Chapter 4.

"She's here, huh?" Mariana asked as her sister came into the room and moved to her bed, curling up in a fetal position.

She nodded with a sniff. "Yeah, she's beautiful," Callie said softly. "But she's so small, and her diaper rash is terrible. She's got to be in so much pain. And hungry."

"That's not your fault, Cal. Moms will make her better," Mariana assured her.

Callie's finger curled around the bridge of her nose as a sob racked her body. "I should have known my baby was alive. I should have..."


"What are you three stooges doing?" Mariana asked, going into her moms' room to find the boys staring at a crib.

"We brought up Frankie's crib and put it together," Jesus told her. "It took us all evening, but it doesn't look right."

"Yeah," Jude sighed. "It doesn't look safe. Look." He climbed into the crib and sat on his knees. "See, I could just tumble out! How is that safe?"

"You guys, put together a crib?" Mariana shook her head in disbelief.

"Yeah. In half an hour. It was easy," Jesus shrugged.

"Impressive," she nodded. "She's here, you know."

"We heard her crying," Brandon nodded. "When we were finishing up the crib."

Mariana went to the crib and whacked Jude's arm. "Get out before you break it." She studied it and shook her head. "You need to drop the mattress. You have it on newborn setting. That's why it looks like she could tumble out. Lower it and she won't be able to topple out."

"When did you become a baby expert?" Jesus asked with an eye roll. But he saw what she was talking about. "It'll be easy to lower it," he said, as he helped Jude out of the crib.

"I've taken a babysitting job a time or two in my life," Mariana shrugged. "But since you stooges are in here, I am guessing the moms are downstairs?"

Jude nodded. "Yeah."

Mariana smiled at her brothers. "It was sweet of you to put together the crib," she said softly before she headed down the stairs. She found Stef and Lena in the living room, Lena holding a small bundle in her arms.

Mariana tiptoed into the room. "Oh, she's so little." She spoke softly, peaking over Lena 's shoulder to see her. "For some reason I just pictured her being a bit bigger."

Stef smiled and nodded. "She is pretty little. She's exhausted. We woke her to try and get a little milk in her tummy. I'm hoping that will help her get a good night's sleep."

Mariana couldn't help herself. She reached out and stroked a curl. "Um, moms. Callie's upstairs, sobbing, not crying... sobbing. I can't console her."

Stef went to stand, and Lena shook her head. "No, honey. This time, let me. I think I know what's going on in her head." She carefully slid the bundle from her arms to Stef's, before she slipped out of the room.

"Since, Mama's going to my room, may I sit with you and the baby for a bit?" Mariana asked, knowing the original plan was to wait until the morning.

"Sit," Stef nodded, as she let Mariana slide in next to her.

"She's so cute," Mariana said as she rested her head on Stef's shoulder. "I wish you had been my mom when I was this age," she whispered quietly.

Stef's response was to lean over and kiss Mariana's head. "Me too baby, me too."


Lena slipped into the girl's room to find that Mariana was right; Callie wasn't just crying. She was shaking with a heartbreaking sob."Oh sweetheart." Lena shook her head as she went to the bed and knelt down beside it. She reached out and ran her fingers down Callie's spine. "Can you roll over and look at me please?" She spoke softly, but the tone in her voice let the teen know it wasn't really a question.

Callie rolled over her fingers curled up around her nose. She was inhaling quickly, trying to catch her breath.

Lena gave her a small smile. "Hi, beautiful baby," she said, once she had Callie's eyes on her. "Take a deep breath, in and out." She sat with her for a few minutes, just working on breathing, while she brushed strands of hair away from Callie's sticky wet face. "Tonight's hard, huh?"

"I should have known she was alive," Callie hiccuped. "She was my baby. I was connected to her at one point. I should have known..."

"Baby, no." Lena shook her head "You were fifteen years old, you just came from a foster home where you'd been raped. You ended up finding a home where you thought you could trust the family. You had no reason to believe that Karen stole your baby."

"I just should have known." Callie's voice cracked. "Mothers know, and I didn't. I didn't want her to die, but I wasn't sure if I was going to keep her. I was having a hard time just taking care of myself and Jude." Her pointer finger rubbed the bridge of her nose. "So, if I wasn't going to keep her, should I be upset?" she asked. "That she was taken?"

