A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews! I can't tell you how much I appreciate them! This will be the last chapter of Bandits that I post before vacation. I'll be back around in a week. Tomorrow, I'll update She Said...and then, adios!
Scorpio11 – Thank you so much for helping me out during your down time! You'll be getting a break from me now…after tomorrow : )
SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. No copyright infringement intended.
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21.
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Bella had gone to the boys' rooms to pack their things for the camping trip with her parents, seeing that they'd already taken care of it. The mother in her couldn't resist checking to make certain that they had everything they needed…especially clean underwear. When she saw that they did, she was surprised, pleasantly so.
She went to change, and just as she was about to go in search of the three men in her life, she heard laughter downstairs. She hurried down, seeing Edward drying his face with a damp t-shirt that he tossed in the laundry basket while Jake went to the fridge and pulled out three bottles of water.
"Okay, one hedge to teach you, I get, but you two are scam artists. I did it today, but next time, it's all yours," Edward teased as he took the cap off the water and gulped it down before she made herself known. She loved seeing him with her sons, and that day was no different.
"Where have you three been?" Bella asked as she went to the fridge and grabbed her own water.
"We bought a hedge trimmer. You wouldn't believe the piece of shit that they were trying to use to trim hedges. Oh, and they were using a yardstick to make certain it was uniform. It's all figured out now. How come you're home early?" Edward asked as he kissed her nose…which was wrinkled because he smelled, and not in the good way that she loved.
"What's with the face?" Jake asked with a grin.
"He stinks. Hell, you all do," Bella complained as her sons engulfed her in hugs, just to aggravate her. When Edward joined them in the hug fest, she quickly maneuvered away from them, holding her nose.
"You three need showers," she complained as she went to the dryer, seeing it empty. She'd put towels in it early that morning, but she had no idea where they'd gone.
"Who folded towels?" she asked, looking at her sons and the man she absolutely worshiped who stood shirtless in front of her.
"Oh, we did. We put 'em away, too," Jake told her as the three of them milled around the kitchen. Jared went to the fridge and pulled out a box of popsicles, offering them to Edward and Jacob, who each took one, and then turned to his mother, seeing the surprise on her face.
"Thanks?" Bella questioned, not quite sure what had gotten into the men in the house that Friday afternoon. They'd been quiet all week, but that afternoon, things were different. Things held a promise of how good it could be, and she wanted to hold onto it with both hands. It was as she'd always hoped life could be for her and her sons, and standing before her chewing on a cherry popsicle was the man responsible for it all. She fell in love with him all over again.
##
"Pop, can we ask you somethin'?" Jacob asked quietly. They were in the middle of the lake the next Friday morning. Both boys had put off talking to him about the thing that was weighing heavy on their minds, remembering that Edward told them that what happened at home was between them, and they didn't have to worry that anyone had told Charlie what had happened, but they still had questions before their mother and Edward showed up that afternoon.
"Sure," Charlie answered.
"How do you earn someone's trust?" Jared asked at Jake's prompting.
They saw Charlie contemplate the answer, and then he smiled a little. "I'll need a little background on the question," he commented as he recast his line from the small john boat that the three of them were sharing.
"Um, okay, let's say you have somebody's trust, and you don't really know how you got it in the first place, but you broke it. How do you get it back?" Jake asked.
Charlie Swan wasn't the most compassionate individual on the planet, but he was a good cop. He also knew that his grandsons were a handful, and while he didn't know what went on at their house, he was pretty sure that they'd done something to break his daughter's trust, which was bothering them.
"Well, now, that's a good question isn't it? It really depends on how the trust was broken in the first place, and the value that's placed on the trust," he offered, waiting for more information.
"Well, let's say that someone went into another person's private stuff and gave somethin' away without askin' permission. Then let's say that person found out about it and was disappointed. How do you take that back?" Jake asked.
Charlie thought for a minute, playing with his mustache. He tried to imagine what his very creative grandsons had done to break their mother's trust, but knowing the boys, he was pretty sure he'd never be able to fathom it. "Well, was it money or something like that? Because if it was, that's a crime," he reminded.
"Oh, no, Pop, it wasn't money. What if it was a phone number?" Jared asked as he recast his line.
