A/N: Thank you for all the feedback! I really appreciate it!
Thank you guys for all the feedback from the last chapter. I'm glad you guys want me to add another Bolton baby. I'm just telling you guys, it won't happen for a while.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the HSM characters. This story is purely fiction!
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November 1st, 2023 11:00 am
"I'm glad the five of us could sit down on such short notice." Tom Brant told Troy, Jessica, Jessica's lawyer, and I.
"You told us you had some news. We were just anxious to hear it." I told him.
"Well I have the papers all drafted up. They are ready to sign." Tom told us.
"I'm not signing them." Jessica announced as Troy and I looked at each other then her.
"But you said you weren't going to fight for Cassie anymore." Troy said looking at Bainbridge.
"I said I wasn't going to fight for her but I didn't say anything about signing the papers." Bainbridge told us.
"Can I ask why you're not going to sign the papers?" Tom asked as I looked at our lawyer.
"I'm still taking a good look at the Bolton's. I want to make sure my grandchildren will be in a loving and caring family." Bainbridge told us.
"You've seen us with the 7 kids. You know how we are as parents." I said to both lawyers and Bainbridge.
"You haven't had a social worker come into your home in years. I requested one to come look at your house to make sure you're fit parents." Bainbridge told us.
"How can you do that? We're fit parents. You've seen us act as parents with your own eyes." Troy said to Bainbridge.
"It's my right, as a grandmother, to make sure my grandchildren will be in a loving and caring home." Bainbridge told us.
"You lost your privileges of a grandparent the day Belle, Josh, and Cassie came into our home." I told her.
"Since I haven't signed the papers yet, I'm still technically Cassie's grandmother." Bainbridge told us.
"What are you going to do when we pass the social worker's test?" Troy asked Bainbridge.
"Then I'll consider signing the papers." Bainbridge told us as I looked at Tom.
"She's playing a mouse and cat game. Isn't there anything you can do to make her sign the papers?" I asked Tom as he shook his head.
"My hands are tied." Tom told us as I squared my eyes on Bainbridge.
"What do Troy and I have to do to make you sign the papers?" I asked Bainbridge.
"Let me see Belle, Josh, and Cassie once a month, unsupervised." Bainbridge told me.
"Like hell am I going to let my kids be with you unsupervised!" I told her through clutched teeth.
"That's what I want. I won't sign the papers until then." Bainbridge told me with her cheeky smile.
"Why can't you see that Belle, Josh, and Cassie are happy at home with us? You're hurting them more than us." Troy told Bainbridge.
"I'm not hurting my grandchildren, you are." Bainbridge told us simply.
"Actually you are hurting them. They're worried that you're going to take them away from Troy and I. They don't want to see you." I told her.
"You're lying. You're their mom; of course they're going to tell you that." Bainbridge told me.
"I'm not lying. They've told not only Troy and I but our friends and family as well." I told both lawyers and Bainbridge.
"The only way to settle this is to talk to the children." Bainbridge told me.
"I'm not letting our children talk to you." Troy told Bainbridge and both lawyers.
"Will you, Troy and Gabi let Jessica's lawyer and I talk to Belle and Josh?" Tom asked as I looked over at Troy.
"Can we talk about it and get back to you?" Troy asked looking in my direction.
"Sure. You two talk it over tonight and let me know tomorrow. We'll probably try to do it the 3rd or 4th of November." Tom told us.
"Ok we'll talk it over and let you know." I told him as we both stood up and walked out of the office.
Troy and I walked hand in hand out of the office and towards his truck. I laid my head against the cool glass as Troy drove back to the restaurant.
"I know you're not ok. Want to talk about it?" Troy asked pulling into the parking spot in front of the restaurant.
"I just wish she would leave us alone. Can't she see you and I are the happiest we've been in years?" I asked him as his smile faded.
"Apparently not. But that's how she is. I'm sorry she's causing your sadness." Troy told me.
"It's not your fault. But I love you for trying to cheer me up." I told him leaning over and kissing him.
"We'll talk tonight. Is that going to be ok? Do you want me to take the afternoon off?" Troy asked me.