"Yes," Lena said firmly, pushing Callie back on the bed and crawling up beside her. She lay her head on the pillow with Callie so she could have eye contact. She reached out and caught Callie's hand and brought it close to her, holding tightly onto it. "Honey, you get to be upset. Your choice was taken away. Whether you kept her or gave her up for adoption, the choice was yours. It should not have been made for you."

"I wanted her to go to a good home," Callie admitted. "I know people want babies. I was going to find a good home for her, unlike Jude and me. We were too old. Nobody wanted us. I got that, but she was brand new and there are so many people out there that can't have babies, and would have given her a great home."

Lena nodded "You are right, and that was a very mature thought process."

Callie shook her head. "I should have known she was alive. I should have a plan now. I should be downstairs with her. I should..."

"Callie." Lena squeezed her hand. "Baby, you can't blame yourself for not knowing. You're going to destroy yourself if you keep that thought process up. It's not your fault, and as for the rest of it, we don't have to worry tonight. You, me, and mom will sit down and talk about this. Mom and I are not going to take your choice or your voice away. I promise." She leaned in and kissed her. "Tonight, though, you know that Hadley is safe. Right?"

Callie nodded as she took her hand back from Lena, her finger going to her nose again. "Do you hate me for bringing her in?"

Lena closed her eyes as her heart became heavy. Her sixteen year old was falling apart right in front of her. They were going to have get her into extra therapy appointments right away. She wondered if it was too late to call Callie's therapist now and set an emergency appointment for the morning. She took a deep breath before looking down at Callie. "My promise to you, is I could never hate you. Ever," she stressed. "I love you, and I promise you we are going to take care of you, and love you through all of this."

Callie sniffed again and nodded. "I love you, mama."

"I love you too," Lena smiled, as she used her thumb to wipe away one of the last falling tears. "Nothing is decided tonight, okay? Tonight you just rest at ease knowing mom and I've got this."


Hadley awoke very early in the morning, and immediately started crying. "I'll get her," Stef groaned, rolling out of bed before the child woke the kids up too soon. She went to the crib and peeked in it. "Well, good morning, sweetie," she cooed, as the toddler looked up at her. "How are you?" She picked Hadley up in her arms and kissed her cheek. The little girl continued to howl.

"What's the matter?" she asked. "Do you need a new diaper?" She grabbed a blanket and spread it on the bed at Lena's feet, then laid Hadley on it. She unsnapped her pajamas. Her diaper was wet. She opened the tabs, and grabbed a package of wipes.

"Her diaper rash doesn't look any better," Lena commented, sitting up. "Poor little thing."

"I know," Stef sighed. She lifted Hadley's legs up, and pulled the soiled diaper out from under her. She looked down, and saw that it was spotted with pinpricks of blood. "Lena, look," she said, lifting the little girl up.

"It looks like some of her blisters broke open," Lena commented, gently stroking the baby's thigh. Her eyes welled with tears when Hadley cringed away.

"I think we'd better take her to the doctor," said Stef. "I don't want her to get an infection or anything." She sighed. "I feel terrible for her."

"Get her diaper changed, and I'll make her a bottle," Lena told her. "Then we'll give her snuggles before the kids get up."

Stef nodded, and went back to changing Hadley's diaper, first treating her rash with ointment. She thought of Callie while she worked. She was still thinking about her when Lena returned with a bottle of warm milk.

"Here we go, honey," Lena smiled, picking up the baby, and getting into bed. She put the bottle to her lips, and Hadley grabbed it and started sucking it greedily.

"She's a hungry girl," said Stef.

"She is," Lena replied. "This is skim milk. We'll buy her some whole milk today. She needs the fat. She looks like a little plucked chicken."

"When I look at her, I can just see Callie," Stef sighed. "It's like..." she twisted one of Hadley's brown curls around her finger. "It's like going back in time, like seeing her as a baby." She smiled. "We missed out on so much in her life."

"I know," her wife nodded, looking down at the little girl in her arms.

"It scares me to think that Callie's a mother," Stef fretted. "She's just a baby, herself." She knew that Callie was struggling with her role in her new-found daughter's life. She wasn't at all sure if the teenager was ready to be a parent.

"It scares me to think that we're grandmothers," Lena laughed.

"Don't even go there," Stef teased, laying back, as Hadley finished her bottle. Lena rubbed the child's back, then laid her down between them, warm and snug.