Charlie contemplated what they were telling him, and while he couldn't begin to figure out to what they were referring, he decided that it didn't really matter. "Well, if it's something like that, you apologize, and then you step back and put yourself in that person's position. How would you feel if someone went through your stuff and took something from you? What would it take for you to trust that person again?" Charlie asked. He wasn't sure if his words were helpful, because trust was truly subjective, but he was offering whatever guidance he could, seeing that the boys had no real father from whom to gain such advice.
"If someone did that to you, would you still love them?" Jake asked.
That gave Charlie pause to wonder what the hell was going on in his daughter's home. He knew that he'd made a lot of mistakes with Bella, the most egregious being when he pushed her to marry Sam, but he wanted to do better by his grandsons.
"I think you better tell me what's going on," he told the boys, seeing them swallow hard.
"We went into Edward's phone, took a number from it, and gave it to Alice even though we knew he wouldn't. She'd asked him for it, and he said no, but we gave it to her in trade for her doin' a favor for us. Edward found out and told us that he was disappointed in us, and that we'd have to regain his trust. That was what he said, right?" Jake asked, looking at Jared.
"Yeah, and then, he told us he was sorry for sayin' it and that he'd always care about us and be in our corner. Tell the whole story, Jake," Jared responded tersely to his brother.
"Does he treat you guys okay?" Charlie asked with concern. He hadn't really been paying much attention to what was going on with his daughter because she didn't call and ask him if he could help her, but he was worried about what the boys had said.
"Heck, Pop, he wants to adopt us. Our dad doesn't want anything to do with us, but Edward wants to be our dad. We just have to figure out how to regain his trust," Jake told his grandfather, which caused a lump in Charlie's throat.
He'd checked out with his grandsons, and someone else had moved into their lives. He'd seen it, but he thought it was just a fly-by-night thing, not that his daughter had those relationships. If he was hearing them right, there was a lot going on that he didn't know about.
##
"Babe, come on. We're going to be staying in a cabin. It's not a fucking cotillion," Edward called up the stairs to her. She was trying to pack, but really, Carmen hadn't given her clothes for camping, and how did one really justify Donna Karan in the great outdoors?
"Kiss my ass, Masen," she yelled back as she went to his drawer and grabbed a pair of his basketball shorts that had a drawstring and a Dartmouth t-shirt. She'd packed a few other things in her small bag, but she wanted comfort, and she felt that his shorts and t-shirt would offer it.
Edward had been restless for most of the week. They'd gone out for dinners and had a great week, but his constant reminder of how quiet the house was after they'd settle into bed at night reminded her of how much she missed the boys. In those moments, she could see he missed them as well.
A FedEx letter had arrived from a lawyer in Seattle. It was the termination of parental rights for Sam, and after she and Edward had talked about it, they'd agreed that she'd talk to Sam once again about whether he really wanted to take that step, and that the boys should talk to their dad. She knew that it would be tough on them to talk to him, but it was important, so she'd push them to call him, maybe for the last time. She wasn't looking forward to it at all.
"If you ever fucking bring it down here, I'll kiss it just like I did last night," he called up the stairs, causing her to laugh.
While they'd both been busy with work that week, they'd gone out on dates…well as many dates as one could go on around Forks and Port Angeles. It had been lovely, and when they returned home each night, they'd made love all over the house and even out on the deck on Thursday night after they drank a bottle of champagne with Emmett when he and Rosalie showed up to tell them that Rosalie was pregnant with their first born and how much they hoped it was a boy.
Edward had indeed kissed her ass as he took her from behind at 2:00 AM on the deck chair that he'd apparently bought for that specific purpose. It had been an eye-opening experience for her, and a hell of a lot of fun.
She stumbled down the stairs with her small bag in hand, and found him waiting for her at the bottom with a huge smile on his face. "Ready?" he asked with a kiss to her lips. Oh, she was ready for anything, but she was certain he was talking about the hour long ride to the lake, and she was actually ready for that as well.
"Ready for whatever you've got up your little sleeve," she teased as she pinched his cheek, seeing him smile.
They walked out the front door, and she stopped immediately. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to the SUV sitting on the driveway.
"It's a test drive," he called as he carried their bags and threw them into the back of the blue Ford on the driveway.
"Test drive?" she asked as she followed him and climbed in on the passenger side.
"Test drive, as in you test it out and see if you like it," he called as he climbed into the driver's seat and started the car…truck…gas-guzzling behemoth.
