Chapter Twenty-six

*Three years later*

"Mama, Mama! Watch!"

Lauren looked up from feeding two-month-old Charlotte to watch Ethan jump around on the playset they had set up earlier in the summer. "Be careful, Ethan."

He only nodded happily before jumping down from one of the low ledges. Lauren wasn't even sure he heard her as he continued to play. The little boy was a non-stop ball of energy most days and he had nearly destroyed a lamp in the morning before she released him outside. She hoped he would run himself out and wouldn't give her much trouble at naptime.

"Your brother will be the death of me," Lauren said quietly to Charlotte. "You're not going to be as wild as him, right?"

Charlotte was solely concentrating on the bottle and Lauren knew that she didn't really understand her anyway. She was still taking in everything around her, but Lauren wanted to believe she was analyzing everything as she did. Ethan was showing signs of being a quick learner and when he could sit still, he liked helping with puzzles or different games Bo and Lauren played with him.

She took a quick glance at her watch and figured Bo would be home in about an hour. She thought she finally found a good candidate to take over as manager of the Dal and had driven to the bar earlier to meet the man to replace Trick. Though he could never be fully replaced at the bar and Lauren knew he would probably still want to make an appearance every now and then.

Even though Bo had finally convinced him to fully retire, Trick was still as active as ever. Now he simply tried different hobbies and was there to help with his great-grandchildren whenever Lauren and Bo needed it.

There were times when they really did need the help. Being first time mothers, there were some panicked moments with Ethan. The little boy had a couple months of being extremely crabby and there were moments where Lauren feared her wife might have a breakdown. Bo doubted her skills as a mother and her ability to care for their son, something that Lauren needed to convince her off.

They got through it, like they did other problems. Ethan soon calmed down and became the happy, little boy his mommies knew he was. Once he started to crawl, he was nonstop, with an amazing amount of energy.

One night, Bo brought up the topic of more children, something that surprised Lauren since Bo second-guessed herself so much with Ethan. They talked about it and it seemed that Bo's confidence as a mother had grown and she wanted to add to their family. She also thought that Lauren should carry the second child, especially since she had expressed an interest when they were planning for Ethan.

That worked for Lauren, too. She was in good standing at the hospital, having moved quickly through the ranks to the point that she was creating her schedule. When she approached her boss about her and Bo's baby plans, all she wanted was a promise that she would be coming back after her maturity leave was complete.

Being pregnant wasn't exactly something Lauren particularly enjoyed and she ended up having to take leave early from the hospital because she was getting exhausted fast during the day. Bo was especially concerned, especially when they had a scare when Lauren was six months pregnant. It turned out to be nothing, but Bo hovered over every little thing for the rest of her pregnancy. There were some disagreements over some of that hovering, but Lauren tried hard to let Bo do what she needed.

The day Charlotte was born was a day Lauren would never forget. They were eating breakfast and she was playing a game with Ethan to get him to eat his cereal when the first contraction hit her. Her water broke a couple minutes after, which made Bo panic, especially when Ethan asked what was wrong and started to cry, thinking he had done something to hurt his mom.

Thankfully, Bo's father was only a few minutes away and was able to stay with Ethan so they could go to the hospital. The drive went by in a blur, especially because Bo tried her best to get there as fast as she could. Lauren half expected they would get pulled over and she would end up giving birth along the side of the road.

Labor lasted over four hours and then she saw her little baby girl for the first time. She had a strong set of lungs and for all the concerns her doctor had the last couple months, she was perfectly healthy. Ten fingers, ten toes, and a little tuft of hair on her head made her look adorable even with the ear-piercing cry.

Bo was so supportive through the entire experience, though Lauren knew she was trying really hard not to panic. Every time she looked at her all she could see was worry, especially when the doctor said something that might have sounded like a complication.

Charlotte was just perfect in Lauren's eyes. Even with the late nights and the crying, she wouldn't have traded their little baby girl for anything. She hadn't even missed the hospital so far and knew that it would be a big adjustment when she went back in a month.

Ethan came running up to her as she took the empty bottle away from Charlotte. "Mama, play with me."

"Charlotte just got done eating, sweetie," Lauren said, adjusting the baby in her arms. "You can help me and by the time we're done, Mommy will be home and we can all play together."

"Mommy will be home soon?" Ethan's eyes lit up at the thought of Bo coming home and Lauren smiled. Their son loved to have the attention of both his parents.

Lauren nodded as she heard the garage door open. "Go inside and get that drawing you made for her, okay?"

He nodded excitedly and dashed inside the house, happily getting his artwork. Lauren let out a chuckle as she watched him for a moment before turning her attention to Charlotte, making sure she had a towel over her shoulder before placing Charlotte there. "Okay, baby. Let's get you all settled."

"I can do that."

Lauren looked from Charlotte to Bo, who was walking out of the back door of the garage, closing it gently behind her. "You're back earlier than I thought you'd be."