"Oh, I am so glad we kept this," Stef said coming into the kitchen from the garage with a portable high chair, which they had gotten before they ever had the twins. They had fostered a two year old on respite care for three weeks, and had been given the portable chair by a coworker.

Lena eyed it as Stef hooked it up to a stool locking it in secure before she wiped it down. "It's alright," she agreed. "But, I think we should upgrade to a nicer one."

Stef nodded. "Soon, soon." She took Hadley from Lena, who was trying to hold the baby and flip pancakes, and really had successfully gotten a handle on it.

Stef quickly strapped the toddler in and latched the tray. She then grabbed a pancake from the stack. She ripped it up into small, finger-sized pieces and put them on the tray, as well as the pink pacifier, before she grabbed a box of Cheerios, and put a handful of the dry cereal on the tray as well. "There ya' go ma'am. You've got choices!"

Lena watched the two. It was clear that Stef was falling hard and fast for this little one. It made her heart ache slightly, or a lot, actually. She watched Stef down at Hadley's level, smiling at her, encouraging her to try a bite of her pancake, laughing as Hadley plucked up a piece and shoved it into Stef's mouth.

"That's the right idea, love bug," Stef praised after she swallowed the bite. "Now your turn. She picked up a piece and stuck it in the toddler's mouth.

Lena could feel her eyes welling up, so she could focused on making more pancakes. Her heart was breaking, for the loss of Frankie. It was supposed to be their daughter. She wanted to see Stef with a baby. She wanted to raise a baby with Stef, from conception on. This wasn't fair, and it hurt and made her even a little angry, but she wasn't sure who at. Not Callie, Hadley, or Stef. This wasn't their fault. Maybe it was her fault? She closed her eyes for a few moments, trying to gather her thoughts, when she heard the sound of feet on the stairs. She quickly forced a smile as she looked up to see Jude and Mariana coming down.

"Morning guys," she greeted them.

Jude nodded at her. Before entering the kitchen all the way, he approached Stef and the baby, his jaw almost dropping "Whoa..."

Stef reached out and rubbed his shoulders. "Jude, meet Hadley."

Jude shook his head as he continued to stare at her. "She looks just like Callie! Like her baby pictures!"

"I just can't believe how little she is," Mariana commented gain, as she stood close by. "I mean, I know she's over a year old. Shouldn't she be a bit bigger?"

"She'll get there," Lena promised. "She just needs a little TLC."

"She's liking the pancakes," Stef smiled as she watched the toddler shove another bite into her mouth, gurgling happily around it. "She knows good cooking."

"Are we keeping her?" Jude asked, as he took a seat and Lena handed him a plate with pancakes and fruit on it.

"Baby, we don't have the answers yet." Stef shook her head. "We're just taking this one moment at a time."

Jude nodded, accepting the answer. "How's Callie?"

"She's processing," Lena said honestly. "We all are. But we're all going to be okay," she assured him.

Jude nodded. "Well, if we are doing one step at a time, what's the first step?"

Stef chuckled to herself at all his questions before she went over to him and kissed the top of his head. "Jude, I just love you."

He raised his eyebrow. "Uh, love you too? So?"

Stef shook her head. "The first step is eating breakfast, baby. Then you and your sisters and brothers are going to head to school, and mama and I are going to take the day to work on things, and get Hadley into a doctor."

"You're not going to be at school today?" Jude asked Lena, with a slight sigh of disappointment.

"Whoa, baby in the house!" Jesus suddenly came flying down the stairs before Lena had time to respond to Jude.

"Jesus, slow down." Stef shook her head as, he stopped by the highchair and studied the baby.

"Trippy, how much she looks like Callie." He smiled at her. "I'm Jesus, and I'm gonna teach you how to be a cool kid," he promised. "First lesson." He grabbed one of her tiny hands, as Hadley watched him wide eyes. He took his hand and made a fist and tapped his fist to her little scrunched up hand. "Knuckles!"

Hadley watched him for a few seconds longer before she let out a baby giggle, and smiled big at Jesus, showing him her spaced-out baby teeth, which caused everyone in the room to laugh, earning a bigger grin and some chatter from Hadley.

"She likes you," Mariana smiled to Jesus.

He just nodded. "Yeah, who doesn't?"

Stef rolled her eyes. "Nice." She moved over to the stairs. "Brandon and Callie, let's get a move on, huh?" she called up. "Your breakfast is getting cold! We leave in fifteen minutes!"

