Bound By Blood - 7. Chapter Seven

I checked the time on my phone, and I called Austin and the girls, telling them that we were ready to leave. It has been a long while since the whole family has gone out to eat. Mostly we ate premade meals or food that I have cooked personally which was always a case of trial and error. However, I made a promise to myself that I was going to focus more of my attention on my kids and become the father that all three of them deserved. And that promise involved going to the kids’ favorite restaurant that served the best burgers and seafood in the city that was located at a large boardwalk by the beach. Also, with the most urgent bills paid off with more than enough money left over, I felt like treating my family was in order.

Opening the front door, I called out for my kids to come out now when I noticed a person was standing at the other side of the doorway. “Anthony?”

“Hey, Chief! Good to see you again!” Anthony said, extending his hand out to me.

I grabbed his hand and did a light shoulder bump as well as a pat on the back. “Yeah, good to see you too… Why are you here?”

Anthony chuckled and said, “Don’t pretend you don’t know. I got my mail today and saw the check that was twenty-five thousand dollars. Thank you so much, man!” He moved to hug me this time.

“Yeah, no problem,” I said, accepting the hug. “I thought it was only fair that you got a cut of the money I received from Will.”

“You mean the vampire who kidnapped us, right?”

“Yes…that vampire.” Clearing my throat, I then asked, “So, Anthony, did you just come here to thank me or…?”

“Well, actually I thought I would join you and your family for dinner. So, what did you cook up to eat?”

“Wait a minute? You want to thank me by coming to my house and eating my food?” I raised an eyebrow at my friend.

“Well, when you put it that way… But hey, you always enjoy my company!” Anthony made a toothy smile.

I was about to retort that claim when I heard a pair of footsteps coming from the stairway. I turned to see Isabel and Joanna wearing their puffy coats and skirts with leggings and boots. Their different materials and patterns they wore as an ensemble clashed, but as long as they dressed properly for the weather, I wasn’t about to fuss over their choice of fashion. As soon as they saw Anthony at the doorway, they cheered in elation before running to him and hugging him.

“Hey, girls!” Anthony greeted as he patted both girls on the head.

“Uncle Anthony! I didn’t know you were coming!” Isabel said.

“Are you coming with us to eat out?” Joanna asked.

“Oh, you’re eating out I see,” Anthony said, looking back at me with a hopeful look in his eyes.

I sighed and said, “Do you want to eat out with us, Anthony?”

“Of course, I do!”

The girls cheered in unison and made their way to the car, which I unlocked with the car remote. Anthony followed them, and I was about to close the door when my mind told me that I was forgetting something. Well, someone actually since I didn’t see my son, Austin, scrambling to get into the front passenger seat. I sighed again as I went back inside and jogged up the stairs. I quickly entered Austin’s bedroom where I saw him lying on his bed, tossing a football in the air before catching it.

I lightly knocked on his door and said, “Austin. Come on, son. We’re going out to dinner tonight.”

Austin turned his head to look at me before resuming his exciting activity of tossing a ball up and down. “I don’t want to go.”

“Come on, Austin. This is a family event, and the last time I checked you’re a part of this family.”

“Oh, stepping up being a father again, I see. You think you make up for all the time you haven’t been there for us by stuffing us with fast food?”

Glaring at my son, I said, “I’m not here to argue with you, son. Now put on a jacket and get in the car.”

“I can’t, Dad… I have homework to do.”

I chuckled and leaned my shoulder against the doorframe. “And is that your homework? Tossing a football up and down?”

“Maybe it is. It’s not like you would know,” Austin shot back.

My patience was wearing thin, and I was about to walk away and leave Austin with only burnt meatloaf for his dinner. However, I stopped myself from leaving and instead I walked inside where I took his desk and swiveled it backwards before sitting down. I didn’t say anything at first, just looked at my son who continued to toss his ball like it was more fun than joining his family to eat out. Soon though my son stopped his little game and looked at me.

“What?” Austin asked.

Looking down, I said, “I’m trying, Austin… I’m really trying to make up for all the time I haven’t been there for you and the girls. And if I can change the past and stop all the hurt I caused, I would do it in a heartbeat…but I can’t. The only thing I can alter is what happens now and tomorrow…” Looking up to see Austin’s eyes locked on mine, I then said, “I want you to join the rest of the family, and we might not have the most pleasant time together, but it’ll be a start… I love you, Austin.”

