Friction [Book 2]

-come back home-

"Dad! That was awesome!"

I followed Bronx into the dressing room with Bodhi on my hip. Bronx was super pumped and filled with energy. Having never been to a Fall Out Boy show with him, I could only guess that this was a small fraction of the happiness he gets when he sees them on stage.

Gabrielle went over with Declan to talk to Patrick and Lucy, Kayla and the kids appeared too. I hadn't seen them in a while but I knew they'd been told about the recent events via word of mouth. We'd had phone calls together but time was difficult to meet up.

"Dada!"

The room fell silent and I started to giggle to myself. I kissed Bodhi and looked at Pete. His jaw was hanging open a little and everyone else in the room was staring at myself and the youngest member of the Fall Out Boy family.

"Dada!"

"Did he just...?" Pete's eyes filled quickly and I couldn't help but smile. Bodhi's first words were being spoken. It was such a huge moment and I could tell how much everyone was in awe at the situation.

"Yeah," I smiled at Pete, then looked back to Bodhi, "Can you say 'mama'?"

I sounded out the letters and Bodhi just stared up at me. He had eyes identical to Pete's, it was no wonder they reminded me so much of each other.

"Dada!"

The room let out a laugh at Bodhi's dismissal of my request. I shook my head, smiling, before handing him over to Pete. He embraced his son and sat down on the sofa with Bronx. People started talking again and I took the opportunity to catch up with Kayla.

I approached her and picked up Thea who was sat on the floor. Kayla grinned at me, giving me a small hug and Thea laughed.

"How are you?" Kayla asked.

"I'm okay, better than I was. I'm just happy with what I have right now, trying to be positive. What about you? And you Thea, are you okay?" I made a face at Thea who giggled loudly.

"I'm great. It's been so good having Andy back at home, I just wish it was the same for you..." Kayla gently touched my arm in sympathy.

"I think that I've sorted it, I think. I just need to talk to him about something..." Glancing behind me, I looked at Pete with the boys and sighed. Seeing them together made me happy. They all made me happy.

"How about now?"

"What?"

"Talk to him now! I'll take the boys and you can talk to him. It's better to talk when you're in a good mood and there's people around if you need someone after!"

"What? No-"

"Yes!"

Before I could object, I watched as Kayla left me and went over to Pete. She took the boys with her and Andy came over to me, a confused expression in his face. I explained to him that Kayla wanted me to talk to Pete. He reassured me that everything would be fine. I thanked him for his empathy and handed Thea back to him. The next thing I knew, the room was cleared out and the buzz of conversation along with squealing from multiple children was just a muffled sound that slowly faded into nothing as they travelled further away.

"Did you like the show?"

Pete piped up from behind me. I spun on my heels to face him. He was now stood up and leant against the back of the sofa, his fingers drumming a beat.

"I loved the show, I always love your shows."

"I know, it just...reassured me when you tell me things."