‹ Prequel: Friendly Affair
Sequel: Tragic Affair ›
Family Affair
Family Affair
"Avery,” I glared at my four year old daughter as she raided my purse sitting next to her. “Stop, please.”
“Nuh-uh,” She shook her head, mumbling.
“Fine,” I sighed and turned a corner and a little boy, no older than three, walked up to me and whined.
“Can you help me find my mommy?” He tugged my pant leg as I peeked down the aisle next to me, spying a woman looking at spaghetti sauces. I took his hand and pushed the cart with Avery down to her, also becoming preoccupied with the sauces. “Oh, is this your son?”
“Hmmm?” The woman looked straight down to the boy. “Zachary, did you run again?”
“I gotted lost,” He stated as the woman shook her head.
“Thanks,” She held the boy's hand and chuckled.
“No problem,” I continued scanned the shelves as she sat him in the cart beside her.
“I’m sorry,” The woman said. “Zack here is a livewire, just like his daddy.”
“He reminds me of one of my friends,” I laughed lowly, picking up a jar. “Same name, too.”
“Well,” The woman looked up to me as I glanced over to her. “Isn’t… It… Ironic…”
“What’s wrong?” I asked as she stared at me, wide eyed. “Miss?”
“Oh my god,” Her hand went over her mouth as her eyes filled with tears. “This can’t be happening.”
“Are you okay?” I asked worried as Avery waved to the boy.
“A-Alex?” The woman stuttered. “Alex? No, you can’t be. She… Died…”
“Um, I’m sorry,” I huffed confused. “Do I know you?”
“It has been a while,” She laughed through tears.
“Excuse me?” I scoffed.
“It’s me, Alex,” She nodded slowly. “It’s Cory.”
I dropped the bottle of spaghetti sauce and it smashed to the ground, the red paste flying everywhere. “What?”
“Cory Iannuzzi.”
“You mean-“
“The one that was your best friend.”
“And-“
“Thought you died.”
“So this is-“
“Zacky’s son,” She nodded and picked Zack up. “Yeah.”
“I-I-I-“ I looked around in shock and confusion.
“This is unbelievable,” She said softly into Zack’s hair. “Can I ask you a few things?”
“Um,” I nodded frantically. “Yeah.”
“How are the guys?”
“They’re great,” I began. “They finished the album and dedicated a song to you.”
“How sweet,” She sighed airily. “Montana and Jimmy?”
“Going strong.”
“Brian and Kayci?”
“Them, too.”
“Johnny find a good girl, yet?”
“Honestly,” I laughed slightly through the awkwardness of the conversation. “I don’t think he ever will.”
“Some things don’t change,” She chuckled. “What about you and Matt?”
“We’re not… Exactly dating.”
“Oh,” Her eyes went wide. “Who are you dating now?”
“It’s…” I hesitated, then lied. “No one. Actually I’m single.”
“Me too!” She grinned.
“How have you been?”
“I’ve been good,” She nodded. “I’ve been missing you guys, but you seem way better off.”
“I guess you’re right,” I couldn’t help but agree. “Why don’t you come over and see them though? I’m sure Zacky will be ecstatic to see his son.”
“I think I’ll pass,” She mumbled. “This conversation is so awkward; I can’t even imagine seeing them again. I haven’t talked to any of you guys in three or four years. I don’t think they’ll be too happy to see me.”
“C’mon,” I urged with a bit of regret. “Just for a little.”
“Well,” She looked down to Zack, who looked back up at her with big eyes. “Fine.”
“Thank you,” I smiled softly as she sat down Zack and opened her arms. “What?”
“Can I have a hug?”
“Oh,” I began crying. “Of course.”
“Oh, Alex,” She sobbed into my shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I’ve waited three years to tell you how truly sorry I am.”
“Don’t be,” I rubbed her back as her son hugged our legs.
“Don’t cry, mommy.”
“Okay,” She bent down and picked him up. “You're going to get to see daddy.”
“Daddy?” He tilted his head to the side and pointed to himself. “I have a daddy?”
“Of course,” She laughed and looked back to me.
“What-“
“I never told him.”
“Oh,” I said softly and looked back to Avery. “Do you remember her?”
"No," she shook her head. "But she looks like Auntie Cory from the picture in your office."
“Avery,” Cory stood up and kissed Avery’s forehead. “You got so big!”
“Elliot, too!”
“Oh,” Cory’s eyes teared up again. “I’m going to get to see Warren. My baby. My Warren.”
“You always cried a lot,” I patted Cory’s back as she huffed.
“Yeah,” She nodded, still the same emotional Cory. “Can we go see them?”
“Anxious?” I asked as the four of us walked out to the car.