Austin closed his eyes and was quiet for a moment, and then he said, “I love you too, Dad.”

I smiled, feeling completely elated inside from just hearing my son say that he loved me. Just him saying that was what all I needed to make this day memorable.

“But Dad, I really do have a lot of homework I need to finish.”

“You can finish it when we come back home. Come on, Austin. I’ll even help you out if you want.”

“I think I’m a little too old for you to help me with my homework,” Austin said, tossing the football to me, which I caught with one hand. “Besides, what do you know about Calculus and the Second World War?”

“Not much, only that I’m starving,” I said, tossing the football into an open dresser drawer.

“All right, fine. I’m coming. Just let me find a jacket.”

I chuckled and ruffled my son’s hair. “I’ll be outside.”

I waited for Austin to come out of the house, which wasn’t long, and after I locked the front door, we headed towards the car. I got into the driver seat, and Austin opened the door to the front passenger seat only to see that Anthony was already occupying that spot.

“Oh, Anthony! I didn’t know you were coming,” Austin said.

“Yeah, I hope you don’t mind,” Anthony said with a smirk.

“No, no! Of course not…” Austin combed his hair with his fingers and suddenly looked awkward.

“Well, Austin, are you getting in the car, or should I drive off without you?” I asked.

My son sighed and went to sit with his sisters at the back of the car. After adjusting the rearview mirror and putting on my seatbelt, I started the car and backed out of the driveway. The twenty-minute drive to the restaurant near the beach filled with crappy pop music that the girls’ insisted I play from the radio. Anthony was also spouting off something dealing with his next bounty, and Austin listened attentively with smiles and chuckles that I wished I could see more often from my son.

Parking was a little difficult considering it was the weekend, and everyone’s family and their dog was out here. I eventually found a parking space, though, we had to walk a long way to the restaurant. Thankfully, I made a reservation a couple of days in advance, which we were right in time for. The waitress, grabbing a stack of menus, led us to a booth next to windows that overlooked the boardwalk and beach. I sat with either girl next to me, while Austin and Anthony sat together on the other side of the booth.

After asking what we wanted to drink, the waitress smiled and left, leaving us to look at our menus and decide what we wanted to eat. I told the girls that they could order anything they wanted, but limited them on the dessert section, which I said we would order only after they finished their main entrée. Of course, they picked double cheeseburgers with fries, onion rings, and hash browns on the side. The girls mostly ate what I offered them back home and in their lunchboxes for weeks, so I thought treating them was long overdue. Austin wanted a chicken sandwich instead with fries, while Anthony decided on a crab legs.

The waitress quickly returned with our drinks and after jotting down our orders on her notepad, she left with our menus. I examined the interior of the restaurant that had a heavy nautical theme from the fish nets hanging above the ceiling that held large, plastic fish and the artificially aged wood of our table. There was a large fish tank at the center that contained lobsters, which customers could choose one to have as their meal.

The girls asked if they could play at the arcade at the back, and after some convincing, I gave them enough money for a few games, another time spent before our food arrives. Anthony decided to look at the lobsters, and Austin quickly followed him. Not even a minute passed, and I was alone again which has been a common theme in my life.

Checking my phone to pass some of the time, I noticed I got a text message from Will. A week has passed since I last saw him, and I couldn’t deny that I felt a sensation in my chest from seeing his name again on my phone. Tapping on the notification, I saw a picture…a picture of me sitting at the booth alone. I looked to where the picture must’ve been taken and saw, who else, Will. He was sitting at one of the square tables that seated two people and looked directly at me with a smile. I gave a short wave of my hand, and when he began walking towards me, I couldn’t stop my face from heating up. This feeling wasn’t common in me and to have it happen right here in public was a little embarrassing.

“Damien. Good to see you again,” Will said, extending his hand out for a shake.

I shook Will’s hand, admiring how smooth his skin was. No roughness or calluses were felt, a complete opposite of my hands that endured a lot over the past forty years of my life. Wearing more casual attire that consisted of a dress shirt with rolled-up sleeves, dress pants, and leather shoes, he still looked very regal and suave. My mind then drifted to what he would look like without the shirt, then without pants, and finally what he looked like bent over and getting fucked. I needed to tame my desires, or else they would burst out of the cage in the most inappropriate ways.