"I like it?" she asked. She didn't like it.
"Okay, maybe not you, but me. Buckle up," he called to her. She pulled on her seatbelt, and while she'd like to say the ride was awful, she couldn't. It had everything that anyone could want, including navigation which took over when her mother's directions weren't accurate because there was a detour, which no one bothered to mention, but it was a lot bigger than anything she'd ever want to drive. In the grand scheme of things, it was about the length of her old truck, but there was a lot more room inside. Thinking of driving it made her very nervous.
"So, um, did you just scam the guy and tell him you were interested so you didn't have to drive your beloved Mercedes into the wild?" Bella teased as they got on the road.
He laughed and took her hand, kissing it. "No, but that would have been a great idea if I wasn't in the market for another car," he answered.
"You aren't a very good liar, Edward. You're not in the market for another car. You're in the market for a car for me, and I already told you that I'd get one when I could," Bella chastised, pulling her hand away and crossing her arms over her chest in protest.
She saw him look in her direction out of the corner of her eye, and he full out laughed. "Ah, there's the pout. I've wondered if there was a pouty face. I've seen the pissed-off face, a lot more than I want to, and I've seen the horny face, which I don't get to see nearly enough, but I've never seen the pouty face. It's really cute. I bet it didn't work on your dad when you were little," Edward deduced.
She chuckled a little, covering it with a cough, and remembered that nothing ever worked with her father when she was little. He was quite strict with her, and she never got away with anything. How she actually got pregnant was really a miracle because her father seemed to have a sixth sense about what she was up to growing up, and he thwarted her at every turn.
"It's not a pouty face. It's a version of the 'you don't listen to me' face. I haven't had to pull this one out because you usually don't push so hard…well, not since the fire-induced shopping spree," she answered.
"Are you insinuating that I'm pussy whipped? Because I'm not," he replied forcefully. When she looked at him, she saw his pouty face. She was pretty sure that face worked on his mother every time.
"Oh, I know the big bad man isn't pussy whipped. That's not what I was actually talking about. You got your way with regard to all the stuff you bought when the house burned down, which I could tell made you very happy so I didn't bitch…" she began.
"WHAT?! Oh…my…God. You pitched a damn tantrum in the middle of Nordstrom's. You, my love, are still unable to accept the fact that I'm going to be around for the rest of your life, and I'm going to take care of my family. This vehicle is made for a family with two active boys. And the rear seat folds up so that there's room for three more passengers, should we ever find ourselves in need of additional seating," Edward informed.
She thought about what he'd said, and she knew there was no way that two sets of football pads and all the other crap that went with the boys' sporting events would fit in the trunk of Edward's car, so she supposed she'd actually lost the argument. Plus, he was right…if she could find another mother who lived in the area with whom she could trade carpool duty, she'd probably need additional space for more children. She truly hated that he was right, and she hated to admit it even more.
"Argh…you're right. If we can find someone to share carpooling responsibilities, it would be helpful to have room to haul more kids. I hate that you're right," she admitted hesitantly.
"Wow…how'd that taste?" he teased, which earned him a salute with her middle finger.
He laughed, and they drove along for fifteen minutes without conversing. Bella was busy playing with the satellite radio and the navigation system. She was actually warming up to the car, but she was reluctant to admit it because she knew it was probably expensive, so she was trying to find flaws, hoping that maybe she could convince him that a lesser model would work just as well.
"You know, there might be other reasons why a car like this would come in handy," Edward commented, suddenly looking very nervous. She turned down the radio to find out what was on his mind.
"What, like for having sex in it?" she teased, trying to gauge the direction he was going in his thoughts.
He laughed and looked at her. "Well, there's that, but I was thinking, you know, the day might come…sometime in the future, mind you…when we'll need room for, um, hauling more stuff, you know?" he asked. She didn't know.
"What, are my sons suddenly going into some sort of hauling business?" she whined.
"God, don't mention it. You know how they are. That's not exactly what I was thinking about," he answered vaguely.
"Masen, just cut to the chase. We only have another twenty-five minutes before we get there, and if my sons have put you up to something that's going to piss me off, I'd like a little time to prepare myself," she replied.
"You're beautiful, and you're sexy, and you're sweet, and you're loving, and…you're clueless. I was referring to car seats," he answered, taking her aback.