“A little,” She stated. “How’s yours and Matt’s newest?”
“Oh, the one born near when Zack was born, right?”
“Nuh-uh,” She shook her head, mumbling.
“Fine,” I sighed and turned a corner and a little boy, no older than three, walked up to me and whined.
“Can you help me find my mommy?” He tugged my pant leg as I peeked down the aisle next to me, spying a woman looking at spaghetti sauces. I took his hand and pushed the cart with Avery down to her, also becoming preoccupied with the sauces. “Oh, is this your son?”
“Hmmm?” The woman looked straight down to the boy. “Zachary, did you run again?”
“I gotted lost,” He stated as the woman shook her head.
“Thanks,” She held the boy's hand and chuckled.
“No problem,” I continued scanned the shelves as she sat him in the cart beside her.
“I’m sorry,” The woman said. “Zack here is a livewire, just like his daddy.”
“He reminds me of one of my friends,” I laughed lowly, picking up a jar. “Same name, too.”
“Well,” The woman looked up to me as I glanced over to her. “Isn’t… It… Ironic…”
“What’s wrong?” I asked as she stared at me, wide eyed. “Miss?”
“Oh my god,” Her hand went over her mouth as her eyes filled with tears. “This can’t be happening.”
“Are you okay?” I asked worried as Avery waved to the boy.
“A-Alex?” The woman stuttered. “Alex? No, you can’t be. She… Died…”
“Um, I’m sorry,” I huffed confused. “Do I know you?”
“It has been a while,” She laughed through tears.
“Excuse me?” I scoffed.
“It’s me, Alex,” She nodded slowly. “It’s Cory.”
I dropped the bottle of spaghetti sauce and it smashed to the ground, the red paste flying everywhere. “What?”
“Cory Iannuzzi.”
“You mean-“
“The one that was your best friend.”
“And-“
“Thought you died.”
“So this is-“
“Zacky’s son,” She nodded and picked Zack up. “Yeah.”
“I-I-I-“ I looked around in shock and confusion.
“This is unbelievable,” She said softly into Zack’s hair. “Can I ask you a few things?”
“Um,” I nodded frantically. “Yeah.”
“How are the guys?”
“They’re great,” I began. “They finished the album and dedicated a song to you.”
“How sweet,” She sighed airily. “Montana and Jimmy?”
“Going strong.”
“Brian and Kayci?”
“Them, too.”
“Johnny find a good girl, yet?”
“Honestly,” I laughed slightly through the awkwardness of the conversation. “I don’t think he ever will.”
“Some things don’t change,” She chuckled. “What about you and Matt?”
“We’re not… Exactly dating.”
“Oh,” Her eyes went wide. “Who are you dating now?”
“It’s…” I hesitated, then lied. “No one. Actually I’m single.”
“Me too!” She grinned.
“How have you been?”
“I’ve been good,” She nodded. “I’ve been missing you guys, but you seem way better off.”
“I guess you’re right,” I couldn’t help but agree. “Why don’t you come over and see them though? I’m sure Zacky will be ecstatic to see his son.”
“I think I’ll pass,” She mumbled. “This conversation is so awkward; I can’t even imagine seeing them again. I haven’t talked to any of you guys in three or four years. I don’t think they’ll be too happy to see me.”
“C’mon,” I urged with a bit of regret. “Just for a little.”
“Well,” She looked down to Zack, who looked back up at her with big eyes. “Fine.”
“Thank you,” I smiled softly as she sat down Zack and opened her arms. “What?”
“Can I have a hug?”
“Oh,” I began crying. “Of course.”
“Oh, Alex,” She sobbed into my shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I’ve waited three years to tell you how truly sorry I am.”
“Don’t be,” I rubbed her back as her son hugged our legs.
“Don’t cry, mommy.”
“Okay,” She bent down and picked him up. “You're going to get to see daddy.”
“Daddy?” He tilted his head to the side and pointed to himself. “I have a daddy?”
“Of course,” She laughed and looked back to me.
“What-“
“I never told him.”
“Oh,” I said softly and looked back to Avery. “Do you remember her?”
"No," she shook her head. "But she looks like Auntie Cory from the picture in your office."
“Avery,” Cory stood up and kissed Avery’s forehead. “You got so big!”
“Elliot, too!”
“Oh,” Cory’s eyes teared up again. “I’m going to get to see Warren. My baby. My Warren.”
“You always cried a lot,” I patted Cory’s back as she huffed.
“Yeah,” She nodded, still the same emotional Cory. “Can we go see them?”
“Anxious?” I asked as the four of us walked out to the car.
“A little,” She stated. “How’s yours and Matt’s newest?”
“Oh, the one born near when Zack was born, right?”
♠ ♠ ♠
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