“Good to see you again too, Will,” I spoke, releasing my hand quickly as to avoid any embarrassment. “I didn’t think I would see you at a place like this.”

Chuckling, Will said, “Where the night comes, I soon follow.”

I raised an eyebrow at that statement, and Will laughed.

“No, I’m just kidding. I’m actually here to have dinner with a friend of mine,” Will stated.

“Oh, I didn’t know this restaurant served blood,” I said without judgement.

“They don’t. I’m actually going to order lobster.” Sitting down in the booth across from me, Will continued by saying, “I do eat other foods other than blood which is mostly drunk out of necessity rather than enjoyment, at least for me. Though, I don’t get any nutritional value from it, just like how you wouldn’t get anything from blood. So I can enjoy as much lobster as I can without the negative repercussions of course.”

“You don’t look like some who indulges too much on human food.”

“What are you saying, Damien? Been checking me out?” Will made a devilish smirk which made me thankful that I was sitting down.

“Oh, no! I was just…just saying you…you just look like you take care of yourself is all. That’s all I meant,” I said before clearing my throat.

Will continued to smirk at me, and I could feel my face getting red again when the girls came back to the booth.

“Dad, can we have one more dollar, please? We want to play the claw machine,” Joanna asked.

“You girls have enough toys already. Besides you know those games are rigged. Remember the last time you two played a claw machine and lost your whole allowance?”

“I actually know a trick to get a win every time on those machines,” Will said to the girls who jumped in excitement. “I’ll show you two how…if your father will let me.”

I eyed Will warily, wondering what he wanted to do with my twin girls that didn’t involve the worst-case scenario. However, his smirk turned into a friendly smile and all I could see was kindness in his blue eyes.

I nodded and said, “Sure. Go ahead and show the girls. But only one toy for each of you. Got it?”

The girls nodded and bounced on their feet as they led Will to the claw machine. I had to smile at the girls’ innocence, which I hope I could preserve for as long as possible.

“Is that Will?”

I faced Anthony who was looking at me with furrowed eyebrows and a frown on his scruffy face. “Yeah.”

“And you’re just letting him be near your girls?” Anthony asked, looking stunned.

“We’re in a public area, Anthony. Don’t worry. You’re looking like I just gave my girls to a known serial killer.”

“Well, considering what vampires are notorious for, hopefully you understand my concern here.”

“It’s illegal for vampires to kill humans for blood, and it’s a crime for vampires to drink blood from children,” I stated.

“True, but criminals are going to commit crimes regardless of what the laws say.”

I scoffed and said, “Sounds like your conservative family talking. Are you going to try to convince me how gun-free zones don’t apply to mass shooters as well?”

Grumbling, Anthony said, “You know what I mean. And hey, when were you so comfortable with having a vampire being so close to your kids before?”

“Let’s just say my views on vampires have somewhat changed after my mission with Will.”

“Yeah, you never told me the specifics of what happened that night. Mind telling me?” Anthony asked as he sat back down and rested his arm on the back of the booth.

I was about to tell Anthony that it was a long, very long story with details that I didn’t want to admit to him, but thankfully the girls came back, each of them holding a stuffed toy in their small arms and smiling excitedly for their wins.

I looked at Will who smiled back at me. “I guess you’re the reason why these girls have two more things that they can add to their growing toy pile.”

Will smirked. “Guilty as charged.” Looking back, he then said, “Well, my friend finally arrived. Maybe we can chat later after we are all done eating.”

“Sure. Sounds great!”

Will nodded, and he walked back to his table where a man with bluish hair was. The man was very handsome, his looks almost rivaling Will’s, and I couldn’t help but stare. Someone cleared their throat, and I faced Anthony who was eyeing me skeptically. Yes, I was caught ogling the young-looking vampire, but fortunately, the waitress returned with our meals before Anthony could ask me any questions.

Austin came back just as the final plate was placed on the table, and I had plenty of food to keep me distracted and avoid any awkwardness that would inevitably come after we were done eating. However, that was overpowered by my giddiness to talk to Will again, and hopefully without the kids or Anthony nearby. It was like a teenager again, wanting to sneak out my house to see my date. However, I was a forty-year-old man, so these feelings didn’t make sense. Something about Will was bringing back the youth within me, and I could only hope I get to talk to him again after I eat.