Unexpected

[25] Happiest Place on Earth

Hey everyone! Hope you enjoy the new chapter. Sorry I haven't posted in a while! Please vote/comment if you can. :)

Clara.

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Over the next few days, Dean and I called a silent truce. Despite what differences we might’ve had regarding mine and Ryan’s relationship, we knew that the only way to survive a week with Aunt Emily and her uptight, Type A personality was to join forces. Christmas morning, she insisted that we all go to church together, though I doubted Dad could even remember the last time he’d set foot in a church. Surprisingly he didn’t protest and the service was actually really nice. As soon as we got home I set to work cooking and we all exchanged gifts. Once everything was ready, we sat down to eat.

    “This is great, Kodi. What’s your secret?” Uncle Adam asked after swallowing a bite of stuffing.

    Shrugging, I glanced over at him. “I don’t really have one. I just add whatever feels right, I guess.”

    “He’s right,” Olivia nodded and smiled at me. “Everything tastes amazing. You should totally open up your own place someday.”

    “Thanks,” I smiled, the comment settling like a warm blanket over me. To be honest I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with my life yet, but it wasn’t a bad idea.

    Dad cleared his throat, looking around at everyone. “I have one more special gift. Well, two, I guess, technically. First,” he reached into his inside coat pocket and handed something to Aunt Emily. “I booked you and Adam a room for three days at Hotel Bel-Air for New Year’s. And for the kids, I’ve booked two rooms at Disneyland. They can spend a few days there and have some fun.”

    “Marcus, wow, I…I don’t know what to say. Thank you.” Aunt Emily shared a look with her husband and I could tell it had been a while since they’d had a weekend just to themselves. “But are you sure it’s wise to let the kids go off on their own?”

    And the worried scowl was back. I almost laughed, but managed to disguise it as a cough and took a sip of my drink. Did she trust her children at all? Aunt Emily cast a worried glance at her kids, but Uncle Adam took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

    “Don’t worry, honey, they’ll be fine. Olivia and Dean can be in charge.”

    Dad nodded, smiling. “And if anything happens, they just have to call and I’ll be right there. You need to loosen up, Em. Enjoy life a little.”

    “Okay,” she agreed reluctantly. I absently wondered how hard it was for her to let go of control, even just for a little bit.

    Usually Dad wasn’t much for family gatherings, but when Aunt Emily suggested we make use of our top-quality entertainment center, no one protested. After a brief vote, we decided on a movie and everyone settled in. With my stomach filled to the brim and a content smile, I was about to fall asleep halfway through when my phone vibrated from inside my pocket. Slipping it out discreetly, I peeked at it to see a text from Ryan.

    Can you talk?

    The words were simple enough, but coming from Ryan they sent a sudden rush of cold through my body. Was something wrong? His texts were not usually so short, or the tone so serious. I glanced around to see my family all relaxed and enjoying the film—surprisingly, even Aunt Emily had a smile as she leaned against her husband. Biting my bottom lip, I decided that I could slip away for a few minutes, just to check on him. I noticed Dean’s eyes follow me as I left the room, but I didn’t have time to care about what he was thinking. I tapped on the reply box and typed out a message.