were unhappy."

I froze when he said that. Feeling the rage form from how talking about him still hurts for me to do. I don't really talk about Travian. I don't think I ever will, to be honest. That's why it irritates me how my mother talks about him more than trying to talk about my life when we're together. Dad got tired of how time just froze when we lost him. I didn't like it either, but I tolerated it as much as I could. Until college graduation actually when she decided she couldn't go cause it wasn't right to go without Travian.

"We're not talking about him, Justin." I said once I gained my composure. Not wanting to come off as a jerk. He nodded and then smirked at me. "What?" I asked him, furrowing my brows in confusion.

"I think Delilah is already rubbing off on you. The Atti I know would have just ripped my head off." When he said that, he wriggled his eyebrows at me.

I barked out a laugh. He wasn't wrong. I wanted to punch him square in the nose. Damn, that woman has put an effect on me. I can tell this gorgeous creature was going to drag me through hell. I'm just hoping it's a nice long ride there with her.

"Maybe she can. She seems like a breath of fresh air." I said to him then. He looked at me for a long minute. Taking in the fact I wasn't kidding around.

"Atti, if you think you have a shot, think again. She is way out of your league! Plus, if you even get a shot. You still have to go through the kids. Bro, I'm telling you those kids will get rid of you if they don't like you. I've seen it before." He started chuckling when he said that.

"She's already tried dating?" I asked him all of a sudden. I couldn't believe I did. Was I seriously feeling jealous about her dating? I can't be jealous of a woman. Even if I only wanted her to myself, I'm not that kind of guy that gets jealous.

"Well, she got set up by the girls. They were dating long enough to where she invited the guy to their party. The kids kept investigating him. Testing him on things most kids wouldn't really think of doing at their age. Delilah saw him get kind of snippy with them, and she immediately made him leave. She hasn't dated since then. Let alone show any guy attention. So trust me, if the girls wouldn't have told you she'd been there, you wouldn't have better odds."

I'll have to thank the girls for helping me out then. I honestly think this could go somewhere. I know it won't be easy when meeting her twins, but I want to give it a shot when the time comes for it.

We played another game while chatting. Realizing it was close to noon when he decided to leave. About thirty minutes after he left, my phone started to ring. It was my dad's attorney.

"Hey, Mr. Cooper, how are you?" I asked him once I answered the phone. I was wondering what was going on for him to call me.

"Hello, Mr. Williams, I have some papers I need you and your mother to fill out. Just some rules and guidelines your father would like you to uphold in the business you have inherited by him. Your mother has some to fill out for the two estates he left her. I know you two don't get along, sir, but I can't get a hold of her." His tone sounded exhausted from handling the paperwork my father left for him to get done after his death.

This man was a very dear friend of my father and would have done anything for him. Even doing the duty he has been given for the last time from my father.

"I can bring this paperwork to you today. We need it done by the end of the week. The sooner, the better, son. I'll see you soon." He said before I agreed and hung up.

I sat there in the office room. Pinching the bridge of my nose. I'm dreading what I had to do. I wasn't trying to visit my mother anytime soon. But clearly, I have no other choice. I wish Delilah was here to talk to. She was so easy to talk to the whole night I spent with her. As long as I didn't say something to scare her off. I can tell she's the type of woman that does more thinking than letting things take her somewhere she hasn't been before. A delicate, precious flower is what she reminds me of.

I decided to call Delilah before I had to deal with my dreadful situation. I wanted to hear her velvety melodic voice. I have been missing it since I woke up this morning. I'm just giving it time to not look like a desperate creep. The phone rang a few times before someone answered.

"Hello! Can I help you?" A little tiny voice said on the other end. I pulled the phone away from my ear to make sure I dialed the right number.

"Is Delilah there?" I asked the person. I was wondering if this was her phone or someone else's.

"No, my mommy is busy giving Todo a bath." The sweet voice said back. That's when I realized I was speaking to Delilahs kid. It was a little girl. I could tell the way she said mommy and her voice sounding like her mom's. It's just a tinier version of her and sounding adorable.

"Who is this? How do you know my mommy?" She started to interrogate me. Getting details on who was wanting to talk to her mom. I chuckled at the little voice, trying to be intimidating.

"My name is Atticus. You can call me Atti and I'm your mommy's friend. What is your name, little one?"