"I would love you to take the afternoon off, I can't ask you to do that." I told him.
"You're not asking; I'm offering. Do you want me to come home?" Troy asked me as I struggled with the answer.
"How about you come home about 1:30 or so? The kids won't be home from school yet and I'll have the babies down for their naps." I told him.
"All right. I'll see you then. I love you." Troy told me before kissing me again.
"I love you too. Thanks for everything." I told him.
"Not a problem. See you at home." Troy told me as we both got out of the truck.
I walked over to the Suburban and got in before starting it. Troy waved bye to me before I backed out of the parking spot and headed home.
The ride home was silent due to me being lost in my thoughts. I sighed before pulling in the driveway and headed inside. Amanda was sitting in the living room looking at a photo album when I came in.
"Hey Amanda. How were they?" I asked her as she smiled at me.
"They were fine as usual. They are all upstairs sleeping soundly. How did it go this morning?" Amanda asked as I sat down on the sofa.
"Just dandy. Jessica Bainbridge wants to talk to Josh and Belle about her seeing them once a month unsupervised." I said before looking up at my mother in law.
"Oh Gabi. I'm so sorry. What did you and Troy decide?" Amanda asked as I shook my head.
"We didn't really talk. We do know, however, we don't want our kids to be in any unsupervised situation with Jessica Bainbridge." I told her.
"I don't blame you there. How do Josh and Belle feel?" Amanda asked me.
"You've heard them. They don't want to see Bainbridge." I told her.
"And let me guess, Bainbridge accused you of lying about Josh and Belle not seeing her." Amanda asked as I nodded.
"You've got it. So the two lawyers want to talk to the kids now." I told her.
"Josh and Belle are only 6 and 7 years old. Do you think they're ready to go in front of two lawyers?" Amanda asked me.
"I have no idea. I'm scared that they won't be ready." I told her.
"You and Troy are great parents. You'll do what's right for all your kids. Moving on, is Aidan ready to turn 8?" Amanda asked me.
"He is but his parents aren't." I told her with a smile.
"Your kids are growing up. They don't stay babies forever." Amanda reminded me.
"I wish they did. They were so much easier then." I told her with a laugh.
"What did Aidan do this time?" Amanda asked me as I shook my head at her.
"Troy and I were called into school the other day by his teacher. Apparently he's been a little show off in class. So to curtail his actions, we've been putting some time aside to spend one on one time with Aidan. So far, he's been doing a lot better but we'll see." I told her.
"You knew Aidan would be the one that you and Troy got called into the school for." Amanda told me.
"I know he would be but I thought he might have waited a couple of more years." I told her.
"You'll be fine. Anyways, I'm going to clear out of here. Have fun in a quiet house." Amanda told me.
"Thanks for watching them. I didn't want to call Lily and wake her up early in the morning." I told her.
"They're my grandbabies. It's not a problem." Amanda told me as she moved towards the front door.
"Thanks again, Amanda." I told her as I walked her out to the front porch.
I picked up the baby monitor as I walked outside. I took a seat on the swing and gently swung back and forth. I looked out into our front yard and saw yellow, red, and orange leaves scattering the yard. Fall was here and I couldn't be happier. I've always loved fall. With the leaves crunching under my feet and the smell of cinnamon in the air, fall was, in my opinion, the best time of the year.
My thoughts then went to Halloween which was just a few days ago. Mack was dressed as a doctor; she claims she wants to be one when she grows up. Aidan was a basketball player again; his ambition just like his father's. Belle was a ballerina; once again she wants to be a ballerina on Broadway when she grows up. Josh was a soccer player; he doesn't know what he wants to do, he's having too much fun being a kids. Lily and Cassie were pumpkins just like Belle and Mack were their first Halloweens. J.J. was just a baby. He was fussy while we were getting the kids' costumes on and he didn't want one on.
I laughed as I thought about how much work there was taking all 7 kids around the neighborhood. Mack, Aidan, Belle, and Josh all ran from house to house. J.J., Cassie, and Lily all slept happily in the wagon that Troy and I took turns pulling.
