Home Sweet Home Ch. 10

I apologize for the delay on this chapter. I had commitments with work that took all my available time. Work will likely get in the way again soon. Starting a new job and I need to gauge my time management to find the best times to continue projects for the site.

This is the last chapter for this story. If anyone is curious, I do have plans to possibly write the Order of the Shattered Cross for real.

* * * * *

Summer came, and Diana Jackson was absolutely engrossed on one task. After retiring, it felt good to find something else to occupy her attention and energies. During the day, Diana, Riley, and Whitney spent their time fixing the Cadillac. At night, they watched videos on auto repair, and searched for parts on the internet. William Hartman helped here or there, but he understood this was something they wanted to do together with as little help as possible.

Riley and Diana took many long drives to salvage yards across the state, and even across state lines. During those trips they managed to salvage new seats, roughly half of what they needed to replace the engine, and various other parts they weren't sure they needed but took just in case. Some of those trips they stayed in a hotel overnight, and sex in a hotel was basically a requirement.

While not helping her mother with the car, Whitney spent no small part of the summer with her father in Chicago. Diana wanted to know that part of Whitney's life, so took one of those trips with her. Meeting Whitney's stepmother Mary and her sisters wasn't as horrible as she expected. Diana was welcomed warmly into the family, and she couldn't help but feel worse about holding that part of Whitney's life away from her for so long. She had let her own fears and insecurities affect Whitney.

When the month of July was nearing its end, Riley needed to return to LA for another round of script rewrites. This was prompted when the executive producer Kyle Payne got a copy of the manuscript for the third book and realized several key plot points in that story had its foundations laid in the first book, thus, the first season. Parts he had glossed over or completely ignored when adapting it to a show. Now that these moments were critical for later events, they needed to rewrite to incorporate those story elements. It became clear after a month of conference calls between the producers the only way to alleviate this problem was increasing the episode count from ten to twelve episodes.

More episodes meant they needed more money. Riley finally buckling on filming locations had given them a comfy buffer for finances, but it likely wasn't enough anymore. After the last meeting, they all concluded they needed to secure another two million. The first step to that problem, was auditing the entire production to see where money could be reallocated. Redrafting the contracts with the actors to lower the initial salary but add merchandise percentages in the long run was the first thing they did, but that only secured four hundred thousand.

With a new headache to worry about, Riley flew to LA, leaving Diana to fix the car on her own for a few days. Those few days became a full week, and Riley didn't return until early August. When he came home, he was stunned at how much progress Diana had made on the car. The entire engine had been rebuilt.

"I wanted you here for this," Diana said, nearly giddy at the idea of what might happen. Riley hadn't even entered his home yet and placed his luggage next to the garage door. Diana was wearing a grease-stained white shirt with black jeans, her hair pulled up out her face. She smelled like oil with dirty fingernails. She sat in the driver's seat, and took a moment before putting the key in.

"Please work," Diana said, and turned the key. The engine hummed, then sputtered as she put the peddle down a little. "Come on, come on," Diana chanted as the car cleared its throat. It roared to life, and she put the peddle down to wake up the neighbors. "Yes!"

Three months of work, and the car turned over. It was breathing. There was still work to do. Brakes and tire realignment for starters, but the car was alive.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Diana cheered, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel in triumph. She left the driver's seat and jumped into Riley's arms. "We actually did it."

Diana kissed him with joy, and made it known to him she had a means of celebration in mind. He quickly pulled her shirt up and off her body, discovering she wasn't wearing a bra, and started to suckle her breasts immediately. He walked her backwards to the car and lowered the hood to place her on top of it.

Clothes were strewn around the garage, and they made love on the hood of the car while the engine purred. The vibration from the car tickled Diana, but she ignored it as Riley held her legs open and lowered himself inside of her.

The elation of a task nearly complete, coupled with a long absence, made the session short and sweet. After they finished on the hood of the car, they sat in the back seat, Riley remaining shirtless while Diana worse his. He leaned his back against the inside wall, and Diana rested her body his.

"That was fun," Diana said, the brevity not bothering her in any way.

