Tied Up

Chapter Two

It was a little past two when Darlene, their mother, came home. Logan had not expected to stay that long, but it was an easy afternoon after he kicked Tobias out.

He had convinced Avery to take a nap after she mustered up all of the mean words a five-year-old would know. She kept throwing words at Logan for making her daddy leave, and she worked herself up. Logan understood, he really did. To her, he was the bad guy. He was taking away her father, the one she longed for months. Even though he understood, he couldn't help but feel hurt. There were only a few times where she had yelled at him, but each time he felt down.

Sam had gone to play a little bit of his Xbox game in the basement, claiming he needed time for himself. Logan knew he was hurt too.

"Hey, baby." Darlene walked past her oldest son, placing the groceries on the counter.

"Hey." He watched as she rustled the bags, took out each item, and placed it in the right spot. "Toby came by."

That got her attention. "Shit. Is he still here?" Logan tiredly shook his head. Darlene rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Is Spence home? Where are the kids?" She peeked over his shoulder seeing the mess but no kids to be found. The kids were definitely going to clean later, she didn't have the energy to pick up the toys.

"No, Spencer's still at the basketball courts. I got Avery to take a nap, and Sam's in the basement." He got up, grabbing his phone and car keys. "I gotta head back to the apartment, I have a shift soon."

He also needed to check on his little brother, Tyler. He had moved in with him at eighteen, claiming he wanted more independence. He said he thought it was gonna be fun to live with his older brother. 

But Logan sensed there was something else.

Darlene nodded, "Alright. Thanks for helping me with the kiddos." She shot him a grateful smile to him.

"Tell Avery I'll call her. Bye," He walked out of the front door, he was gonna need a drink after work.

Tobias was a chapter Darlene was so desperately trying to shut. But he kept coming back, and every time he did it left her unsure of what to do. He had said empty threats before like 'I'm gonna file for custody.' Or 'I will report you, look at this place! It's not right for Avery. Let her come to the city.' He never went through with it though, but Darlene feared that one day he would. He would have the capability, the money, the private schools; the things she couldn't offer.

However, she could provide her with happy life with her four brothers. She could provide her with any toy she wanted. Avery's home was here, in the small town. She liked it, and so did Darlene.

                                             ***

Spencer came home to see his little sister and brother bundled up on the couch. Gravity Falls was playing loudly on the TV, and per usual, their living room was still a mess.

He snuck up behind his little sister, "Booh!" Avery startled, causing Spencer to grin.

"Hi," She said as she realized who had scared her.

He walked around the couch, lifted her up, and sat in her place. He gently sat her in his lap, her head leaning against his chest. "Hey, munchkin." Spencer picked up a sock and threw it at his brother's head to gain his attention. He noticed that Sam was out of it, "What up, loser."

Sam glanced in his direction before looking back at the TV. Odd, Spencer thought.

Noticing her red-rimmed eyes, he was curious. "What happened, why were you crying?"