"Car seats? I'm sorry, I'm not following you," she answered. Oh, she was definitely following him, but she wanted to hear his thoughts on the matter without so much beating around the bush.
"Jesus…okay. What are your thoughts on having another child in the future? Would you consider it, or are you done?" Edward asked. Yep, it was exactly as she suspected. She was actually surprised it had taken him so long to broach the subject, considering that their relationship was like a bullet train.
"Why? Are you pregnant?" she teased, enjoying his discomfort a little more than she probably should.
She truly had no thoughts on whether she wanted additional children because she never had a reason to think that she'd meet someone and the possibility of more children would present itself. While Jake and Jared were a handful on a good day, they'd really been good boys, and since Edward had stepped into their lives, things had been a lot easier, what with burden sharing and all.
"Very funny. You know what I'm talking about. Would you consider having any more kids in the future?" Edward asked again.
She thought on the matter, and smiled. "Actually, I think I would with the right person. I loved it when the boys were babies, even with all of the problems with Sam, so yeah, I could see having more children," she answered, remembering her giant sons as tiny little babies…well, not quite so tiny. Jacob weighed eight pounds, and Jared had been just under him at seven pounds, eight ounces. She prayed if she had any more children, they wouldn't weigh fifteen pounds. Carrying the twins had been a chore, and it was the only thing she didn't like about the experience…oh, aside from their father.
"And, this right person, are you accepting applications?" Edward asked, causing her to snicker.
"I'd have thought that your ego had been sufficiently stroked this week with all of the attention I showered over you, but if you need to hear it, fine. I'm not accepting applications because I already have a prime specimen on my radar if everything works out. You, my dear man, would make a wonderful father," she replied, seeing the smug smile return to his face.
"Good. Now that that's settled, we just need to hammer out a few details," he began.
"But not this weekend. This weekend is about spending time with my sons, my parents, and the man I love without any major drama, agreed?" Bella answered.
"That's fine. Soon enough," Edward told her as they found the cabin that Charlie and Renee had rented. They saw the boys sitting on the front stairs, and they both smiled, anxious for the weekend to begin.
##
Charlie Swan was in investigative mode. Some of the things his grandsons had mentioned over the week…especially that morning when they were fishing…had struck a nerve with him, and he had every intention of getting to the bottom of all of it before the end of the weekend.
He'd seen his daughter and Edward Masen arrive, and he'd witnessed how excited the boys were to see them both. They'd hugged their mom like an eleven-year-old boy was prone to do, and they'd surprised Charlie by giving Edward a one-armed hug when he'd walked up to the porch.
They were helping him with the bags, talking animatedly with him about their week, and Charlie could see that without his knowledge, Edward Masen had developed a strong relationship with his grandsons. If he was being honest with himself, he was a bit jealous because while he was sure that his grandsons knew he loved them, he didn't have the same easy rapport with them. The signs had been there at Father's Day, but with the fire, he'd put it out of his mind. He was pretty certain that was a mistake.
He'd grown up in a home where hard work and respect were demanded. Trust and loyalty were essential, and physical affection was non-existent. When he'd married Renee and they'd had Bella, he left all the touchy-feely stuff to his wife and instilled the same values in his daughter with which he'd been raised. Watching Edward rough housing with his grandsons made him rethink the relationship he had with them.
"Edward, you need any help?" Charlie asked from the porch. Bella was inside with Renee, the two of them clucking a mile a minute, so he'd wandered outside to see what was going on.
"Hey, Chief. No, we got it. Jake, can you grab that case of beer, please? Jared, be careful with that because it has bread and eggs in it. Your mother seems to think that there are no grocery stores for miles. So, did you catch anything this morning?" Edward asked them as he pulled a fishing rod out of the back of what appeared to be a brand new SUV, along with two duffel bags. Charlie watched as Edward pushed something on the key and the tailgate slowly lowered.
As they climbed on the porch, Charlie took the beer from Jacob, who then turned around and went to grab the bags from Edward. "Thanks, Jake," Edward remarked as he tousled Jacob's hair, causing the boy to smile widely.
"Nice SUV. Rental?" Charlie asked as Edward opened the door for everyone to enter the larger cabin.