"My name is Myla, and I am not a little one. Mommy says I'm a big girl." Her voice getting snippy at me for calling her little. It made me laugh again. I didn't need to see how cute she was. Just this conversation with her made her the cutest thing I've met in a while.

"Yes ma'am, you are definitely a big girl. Your mommy is right." I said to her. Making the little girl giggle. "You're silly, Atti! I like mommy's silly friends. Hold on, I'll get mommy." She said before it went silent for a second.

I could hear her walking around. Taking the phone to Delilah. "Mommy! Mommy! Silly friend Atti is on the phone!" I heard her yell for her mom. It wasn't loud since the phone wasn't near her mouth when she did it. Then I heard another little voice but it was a boy.

"Who's Atti? Why haven’t we heard of him before?" I heard the boy yell from somewhere in the house. Questioning his mom about me. I could tell the boy was very protective of his mom. It made me admire the boy's love for her.

"Myles, not now, please. Grab me a towel for Todo. He's really feisty right now." I heard Delilah tell the boy. Myles and Myla. I love the names she chose for her kids. They sound like a happy little family.

"Here's, mommy. Bye, silly Atti!" The little girl said before it went silent again.

"Hello?" Delilah said a moment later. It makes me stiff up for a second. "Hello, Delilah. I hope I didn't call at a bad time." I said back to her. Feeling satisfaction just from hearing her voice.

She laughed for a second. Making the muscles in my stomach tighten up. God, her laugh was sexy. I am captivated by this woman.

"No, not at all. I'm just taking care of some things. What's going on?" She said, sounding nonchalant.

"Well, I was wanting to know what you had planned for this weekend?" I asked her. Feeling hesitant to ask and what her answer would be.

"I'll be working at the bar this weekend. I don't get off until ten." She answered me, making me pout to myself. Catching me off guard that I felt like this. I shook my head. Starting to think to myself to knock it off to shove what I was feeling down.

"If you wanted to keep me company up there, I wouldn't object." She said after a minute of silence. I think she knew I wanted to see her. And clearly, she wants to see me. I smiled to myself.

"Yeah, I can manage that. I can come by Saturday night." I said back to her. Then she let out a soft laugh.

"Just Saturday, huh?" She asked me in a seductive voice. Making my member grow stiff. I chuckled deeply into the phone. I wish I could reach through the phone to ravage her body like I did last night.

"If you want me there all weekend, you're gonna have to beg." I said to her after composing myself. She was silent for a second before answering.

"I can see you're the type of man that likes to make a woman beg for you. You're not used to being told no, are you?" When she said that, I was taken aback. A woman has never really asked me that. They usually just start begging. The tone in her voice made me wonder if I crossed a line this time. I heard disappointment in it. Making me want to know what was going through her thoughts.

"No, I haven't, but I can stop if it upsets you?" I asked her sincerely. I didn't want to upset her or hurt her. I already felt like protecting her.

She chuckled softly. "No, it doesn't upset me. You can keep doing it if you like. Just know, I don't beg."

"Really? You've never begged before for nothing?" I asked her curiosity taking over me. I also felt like there was more to her saying something like that. I highly doubted she had never begged for anything. There's just a reason she won't ever do it again. I wanted to know everything about her. Even the hard parts that made her pick up the broken pieces of her life.

"I've learned begging gets me nowhere so I don't beg for anything or anyone." She said seriously. I could tell there was a story to that, and it didn't sound like she was willing to share.

"Mom! Myla needs help, and she won't let me help!" I heard Myles yell for Delilah. You could tell the boy was annoyed with his sister for not letting him help her. She responded to him, telling him she'll be right there. Telling Myla to wait until she came to help.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. I'll see you Saturday, though?" She said to me.

"Yes, I'll see you Saturday. Bye, Delilah." I said back to her. I wish I could talk to her longer. But I understood, her kids need her and they are her only priority. The tone in her voice made me realize she wanted to talk longer, too.

"Bye, Atticus." She said and then hung up on her end.

After I talked to Delilah, I decided to do what I needed to. As much as I didn't want to talk to her, it had to be done. My father left it to me to make sure everything got done right. He knew what he was doing when he left me in charge with it all. I dialed her number. Listening to the line ring. As I began to think I could get away with leaving a voice-mail, the line stopped ringing.

"Hello? Who is this?" I heard her ask me. I forgot I changed my number when I moved here. I didn't even give her the new number. Honestly, I didn't want her to have it, but I have no choice now.

"Hello, mother."