Chapter 84. The Vane Estate (2)
A torpedo hit Silas's stomach and he almost stumbled back, but his strong hands gripped the little girl that had thrown herself at him, keeping her steady. Her black hair was messy. The brush in her small hand was quickly handed off to him.
"Uncle Si. Brush my hair, please," Aurora asked in her tiny voice.
Picking up the violet eyed missile, he looked at his cousin Julia. The embarrassed smile she wore made him chuckle and grab the brush with his other hand. "Sure thing Aurie."
Julia's face was flushed and her own black hair was a tangled mess.
"Want me to brush your hair too, Cuz?" he smirked, his lips pulled to one side as her eyes narrowed. He heard the stomps of his girls inside and knew they were on their way to get food. Aurora giggled.
"Last time you pulled out my hair, Si." Julia shook her head. Then she gave him a quick hug, the smell of her coconut shampoo was familiar, reminding him of when she was a kid. Her eyes darted to the kitchen. "Pancake?"
She didn't wait for an answer, walking inside and greeting his mom before stealing some food.
He looked down at the little girl in his arms and walked over to a chair, sitting down with her on his lap. Her legs dangled down. The sun was warm on his skin, a few birds were chirping in the distance.
First Kathy came in, she was in her pajamas, her eyes still half-closed as she patted Aurora's head and sat on the other side of him, taking a piece of bacon. Liz followed her with Evelyn and Lisa right behind her. Nina came from upstairs, yawning loudly and shaking Hailey awake. The Ramen Queen sat up with a groan and took her plate.
"Brush!" Aurora demanded and Silas began, his hand working on the small head with care, making sure not to pull out a single strand. The sun was getting hotter and he could already feel the heat that was coming. The table had seven seats and it was already filled. Kathy and Victoria were showering first since they had classes today and he knew his little princess was not going to be happy with eight other people in her home.
The bickering started before they even came down.
"So what if I called on your special night? It was literally five minutes, Vic."
His little princess walked in, elegantly, gracefully, with her chin up. She looked beautiful and the hickeys on her neck were on display even when she had all the makeup to cover them. She wore her uniform perfectly.
"You could have texted. And it wasn't five minutes." Her voice was cold, the tension in her body high. Her eyes landed on him. He smiled. Her cheeks reddened instantly but then she scanned the kitchen, the seven occupied seats that left no room for her or her sister.
Kathy didn't bother answering and greeted everyone, grabbing a pancake with her hands and stuffing it in her mouth. Victoria stood there, frozen.
"Vicky!" Aurora shouted, her arms were outstretched to her cousin. Silas knew Victoria didn't like that nickname, she said it made her sound like a kid, and she had always ignored Aurora. So he stood up with Aurora in his arms.
"You can take my chair princess," he offered with all eyes on him. A small smile was on his lips. He pinched Aurora cheek to keep her from realizing that she wasn't getting her hug.
Victoria was standing still. Her eyes looked from her chair to his face and then back. Then she stretched her arms out towards him.
"Aurie, good morning to you too." She grabbed the small girl out of his arms and hugged her. He blinked. Aurora giggled in Victoria's arms, clinging to her neck as his princess sat down in the head chair. Kathy dropped her jaw, a piece of pancake falling back onto the plate as she stared at her sister.
Victoria picked up the brush under all the confused looks and started to brush Aurora's black hair. "Your hair is so pretty, Aurie. It looks even better when it's brushed," she said, gently pulling on the strands to untangle them. His wife gave him a questioning look. He shrugged in return.
He decided to accept this rare moment of affection with a smile. Following his duties, he made sure everyone had pancakes, replacing the empty plates and bringing the syrup closer to Hailey who had used up an entire bottle to satisfy her future diabetes.
Victoria was almost done with the brushing and Aurora was humming to herself. Then a small cough came from Julia. She gestured for him to follow her to the foyer. One foot below the rest of the living room.
"What's up, Cuz?" He whispered, The coat rack dug into his back as he leaned against the wall, trying to find a spot to look into the kitchen where everyone played with Aurie, including his little princess who didn't look like she was annoyed by it.
Julia leaned closer to his ears, her breath warm on his neck.
"Baby fever." She looked back at Victoria with a knowing smile.
Silas chuckled. "What?" He put his hands into his pockets.
"I know that look!" She squealed and hugged him. "You're going to be a grandfather! How is that possible?" She squeezed him tightly. "Well if you don't kill the boyfriend first." Her laughter echoed.
He was going to correct her but a sharp tap to his chest stopped him. "You can't kill her boyfriend," Julia whispered seriously, her violet eyes staring into his. Her finger poked him again.
"I know you are the overprotective father. But you can't go killing her boyfriend. What if he's nice? Huh?" She shook her head.
Silas didn't want to tell her that his little princess didn't have a boyfriend and probably never would. He smiled instead.
"Sure. I'll spare him," he lied and Julia clapped, satisfied. Before she could turned back to the kitchen, he grabbed her wrist.
"How's the divorce?" He asked, keeping his voice low. His cousin froze. Then she looked at the ground. Her smile disappeared and her hand went to her golden bracelet, a gift from her soon-to-be ex-husband. Soon wasn't soon enough for Silas.
"You know we just moved here so different laws and regulations apply." She vigorously rubbed the bracelet.
"Just say the word Julia and I will make sure he never bothers you again," he placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.
She took a shaky breath and her eyes closed. "No. You know I can't just leave him, even if we are not together. It's... complicated," she mumbled, a small, sad smile on her lips. "And I'm not bending the law. I took an oath."
Silas sighed. He looked over Julia's head, which was easy to do, and saw the four women who heard the whole conversation: Anna, Liz, Evelyn and lastly Victoria. All four of them looked at Julia with different levels of concern. Victoria's was the least concerned. Just her normal cold stare.
"Hey promise me, you won't interfere with my divorce Si," she whispered, grabbing his shirt. "I'm not in danger and you know it. I accept you watching over us but my life is still mine." Her violet eyes were serious, and her jaw was clenched.
He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. He sighed. Her husband wasn't ever physical with her, otherwise Silas would have already taken him out of the picture but he still didn't like the man.
"Sure." He kissed her forehead. She smiled at him.
"Thank you. Now let's eat," she said and dragged him to the kitchen, the breakfast still waiting. Victoria had still played with Aurie like she was a good, caring cousin and future mother. Seeing her like that, he knew she would be a great mom. The smile on her face as she fed Aurie a strawberry was genuine. Even as she wiped the blood red juice from Aurie's cheek.
"Dad let's go." Kathy stood next to him, her eyes were on her sister. Right. His other princess needed him now. Victoria was satisfied and it was his duty to pay attention to his other daughter. He grabbed his key and took one last glance at Aurie, who waved with another crimson stained cheek and Victoria. The smile on her face was brighter than the morning sun. He made sure to burn it into his memory.