The calm before the storm
Cove's POV
It's been almost been a month since the party, which means Christmas season is coming up! What's even better is that I get to spend the holidays with River for the first time ever.
Before I get to start decorating and go Christmas shopping, we still have to celebrate thanksgiving. I feel like thanksgiving never gets enough love, so I'm trying my best to get into the spirit.
Yesterday I bought a thanksgiving candle, so my plan is to get a pumpkin spice latte and some banana nut bread. Then I'll eat them while lighting the candle.
I don't really like pumpkin spice lattes but I have to have at least one every year or else I feel bad. They're not terrible, just not something I would order on the regular.
I ordered my Starbucks through door dash since I'm still learning how to drive and neither of my parents are home.
The good news is that in 3 weeks, I'm going to take my driver's license test. My mom and dad have been teaching me for a few months now, and I even got 3 professional lessons last week.
My goal is to go into next year with a car that I can legally drive. My aunt is going to give sell me her old car for only $350 once I pass. It's an old dark grey Honda, but I don't care as long as it works.
Then doorbell ringing interrupted my thoughts. I quickly opened it and paid the driver, grabbing my drink and banana nut bread before heading upstairs.
There I lit my candle and set everything up on my desk. My drink doesn't taste as bad as I thought it would, and my banana nut bread is still warm. To top it all off, the candle smells great. This is the true definition of heaven.
It's a few days later and today's thanksgiving. We're going over to my aunt and uncle's house with my grandparents. My family is pretty small but I love it.
After a nice long shower, I changed into a white sweater and a skirt with tights under it. (Outfit on top). I hope that I don't spill anything on my sweater, but knowing me, I probably will.
Before heading downstairs, I decided to call River since I just realized that I don't know his plans for today. His parents are probably not home since he hasn't said anything about it, but he is pretty secretive so I don't know that for sure.
"Hi River," I greeted when he finally picked up.
"Hey baby, are you at your aunt's house yet?" I told him that I'm going to my aunt's house yesterday when we were talking on the phone.
"No not yet, I still have about another hour until I leave. You never told me what you're going to do today."
"Oh, I didn't think you'd be interested. Well, Azalea and I are planning on going over to a family friend's house for a while. Then we might catch a movie or go get ice cream."
"You're getting ice cream without me! And of course I want to know your plans, I always do I just forgot to ask Yesterday."
"Oh, I guess I'm not really used to people actually caring. And don't worry, if we get ice cream I'll make sure to save you some. We're still going shopping tomorrow, right?"
River and I decided to go Black Friday shopping together. We've never been shopping together before, so this is the perfect opportunity.
After a while of just talking, my parents told me that it's time to go.
"I have to go, talk to you later?"
"Yep, bye."
"Bye." I hung up and ran downstairs.
"Woah there Cove, the food isn't going anywhere!" Dad joked as I came running towards the door.
I narrowed my eyes at him , "I'm starving."
"Okay then, I guess we should get a move on it. Can't deprive our little girl from some food."
"Dad I'm not little anymore! I'm growing up you know!"
"To us you'll always be our little girl, doesn't matter if you're 16 or 30," Mom chimed in, making me groan.
"You're 34, imagine grandma calling you a little girl. That's what it would be like."
"Okay I guess that's kinda weird," Dad agreed. We all laughed as I slipped on some shoes and we walked out to the car.
The drive lasted 30 minutes but seemed way shorter since we were joking and laughing the whole way there.
Soon enough, Dad knocked on the door and aunt Rachel came to let us in.
"You're getting so big Cove, give me a hug I missed you!" She exclaimed.
"I missed you too, how's Noodle doing?" Noodle is Aunt Rachel's dog. She's a very pregnant corgi.
"She actually just gave birth 5 days ago and had 8 babies. Unfortunately 1 of them didn't make it, so there are now only 7. I already found people planning on adopting for 4 of them, we're still looking for the other 3."
