Chapter Text
Rio
All throughout the week, Emma has begged me to let her go on a date. Emma was only 13 years old and for some reason, some boy in her class thought it was a good idea to ask my daughter to the movies.
I personally didn’t like it in the least bit. Elizabeth thought it was a good idea, “At least she’s asking us if she can go Rio. She’s not trying to be deceptive or sneaking out. Plus, I met Dean when I was 14” She shrugged, but I just glared at her while she did her nightly routine. The carman comment, didn’t help her case at all. I knew what horny little boys wanted, and I would be damned if Emma or Jane ended up like the girls I grew up with.
But that didn’t stop Emma from asking me, 24/7. Whether it was through texting, calling, baking my favorite dishes, or even being nice to the other kids and doing their chores in front of me. I’m not gonna lie, she knew how to butter me up. I feel like Elizabeth was giving her advice, on how to get me to say yes. She even called Mick during a meeting.
This fucker was playing with me. I knew he was the one stealing my product and trying to distribute it as his own, but I knew he wasn’t that smart. I simply walked over to him, with my hands behind my back, and looked at his pathetic body, ready to give up. But of course, he wanted to put on a show for everyone in the warehouse. Spitting at me, causing his blood to hit my face, “I Ain telling you shit.” And then he had the nerve to laugh.
My jaw ticked and I wiped the blood off my face, now it was my turn to laugh.
“So, you want to spit on me? How about I take both of his hands, cut em off, then once he remembers what I want him to say, take his tongue and shoot him and get rid of him. Make it that his momma don’t find all the parts.” I said to my boys, smiling, never looking away from the pathetic rat that
All the guys started moving to do what I said, when a phone kept going off.
“Who the fuck brought a phone!” I yelled
“Um, Mick, Someone keeps calling you.” One of the younger boys said handing the ringing phone to Mick
“Well who the fuck is it?” I asked looking at Mick, who stood there not moving or looking back at me.
“It’s the emergency phone from your house.” He mumbled back. Fear went through my body, thinking about Elizabeth and the kids being hurt. Immediately, I snatched it out of his hand and walked away from this mess to answer it.
“Elizabeth, is everything okay?”
“Daddy?” Her voice rang out.
“Emma? What is going on? Why are you using this phone?"
“You never answered my question, Can I please go to the movies with Nick.” I could hear her pouting over the phone.
I wiped down my face, thankfully nothing was wrong, but I am going to have to go through protocol with the kids again, if Emma is using this to reach me. I groan out, thinking of having that conversation with them again. “This phone is only for emergencies.”
“This is an emergency, Dad!!” She cried out.
“Em, we will talk about this when I get home.” I gritted out,
“He can ask someone else in our grade Dad!” She whined.
“Emma Marie!”
“Fine.” She said, defeated. But after a beat, she asked, “Am I in trouble?”
I looked down at my watch, it was only 4:45 in the afternoon. All of the kids should be home, if they don’t have extracurriculars.
“Em, Go do your homework. I should be home by 6, please tell your mother.”
Knowing she wasn’t going to get an immediate answer out of me, she sighed, “Love you, Daddy.”
“Love you too, Giggles.” I hung up the phone and went back over to Mick, with the rat choking on his own blood from the severing of his tongue,
“So we got everything we need?” I asked, and Mick nodded, I handed him back his phone.
“Great.” I pulled my gun from my waistband and shot him. His body went lifeless in the chair he was tied up in, and I smiled.
“Clean this shit up. I want his body spread all over Michigan.” I mumbled
“Everything good?” Mick asked, referring to the phone call.
I rolled my eyes, shaking my head “I thought teenage boys were terrible. Emma has nothing on them.”
He laughed, “Danielle thinks everything revolves around her, and forgets she has responsibilities, and don’t get me started on her and Damien arguing. Just wait for Jane to get up there, I bet she’ll be worse. I don’t see how you do it with 5, I barely can do it with 2 kids.”
