Friday July 4, 2025

"PJ, do you need any help?" I asked when I walked into his kitchen.

"Teddy, do you really need to ask that?" PJ asked cutting come vegetables. "Now, does my pregnant sister need anything special to eat?"

"You act like just because I'm pregnant, I'm disabled."

"Teddy, I honestly don't need help cooking." The doorbell rang. "Can you get the door since you're not disabled?" He joked.

I rolled my eyes playfully at him. "Yeah, I guess I can do that." I walked out of the kitchen and opened the front door seeing my mom and the rest of the gang. I gave Charlie, Toby, and mom a hug as they walked in.

"Oh look at you Teddy." Mom said releasing the hug. "You have that pregnancy glow!"

I smiled. "I'm glad you guys came out, I've missed you guys so much like crazy."

"Hi Teddy." Kevin said.

I smiled. "Hi.

I closed the door once everyone came in and walked into the living room. I sat on the couch next to Charlie.

"So Char, I heard what you did to Ashley."

"Oh Teddy, it was hilarious, you should have been there. Next time she'll think twice before stealing my boyfriend because I'll just step it up."

"Well, watch out, she can always do the same to you or something worse."

"I honestly don't give a crap if she does or not because I'll step it up."

I laughed a little. "Oh Char, you're just like mom and Gabe."

"Teddy, where's your kids?" Mom asked. "Are they with Spencer?"

"No, they're in the back with Sky."

"Oh, how's the moving going?"

I sighed. "It's exhausting, especially since I'm really getting no help. I mean Sky, PJ and my friend Desiree come over to help once in a while, but I'm mainly doing it on my own. I just feel like setting the house on fire to get rid of everything and start off new."

She laughed. "Oh Teddy, I know exactly how stressful it is but setting the house on fire is never the answer."

"Where's PJ?" Toby asked.

"Uh, in the kitchen prepping to barbeque." I saw Cassandra come running in to me crying. I bent down and picked her up. "Aw, what's wrong sweetie?" I saw she scrapped her knee and hand. "Did you fall and hurt yourself."

She nodded and continued to cry.

"Uh, make the crying stop." Ashley whined. "It's giving me a headache."

"How about you stop whining instead, you're giving me a headache." Charlie said defending her niece. "She's only two, are you also two?"

I rolled my eyes and carried my daughter to the bathroom to clean herself up. I placed her on the counter and grabbed a washcloth to clean her cuts.

"This is going to sting a bit." I sprayed some medicine on her cuts for them to heal and placed a bandage on them. "There you go, all nice and better." I picked her up and carried her back into the living room. I sat back down with her on my lap.

"You're such a great mom, Teddy." Charlie said. "I wish you were my mom."

"Hey." Mom said.

I laughed. "Don't get me wrong, I have my moments with my kids when they disobey me. I'll probably be stricter when they're older anyways like all parents."

"Still, can I live with you?"

I shook my head. "I'm sure Spencer doesn't want five kids living with him."

"I'm sure the house is big enough." She murmured.

"Sorry to break your bubble, but you have to stay living with mom and Kevin. I'm sure they aren't that bad, and I had to live with mom so now it's your turn to deal with her craziness." Cassandra snuggled into my body and started to close her eyes. "Looks like its nap time."

Later that day, everyone drove to the beach to watch the fireworks since they are normally shown there. I sat down on the sand with the rest of my family.

"Mom, can we have some money?" Brendan asked.

"For what?"

"Ice cream." Braeden said.

"Alright." I grabbed my purse and pulled out a five dollar bill out of my wallet. "I expect to get change back." I handed Brendan the cash.

"K, mom."

"Teddy, you really trust your kids to go off on their own?" Mom asked.

"Mom, they're just going over there and it's not like I can't see them." They came back and Brendan handed me the change. "See, mom, nothing happened." I placed the change back in my wallet.

"Oh, hey guys." Spencer said.

I glanced up. "Uh, hey Spencer."

"Hey dad." Braeden said.

Spencer squatted down. "Hey buddy, oh let me have some."

"No, mine."

Spencer chuckled a bit. "Greedy much, just like your mom."

"Ha, ha, ha, real funny." I placed my hand on my back. "Gosh, my back hurts, I need to lay down. Sky, let me use you as a pillow."

"Teddy, I'm not a pillow." Sky said. "PJ is, but he's mine." She hugged onto her husband.

"Spence, would you like to join us?" Mom asked.

"Uh, I don't want to intrude."

"Don't be silly, you're still family."

"If you insist then alright." Spencer sat down.

"Gosh, my back is killing me." I whined.

"Teddy, you can lay on me, its fine." Spencer said.

I looked over at him. "You sure?"

He leaned back on his right arm. "Anything to make my pregnant woman happy."

I slowly laid my head down on his lap. "I'm not your woman."

"Fine, my baby mama. Happy?"

I stared up at him and slapped his arm. "I think I'd rather be called your woman than-." I stopped. "Owe…"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just the baby… She's just beating me up without a care."

"I'm sorry." Spencer brushed my hair back and kissed my forehead.

"I've been avoiding to ask you this but why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

He smiled and looked around. "What, you don't like?" He joked. "No, but I uh, was on a boat with a few friends today having a party."

"Oh, did you have fun?"

"Uh, yeah, it was alright."

I placed my hand on my side. "Owe, baby girl, stop kicking mommy."

Spencer laughed. "I was thinking since the house is almost all done getting renovated, to move in probably next weekend."

"Next weekend, I'm not even close to being all packed. I just finished packing the kitchen two days ago and half the living room yesterday. I haven't even start on my room or Cassandra's."

"Would you like me to come over and help you?"

"No, it's fine."

"You sure, because I really don't mind. I can help you with the kid's room."

"No, it's fine. I mean, I have people helping me but I doubt I'll be moving in the same time you do unless I take the whole week off next week and just focus on packing."

There was a loud boom that went off the startled me. I looked over to my right at the sky and saw it was the fireworks. They lasted for fifteen minutes before the big finally went off. The sky was filled with smoke by the end of the night.

"Spencer, help me up." Spencer stood up and I held my arms up as he pulled me up. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"Teddy, can I spend the night with you?"

"Uh, my house is a mess, Char."

"I don't care, I need to get away from Ashley. Did you see how rude she was to Cassandra earlier? I really need to get away from that."

"Charlie, come on." Mom said.

"I'll tell you what, if mom says you can then you can."

Charlie walked away to talk to our mother.

"Your "new sister" was mean to our daughter?" Spencer asked.

"Cassandra was crying because she fell and hurt herself so Ashley was like make that kid shut up, she's giving me a headache. Then Charlie was like how about you shut up, your whining is giving me a headache. She's only two, are you two also? I don't know… She needs an attitude check."

"Well she's going to make such a wonderful mother." Spencer said laughed.

"I know. I'd hate to be her kid when that time comes."

"Mom said I could." Charlie said walking back.

"Alright, we'll leave in a second. Can you carry Cassandra for me?"

"I guess I can since you are letting me get away from the bitch."

"I know I said this a million of times but language around my kids. I really don't want them repeating."

"Sorry, I'm always forgetting." She bent down and picked up her niece. "Can we go?"

"Yeah, Braeden, Brendan, come." I shouted. "Alright, we better go. Bye Spencer."

"Alright, I'll talk to you later. Bye."