"Oh okay, what do they look like? Are they full on Corgis or mixed?"
"We took them to the vet and she says that her best bet is that they're Auggies, Australian-Shepard corgi mixes. That would make a lot of sense she we took her to see a family friends' dog who's a male Australian-Shepard a while back.
"You can go see them upstairs, they're in the guest room," she added. I thanked her and quickly ran to the guest room. There I saw the cutest sight ever.
All seven babies are feeding from Noodle. There's puppies of all different colors and sizes, I don't think I've ever seen anything cuter.
"Which one's already have a home?" I asked aunt Rachel who just came up behind me.
"Those 4, these 3 don't even have names yet. Why don't you help name them honey?" She suggested.
"Okay," I agreed. She smiled and picked up the 3 un-named ones, setting them in my lap after motioning for me to sit down.
One of them is black and white, another is dark brown. The third one is a beautiful mix of light brown, grey and white. I think I'm in love with this one.
"The brown one's a boy and the other 2 are girls," aunt Rachel informed as I picked up the multicolored puppy. Okay so she's a girl, awesome.
"Hmm okay.... How about Pierce for the boy and Daisy for the black one?" I proposed after a moment of thinking.
"Those are great names! And for the one you're holding?"
This one has to be special, I need to think long and hard about it. She deserves an amazing name.
"Bubbles."
"Bubbles? Are you sure that's what you want to name her?"
"Yes, it's perfect."
"Alrighty, whatever you say. I'll leave you alone with the puppies for a little bit while we finish cooking."
"Okay."
She left, shutting the door behind her. I immediately brought Pierce and Daisy back to their mother so they can continue feeding from her. At least that's my excuse, it's really so that I can have some alone time with Bubbles.
"You're so cute, aren't you Bubbles?" I cooed. I wish I could pet or rub her belly, but I don't want to hurt her. She's super tiny and I'm afraid of breaking something if I do.
I continued to say sweet things to Bubbles while carefully cradling her in my arms. Hmm, I think she deserves a nickname.
I want it to someone resemble her name but not too much. It has to be unique while still having to do with her name. Maybe I'll just keep the first letter, B.
After a few minutes of thinking, I finally came up with something perfect. Boo-Boo.
I know I know, very unique. I don't care about my previous rule, I love it. In fact, I should've just named her that in the first place. Just kidding, I love the names Bubbles and Boo-Boo equally.
"Cove!" Someone called my name from downstairs. Sorry Bubbles, but we have to cut things short.
I set her on Noodle's belly before skipping downstairs. Did I mention that I'm starving? The smell of food alone is making my mouth water.
I sat at the table besides my mom after washing my hands thoroughly. I don't know what kind of germs the puppies have from being inside a womb for 8 and a half months, but I sure as hell don't want to find out.
Lunch went by slowly. Although the food is delicious, I had to sit for almost an hour listen to boring adult conversation. I guess that's the downside of having no cousins or siblings.
"So Rachel, what are you planning to do with the 3 un-homed puppies?" A particular question from Dad sparked my interest.
"Well I'm still looking. I don't want to put them on any websites or things like that. I want to make sure that I can trust whoever's adopting them, especially since they're for free."
"How are you doing that, making sure that each and every one of them has a worthy owner?" He asked.
"So far I have only allowed close family and friends to start adopting the puppies. That way I know that I can trust them with my babies."
Only to close family and friends? I have an Idea.
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"No."
"Dad pleaseeee, I promise I'll take great care of her!"
"The answer is still no Cove."
I've been trying to convince Mom and Dad to adopt Bubbles for the last 20 minutes, but they're not budging.
"But why? I'll buy her all the things she needs and I'll train her to go to the bathroom outside all on my own. I'll walk her, feed her, clean up her messes. You guys won't even have to lift a finger."