I sighed thinking about it. Horrible. “Why can’t they just stay little? My two sweet little princesses that loved My little Pony and Frozen.”
Elizabeth and I had finally made a decision, so we called Emma to our room. She came in, wearing her silk pink pj’s and her hair tied back in a bun. I couldn’t help but to chuckle. Emma was the spitting image of Elizabeth, same big blue eyes, same facial features, mannerisms, even the way she pouts. Only difference is that she had sandy brown hair, instead of strawberry blonde/ red like her mama’s. I’m scared for her to get older, because I’m afraid she’ll be well endowed like Elizabeth. I will murder someone for even looking at her.
She sat on the end of the bed, and twiddled her thumbs. I knew she was expecting me to say no. I still am very much against this idea, but I know she has to grow up some point. Sighing, I finally gave in.
“Fine, Emma, you can go to the movies with this little boy,” I said to her.
She looked up from her hands and squealed happily. I had to catch the both of us because she tackled me in a hug, we almost fell back into the headboard on the bed “Yes, Thank you Daddy!!!”
“But under MY conditions.” I sternly interjected.
She quickly let go of my neck and sat on the bed, and pouted looking towards Elizabeth for help, but she just out her hands up and stayed out of it.
Letting out a groan, she looked at me, crossing her arms “What are your conditions?”
“No kissing, no touchy feely, none of that shit. I will hurt him.” I spoke with all seriousness, but Elizabeth interjected.
“Rio, Emma knows not to do anything like that, right honey?” She asked looking at Emma, and she nodded. I narrowed my eyes,
“I’m serious, if I feel or see anything that remotely looks inappropriate,”
“What do you mean, ‘see’?” Emma warily asked, making me smirk.
“This little date has to be supervised.”
“Daddy, Nick’s parents already agreed to pick us up and go with us.” Emma smiled.
I shook my head, “I don’t know Nick’s parents and I don’t trust them, “
“So, it has to be someone you trust? Auntie Annie?” She suggested, I saw Elizabeth shake her head and put her head in her hands, she knew Emma suggested the wrong person. It made me laugh, and laugh hard.
“Hell No. Annie will let you do anything you want. Absolutely not. Either Me and your mom or one of your uncles, and You will have a curfew, you have to be back by 10:30pm” I ignored her protest and just looked at her, making her realize that I wasn’t going to budge on anything.
“Is there anything else?” She mumbled.
“I want to meet him.”
Her mouth dropped and her arms uncrossed, “Daddy! Cmon!” She grunted.
I shook my head, “You have to accept my conditions or not go. Simple.”
“You’re ruining my life!! Everyone is going to make fun of me!”
I shrugged, “I don’t care. This isn’t under discussion. It is what it is.”
She got off the bed and stomped her foot, something similar to when Elizabeth isn’t getting her way with me either.
“No one is EVER gonna want to go out with me after this!” She sneered,
“Good, then my job is done.” I countered.
“UGH! I hate you guys!!!! I’m gonna die all alone!!!!” She screamed, stomping to her room and slamming the bedroom door. I went to get up to confront her about her attitude and Elizabeth grabbed my arm.
“She knows better, she’ll apologize in the morning. She’s just upset.” Elizabeth tried to reason with me.
I let go of the breath that I was holding, sitting back on the bed, “She shouldn’t be saying shit like that, and she should be happy I’m letting her go.”
Elizabeth just chuckled, and I looked at her like she was crazy.
“What’s so funny?”
“You can’t take it when any of the kids get mad at you, even Marcus.”
I pursed my lips together, “That’s not true. At all. I discipline them, just like you do.”
“You do, but you don’t want any of them to be mad at you, it’s cute. They have your temper too.” She agreed.
I disagreed, “If anything, Kenny and Emma have your temper, Danny is very Docile and Marcus is basically the boy version of Rhea.”