Bo smiled as she walked to them, placing a kiss on the top of Charlotte's head before giving Lauren a quick kiss on the lips. "I think I finally found a manager. We're going to have a follow up meeting in a few days. I have to run a solid background check and talk to his references first, but he impressed."

"That's great news, baby," Lauren said, reluctantly handing over Charlotte to Bo so she could be burped. "Then maybe Trick will finally take a step back and you can simply manage the books without too many late nights."

"That's the dream, right?" Bo smiled then looked around the yard. "Where's Ethan?"

"Right here, Mommy!" Ethan yelled, dashing out of the house, papers in his hand. "I drawed for you!"

"You did?" Bo sat down next to Lauren so Ethan could show her what he'd been doing while she was at the Dal. "Let's see it."

He proudly handed her the sheets of paper full of shapes and bright colors. Lauren smiled as Bo praised their son. He explained the pictures of the house and where he had help from her to get the shapes right. "These are wonderful, sweetheart! Where should we put these? How about this one on the fridge and the rest in the playroom?"

"Okay!" He climbed up on Lauren's lap and rested against her. "Playing now?"

"You've been playing all morning, big guy," Lauren said. "Since Mommy's home early, she can eat lunch with us and then we can play inside." Ethan's lower lip stuck out, causing Lauren to chuckle quietly. "Oh, it'll be fun. Maybe we'll come back out later."

She kissed the top of his head as he relaxed his body against hers and looked at Bo. "Pretty uneventful day, huh?"

"Just the way I like it."

The rest of the day flew by and Bo loved the fact she was able to spend it with Lauren and their kids. Ever since Charlotte was born, she found herself wanting to be home whenever she could, more than she thought possible. She enjoyed even tasks that others might avoid, like changing diapers and bath time. She simply loved every second with her two kids.

In the last few years, Bo knew she'd grown not only as a wife and mother, but as a person as well. She knew that years ago she would never want this as her life. There was a certain amount of contentment in having a day job that paid the bills and having no real responsibilities. Even the one-night stands were fun and came with zero after thoughts.

Then Lauren entered her life and all that changed. She was her other half and showed her that there were responsibilities that were worth the effort. She could better her life and support those around her without losing herself or changing the rules she protected herself with.

Bo was proud of how she grew as a mother most. When Ethan was born, she panicked half of every day, thinking she was doing something wrong. When he cried and she wasn't able to calm him down, she immediately thought she was a failure. This was especially the case when Lauren would come home and he would fall asleep in her arms. It didn't matter to her that the little boy had probably cried himself to sleep and Lauren happened to be the one holding him at the time. It still felt like she was doing something wrong.

One person who helped her a lot was Lauren's mother. She was always available to answer a question or simply listen if Bo was having a problem with Ethan or if she was struggling with the challenges that came with a new baby. The woman made good on her promise to be there if she needed some help and Bo was so grateful.

Of course, Lauren was a huge help, though Bo knew she was just as nervous when it came to figuring out how to be a good parent to Ethan. There were one or two panicked calls to their pediatrician that proved it, along with face-time chats with her mother on if she thought the baby boy looked sick. She had to take it in stride, knowing that they were figuring everything out together.

Since marrying Lauren and starting a family, her career goals had changed as well. She had to admit she didn't have any before she met Lauren. There was no real point to where she was employed, as well as the job paid her and she was able to leave work at work. Trick pushed her to be more than just a bartender, which was part of the reason she ended up with an office job. She enjoyed that, but it wasn't something she lived for.

Going to college was something she liked more than she originally thought and it made her realize one thing: she didn't want to go into the financial world. She figured if she did, she might miss out on time with her family, like her own father when she was growing up. They had slowly built a relationship and one thing he told her was that he wished he hadn't missed so many moments with her and her mother. It was a mistake she didn't want to make.

There was also the Dal to consider, especially since Trick was getting older and had a heart attack was Ethan was six months old. She had planned on taking over the Dal once he wanted to take a step back, but after seeing him in the hospital, Bo knew she needed to convince him it was time to retire. She managed to get him to cut back to part-time and took over for him.

Working at the Dal was one thing she was changing now that Charlotte was born. She could manage the books, but she didn't want to be there everyday until the early morning hours when she had two young children. After discussing it with Lauren and Trick, Bo decided to hire a full-time manager so she could take a step back. It wasn't an easy process, she'd already had to fired one, but she had high hopes for the new person.

"Not dirty!"

Bo chuckled and shook her head, trying to concentrate on changing Charlotte's diaper while Ethan tried to convince Lauren that he didn't need a bath. "Yes, you are, buddy. We played all day. Now it's time to play with your boats and get all cleaned up."

Charlotte let out a cry, causing Bo to solely focus on the baby. "Okay, sweetie, one more second and we'll be all done."

They usually took turns with bath time, mostly because their son could be difficult. All of the grandparents claimed to have raised a child with a stubborn streak so Bo wasn't even sure who to blame for Ethan's trait. She only knew that once he was in the tub, he was as content as could be. It was getting him there that was the challenge.

She quickly finished up with Charlotte and held her against her chest as she walked out of the room and to Ethan's, where she instantly saw him facing off with Lauren. "Mommy, I don't need a bath!"

