Shelter in your arms

Chapter 2

Mikes pov

"…and then I said, well, that's what you get for buying off the discount store!" The man, who was Paisley's dad, was chuckling and making me do a proud grin, telling him the same story I had told three times today.

Allie rolled her eyes like I couldn't see her, still struggling with Minney, who didn't want to get her shoes on. What a surprise.

"Daddy, help me!" I turned to see Alicia's red face, and she gave me the look that she would give me s**t in the car for talking to Paisley's dad instead of helping her out.

I was standing with my arms still crossed, feeling annoyed myself - she was the one who, instead of getting these classes, and Minney wasn't really even into them. She told that to anyone who wanted to listen!

"Yeah, duty calls…" I chuckled, giving the man another look that he was grinning back at and giving me a pat like we would talk soon, with me turning around and walking towards Minney, scooping her up fast with my hands, making her face turn from a grinch laughing so much she was about to throw up if I did it more, I knew that from experience!

"Mike, stop, she will throw up!" Allie was giving me crap again, grunting back at her when Minney was down and putting her shoes on right away, with me having to kneel and cursing when I had to get up again, s**t, I was getting old, wasn't I?

"There you go, Minsi… all done…" Minney was happy again, taking my hand, and Alicia sighed, like, I did something wrong again, making me frown back. What the f**k was it this time I didn't do right? She had been hounding me for the last couple of months, but even more since Stephanie came back; it was wearing me down faster than I had expected!

"You're late, again." Alicia had put her seat belt on, with me strapping in Minney and giving her a huff back like she should talk. It was ten minutes, and no more than she made me wait just to get outside the door on a regular Tuesday!

"Yeah, I got stuck in traffic…" I didn't want to tell her that I ran into Amber, not when I knew she would just give me s**t for talking to another girl, no matter what it was about. Hell, she was even jealous of Steph sometimes, like she forgot she was my sister!

"And where is your jacket?" Allie took on an accusatory tone, which made me even more annoyed. I closed my eyes for two seconds, just not wanting to answer her. What was I supposed to say? That I gave it to Amber because she was standing in the rain and shivering like a lost puppy when I saw her? Hell no. I was so not ready to have another fight tonight.

"I forgot it at work…" I made a tug feeling Minney seat belt an extra time and Alicia made another sigh like she thought I was an i***t, making me grit my teeth not wanting to start yelling with Minney in the backseat, getting inside and slamming the car door a little too much making Allie look up from her phone with a scowl, watching the feed like she had logged off as soon as we got inside this car.

"Of course you did…" Allie was rolling her eyes, still having them on the feed on her phone, with me turning the music up, wanting to drown out the anger that was getting to me, since I had spent all day working and then coming over to pick up Allie and Minney, since they didn't want to ride the bus. Allie was too scared to drive on her own.

"We need more eggs and were running low on soap for the kitchen…" I was nodding, hearing Allie talk, still staring at the phone, texting someone I didn't care about, making a turn towards the supermarket, which was the one she wanted to shop in. She didn't care that it was a longer journey home when we could have just picked up diapers at the last stop before we started driving up the valley. Suited me fine instead of waiting forever in the parking lot with Minney crying or being bored.

"Hey, buy more beer!" I was shouting after her when she snapped her neck like she always did when she was annoyed and didn't answer me, almost making me laugh if it wasn't that it wasn't funny, seeing Alicia walking into the store knowing she was going to stay more than the ten minutes that were needed for diapers and soap.

"Hey Minsi…are you up?" I looked back in the rearview mirror, seeing the girl passed out in her seat, which made me chuckle and correct it back when the heat was creeping up, making me pick up my phone and, for some reason, open my social media and look at the name that was still in my head: Amber.

I didn't even know her last name. Still, she was nice, too nice for that asshole Jimmy, who was dead set on getting Stephanie, like he wasn't still the biggest loser, no matter how much he was benching.

I had just stashed my phone away, still with the search on for Amber's name, seeing Alicia walking out the front entrance. There was no way that she wouldn't see it and make me regret ever looking up at the beautiful girl who looked so damn hurt on her own.

Did Jimmy treat her right? Because he wasn't so damn great when he was trying to snare my sister!

"Mike, why didn't you just drive over to the entrance??" Alicia was slamming the door the same as me before, waking Minney, who started to cry, while I was still putting the stuff in the back of the trunk. Was she f*****g kidding me right now??

"Goddamit Allie, stop!" I was barking it back at her, putting the trunk down, and giving her the death glare, not caring if she made me sleep on the couch tonight. Why the hell did she need to act like such a b***h when I did everything so she would be happy?!

"No, I won't stop it! You know that I still feeling sick from the pregnancy, and you couldn't even help out, just like always, Mike!" Alicia was barking back just as much, with Minney crying and me wanting to just shut the door and walk away from the running car. That was it. Just leave and never come back if she didn't stop riding me so damn hard all the time!

"Well, if you felt so damn sick, then why didn't you just let me go get it, and you could have stayed in the car??" I still had it standing outside the car, not caring if someone saw me yell at my wife; she could take it since she yelled at me just as much!

"Oh, please! You wouldn't even know half the stuff we need, and you would pick the cheapest soap, the one who Milo gets a rash from!" Alicia had gotten out as well, her face red, and opening the backseat, trying to make Minney calm down, with me taking a deep breath, having my hand on my head, and wanting to pull my hair out right now, so she didn't trust me. Was that it??

"Let's just go back home, the boys are probably burning the house down with your sister watching them…." Alicia sounded like she didn't want to fight anymore. I did, but not with Minney in the back screaming her head off. Was there anything I could do right??

"Yeah, sure!" I wasn't happy about swallowing my anger down, again. Just like all the other times, I had to just keep quiet or people would call the police on us, since Alicia was driving me f*****g crazy sometimes!

"Mike…." Alicia was reaching out her hand when I was driving again, making me feel less angry when we had reached the off-road to the valley, starting to climb up the road towards our home, with me taking it, knowing she didn't want to fight, she just got upset over stuff, same as me.

"You know I love you, right?" Alicia did a fast stroke over my hand when I grinned, feeling like maybe this wasn't such a shitty day after all. Hopefully, Steph had made something for the kids' that wasn't just mac and cheese, or Allie would give me more s**t.

"Yeah, I know…" Allie made another smile when I kissed her hand fast, happy she wasn't in a fighting mode anymore. When we got back, I would tell her that we should go out on a date like we did. Now that we had Steph to babysit, she could do that for me, since she was living in our parents' old home and didn't have anything else going on.

"… you know I love you back…" I didn't say anything more, turning into the yard, happy I was home, and the rain had stopped. My wife was smiling, and my kids were happy, and that was all a guy like me needed.