“You’re forgetting Jane.” She smirked.
I rolled my eyes, “Exactly,” She laughed.
“Do you remember when they first called me Daddy?” I asked her.
“And you cried,”
“Psh, I didn’t cry, Elizabeth.”
I hated driving this stupid ass mama van. It was ugly, and messy. Elizabeth let the kids do anything and everything when it came to this car. But unfortunately she had deal with a business meeting across town and I had to pick up the kids after work, so I was stuck with my fiancee’s ugly ass momma van.
Getting home and getting everyone settled to do homework was exhausting. Kenny was skateboarding in the damn house, Emma was trying to do homework at the island, Jane was practicing her Ballet in the dining room and Marcus and Danny were arguing on what movie to watch. I don’t see how Elizabeth deals with this crazy everyday. Or how she dealt with it by herself when she was with Carman.
A vase shattered, along with Kenny and Emma crashing to the floor brought me out of my thoughts.
“Kenny! What the hell I say about skateboarding in the house! Upstairs NOW!” I yelled having all the kids look at me, with Emma crying. I picked her up and put her on the island to see if she had any injuries, while Kenny stomped upstairs, with his skateboard upset at his punishment.
Fuck, she was bleeding and her teeth went through her bottom lip. She pulled back from me and laid her face in my chest, still crying.
“C’mon Em. I gotta look at you, before Mama gets home.”
She shook her head and cried more, soaking my shirt. But of course, that’s when Elizabeth walks in the door, excitedly saying her hello’s to the kids but stopped when coming short of the kitchen and seeing the mess and Emma crying.
“What happened?” She asked, coming over to inspect Emma.
“Kenny was skateboarding, then somehow ran into Emma sitting on the stool and they fell. Then Daddy yelled at Kenny and picked up Emma.” Jane spoke, then turned around to finish her pirouette.
I stiffened, at her words. Jane just called me Daddy. Elizabeth caught it too, cause her eyes caught mine. I mean, I do love the kids like they were my own, but as much as I hated carman, I will never replace their father. He’s their father. I will be their step father.
I came back to reality at Elizabeth trying to take Emma away from me so that she could get her fixed up.
“No, I want Daddy.” She cried harder, holding on to my shirt.
What the hell is going on right now?
~~~~~~~~
After fixing up Emma, and taking her to urgent care, she was feeling a lot better. Tonight was a pizza night, thankfully all the kids agreed and took their pizza and finished their homework. They even went to their rooms without being told.
I went to check on everyone and they were all getting ready for bed. The guest room was changed into Kenny having his own room, and Marcus shared a room with Danny when he was here, while the girls still shared a room. It worked out very well.
Knocking on their door, I saved Jane and Emma for last. Jane came and opened the door, and smiled at me.
“Hey bug, how’s your sister?” I asked leaning against the door. Bug was short for Ladybug, she favorite insect.
“She’s okay.” She opened the door further and I saw Emma reading a Junie B. Jones book on the bottom bunk of their bed.
“Can I talk to you guys real quick before bedtime?”
They both nodded, and Emma sat up, so I could sit on the bed. I did and they both snuggled up to me like they always did when I read them a bedtime story. It made me chuckle. It was always uncomfortable for me, someone who is 6’1”, cramped next to a 9 and 8 year old.
“Kay, what do you wanna talk about?” Jane asked, playing with the rings on my fingers, and Emma played with my wristlets.
“You guys know I love you right?” They both nodded their heads, not really paying attention.
“What made you guys call me, Daddy today?” I asked, they both stopped what they were doing, and looked at me.
“Are we in trouble?” Jane asked, while Emma asked, “Do you not want us to call you Daddy?” Both of them teary eyed.
I shook my head, “No, not at all. You’re not in trouble. It’s just we never discussed it. Remember how when Momma and I sat down everyone and said that we were engaged?”
