Riley and Maya were sitting at a kitchen table together as Riley looked at the refrigerator and said, "Wow. Pictures from your new kids on the frig already. Someone has got this adopted mom thing down already." Maya sighed and said, "Well... they're really just from one of the kids." Then suddenly Josh came in through the front door giving a young boy a piggy-back ride while smiling as he yelled, "We ate fifteen ice cream cones at the football game and we still want more! Right Jacob!?" Then the little boy Jacob yelled, "Woo hoo!" Then Josh said, "Come on son. Lets get you to your room before we both have a serious sugar crash!" Then Josh quickly took Jacob out of the room as Riley giggled and said, "I've never seen Josh so happy. How's the other kid doing? