“I live my life a quarter mile at a time. Nothing else matters: not the mortgage, not the store, not my team and all their bullshit. For those ten seconds or less, I'm free.”
* Note #1: When I say “dads”, it means that my mom in the story had two husbands at different times. She married Dom and had me, then they got divorced; she found Luke, they got married, then she died. I am very close to both of them in the story. They’ve had their differences in the past, Dom and Luke, but after my mom's death, they overcame those to give me a better life. They became best friends. All three of them live together so neither dad has to be apart from me. Sorry, this fic might be a tad bit confusing when it comes to Dom and Luke. Everything should be explained in the story.
* Note #2: I replaced all the “dads” with their names so it’s not confusing for y’all. In my version which I write on Google Docs, I have them as “dad” with their names in parentheses so I know who I’m talking about.
* Note #3: Based on a dream I had (Early Morning of August 18, 2021) made into a story. No joke, Dom, Luke, and Letty were in my dream, it was great, except for the weird dude in my car.
Driving to our beach house, I look and see my dads working in the shed on Dom's Dodge Charger… again. Him, Tej, Roman, Letty, and Brian went racing again, and of course, he wrecked it again. I wasn’t surprised, it happens a lot. Doesn’t mean I’m any less concerned everytime it happens.
It made me happy, though, seeing them working together, laughing and having a good time. It didn’t used to be this way. Once mom and Dom had me, I was about 8 when they got divorced. I’m glad they lasted that long, but I hate that they didn’t last. But once Dom found out mom married Luke, the universe granted him a second chance. Dom found Letty and dad had never been happier than with her.
Naturally, my dads had their differences in the beginning. But, once mom died, they overcame those differences to make it easier on me. That was almost 10 years ago. Now, at 19 and living with the best dads and the best family I could ask for, it’s not a bad life. Living by the beach, taking online courses, going out with friends, Dom teaching me how to race, which has become my favorite thing ever.
I pull into the driveway, walking over to my dads, exchanging greeting smiles.
“Hey, baby,” Dom says as I walk over to give him a hug, receiving a kiss on my head. “Hey, sweetheart,” Luke adds as he gives me a hug with a kiss on the head as well.
“How long have y’all been working?” I used to live in the south, so the slang and accent sorta stuck.
“Couple of hours. Thought we’d take a break and grab a beer.” Dom commented, leaning forward against his car.
“Speaking of, I know you just got back, but do you mind going out to pick up a few things while we finish up here?” Luke requested hesitantly.
“Yeah, sure. Just text me what you need and I’ll be back soon.” I give my dad's both kisses on the cheek before walking back to my truck after watching them walk inside the house. I fiddle around through my backpack looking for my keys when I get a text from Dad, the grocery list.
I finally find my keys in the mess that’s in my backpack, but as my eye catches something, no, someone, I drop them. I don’t recognize them, never seen them before. He’s walking on the other side of the road, but it seems like he’s changed his mind about where he’s going and he starts to cross the road. I’m curious, but also scared. It looked like he was coming towards me. I pick up my keys and struggle to unlock the door in fear once I see the gun in his waistband. The guy walks faster as I open my door, jumping in. I fumble trying to get my key into the ignition before thinking about locking the car first, but I was too late. The guy opened the door, jumped in next to me and slammed the door, making me flinch.
“Um… sir, I think you have the wrong car,” I said, taking a chance, surprised my voice could create any words.
“Just drive,” He yelled. I immediately started the car, backing out of the driveway and driving towards the grocery store. He didn’t tell me where he wanted to go, but I did as he said and drove, afraid to say anything else in fear of being yelled at again, or worse.
Only a short way left to the grocery store, suddenly, the guy told me to turn around and head back to the house (Don’t ask me why; it’s just what happened).
Everything was a blur and somehow, we were already in the house. Walking around inside, a knife held to my neck, he brought me out the back door and towards the shed where my dads should be. I didn’t see them anywhere; however, when I looked back at the sudden loss of pressure against my neck, they both stood there across from me, the guy on the ground; dead or just unconscious, I’m not sure.
I ran to Luke, rushing into his embrace as his arms wound safely around me. He held me for what seemed like a long time, but I didn’t mind. I never wanted to leave this safety and comfort. I pulled away soon after and rushed to Dom, his arms wrapping around me, his hand laid on my head, holding me against his chest.
“It all happened so fast,” I cried, everything around me a blur of tears.
“Shh… baby, it’s okay.” Dom told me, brushing his fingers through my hair. “You’re here, we’ve got you.”
I pull away once again and look to see Luke shoving the guy into the back of his LAPV.
“I’ll be right back, sweetheart. I’m gonna take him in and be right back in time for everyone to get here,” Luke mentioned, holding my face in his hands, stroking my cheeks comfortingly.
“But, I didn’t get the groceries,” I was so shaken up that I started crying again over not getting the groceries. Every Friday, we have a cook-out and all our friends and family come and hang out.
“Baby girl, it’s okay. I got it. Stay with your dad and I will be right back. Take it easy.” He placed a kiss on my forehead as he hopped into his car and drove off. Dom took me into his arms and led me inside. He grabbed me some water, checked me over for any injuries and settled us outside on the porch overlooking the ocean.
Time Skip
I walked around outside, seeing all our friends and family, even some of their family. There were so many people, it was all so chaotic. Everyone was talking, catching up. Every now and then my dads would check on me, even if it was just a glance in my direction, just making sure I’m okay.
Suddenly, there was a weird tingling feeling in my throat and my eyes started to sting. My breathing went shallow and next thing I know, I’m falling, hitting the ground, and everything goes black.
I hear my name being called. “Y/N!” Luke calls. I barely open my eyes as I see him and Dom rushing towards me.
“Y/N, baby, can you hear me?” Dom asks, distressed. I feel myself being picked up and I open my heavy eyes once more to see Luke carrying me in his arms, laying me down on a porch chair.
The doctor of the family just said I was in shock and that I needed to rest. So, my dads carried me upstairs, laying me down in bed, covering me in my favorite blanket, and kissing my head. Dom stayed with me while Luke went down to tell everyone what's going on before coming back up to stay with me as well.
After today, they didn’t want to leave me. I didn’t want them to leave me either. Everywhere they were, I was. If they were working in the shed or the office or kitchen or on the porch, I’d be with them, working on my classes or drawing or reading or doing whatever it is I like to do. If I wanted to go down to the beach, they’d come with me. That family bond we always have just got stronger, making me feel safer than ever when I’m with them.