"That's not the problem Cove, I don't doubt that you'll take care of her to the best of you abilities. We're just not home enough and I'm worried that if anything bad happens, you will be all alone and won't know what to do."
"What bad could happen? I'll treat her well and you're only just a call away in the case of an emergency. I'm always lonely at home, Bubbles will be able to keep me company!"
"Cove, baby, we really do want to say yes. Like your father said, we're just afraid she might get sick or injured and you wont be able to handle it. Raising a puppy is no job for a 16 year old all on her own," Mom chimed in.
"Okay," I sighed, finally giving up. This conversation is going nowhere and I'm not being heard, so I'm just gonna stop while I still can.
"Bubbles, I'm sorry I can't take you home Boo-Boo," I whispered while rocking her in my arms. I came back to visit as soon as I got the chance.
"I wish I could but Mom and Dad said no." All I can do is spend as much time as possible with my Boo-Boo bear before we go home.
I'm gonna miss her so much. She's my little Boo-Boo, I don't want to let her go but I have to eventually.
An hour and a half passed before my Mom came to tell me that it's time to go. I gave Bubbles the softest kiss I could, then set her down next to her siblings.
"I love you Bubbles," I whispered as I walked away. I can only hope that this isn't the last time I get to see her.
The next day...
"River!" I squealed as I pulled him into a big hug. He's leaned against his car dressed in a dark blue hoodie? Since when does he wear anything besides black and occasionally grey?
"Hi baby," he husked, hugging me back. We haven't seen each other since last Friday since I spent the whole week with my family. For once, my parents were off work and we were able to do normal family stuff.
"We go a week apart and now you're wearing blue. Blue? River I think I'm gonna faint."
"Oh don't be so dramatic, I just didn't feel like doing laundry today."
"I think we both know that's a lie, you own enough plain black hoodies to clothe a whole village," I giggled.
River laughed and shook his head as we got inside his car and started to drive towards the mall.
"I missed you so much Baby," he sighed.
"I missed you too River, I missed you a lot. A whole week is way too long to go apart.
"I know it is, let's never do that again okay?"
"That's fine with me."
"Good. Did you have fun yesterday?"
"I did! Guess what?"
"What?"
"My aunt's dog had babies! They're auggies, Corgi Australian-Shepherds. I got to name 3 of them too, they're only 5 days old."
"Oh really, what did you name them?"
"Pierce, Daisy and Bubbles. Bubbles is my favorite, she's mainly white with grayish black and brown spots."
"Okay. Did you name Bubbles after Bubblegum the beetle? They're names are very similar," he accused me.
"Oh, I guess they do. It was an accident I swear!"
"I believe you. Bubbles seems like she's very pretty."
"She is! And I even gave her a nickname, it's Boo-Boo!"
"That's a huge step up from Gummy, I like it."
"Hey! What's wrong with Gummy? It's like a gummy bear, I love it."
"You named a beetle after food, that's what's wrong," he playfully rolling his eyes.
"I guess that is kind of weird, but no need to bully Gummy for it. Beetles have feelings too you know!"
"Beetles have what? You know what, never mind. We're almost to the mall anyways."
Just like he said, a few seconds later we pulled into the parking lot. He had to park towards the back since so many people are here. Honestly, I'm surprised that it's not already completely full.
"Stay close, okay?" River ordered as we walked inside, hand in hand.
"Okay," I agreed. "Where to first?"
"I don't know, you chose," He shrugged.
"Hmm, how about we go to target first so I can get all my Christmas gifts. That's usually we're I buy mine."
"Alright, sometimes I buy smaller things there too. Like stocking stuffers."
Oh that's right, River probably goes to more expensive stores. One's I've probably never even heard of.
We spent about an hour at target, most of the shopping was done by me. I got all of my friends presents except for Leah. I want to get her something more special from somewhere better.
"You're turn to chose," I said as we walked out. River thought for a second before deciding on Tiffany & Co.