"Actually, no. I bought it, but Bella doesn't exactly know that yet, and I'd rather not tell her this weekend. I'm just letting her warm up to it before she finds out it's hers," Edward responded quietly. Charlie laughed.
"She'll be pissed about it," Charlie remarked, seeing Edward nod in agreement. At least the guy knew his daughter.
"Here he is! Edward, welcome," Renee gushed as she hugged him. When Edward hugged her back, the nickname of "Hugger" popped in Charlie's head. That was, until he saw the smile on his daughter's face at the sight of her mother and the guy with whom she was living in sin. That was something else Charlie wasn't thrilled about.
"Thanks, Renee. Guys, can you help your mom put the groceries away while I take our stuff upstairs. Which room is…um…where are we all sleeping?" Edward asked, eyeing Charlie carefully.
It was already a fight that Charlie and his wife had had that morning after he and the boys returned from fishing. Renee reasoned that they were living together, and it was foolish to force the boys to stay on the couches so that the couple occupied separate rooms. Charlie didn't agree at all, and when he'd ordered the boys to move their things downstairs, Renee had told them no. It was the first time that Charlie could remember his wife openly defying him.
"First door on the right at the top of the stairs," Renee called as she placed two gallons of milk in the refrigerator. Charlie saw Edward leave the room, and he knew it was his opportunity to talk to his daughter.
"Guys, the women got this. Take Edward's fishing rod out and put it with ours, and then load some wood into that fire pit. I see your mom brought marshmallows, so I'd guess we'll be makin' s'mores later," Charlie ordered.
"Yesss," he heard his grandsons hiss in unison. Jared grabbed the rod, and the two boys were out the back door like a shot.
Once he heard the screen door slam, he turned to his daughter. "What the hell is goin' on with you? This isn't like you, Bella. You're livin' with a man with your sons along for the ride? You've barely known the guy for a minute, and you've got your kids with you while you're shackin' up? I raised you better than that. The boys told me that the kid wants to adopt 'em? Last I knew, they have a dad," Charlie snapped, feeling that it was time for him to take control of his family yet again.
Bella wheeled on him and planted her hands on her hips, much like she used to do when she was a little girl. "Dad, it's my life. I'm not your concern, okay? I've got a good man who loves me, and we're planning a future together. He takes care of us, and as far as Sam goes…he doesn't want anything to do with the boys. He said it over the phone. Eventually, Edward wants to adopt them, but I want them to talk to their dad again to make sure it's what he really wants because once he signs the papers, they're out of his life forever," Bella snapped back.
"Young lady, watch your tone," Charlie chastised, seeing his daughter roll her eyes at him, which wasn't to his liking either.
"Dad, I'll be thirty-one in September. I'm far from young, and I haven't been your problem for a long time. None of this is your business. Your responsibility to my sons is to spend time with them and be their grandfather. You're to provide them with guidance and discipline when they're in your custody and I'm not around. The rest of the time, I'm their mother, and Edward is the wonderful man who's been better to them than Sam ever was. He's patient with them, and he actually wants to be their dad. If he had his way, we'd be married next week, and the boys' last name would be Masen by this time next year," Bella informed.
"It's not his responsibility. You're their mother. Sam's their father. It's up to the two of you to take care of your kids, not some stranger," Charlie snapped.
"Charles, knock it off," Renee demanded.
"I will not. I will not knock it off. This man breezes into her life and sweeps her off her feet, and all of a sudden, my daughter is a…" he begins.
"Chief, I beg you not to finish that sentence because I seriously do not want to load Bella and the boys back into the car and take them home. Jake and Jared have looked forward to this since their father called Bella and told her that he wasn't coming to see them this summer. As for what your daughter is, she's the love of my life. She and her sons have brought so much happiness into my life that I truly run out of ways to thank them. Oh, those boys give me a run for my money, but I'm learning. We're all learning. We're learning how to be a family, and I believe that all we want is your support," Edward commented from the doorway. Charlie hadn't heard him come down the stairs, so his comment was a surprise.
Charlie turned to the young man and took in his appearance. He appeared to be pissed off, but no more so than Charlie himself. "Oh, really? And, tell me, son, what's in this for you?" he challenged.
