Owning Her

Chapter Five

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A week later found Vivian at her family reunion with Greyson by her side. No one in her family knew of the actual arrangements in their relationship, and all thought Greyson was just her regular boyfriend.

Boy would they lose their shit if they knew, Vivian thought.

"Vivy," shrieked her two-year-old niece as she dove out of the bounce house all the kids were playing in. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed ball of joy sprinted straight for Vivian.

Vivian stooped down to scoop Adeline up just as the little girl reached her. Wet kisses covered her face as the little girl thrashed excitedly in her aunt's arms.

"Hey, sweet girl," Vivian cooed as the toddler stopped kissing her face and cupped it in her tiny chubby hands. Vivian's heart fluttered as she stared into Adeline's round face.

"Come jump?" Addie asked.

Vivian looked back discreetly for Greyson only to find him chatting with her father at the grill, a beer already in his hand. She didn't need to ask permission to spend time with her family, but she didn't want to leave him alone just after they arrived.

"Of course, Addie Cake."

The little girl squealed upon hearing her nickname as her hands still squished Vivian's cheeks. She walked to the bouncy house as she carried Adeline with her. She kicked off her shoes, tucked Addie to her chest, and crawled into the bouncy castle. A bunch of the kids flocked to her with squeals of delight. They all bounced circles around Vivian, and she also jumped while still holding Addie.

"I figured I would find you here," Addie's mom said outside the bounce house. One of the kids tumbled off the slide, and she caught him before he could hit the ground. "Watch yourself, little one," she cooed to the boy before setting him on his feet. Her long blonde hair that matched Addie's swept up into a bun, and her steel grey eyes returned to Vivian.

At that moment, Addie tried to dive backward out of Vivian's arms. She bent over, still holding the little girl, and then allowed her to fall the remaining two feet down to the bouncy floor. She giggled with delight as she bounced once, twice, and then scrambled to her feet. When Addie bee-lined for the slide, Vivian turned back around to her sister.

"You would swear I don't see her once a week," Vivian commented as Aspen picked an invisible speck off her flowery shirt, with bell sleeves at the wrists. Hippie.

"Come hang out with the adults for a bit. Addie and the other kids will have plenty of Vivian time later." Aspen motioned to the entrance of the bouncy house, and Vivian noticed more beaded bracelets adorned her wrists. Between them, she saw some red marks around Aspen's wrists that could have been from restraints.

Vivian slid out of the air-filled vinyl before she could think about it for too long.

With a mixed drink thanks to Aspen's high-end bartender husband in her hand, Vivian stood amongst her three siblings as they all bantered.

Vivian and Aspen were closest in age, thanks to their parents getting pregnant just after their mom had healed from having Aspen. Her bell-bottomed brown pants, flowery shirt, and stacks of bracelets were her armor that hid the soft-hearted woman underneath.

Carson, the oldest one of the group, was the only boy. His brown curled hair lay in short ringlets around his face and ears. Brown eyes that matched Vivian's gleamed with joy as he laughed at a joke Aspen had just made. His angled jaw, high cheekbones, and lean muscles made him look like a Fae in one of Luíza's romance novels.