Torin and Summer

Chapter 5 (Torin): His Daddy

Copyright © 2024 by GroveltoHEA

I was too distracted by Summer being off the couch and standing in the foyer to realize the front door was open and who was on the doorstep.

Until Elijah came running in and threw his arms around my waist, yelling, Hi, daddy!

What the actual fuck? Elijah was hugging me? Calling me daddy?

Bridgette walked in after him, stopping to hand the dish in her hands to Summer. "Made you dinner since I figured you wouldn't be up to cooking yet. Torin always begs me to make this for him at least once a week."

At the risk of repeating myself...what the actual fuck? Bridgette didn't cook, and I'd never asked her to make me anything.

"Daddy, I've missed you!" Elijah was saying, still with his arms wrapped around my waist. I was trying to figure out how to remove his arms from around me when he continued. "When are you coming back home? Mommy misses you, too."

I'd fallen into some other alternate reality. That was the only explanation.

"Can we stay and eat dinner here with you, Daddy? Please?"

"Oh! That's a wonderful idea. I'll go set the table!" Bridgette said happily, as if she'd actually been invited to join us. "Torin, honey, do you want a beer or something else to drink?"

There weren't enough what the actual fucks in the world to cover this situation. Enough. I'd tried. I'd given it my best, but I could no longer do this without talking to Summer.

My wife was still standing in the middle of the room, holding whatever Bridgette had made, looking fucking shell shocked after Bridgette and Elijah had invaded the house. Summer looked at me and whatever was brewing and bubbling in her eyes was intense and scary as fuck. Before I could handle that look, though, my first objective was getting Bridgette and Elijah the hell out of the house.

Gently disengaging Elijah's arms from around my waist, I stepped back from him and looked at Bridgette. 

"You're going to need to leave now," I said quietly, trying to keep my voice even so Elijah didn't pick up on how very much he and his mother were not welcome here.

"Torin, don't be ridiculous!" she laughed as if I was joking. I was not. "Elijah's been missing you since you've had to take care of Summer, and I made dinner, so there's no reason we all can't have a nice meal together. If Summer's not up to to eating with us, we can make her a tray so she can eat in your bedroom --"

"I know you heard what I said." Bridgette may never have heard that tone in my voice before, but the men and women who served under me would have recognized it in an instant.

"Torin," she protested and sent a look to Elijah.

"Daddy, please let us stay."

I knelt to Elijah and put my hands on his shoulders. "Elijah, I'm not sure why you're calling me daddy all of a sudden today, but you know I'm not your father. I'm a friend of your daddy's, though, and he was a good man who loved you very much. That's why you and I talk about him all the time. Remember how I told you he asked me to help you out? That's what I've been doing."

After I stood up, I gave Bridgette a look that I hoped she wouldn't ignore or things would get very ugly in front of a little boy. "Good bye, Bridgette. Bye, Elijah."

Herding them toward the front door, I closed it behind them and turned toward my wife. Walking to her, I started to apologize, but she pushed the aluminum foil pan against my chest and noodles and spaghetti sauce splattered all over my chest, dripped down my pants and onto the floor.