"You're a million miles away." Troy's voice said causing me to come out of my thoughts.
"I've been here the entire time. I was thinking about Halloween." I told him as he sat down next to me on the swing.
"That was an interesting night. They had fun." Troy told me.
"Yeah they did. It was fun to see their personalities come out." I told him.
"Are we going to be ok?" Troy asked me as I picked my head and placed it on his shoulder.
"I think we will be. I'm just worried about what Bainbridge has up her sleeves." I told him.
"I'm worried about that too. How about we let Belle and Josh talk to the lawyers and let them feel how they feel?" Troy asked me.
"Is this talk going to destroy our kids?" I asked him as he took my hand in his.
"I don't know what it will do to them. But this might be the one key to get Bainbridge off of our backs." Troy told me.
"You might be right. How about we talk to them after they get home from school and see what they want to do?" I asked him.
"We can do that. We'll pull them aside before they start working on homework." Troy told me.
"All right now that's out of the way, how are we going to handle Aidan's birthday?" I asked him.
"We're having a family birthday tomorrow but his party will be Saturday. Did you get his birthday present?" Troy asked me.
"I sure did. He's getting exactly what he wants." I told Troy as he raised an eyebrow.
"What exactly did he want?" Troy asked as I laughed.
"He wanted a couple of new Lego pieces. I got him those." I told him.
"Cool. He'll love those." Troy told me as I nodded.
"So we've gotten our agenda of talking mostly cleared. What do you want to talk about now?" I asked him with a grin.
"How about this baby business?" Troy asked me as I laughed at him.
"I told you, we're not thinking about a baby until J.J., Cassie, and Lily are older." I told him.
"What if I told you that I wanted another baby in our house by next Christmas?" Troy asked me.
"I would tell you that you're crazy. There's no way I'm getting pregnant in the next year." I told him.
"Come on babe. We want another child. Why can't we have one in the next year?" Troy asked as I grinned.
"Honey we all ready have three kids under the age of 1. If we had another one in the next year, it would be 4 under the age of two. Not going to happen." I told him.
"Wouldn't it be easier to have four in diapers?" Troy asked me as I smiled at him.
"It would be easier but not going to happen. Why do you want another baby so bad? Don't you love the three we all ready have?" I asked him.
"They're growing up too fast. I just love having babies in the house." Troy told me.
"I know you do because I love it too. You'll be fine. Two Christmases from now, we'll be having another baby in the house. I promise." I told him.
"So Christmas 2025 we'll have another baby in the house?" Troy asked as I shook my head.
"Yes. The year I turn 35, is the year we'll have another baby." I told him.
"I'll be turning 36. That's going to be scary." Troy told me as I laughed.
"Fearing the 4-0 yet?" I asked him as he shook his head at me.
"You have no idea. At least I'm not the first in our little group to be turning 4-0." Troy told me.
"Zeke is. Then it will be Chad, Jason, and then Sharpay and Ryan." I told him.
"They're going to get hell because they're all 40. Then it'll be my turn and then yours." Troy told me.
"No Taylor and Brooke are in between you and me." I told him.
"When's Kelsi's birthday?" Troy asked me as I thought it over.
"Her birthday is the 20th of January. Mine is the 5th." I told him.
"That's right. You and Kelsi are the youngest in our little group." Troy told me.
"You still love me don't you?" I asked him batting my long eyelashes.
"You have no idea, woman." Troy said capturing me in a kiss.
"Will you still love me even when I gain all that baby weight back?" I asked him as he showed off his grin.
"You know I will babe. You're going to be carrying our child, there's nothing sexier than that." Troy told me.
"Good answer buddy." I told him as he cracked his smile.
"You know you love me." Troy told me as I shook my head at him.
"The answer might surprise you." I whispered right before he kissed me again.
"Oh I'm pretty sure I know what the answer is." Troy told me as I smiled.
"Oh yeah? Please tell me what the answer is." I told him as he kissed my cheek.
"You are head over heels, drop dead in love with me." Troy told me as I kissed him.