Lena shook her head "You could have gone up there and gotten them."

"My method works too," Stef winked, before joining the other kids back at the table.

Seconds later, Brandon and Callie skulked down the stairs. Brandon simply looked tired from staying up half the night, texting. Callie looked tired from stress. "Good morning, my sleepyheads," Stef chirped. "Breakfast is on the table."

"How can you be so cheerful in the morning?" Brandon grumbled. "It's sick and wrong."

Stef swatted him with a potholder. "I can be cheerful in the morning because I go to bed at a decent hour," she pointed out with a laugh.

Callie slowly took her seat next to Hadley, who was happily smooshing her pancakes on the highchair tray. She regarded the toddler carefully, then reached out to stroke her arm.

"You want to try feeding her, Cal?" Lena asked.

"Okay," she nodded. She picked up a strip of pancake, and held it to Hadley's mouth. "Open up... here comes the airplane." She flew the piece of food around with her hand, and the toddler watched, wide-eyed, then opened her mouth and let her pop it in.

After she chewed and swallowed, Hadley held her little hand out, pumping her fingers for more. "Some!"

Brandon watched them curiously. "She's adorable," he commented. "And she loves pancakes... so you know she's one of us."

Stef laughed, sitting down at the table. "I'm just glad to see her eating."

"What are we going to do with her while you're at work and I'm at school?" Callie asked, spearing a piece of pancake with her fork.

"Well, Mom and I are going to take a day off today," Lena explained. "We're going to try to get Hadley in to see Dr. Graham for that diaper rash."

"It's that bad?" Callie glanced down at the baby, a look of concern clouding her face.

"It was bleeding a little," Lena admitted. "But I'm sure the doctor will give us something to help."

"I'm going with you," Callie stated. "Can I?"

Stef and Lena looked to each other, questioning each other's judgement. "Of course you can," Stef decided.


"Moms?" said Callie, as they sat down in the waiting room of the doctor's office.

"Yeah?" Stef asked, as she and Lena turned around.

"I don't know if I want Dr. Graham to know that Hadley is my baby. I mean... I don't feel like explaining it all."

"That's okay," said Stef. "We don't have to tell anyone right away, if you're not comfortable with it yet. It's your business. No one else's." She looked down at the toddler in her lap. "Why don't you hold her, love? I'll get her checked in."

"Sure," Callie replied, taking Hadley. She sat her on her lap so she faced her. "Dr. Graham is gonna make you all better," she promised. "And I'll be right there with you. And moms will be there too." She pressed a feather-light kiss to her cheek.

Soon, Hadley was called in. Callie carried her to the examination room, Stef and Lena following her. The nurse weighed her, took her temperature, and inspected her rash. Then, Dr. Graham came in. "New addition?" he smiled.

"Yes," said Lena. "This is Hadley."

He nodded. He knew that Stef and Lena were foster parents, so he didn't question the situation any further. "Let's get a look at that rash, little lady," he said cheerfully, as Stef laid the baby on the table. He studied the rash carefully. "She's got a nasty case, here."

"She was in a neglect situation when she came to us," Stef told him. "Her diaper was a mess, and obviously hadn't been changed in a while. We feel terrible for her."

"I understand that," Dr. Graham agreed. "It looks like she has a yeast infection. Soiled diapers cause chaffing, and if they weren't changed, she was just sitting in bacteria. Yeast grows in warm, wet places, and a soggy diaper is the perfect environment. I'm going to prescribe her some anti-fungal ointment, and it should clear the rash up."

He sat Hadley up, then felt her glands and pulled her lower eyelids down. "She's also a bit underweight, and appears to be mildly dehydrated. But I have no doubt in my mind that she's in good hands."

"Thank you, Doctor," said Lena.

"No problem," he nodded, as he filled out a prescription. "I'd like to see her back in a week. You may set up an appointment at the front desk."

"We will," said Stef, taking the prescription. "Thank you." She turned to Callie. "Do you want to get her, honey?"

"Okay," said Callie. She lifted Hadley up, and followed them out of the office. They stood at the desk, waiting their turn. Finally the receptionist took their appointment slip. "One week?"

"Yes," Lena nodded. "Thanks."

While they set up the appointment, Callie held a docile Hadley. The little girl's eyes lit up when she saw a bowl of lollipops on the desk. "Tandy!" she cried, pointing.