"Yeah it was," Riley said, and kissed the top of her head. "You did a lot without me."

"I was bored," she admitted. She was proud of herself regardless.

"Filming starts next month," he said.

"I know," she said. That meant Riley would be away in Georgia for the five-month filming schedule. "I'm retired. I can visit whenever I want."

"Why don't you just come with me?" he asked, and Diana exhaled while shaking her head. He was asking her to live with him in Georgia. "Come with me."

"I have a sixteen-year-old daughter starting school in two weeks," she said. "I'd love to go, but that's not what's good for Whitney." They sat quietly for so long, the silence began to innerve them both. "Is this the build up for a fight?"

"Doesn't have to be," he replied.

"We have conflicting responsibilities that puts us in different places. It's either we make it work or it doesn't," she said, and tilted her head to watch him blink in thought. "I want it to work."

"Me too," he said. "I'm already looking for a house in Georgia," he said. Diana understood his reasons, but it felt like he was laying down roots away from her.

"What're you going to do with this one?" she asked.

"For now, keep it. I still have a tenant."

They got dressed and walked across the yard to the house. Tilly was in the living room, having splayed out several outfits on the couch. Tomorrow was the day, and she was nervous about wearing the right outfit for court. The judge was going to decide on family reunification.

"You're over thinking it," Diana said. Tilly looked over her shoulder, and picked up a simple blue dress, Diana nodding in approval.

"I'm done, no second guessing," Tilly said, placing the dress on a hanger and then onto the back of a chair. "It actually might happen."

"It will," Diana said with a smile. "Howie is coming home tomorrow."

"Home," Tilly said, letting that word hang in the air like it had wings. "Home."

Tilly sat on the couch, and Riley watched her expression change from hope to unease. She looked at Riley, and gave him a half smile, then stood up to tell him something she had determined she needed to do.

"You okay?" Riley asked.

"Thanks for everything. I couldn't have done any of this without you. Both of you," Tilly said, turning to look at Diana as well. "But I need to move out."

"You don't have to..."

"...I do. I need to do this on my own from here out. You gave me a hell of a starting line, but I need to cross it myself. Howie needs to see me cross it myself. I need to do something on my own, for once," Tilly explained. "I'll find a place and move out as soon as I can."

Riley knew Tilly was a prideful person, and much of the last several months had been her swallowing that pride. Accepting the lease agreement. Asking Mr. Hartman for a job. Allowing Riley to help her find lawyers. That support helped her land on her feet, but she needed to start walking at some point. Tilly was ready to walk.

Diana felt uneasy over Tilly moving out. Not because she didn't think she was ready, because she did. Tilly staying was a reason for Riley keeping the house. It was his roots in Ferry Grove being pulled up. She didn't express that concern for the rest of night. Not while the three talked in the living room, or after her and Riley made love again before going to bed. She kept that quiet fear to herself. The fear that when Riley went to work in Georgia, he'd have little reason to come back.

* * * * *

"All rise," the bailiff said to the courtroom.

Tilly sat at the table with her lawyer, while her support group sat behind her. Riley, Diana, Whitney and Alice in the first row. Behind them was Jason and William Hartman with his wife Chloe and the gaggle of kids, ages eleven to three. Boy, girl, boy, girl, in perfect sequence. Across the aisle was Howie's foster parents, who while saddened to lose Howie, understood their role in his story if the ending was happy. Tabitha Sweetwater sat on the table opposite of Tilly.

"Please be seated," the honorable Judge Whittle said as he positioned himself in his seat. The room did as instructed and Judge Whittle nodded to Tabitha who left her table for a door to the side. She walked hand in hand with Howie into the courtroom and sat him at her table.

"I don't always have a good day in court," the Judge began. "Not in family court. Often, it's the worst day of my life on repeat. Days like this, make it all worth it. I'm not going to extend this out needlessly, so let's begin.

"Ms. Aberdeen, you've completed community service. Parenting classes. Have had sustained employment and living accommodation since our last hearing. Is that all correct?"

"Yes, your honor," Tilly said, her voice distorted from emotion.

"Ms. Clearwater, is there anything that concerns you regarding reunification?"