"You're absolutely correct, my dear." I told him standing up and walking into the house.
"Where are you going?" Troy asked as I opened the screen door.
"The duties of a mother call." I told him holding up the monitor.
"You know what, Gabi?" Troy asked me as I looked at him before going into the house.
"We still act like we did in high school." Troy told me following me into the house.
"We most certainly don't." I told him as he laughed.
"Why don't we?" Troy challenged as we walked up the stairs towards the nursery.
"Well for one, we didn't have 7 kids in high school." I told him as he laughed.
"That's right we didn't. We still act the same." Troy told me smiling.
"We may act the same but there have been a lot of challenges along the years that have changed both you and me." I told him.
I walked over to the crib and picked up a fussy Lily. I placed her on my shoulder before I rubbed her back. She calmed down and even let out a sequel when she saw who was standing in the doorway.
"Come on let's get you fed hungry girl." I said before walking out of the room to let J.J. and Cassie sleep.
Troy and I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out. J.J. and Cassie awoke right before the kids came through the door. I looked at Troy who had his arms full with Lily and Cassie.
"Book bags on the hooks. Mack and Aidan go play outside while dad and I talk to Belle and Josh." I told the two older ones.
"Some people are in trouble." Aidan sung before I threw him a threatened look.
"Aidan Xavier do you want to be in your room tonight?" I asked him as his eyes went wide.
"No mom." Aidan told me before I pointed out to the backyard.
"Outside to get some of that energy burned off." I told him as he and Mack ran outside.
"What did you need to talk to us about mom?" Belle asked sitting down at the table.
"Dad and I had a meeting today with our lawyers about you and Josh. Do you remember the discussion about your birth mom?" I asked looking at Belle and then Josh.
"Yeah what about her?" Josh asked as I looked over at Troy.
"Well your birth mom's mom wants to see you guys unsupervised once a month." I told them.
"What does unsupervised mean?" Josh asked Troy as Troy looked at me.
"It means mom or I can't be there with you guys." Troy said looking at Josh.
"I want you to be there." Belle said as I smiled at her.
"And we want to be there but the lawyers want to talk to you two to get your opinion about seeing your biological grandmother." I told them.
"What do we have to do?" Josh asked looking over at Belle.
"The lawyers are going to ask you some questions and you just have to answer them." Troy told Josh and Belle.
"Can we do that? We don't want to see the mean old lady." Belle told us as Troy and I both chuckled.
"Yeah we can. You'll be missing the first part of the morning. I'll send a note with your to give to your teachers." I told them.
"When are we going to do this?" Josh asked as I looked at the calendar.
"On Friday. We'll take you out of school for the morning and then we'll have lunch together before mom and I take you back to school." Troy told the two kids.
"Sounds good dad. Can we do our homework now?" Belle asked impatiently.
"Sure go ahead sweetie." I told her as she ran and got her book bag.
I smiled at Troy before picking up the phone. I dialed Tom Brant's office and told him the kids had agreed to meet him and Jessica' lawyer. He set it up for the 3rd of November at 9 o'clock in the morning. I promised him Troy, Belle, Josh, and I would all be there.
"That's all taken care of. Next item on the list?" I asked looking over at Troy.
"Dinner." Troy said simply as I opened the cabinets and looked around the kitchen.
"We're having spaghetti. I just decided that." I told him hearing the back door open and in come Mack and Aidan.
"Are you guys all tired out now?" Troy asked looking at Aidan's grass stained jeans.
"Homework time." Mack said going towards the foyer and grabbing her book bag.
Troy and I helped the kids with homework before starting dinner. It was nice having all 9 of us in the kitchen at one time. Troy and I watched the kids interact with each other and soon realized it was going to be even more hectic when we added another child to our little mix of a family.
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I hope you guys enjoyed it. Thank you for all the feedback you guys submitted for the last chapter. I was so excited when I saw how many emails I had gotten in my inbox. You guys are the greatest!
Once again, feedback would be loved and appreciated. The more feedback I get, the more likely I'll get another chapter up this weekend!