The receptionist laughed. "They know what sugar is from a young age." She smiled at the baby. "Do you want one, sweetie? We'll have to ask your mommy if it's okay." She looked to Callie expectantly.

Swallowing hard, Callie looked to Stef and Lena, and they gave her a little nod. "Um... she can have one," she stammered, nervously.

"Here you go," said the receptionist, holding out a purple lollipop.

"Make sure you hold the stick for her, Cal," Lena directed, as her daughter tore off the wrapper.

"I will," Callie promised. She put the candy to the baby's lips, and Hadley opened her mouth wide and began to suck on it.

On the way out of the building, Callie said quietly, "How did the receptionist know I'm her mother? We didn't tell anyone."

Stef sighed, opening the car door. "She looks so much like you, Sweets. It's not very hard to tell."


Callie became instantly quiet as she slid into the back seat, while Stef managed to get Hadley into her car seat securing her in. She cringed at the smell and shape of the car seat; she was glad Bill had grabbed it, since she didn't have one.

Once Hadley was buckled in, Stef playfully tapped her on the nose. "What do you say we swing by the Target with the pharmacy? Get your medication to make you feel all better, and a new car seat?"

Lena shifted in the front seat and looked at the discolored, crusted car seat that smelled like spoiled milk and smoke. "I think that's a great idea. And we can pick up some more diapers, wipes, Pedialite, and some sippy cups."

"Yes," Stef nodded. "Oh, and Jude needs a new toothbrush, and that face wash that we got him the last time. It really seems to keep his face clear, and isn't as rough on it as Jesus and Brandon's was."

Lena nodded and pulled out her phone. "I'd better make a list, can you think of anything else?" She turned to look at Callie. "How about you, or your sister? Are you two alright on shampoo and conditioner?"

"Mariana was telling me just the other day, she thought they were low," Stef answered for Callie when her daughter didn't respond.

Lena nodded and jotted that down. "That's a start," She smiled. "Let's try and follow the list," she playfully teased. "So we don't buy the whole store."

Callie pulled her purse up from the floor and began to dig through it as her moms talked. She pulled out two twenty dollar bills and a ten, her eyes looking to the baby next to her, before she handed up the money to Lena. "Here, this should help cover diapers and wipes," She said quickly. "And, I called my boss last night, and asked if there would be a chance for more hours. He said he could increase my hours up to thirty a week. That will help too."

Stef had just pulled out into busy traffic, and sighed to herself wishing they were still in the parking lot. Lena turned around the best she could in her seat and handed the money back to Callie. "Keep your money, Sweets. It's yours."

"Hadley needs stuff," she argued. "She has nothing. No clothing, no toys, nothing. I have to help!"

Lena reached back and placed her hand on Callie's knee. "Honey, first off, Hadley is currently a ward of the state while we figure everything out. We're getting money for things she needs."

"That won't cover the cost of a car seat," Callie argued.

"Callie." Stef looked at her from the rear view mirror. "We're getting money for Hadley's needs. It's really okay. Even if we weren't, we'd still buy her a car seat."

"But, I have to help! You guys already do so much for me."

Lena moved her hand from Callie's knee to Stef's, calming her instantly. Now was not the time to fight with their sixteen-year-old daughter. Especially when their daughter was emotionally stressed. This was going to take a calm approach, with lots of talking things out. "Callie, we'll talk about all of this later," she promised her. "We're listening to you. We hear your voice," she tried to assure her. "Right now is not the time for this conversation, but Mom and I will get the things that Hadley needs at this point. We've got money coming in for her. The car seat will not set us back, or not put food on the table."

Callie clenched the wad of cash in her hands, not really knowing what to do at this point. Her eyes filled with tears, which she managed to keep from spilling over.

"Baby doll..." Stef peeked at her through the rear view mirror again. "We love doing things for you, and that includes Hadley. But I promise you, we'll talk this all out. We just have to take things moment by moment, and the first thing we need to do is get Hadley a safe, clean car seat and her medications. Can we do that?"

"Yeah," she mumbled, as Hadley let out a frustrated grunt and put her head back against her seat. "Can, I have her pacifier?" she asked Lena, as she reached out and took Hadley's hand. "I'm sure sitting is hurting her."

"I bet you're right," Lena nodded, as she passed the pacifier back. "And she's probably getting tired. After Target we'll get her home feed her and lay her down for a nap. That would be a good time for us prepare lunch together and talk."