Her eyes met Lauren's for a second before she focused on her son. "I think you might. Remember how we said that you needed to keep your toys clean if you wanted to play with them inside and outside." She waited for him to nod before continuing. "Well, if you're dirty then they might be, too."

Lauren nodded. "That's right. If I check your toys and they're dirty because you didn't take a bath then I don't think you can take them outside anymore. Should I check Reggie out first?"

Ethan shook his head furiously, his eyes darting toward his favorite stuffed animal as it sat on his bed. "No, I want Reggie!"

"Then you're going to take a bath, right?" Lauren asked and Bo watched as she tried to hide a smile when he nodded in agreement. "Okay, let's go get clean."

Ethan dashed past Bo and out of the room with Lauren following behind him. "Good save, baby."

Bo let out a chuckle. "Well, you did go for his beloved lion. Good call."

Lauren smiled and shook her head. "Let's try to get them both down at the same time tonight. I'd love to have a little quiet time with you."

"That sounds amazing."

With their son asleep with Reggie tucked in his arms and their daughter asleep in her crib, the house was quiet, something that hadn't occurred much recently. Lauren knew that she needed to enjoy it while she could because Charlotte wasn't sleeping through the night and Ethan sometimes had a habit of wandering into their room when he woke up. With kids, they never knew when they would be interrupted.

She walked out of the master bathroom into their bedroom to see Bo looking at her laptop. Lauren knew that Bo had been a little stressed about the Dal and she hoped that she would be able to take a step back soon. They hadn't even talked about child care yet and she would be back at the hospital before she knew it. If Bo was still going to the bar every day because she needed to manage it, they would have to have someone to watch the kids.

"What are you looking at?"

Lauren smiled, walking toward the bed. "I'm staring at a beautiful woman in my bed. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Bo playfully patted the space next to her. "Then you should join me."

In just a few quick steps, Lauren was joining her wife. She rested her head on her shoulder and looked at the computer screen. "What are you looking at?"

"My father sent me a link to this hotel. He thought we might want to get away for a weekend before you go back to the hospital." Bo pointed at the room's features. "It reminds me of that place we went to for our one-year anniversary."

Lauren looked it over, recognizing that it had definite similarities to the place they visited for a quick anniversary celebration. "Do you really think we need a weekend away?"

Bo shrugged. "I don't want to leave the kids, but it might be nice to have a night without feedings, diaper changes, and a little boy who won't stay asleep."

"I'm not sure if we should leave Charlotte. Ethan didn't stay with anyone until he was six months old."

"Honey, it's not that I don't want to be with the kids all the time, but it would be nice to do some of those things we can't do with them around . . . like make love without the need to rush and fall asleep naked in each other's arms."

It was something to think about, but that wasn't what Lauren wanted to do with the window of free time they had. She closed the laptop and took it from her wife, setting it off to the side. "We can discuss that later. Right now, I want to show you how much I love you."

Bo wiggled her eyebrows suggestively in response and leaned in for a kiss, one Lauren enthusiastically returned. Even though they were older and had more responsibilities, they still tried to keep the passion in their relationship. Sure, they weren't in their twenties anymore and Ethan and Charlotte sometimes stopped them in their tracks, but Lauren really did think Bo was the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen and that only increased with age.

Their window of time was always limited so they made quick work of the shorts and tanks they were about to sleep in. Once there were no barriers between them, Lauren pulled Bo on top of her and sighed at the contact. Their sex life had only recently started to pick up after she gave birth to Charlotte and she missed this closeness more than she could ever say.

They moved together, wrapped up in each other as their rhythm sped up and their kisses became frantic. Lauren knew she wouldn't last long, the feeling of finally having Bo against her was too much for her. She could tell Bo was close as well, knowing the sounds her wife made when they were intimate all too well.

"Bo, I'm so close," she exclaimed quietly, aware of her volume so they didn't wake either child.

"Me, too, baby," Bo mumbled out before kissing her again.

It was only another couple minutes before both of them came, clinging to each other while riding out their orgasms. Lauren wished they could continue, but she knew that they would soon need to get their clothes on once again. That didn't mean they couldn't spend a few minutes basking and they made every second count.

Once they were dressed, they got back into bed and Lauren immediately curled up in Bo's arms. "You know, I think maybe that night away wouldn't be so bad."

Bo smiled. "Maybe not for a couple months. Charlotte is still so little."

Lauren couldn't help but smile in return. She was so happy at how her life turned out so far and knew it would only get better from here. And all because she went to a party and had what she thought would be a one-night stand.

No regrets.

The End

A/N: After so much, this is the end of this story. Unless a one shot enters my mind anyway. Please let me know what you think of this one. Thanks to everyone who stuck with this one through everything. I know it was a long wait. I have two jobs for the next couple months and am short on time but I spend every free minute writing. I'll look at my other two next or maybe start up something else. Who knows? I love Doccubus and love writing them! Until next time! Twitter: hayley128 :)