"Ms. Aberdeen has recently informed me she will be relocating to a residence closer to her place of employment. I plan on evaluating that in my one month follow up session, but at this time, my official recommendation is that Matilda Aberdeen is a fit parent and that she have custody of Howard Aberdeen reinstated," Tabitha said, winking at Tilly. Tabitha loved when the situation turned out to be a miracle.

"Recommendation noted," Judge Whittle said, and then turned his gaze to Howie himself. "Children, even young children, have a voice of their own. Which is why, Howard, I'm going to talk to you like a grown up. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," Howie said, looking at his mother, then at the Judge again. He was dressed in a suit his foster father helped him pick out and looked very dapper. Tilly was amazed at how much he had grown. Physically and in his overall maturity. He was a remarkably resilient child.

"Would you like to live with your mother?" Judge Whittle asked.

Howie looked at Tilly again, smiled widely at her, then turned back to the Judge one last time. "Yes sir."

"Let the courts show that Matilda Aberdeen is once again, the legal guardian and parent of Howard Aberdeen."

Tilly was able to hug her son without a social worker there for the first time in nearly half a year. Tabitha was there, but no longer in that capacity. Howie was momentarily overwhelmed by how many people were there, but quickly began to enjoy the attention. He reached out to Riley who happily held him.

The entire group went to the house and celebrated the return of the last member of their weird little family.

At the end of the night before everyone started to go home, Alice put a camera on a tripod for a group picture. She started the timer and joined the group next to Whitney. She promised everyone she'd get them a copy of the photograph.

Shortly afterwards, everyone went home, soon leaving Riley downstairs with Diana while Whitney went to stay with Alice for the night. The night had exhausted Howie who tried to claim he wasn't tired, but still fell asleep in his mother's arms as she carried him upstairs. Jason walked with her and watched her tuck Howie in and softly shut the door behind her.

"What's it feel like to put him to bed?" Jason asked Tilly.

"Like he never left," she replied. She leaned the frame of the bedroom door while Jason leaned on his arm against the railing of the stairs.

"See you tomorrow?" Jason asked, and she shook her head.

"I'm taking a few days. Need to find a new place," she explained.

"What's wrong with here?" he asked.

"It's not like I don't appreciate what's Riley's done, but this place is a tomb. It's like I'm in Groundhog's day. I walk downstairs, and nothing has changed, and I expect to see my dad making breakfast while my mom chastises my grades. Only, they're still dead and I feel more alone the longer I stay here."

Tilly took Riley's offer on nothing more than necessity. She needed a place to live, and Riley was the best choice when she felt the most vulnerable. Never did she imagine Riley would turn out to be one of her best friends. Part of him reminded her of her brother Howard. That same goofy charm who in many ways didn't know how to take care of himself either. The man was nearly forty and still survived on microwave meals and made coffee by blindly dumping grounds in the filter. He even reused those grounds, a habit he carried over from his humble beginnings when he pinched pennies. His shirts were wrinkled, and his colored clothing was faded from improperly laundering them. He was barely an adult, but then again, so was Tilly.

"I'm glad it was a good night. I have to get home," Jason said, looking at his watch. It was just after ten at night.

"It's late, you can stay over," she said, and he looked down the stairs.

"Couch any good?" Jason asked, willing to take her up on the offer. And also having a feeling what the offer really was.

"Never said anything about a couch," Tilly said. She took his hand and led him to her bedroom.

Since the night Tilly kissed him months ago, she knew their relationship had changed. She wanted it to change, and she sensed he did as well. DK had happened during an emotionally charged period of her life, and she didn't want to meet a man under similar circumstances. She wanted everything to return to normal before she would pursue anything. Howie was home, DK was in jail, everything in her life seemed to be in place again. When the dust settled, her feelings for Jason hadn't dissipated; they had only grown.

The awkwardness of making love on her childhood twin bed was palpable. It temporarily made her feel like a teenager trying to be quiet so her parents wouldn't catch her. They were quiet because their kissing left little air for words. Slow rhythmic thrusting, followed by a slow ride where Jason held her breasts and she held his hands.