"Okay." Callie plopped the pacifier in the toddler's mouth, keeping her hand on Hadley's. "It's okay," she assured her. "We'll get you out of that seat soon." She put her head against the window and watched the scenery go by.


At Target, Callie pushed Hadley around in a cart, keeping her occupied while they waited for her prescription to be filled, and Stef and Lena picked out a car seat. They knew what to shop for, so she figured the task was better left with them.

The baby looked around, bright-eyed, fascinated by her surroundings. She saw a soft stuffed monkey, and pointed at it, squealing with delight. "Dat!"

"You like that?" Callie asked her. She picked the toy up and looked at the price tag. She could afford it, easily. She knew Hadley's expenses were covered by the government, but still, she wanted to give her something.

"I'm going to buy this for you," she decided, handing the little girl the monkey. Hadley reached for it, and shook it up and down happily. Callie brushed her curls back and laughed. "Your hair is a mess," she told her. "You should have some barrettes or something to keep it off your forehead."

Still in the baby section, she wheeled the cart to a display of baby hair accessories. "I don't like those goofy headbands with the big flowers," she explained. "But you can pick out whatever you like." She was surprised by how easy Hadley was to talk to. She knew that toddler probably couldn't follow the conversation, but she seemed to be listening. "Go ahead. Show me which ones you like."

Hadley reached out and waved her hand forward, trying to grab something. Callie could only guess what she was actually reaching for. She picked up a card of polka-dotted hair bows in several colors and put them in the cart.

"Mine!" said Hadley, hugging her new monkey.

"I'm your mommy, you know," Callie told her, looking into her eyes. "I'm sorry Dave treated you that way. If I'd known you were alive, I would never have let him."

Hadley watched her, her dark eyes fluid and deep.

"Don't feel bad that I didn't want the doctor to know you're my daughter," Callie continued. "It wasn't anything personal. I just didn't want anyone to judge us, and it is a crazy story. Plus, I don't want you to hear about Liam. He's nothing to you. What he did to me was really bad, and I don't like to think about it. But I guess some good came from it. I mean, you're here..."

She turned a corner, and saw Stef and Lena talking to a store employee. Lena was holding Hadley's prescription bag. "It's okay to love Stef and Lena," Callie told the little girl. "They won't hurt you or let you down, like everyone else. They're the nicest people in the world. And I'll try to be a mom to you."

"Hey, my babies," said Stef, coming over to the cart. She smiled at Hadley. "What'cha got there, little lady?"

"Mine!" Hadley squealed, holding her monkey up.

"I want to buy that for her," Callie told her mother. "And the barrettes. Is it okay?"

"Of course it is, love," Stef nodded, reaching for Callie's hand. "We didn't mean that you couldn't spend your money on things for Hadley at all. We'd just hate to see you spend the money you're saving for college. You've been working so hard. I promise you, both Hadley's and your needs will be taken care of." She held her arms out for a hug from her daughter. "We've got you. You know that, yes?"

"I know," Callie nodded, as Stef planted a kiss on her forehead. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, baby," Stef replied. "Now, we think we found a good, reasonable car seat. But as mommy, you get the last word. Come take a look at it."

Callie followed Stef over to where Lena was with the car seats. "Why did you pick this one?" she asked Stef as she examined the seat. "I like the teal and purple on it. It looks super cozy."

Stef ran her fingers over the display model. "More times than not, when I've been on the scene for a car accident, the children who were in this brand and model of car seat were protected, and usually walked away with only minor injuries."

Callie looked up at Stef. "You pay attention to what car seats they had?"

Stef shrugged. "I am a mom..."

Callie looked at the price tag and paled. "Sheesh, car seats are so darn expensive."

"Don't worry about the price, Cal" Stef said as she ran her hand down Callie's back. "Her safety is really the most important part."

Callie turned to look at Hadley, who was chewing on the price tag of her new monkey friend. "This one," he agreed. "I want her safe."

"Perfect." Stef grabbed the box. "I am going to go pay for this now, and go install it in the car. You two, grab the other few things mama needs to grab, and meet me out there?"

Lena nodded with a smile. "Sounds great. I love that you have training on how to install car seats properly."

"You'd be surprised how many are installed incorrectly," Stef mumbled before she left the three to finish their shopping.

To Be Continued