He watched Bella walk over to where Edward stood and wrap her arm around his waist with the young man wrapping his arm around her shoulders and kissing her on the temple. "I'm getting more from this than anyone. I have the privilege of having this woman love me and allow me to help her raise her sons, who someday, I hope to make my sons. They deserve everything in the world, and it's my plan to give it to them," Edward stated as he looked into Bella's eyes and smiled.
"I'm curious…what's gotten into you? Every time we've had you over to the house…like Father's Day…you've been fine. Why this shit now?" Bella asked her father.
Charlie thought about her comment, and it wasn't something he hadn't asked himself. The honest answer that he would never share with anyone was that he was jealous. He'd been the go-to guy in his grandsons' lives for a long time. He felt like he was being replaced by a younger, hipper model, and he didn't like it at all.
Instead of the truth, he opted for something not quite true, but not quite a lie. "I didn't realize this was anything more than just you two dating. I had no idea that you were gonna live with this guy for good. That's a bad example to set for my grandsons, and I don't like it all. Now, you're pushing Sam out of their lives for this guy to come in and take over? None of that sets well with me, Bells, and you of all people should know it," he answered.
He watched his daughter walk over to the screen door and call for the boys to come inside. Once they were inside, she looked at the time on the clock over the stove and shook her head. He saw her pull out a cell phone, and then she placed it on the table.
"Boys, the papers arrived that Edward and I spoke with you about. Before we send them to your dad, I want you to talk to him once more. I want him to be sure of everything, and if you've got anything you want to say to him, then I want you to have the opportunity to say it," Bella instructed.
He saw Edward sit down in a chair between them and add, "Look, if he's had a change of heart, that doesn't change anything between us. We'll still mean the same things to each other even if I can't adopt you, and I'll buy you tickets to go to Alaska to see your dad if he says it's okay. I'm not sure when the new baby is due, so it might not be until the end of summer, but if it's not until then, we'll just try football camp earlier next summer, okay?" Edward asked.
"I think it's stupid because we know the bastard isn't gonna change his mind, but if it speeds things up, then fine," Jared remarked.
"Jared Samuel, you watch that language," Bella admonished with a frown. Jared shrugged.
With a fretful glance at her sons, she continued. "Now, I'll talk to him first. If you don't want to listen, then go back outside, and I'll call you when he's ready to talk to you. I can't say that he won't make comments like he did the last time, but hopefully, he won't. It's only five o'clock there, so he should be home. So? Shall we?" Bella asked, looking at her father with nothing but contempt on her face.
"Yeah, call him," Jake replied coldly.
Charlie watched her dial a number and then put the phone on speaker. The six occupants of the kitchen heard three rings, and then a terse, "Yeah, Jake."
"Sam, its Bella." They all heard the groan over the line.
"What now?" Sam groaned.
"The papers came this week. I wanted to give you a chance to think this through before you take such a drastic step. Once you sign the papers, Sam, there's no going back," she reasoned.
"I know. I talked to a buddy of mine who did the same thing. Just send 'em, and I'll send 'em back. I assume you're not going to make me pay for any of this," Sam complained.
"No, it's covered. Would you like to talk to the boys? They're right here," Bella replied quietly. Charlie saw tears on her cheeks, as well as on the cheeks of his wife. His grandsons just looked pissed.
"I don't see where any good would come of that. Just send the shit and I'll send it back," Sam snapped. They all heard the dial tone, and then the slamming of the screen door as Jake and Jared took off with Edward hot on their trail.
Charlie Swan could have been knocked over with a feather. He'd really never given a tinker's damn for Sam Uley, but even he couldn't believe his ears. His daughter's sobbing brought him out of his shock. He sat down in a chair to try to get his bearings, because in that moment, he realized all of the mistakes he'd made in his life. It was a hell of a load that hit his shoulders, and for once in his life, he had no idea how to handle it.
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E/N: Welllllll…we got a lot out of that chapter. I know that you're organizing a lynch mob as I write this to hunt down not just Sam, but Charlie as well. I hate that this is the chapter I leave you with before being gone, but I'll give you this head's up…the next chapter picks up right after this moment, and it begins with our sweet hero chasing the boys out the back door. There…deep breaths everyone.
So, what did you think about the discussion regarding more children? Lemme hear from ya!
Thank you for reading. Leave me a review and then go rally your friends to jump on the bus with us. They'll have time to read and catch up while I'm gone, and then we're plowing ahead!
Till next time…xoxo