They nodded, “We said that changes will happen with our families coming together, so we should talk about those changes, because they effect everyone.”
They nodded again, and Emma spoke up, “Well Marcus is our brother and he calls you Daddy.”
“And Emma and I talked about it. We wanted to call you Daddy, because you are our daddy too and we Love you.”
“Yeah. You and Momma are gonna get married and you’ll be our Daddy and Momma will be Marcus’ Momma too.” Emma mumbled, with gauze in her mouth, it was the cutest thing.
“Plus, the Daddy-Daughter dance is coming up at our dance school. We wanna go with you.” Jane said, and Emma nodded her head smiling,
I had taken them to Daddy-daughter dances when Carman never showed up. I had a tie matching their dresses and I couldn’t sit and watch them cry looking out the window. It broke my heart and I knew that Elizabeth hurt too, so I had to do something. Hell, I cant tell you how many things I’ve done since he stopped showing up as a father, and I did it all for the love of the four Boland children.
“I would be honored to be your date. You think we can beat Bethany, Brittany and their dad dancing this year?” I smiled.
“DUH!!!” Jane yelled, “Theyre gowin down!” Emma mumbled, with her lisp.
We all high-fived and laughed. I read them a bedtime story and they both fell fast asleep. So I put Jane in her bed with her dubby, and Emma in bed with Carl, and turned on the night-light.
Walking out the room, I heard “Rio?” I turned around to see Emma looking at me.
“What’s up, Em?” I kneeled down in front of her, and she sprung and hugged my neck.
“Thank you for being here, cause my real dad isn’t. I want a Daddy like everyone at school, Jane does too, and you are the best daddy ever.” She whispered in my neck.
“You’re the best daughter.” I whispered back, “But if you tell Jane that, I’ll deny it.”
She giggled, and kissed my cheek. “Night, Daddy.”
“Night.Giggles.” I said kissing her cheek.
“About a month after that, Danny and Kenny started calling you Dad too.” Elizabeth said, doing her nightly routine, putting on lotion and wrapping her hair in a ponytail.
“Giggles still has that scar.” I said pointing to my chin, where Emma’s scar was.
“You still call her that?” She asked, looking at me in the mirror, and putting her stuff up and turning off the lights in the room
“You still call her Muff.” I countered, as she walked and got into the bed, straddling me.
“Touche” She laughed, kissing my lips.
The next morning, I didn’t have any meetings, so I sat at the island in the kitchen, reading the paper, drinking tea and eating the omelette, I made when I felt arms go around my neck and a head lay on my shoulder.
“Morning, Giggles.” I mumbled, still looking at the paper.
“Morning Daddy.” She giggled, but stopped to continue, “I’m sorry about last night. My behavior was horrible and uncalled for, and I will never do it again."
I nodded my head listening to her, which allowed her to continue. "I agree to all your conditions, but Daddy, please don’t embarrass me. Everyone is already afraid of you and Uncle Mick, Uncle Cisco and Uncle Stan. Please.”
I sighed, patting her hands, “Fine and you can come home by 11pm, but if you’re late, the next date you will be home by 8pm.”
She squealed and kissed my cheek, “Thank you Daddy, I promise I’ll be good!”
“Ugh, can you stop buttering up, Dad? I wanna talk to him.” Jane complained coming down the stairs.
Emma let me go after kissing my cheek again, to walk up the stairs, when Jane came and sat next to me at the island.
"What's up?" I asked, propping my chin in my hand, to look at Jane.
“Daddy, can I have your card to go shopping, please?” She pouted.
“For what now, bug?” I asked, she just went shopping not too long ago, with friends from Dance class.
“The dance at school is coming up! I need new everything.” Jane said waving her hands.
“NO FAIR! I need to go shopping for my date and the dance!” Emma yelled coming back down the stairs,
“Daddy, if she gets a date, can I have one for the dance?” Eyes bugged out and excited, Jane asked me, expectantly.