50 Shades of Drake 5 and 6

More Life: Chapter Fifty-Seven

    Sandi Graham was a short, blonde firecracker. A pint-sized burst of energy and affection. She didn't wait for her son to knock on the door or walk into her house. As soon as the armored SUV pulled into the driveway, she came bounding out of the house with her arms outstretched.

    In that moment, Aubrey resembled a little boy. He gave Destiny a chaste kiss on the cheek before pushing open the car door and running to sweep his mother up.

    As Destiny got out of the car, she caught the briefest glimpse of shiny tears running down Sandi's face. 

    Oliver was slower to exit the house, but strolled towards Sandi and Aubrey with a grin on his face. "Had to play hero, huh? I thought we sent you out to film a music video. Since when did you decide to turn your life into a Jason Statham action flick?"

    "My baby needed me," Aubrey said, beckoning Destiny over to join him and his mom.

    "Hi, Sandi," Destiny greeted awkwardly. It had been so long since the last time she'd seen the tiny powerhouse that brought Aubrey Graham into the world.

    "Everyone in the family wanted to come over," Sandi explained as she led them all towards the front door. "Everyone. I told them to give you a day to decompress, to settle in before-"

    Aubrey's brows drew together. "Settle in?" he repeated.

    Her head bounced up and down. "I mean, I just got you back. You weren't planning on sweeping in, hugging me and then taking back off, were you?"

    Clearing his throat, he followed her into the house. "Mom..." he started.

    She turned and leveled a gaze up at him. "Yes?"

    "I can't stay here," he told her. "And I can't stay long."

    "But...you just got into town," she protested, confusion creasing her brow.

    "We're not safe yet," Aubrey explained. "The trial starts just short of three weeks from now. Only after we've taken the stand will we be able to breathe a little easier. At any point between now and then, Palmer can try to make a power play."

    Darius strode into the house. For once, his phone wasn't attached to his ear. "How long do you need?" he asked Aubrey.

    Aubrey glanced at his cell phone screen to check the time. "How long do I have?"

    Sandi looked between the two of them. "What's happening?"

    Aubrey sighed and grabbed both of his mother's hands. "Mom."

    Her eyes narrowed. "Aubrey."

    Destiny just barely resisted the urge to laugh. Overall, this wasn't a laughing matter - no matter how adorable the two of them were. 

    "I know you're not a fan of traveling, but I need you to come back with me to L.A."

    Somewhere in the house, a toilet flushed.

    Aubrey tilted his head back, looking up to the ceiling. "Is someone else here?"

    Oliver clapped him on the back before passing him and entering the kitchen. "I almost forgot about the surprise."

    "Surprise?" Aubrey asked.

    Footsteps sounded above them, then came to a halt at the top of the stairs. A moment later, there was the sound of someone descending the staircase.

    Everyone expectantly turned towards the stairs.

    Aubrey's brows slanted and he had to blink back tears. "Dad?"

    Dennis grinned and spread his arms open wide. "My boy is back and he's safe."

    Aubrey went to embrace him.

    The faintest of wistfulness touched Darius's eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

    "I'm being a horrible host," Sandi piped up, ushering everyone into the living room. "Have a seat, make yourselves at home. Did anyone want anything to eat, something to drink?"

    The FBI agents were the first to put in their requests.

    Destiny watched them with an amused expression on her face. 

    Sandi disappeared into the kitchen to fetch bottles of water. From within, hushed tones could be heard speaking. Most likely, she was speaking with Oliver, who hadn't yet emerged from the kitchen.

    Aubrey glanced around the room. The FBI agents formed a small circle, speaking quietly in the middle of the room. Destiny sat at one end of his mother's couch, while Dennis insisted on talking his ear off. Aubrey was only half-listening. His heart filled with joy, grateful to be standing in his mother's living room right now. All that's missing is Chubbs, he thought. I wonder when I'm going to get to see him. The power to setup a meet with Chubbs was literally in his hand; all he had to do was make a call or send a text. He didn't know why he was delaying reaching out to people. Maybe I'm more traumatized than I'm willing to admit. None of this feels real yet. I feel like I'm going to wake up, and I'll still be in Turks. Not having reunited with Destiny, not having changed locations to Grand Cayman. I feel like I'm going to wake up and none of this will have been real. It feels like at any moment, the ball is going to drop and I'm going to be ripped from this dream.

    He was watching his father demonstrate some dance he'd learned in Memphis, an attempt at entertaining the stoic FBI agents.

    They obliged him for awhile before returning to their very serious conversation.

    "You can't believe that you're here right now," Destiny said from her spot on the couch.

    He moved to sit beside her. "Are you walking around in my head right now?"

    She smiled and shrugged. "It's how I felt when I saw my parents," she confessed. "It felt like a fairytale. Real life doesn't happen like this. You aren't nearly killed multiple times, only to have a happy ending. Usually one of the murder attempts sticks - especially when you have as much power as Harry seems to."

    A buzzing sound came from her jeans pocket. She leaned back on the couch and withdrew the cell phone from her pocket. "It's just a text message from Carlos," she announced, unlocking her phone screen so she could check the message.

    "Is he alright?" Aubrey asked worriedly.

    She squinted at her phone, then covered her mouth with one hand.

    "What?" he demanded, leaning closer to her so he could read the words on her cell phone screen. It took two reads to fully process the text Carlos had sent. Upon understanding, Aubrey rolled his eyes and straightened his posture.

    "Everything okay at home?" Darius asked him.

    Aubrey nodded. "Yeah...Carlos just saw fit to let us know that he's horny and maybe I was right in worrying about him inviting guests over."

    Destiny collapsed into a fit of laughter, sagging heavily against him.

    "I'm literally five minutes away from building him his own house just so he's out of my hair," Aubrey muttered.

    The sound of Destiny's tinkling laughter persisted, then spread like a contagion. Soon, the agents and Dennis were laughing. That must have drawn Sandi's and Oliver's attention, because they returned from the kitchen.

    "What is it?" Sandi asked surveying the room. "What's so funny?"

    Destiny shook her head, repeatedly smacking Aubrey's upper arm.