"Hello, do you an appointment scheduled or are you just browsing?" A worked immediately came to our assistance once we walked in.
"Just looking for now. Where are your necklaces?" River asked. The lady pointed us to the left before going away to help another customer.
"River look at the prices!" I exclaimed. When I first read the price of a necklace, I thought I was seeing things.
When I realized that the necklace I was looking at does in fact cost 2,000, I thought that maybe it's a typo and they added an extra zero on accident.
That was until I looked around and realized that all of the jewelry is super expensive. This whole store screams "I'm rich, come robe me."
"I know. Do you think Azalea will like this?" River held up a beautiful gold chain, completely brushing off what I just said.
"Oh that's really pretty, she'll love it. But River, it's almost $2,500!"
"Oh you're right, I should get her something better. This one is kinda cheap." Huh? I think I'm hearing things.
"Cheap? Cheap. Am I hearing you right? Did you just call that thing cheap."
"Yeah I did, oh look at this one."
We continued to look at chains and necklaces until River finally decided on a really pretty necklace.
Do you want to guess how much it is? I'll give you a hint. It's 4 times the price of the first chain we looked at, I think I'm going to faint.
Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful. It's called "Color by the yard Sprinkle necklace," and it has both rubies and diamonds. I counted 6 of each, but there might even be more.
"Alright, I'm just going to look for something to get my mom then we can go," River informed.
I nodded and followed him over to some bracelet display cases.
"That's one's pretty," I said while pointing to a bracelet with a purplish stone in the middle.
"It is, but that's only tanzanite."
"Tan-za-nite, tanzanite. Hmm never heard of that." I tested out the word.
"You have a lot to learn Cove," he chuckled. Well sorry, I'm not used to all this rich people stuff.
"I think this is perfect." He motioned to a diamond wrap around bracelet after a while. I don't know his mom so I can't really give my opinion, but I think the bracelet is beautiful.
River soon went up front to order both pieces of jewelry. The order total came out to $11,815 and I nearly had a heart attack. It would have been almost 13,000 without the 15% Black Friday discount, so at least there was that.
"Where to now Cove?" River asked as we left the store. I feel like I should've paid a few hundred dollars just for being in their and breathing the oxygen.
"Clothes shopping?" I suggested. I love buying new clothes, I don't care how many I already have.
"Sure. You need clothes for when you stay at my house anyways, which store do you want to go to?"
"I usually shop at Old Navy or sometimes Kohl's. Oh and I do a lot of online shopping on Amazon."
"Oh, how about I show something new?"
"Okay," I agreed. He smiled and led me to the very top floor, this is where a lot of the nicer clothing stores are.
We walked all the way to the end of the floor where the designer clothing stores are.
I've only been here once, it was with my dad. He wanted to buy my mom a Gucci purse for her birthday but it turned out to be way too expensive.
"Let's go here first," River said, motioning towards Luis Vuitton. I hesitantly nodded and we walked inside.
"What size pants do you wear?" He asked as we went towards the woman's bottoms department.
"4-6, depends on the day," I answered.
"Okay so your sizes should be in this section. Tell me if you see anything you like, okay baby?"
"Mhmm," I agreed. I don't actually think I can ask River to buy me any of this stuff, it's too expensive.
For the next 20 minutes, River would pick things out and ask me if I liked them or not. I would always say no, no matter how beautiful the items were.
"Cove hey, look at me," he ordered after I denied yet another skirt. I have to admit, it was absolutely gorgeous, I just couldn't say yes.
I looked up at him, mustering the most convincing innocent eyes I could. He sighed and pulled me towards him.
"Baby I saw you eying that skirt multiple times, I know you like it. Even though you think everything here is super expensive, it's really nothing to me. I promise."
"River I could never ask you to buy me something that pricey. It makes me feel so guilty."
"Baby you don't have to feel guilty, think of it this way. If you had $100 to spend, would you spend $10 on someone else?"
