Caught In A Name

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

There were two things that crossed Richard's mind upon seeing his parents and his two other siblings in the entryway. One: shit, shit, shit! And two: fuck my life!

Nicomaine wasn't sure who these people were but from the looks of pure shock on their faces, she deduced they haven't seen this before. So she swiftly detached herself from Richard and tried to push him away. But then she realized her state of dishevelment when Richard started to move back, so she frantically pulled him back to her.

"Do I look presentable?" Richard heard Maine whisper in a panic.

"Uuhhmmm yeah. You look good enough to eat."

"Fuck! Shut up! You know what I mean!"

Richard helped Maine straighten her clothes and tucked some stray hairs behind her ears before he finally stepped back and lifted her off the counter.

"Now, you look presentable" he stated, his voice an octave lower and only for her ears to hear.

Nicomaine couldn't help the blush that suddenly came. Her body just responded instantly with Richard's voice. Get it together Nicomaine! Don't be such a slut!

Someone among the four cleared their throat impatiently to catch the couple's attention. Richard gave a sigh before he totally faced his family, essentially blocking Maine from their view. I'll be damned if they scrutinize her without going through me first!

He was taken aback when his mother, launched herself into his arms, crying and laughing at the same time. He had no choice but to catch her lest she falls on the kitchen floor, and God forbid, break a hip or something. His father will kill him for that for sure.

Mother and son stood there for a minute, taking the moment in. As much as Richard is a grown alpha male, he still crumbles at the sight of his mother crying. Crying because of him. Finally, with one last hiccup, the older woman stepped back and stood on tiptoe to give her son a gentle kiss on both cheeks.

"Good to see you alive and well Richard Faulkerson Jr." she stated calmly but Richard knew that she was still struggling with her emotions. Why? Because his mother rarely uses his full name when addressing him. She only does that if she's really angry, really disappointed or really sad.

"Mom. I'm sorry. I am so sorry for all I've put you through. I know that it was unfair of me to do that but I wasn't thinking straight...."

"Sshhh, sshhh." His mother began. "We have all the time in the world to catch up later?" The last part she stated with a question mark, her voice laced with doubt.

"I'm home now, Mom" was all Richard could say, looking down at his mother's tear stained face.

"That you are baby. That you are" was the response he got from his mother before she stepped to the side so Richard can greet his father and sisters.

"Riz?" Richard began but once again he had to catch a bundle of a female torpedo that went straight for him. His sister, the one closest to him in age, was bumbling incoherently, hanging onto him like glue. "Hey, hey. I'm alright. I'm here" he soothed.

"You have a lot of explaining to do" Riz stated in between hiccups.

"I know" was all Richard could say.

After one last squeeze to her brother, Riz stepped aside as well to stand close to their mother. Richard turned to his youngest sibling, Angela.

"Hey baby girl. Wanna come say hi to Kuya?"

Angela, the youngest of the Faulkerson siblings, at the age of 15, is probably the meekest and quietest of the four. She usually keeps to herself. But when she says something, everyone better listen. Their parents have taken her for tests when she was younger but all the specialists found nothing. They all just deemed her to be way above the average intelligence.