Endless Obsession

I drop my head and rub the back of my neck. I notice the flowerbed off the porch my mom has spent countless hours perfecting. I don’t want to lie to Rex about my involvement with Poppy, but I won’t tell him the complete truth. He needs to know of her importance in my life, but not everything revolving around it.

“She’s my employee and someone I care a great deal about. That’s all you need to know for now. Spare no expense with this, Rex. I want this guy found. I don’t care what you have to do. Just keep her safe in the process. That’s the number one priority.”

“Heard you the first time, brother. He won’t come near her again. We’ll get this guy,” he growls.

If there’s one thing I know, it’s that Rex will follow through. I didn’t tell him how I came across the information, but he knows the sick fucker broke into her house, played in her underwear drawer, and proceeded to damn near molest her. I could practically feel the steam coming out of Rex’s ears as I told him what I saw. He’s really big on protecting women and children. When he was a child, he and his mom endured years of abuse from his dad. His dad ended up killing his mom in a fit of rage when he was twelve. It’s a good thing he’s still in prison, or I have no doubt Rex would be there himself for killing him.

“I’ll be home tomorrow, midafternoon. K

eep me updated.”

“You know it. Later.”

I pocket my phone and turn to face the house. Tomorrow can’t get here fast enough. If my dad wasn’t so worried about this meeting, I’d tell him I had to cancel, but he needs my expertise. I had originally planned to stay afterward for dinner with my parents’, but that’s out now. I’ll throw my bag in the car when we leave for the meeting and take off for home as soon as it’s over.

I walk through the sliding glass door to the sound of music and the racket of girly laughter and squeals. I find out why when I make it to the living room. I stop in the doorway and immediately start laughing at the scene before me. My dad, Elijah, and my brother, Alexander, both have microphones in their hands and are singing from the words on the TV. Kia and her friends surround them, trying to sing along, but are having a hard time doing it through their laughter. How in the fuck my big tough dad and brother got roped into this is beyond me, but I’m glad it’s them, and not me.

“Uncle Ash!” Nessa, my six-year-old niece and my brother’s daughter, shrieks. She’s standing at her dad’s feet, wiggling her butt in some type of dance. “Come sing with us!”

“Yeah, Uncle Ash!” Kia yells, spinning on her heel with her arms in the air.

I shake my head, still chuckling at the sight. “Not this time. Gammy is looking for me.” And thank God for that.

“Nonsense. Diane and Bea are on the phone with your aunt right now,” my dad says, taking away my excuse of not embarrassing myself. “Get over here. I need a break.”

“Dad—”

Kia screams and runs over, grabs my hand, and drags me to the center of the group. “You have to! It’s my birthday!” she yells.

I groan and tip my head back. I can’t say no now. When I look back, my dad’s holding the microphone out to me with a smirk. Why in the fuck do I love my family so much?

Walking forward, I shoot him a glare as I snatch the mic from his hand. Alexander is still singing some shit about dragging someone down. He may be singing, but he’s laughing at me with his eyes. I want to smack the look off his face.

“Why aren’t you up here?” I grumble at Owen, who’s sitting on the couch watching the crazy that’s going on. “It’s your kid’s birthday.”

Grinning big, he holds up his phone. “I’m on recording duty. Ordered by Bea.”

“Lucky bastard,” I say under my breath, just loud enough for only him to hear.

Flipping him the bird behind my back, I plaster on a smile for my nieces and their friends and turn to face the television, just as a new song starts. I’ve never heard the song that’s playing. I’m sure it’s from some boy band that’s popular at the moment. I can’t sing for shit. Alexander knows it, that’s why he’s enjoying this so much. So do my nieces, but they don’t seem to care. They just continue to jump around and dance.

Seeing their giggling faces and happy expressions, I decide to make an uncomfortable situation better. I figure if I have to be up here singing, I may as well make the best of it and outdo my brother. With that in mind, I sing my fucking heart out, alternating between grabbing Kia’s, Nessa’s, or one of the other girls’ hand and dancing with them. The girl’s all seem to think it’s cool as shit and become even more rowdy and loud. We all laugh, sing, and dance around like fools.

By the time three songs have passed, I thankfully see my escape come out of the hallway in the form of my mom and sister. I throw the mic to Owen.

“Your turn.”

He loses his grin quick when Bea comes over and plucks the phone from his hands and ushers him up from the couch. I grab Bea’s face with both my hands and plant a loud kiss on her forehead, before throwing a smirk over my shoulder at the two suckers that are stuck with the now rambunctious group of giggling girls.

I walk fast to the kitchen where I saw my mom go before I’m sucked back into the fray. She’s pulling a pitcher of tea from the fridge when I enter.

“Would you like some, honey?” she asks, grabbing a glass from the cabinet and looking at me over her shoulder.

“Please.”

She laughs as she watches me slouch down in a chair at the table.

“I’m going to kill Aunt Ava for buying that damn karaoke program for Kia,” I grumble.