"Of course I would."
"That's what it's like for me. Baby this is nothing, you have no idea how much money I'd be willing to spend on you. I would drain my bank account if it made you happy."
"That's the thing River, money doesn't make me happy. You make me happy. I don't need anything else."
"Cove, come here baby." He opened his arms and I walked right in, giving him a tight hug. He hugged me back for a few moments before pulling away to kiss my lips.
"Please let me get you just one thing. I know it will take time for you to get used to this, but for now I really want to buy you something," he begged.
"Okay, but you get to pick!" I gave in. This is a good arrangement because this way I know he won't spend more then what he's comfortable with.
"Alright baby, you go wait outside so I can surprise you when we get home."
I nodded and walked to some benches right outside the door. None of the seats are completely empty, so I have to sit on the edge of one with a random girl sitting on the other side.
"Hey, are you waiting for your boyfriend too?" I was surprised when the girl decided to start a conversation with me.
"Oh yeah, how'd you know?" I asked, slightly turning to face her. She looks to be around my age, maybe a year or two older.
"Lucky guess. I can't really think of another reason you'd be sitting out here all alone, unless your friends or something were the one's still in there. Or parents. Or grandparents. Or any relatives at all. Oh gosh I'm making this so awkward, I'm Camilla but you can call me Millie."
I laughed as she reached out her hand for me to shake. I gladly shook it, saying, "I'm Cove, it's nice to meet you."
We talked for a while and I started to get to know her. She's actually really funny nice and, I like her.
"Welp, that's my boyfriend I have to go. Would it be weird if I asked for you number or something?"
"No not at all, here give me your phone." We swiftly exchanged numbers before she walked off with her boyfriend.
River came out not to long after. Earlier, he insisted on carrying all of our bags so now he's holding 1 Luis Vuitton and two target bags.
"I thought we'd end up doing more shopping but I'm ready to go, are you ready too?" He asked as we made our way back downstairs.
"Yeah I'm ready, I'm exhausted and my feet hurt. I think they're about to fall off."
Just then, we passed by the shady piercing shop I went to with Leah a few months ago. My body instantly stiffened and without realizing it, I began to speed-walk.
"Cove what's wrong? River asked, sounding concerned.
"It's just that shop, it's where.. where.." I trailed off, not able to finish my sentence.
After Leah told me what daddy actually meant, I started to feel disgusted with myself for letting that happen. I'm so stupid, I should've understood what was going on but I didn't. I couldn't.
"Oh baby, it's okay," River consoled, realizing what I was implying. We quickly got away from that area and walked out the front door.
"Do you want to talk about it?" River asked after we wordlessly went all the way to the car.
I nodded my head and climbed in the car. There, I began to tell him exactly what happened.
From the guy telling me to call him daddy, to him getting angry and bruising my thigh. I told the story piece by piece all the way up until when I got back to the car with Leah.
I sensed River getting angrier and angrier the further I went on. He tried his best to hide it by gently rubbing my arm and whispering soft, encouraging things.
When I finished telling the story, River gave me a big hug and told me how he was proud of me. I don't know what exactly he's proud of me for, but those words feel amazing to hear regardless.
He's proud of me, and for some reason that's all that matters. Out of everything that just happened, my brain can only focus on the same 10 words he keeps repeating.
"I'm proud of you Cove, I'm so proud of you."
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Guys I hit 500 votes (572 now), and I'm so close to 40k reads!! I'm gonna go ahead and thank you for that since I'll probably get there tomorrow and I don't want to wait a whole week to thank you. It's at 39.3k, I literally can't believe it.
500 votes is incredible, thank you so so much. This wouldn't be possible without all of your support. Okay I'm going to give you a sneak peek of next chapter since it's going to get spicy ð
Sneak peak:
After all this time, I finally understand. From Brad, to the men who tried to kills us. Everything makes sense now, and I hate it. I hate it so much.