Paradise {COMPLETED}

Chapter 5

"This is my house!" Alan exclaims, pulling the car into his driveway. "Wow, it's big," I gawk. He grins, "It's the perfect size. There's an extra guest room upstairs. We put a few things in there we thought you'd like. Brycie did the decor," he informs me. I hug him, "Thank you so much, Alan, for everything!"

We walk inside, and Alan is greeted by his two little girls. "Daddy! Daddy, you're home," they squeal in delight. Alan picks them up, each with an arm. "Hey girls, did you miss me?" He asks, kissing their cheeks. They nod, "I missed you this much!" Presley exclaims, stretching out her arms. "Daddy, who's that?" AJ asks, pointing at me. Alan sets them both back on the ground.

"Girls, this is Mia. She's going to be staying with us for a while," Alan exclaims. They smile shyly, and wave at me. Alan grabs my arm, and leads me into the kitchen.

"Brycie! I'm home!" He exclaims. She grins, and runs into his arms, "Hey babe."

"Brycie, this is Mia. The girl I told you about on the phone," Alan says. Brycie nods, "Hello Mia. It's nice to meet you." I smile, "You too."

"I'll show you to your room, madam," Alan says bowing. I curtsy, "Thank you, kind sir." He leads me upstairs into a pretty room. It's blue and green, and absolutely perfect.

"Do you like it?" Alan asks. I nod, "Yes! It's perfect! Thank you so much!" He grins, "Glad you like it. I'll leave you to get settled in. I'm right downstairs if you need anything."

He leaves, and I pull out my phone to call Josh. He answers, "I miss your face." I laugh, and reply, "I miss your face too."

"So you got to Alan's house safely?" He asks. "Uh huh," I reply, "It's cool." I can tell he's smiling, "I'm glad. Hey! I gotta go help Meghan with her homework. Call before you go to bed, okay?" I nod, "I will. Love you Josh." He replies, "Love you too kiddo." The line goes dead.

I put my phone on a nearby table, and begin unpacking. I put the few clothes I bought into the dresser drawers. I place my laptop on the desk. My notebooks go next to my computer. Lastly, I pull out the few CDs, and books I brought. I set them on the bookshelf then go back downstairs.

I sit down next to Alan on the couch, where he is playing on his iPad. "Hey kid, you all settled in?" He asks. I nod, "I think so. I didn't really bring a lot of stuff."

"You have enough clothes, right?" He asks. I shrug, "I don't know. My suitcase wasn't really that big." He nods, "It's okay. Brycie and I talked to your parents, and we bought you a few things. They're in the closet upstairs." I grin,"Thanks."

~*~

"I'm bored," I whine. Brycie gently touches my shoulder, "Your hair is absolutely gorgeous. Would you mind if I curled it?" I shake my head, "No. You'd do that for me?" She nods, "Absolutely. Come on, hun."

I follow her upstairs into her and Alan's room. She plugs in her curler, and begins curling my hair. I watch attentively in the mirror, as she wraps strands of my hair around the barrel.

"There all done!" She exclaims, about 10 minutes later. I admire my now curly hair in the mirror. I turn around, and hug Brycie. "Thank you! I love it " I exclaim. She grins, "Your welcome. You look awesome!"

I walk back downstairs, and see Alan and the girls watching The Little Mermaid. I sit next to Alan on the couch, and join them.

He turns to me, "Hey your hair looks nice." I grin, "Hey thanks." We finish the movie, then Brycie calls us to lunch.

"Sit anywhere you'd like Mia," Alan says. I choose a seat, and everybody else sits down.

"AJ, would you please bless the food?" Alan asks. AJ nods, we all join hands as she begins. "Jesus, thank you for this day, and for the food. Thank you for Mia being our new friend, Amen."

We all begin eating the delicious food that Brycie has prepared. After lunch, I approach Alan with a big question.

"Alan," I tap his shoulder. He turns to me, "Yes?" He asks, using a weird voice. "Uh. What about school?" I ask, feeling shy. "I haven't decided what to do yet. I want your parents to be partially involved in that decision. We're working that out now," he says. I nod, "Okay."

He grabs my shoulder, "Mia. Don't bottle everything up. Let it go." I laugh, "A Frozen reference?" He raises an eyebrow, "What's wrong? A grown man cannot enjoy Frozen references." I shake my head, "There's soooo much wrong with that sentence."

"Mia I'm serious though," he whispers, "I'm here for you. You can tell me anything." I smile, "I know Alan. I feel really just lost and alone right now. I thought it would be fun, living with you. But I'm starting to feel scared. I miss my family. I don't know if I can do this," I say, blinking back tears.

"Hey now. You're brave, strong, and capable. You've got this, girl! It may seem tough now, but hopefully it'll get easier. This is all to protect you," he reminds me. I nod, "I know. I really appreciate you for letting me live with you."

He flashes a cooky grin, "My pleasure!" I roll my eyes, "Goofball." He wags a finger at me, "Watch your language, young lady." I shake my head, and begin dancing, "Goofball! Goofball! Gooooofballlllll!" I sing as loud as humanly possible.

"Hey! Your parents told you to listen to me!" Alan exclaims, chasing me through the house. "Yeah they did. But I don't want to!" I stick my tongue out. I feel a strong arm around my waist, and I'm hoisted into the air.

"Put me down, goofball!" I exclaim. Alan shakes his head, "Nah, I don't want to." He carries me around with ease, just going on with his life.

"Daddy! I want a ride!" Presley exclaims. "Not right now, love. This is Mia's punishment," Alan says. He walks off leaving a very confused Presley. Alan continues hauling me around the house. Ten minutes later, he finally puts me down.

"Have you learned your lesson?" He asks, grinning. "Yep! Goofball!" I exclaim, running off to my room.

Thankfully, he doesn't follow. I chill on Pinterest for a while, then I watch a movie on Netflix. After it's over, there's a soft knock at the door.

"Come in!" I exclaim, shutting my laptop. Alan opens the door, "Hey, kiddo. Would you mind if we went over to Chad and Fallon's house for dinner? The rest of the gang will join us." I nod, "Sounds awesome sauce!" He face palms, "Wow. You're much dorkier than I thought."

"Is there something wrong?" I ask. "Awesome sauce. That sounds like something Joey would say," he says, shaking his head. "It's mine! I created that phrase!" I exclaim.