After completion, they knew there wouldn't be much sleep tonight. The raw emotion was stripped away, and it teased out a desire to simply have fun with each other. They played with each other until she knew he was ready for another round. What a round it was, until they forgot they were on a twin bed and rolled off.

Jason landed on his back, grunting from both the impact with the ground and Tilly's impact on him. It was either luck or unluck that he remained inside of her as they fell. Tilly released a restrained squeak, the cause of which she would freely admit she rather enjoyed. They took a moment to assess injury, before laughing together on her bedroom floor.

* * * * *

Tilly had been looking at rentals for weeks, so was ready to move three days after Howie came home. She didn't have much to move, and Riley offered to move some of her parent's furniture to her new home, but she didn't want it. She told him she wanted to start as fresh as she could. Riley didn't know she had never sold the items in the storage unit he gave her when she first came to live with him. She gave it back to him, only keeping her brother's guitar. Riley donated the remaining instruments to the local junior high school, and the furniture to the Salvation Army.

With Tilly moving out, Riley set out on selling the house while he closed on the one in Georgia. He assured Diana he would simply stay with her when he came to visit, but it still distressed her. It was the first time he realized how much him leaving bothered her. Neither knew how to articulate that into a productive conversation.

With little exception, the house was now empty. Riley walked through it, the first time he had ever seen it this way. When he stepped, he could his footsteps echo like the inside of a drum.

"House seems so much bigger now," Riley heard his realtor say. He was so lost in thought he had almost forgotten she was there.

"It feels smaller though," Riley said, more to himself than to her. Tilly was a week gone, but still in contact and just a ten-minute drive. It was too quiet. No one was cooking in his kitchen, and Howie wasn't running up the stairs or playing impromptu games of hide and go seek.

"Are you sure that's the price you want to put it on the market for?" the realtor asked. Her commission would suffer because he was putting it back on the market at a stupidly low price. It was cheaper than he paid for it, meaning he'd be losing a good amount of money.

"I just want it off my hands," Riley said to justify her curiosity. In truth, there was only one person he wanted to sell it to. Riley heard a car coming up his driveway and walked to the open front door. He had asked Officer Joey Ballard to stop by. Joey was confused by the invitation, but still came.

"You wanted to talk Mr. Blake?" Joey asked as he walked up the stairs. Riley insisted on his first name only.

"Make me an offer," Riley said, and Joey didn't know what he was talking about.

"Offer? For what?" Joey asked. Riley gestured around him with wide arms, and Joey noticed he was in a process of moving out. "I don't think I can afford that."

"You just got promoted to Sergeant, didn't you?" Riley asked.

"I did. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the meager pay jump, but I still can't afford what you paid for it," Joey said. Riley smiled at his obliviousness.

"Play along for a moment. Make me an offer," Riley said. The market value of the house was $375,000 before the probate auction which started at $250,000. Riley pushed Joey out with an offer of $330,000. Joey's last offer was $275,000 before it was out of his price range.

"$250," Joey said sarcastically, and wasn't sure what to do when Riley extended his hand out to shake on it. "What's this?"

"Deal. $250," Riley said. Joey looked at the realtor who bit her tongue.

"You serious?" Joey asked, and Riley nodded. "What's wrong with it?"

"A family of five doesn't live it in yet," Riley said, making Joey slowly smile and return the shake.

"Doesn't have a fence for my dog though," Joey jested.

"Ask your new neighbor, he's good with that kind of stuff."

* * * * *

Riley spent one last night with Diana in early September. When it feels like it's the last time you'll have sex with someone, it mirrors the first time. The eagerness to please the other person comes with a belief this one needs to count because it might be the only one you get.

The ecstasy of the sex was overshadowing by the dread of Riley leaving with no concrete date of return. What if he never came back? What if Diana was only someone to play with until he went somewhere else and met another woman? Part of her worry felt silly to ever herself, considering Riley had offered for her to live with him. When she needed to say no, she felt Riley could take it the wrong way and begin looking at other options. Riley certainly wouldn't be lacking opportunities considering his celebrity status. Riley promised he'd try to visit next month during a break in filming, but she could only half-heartedly accept his promise.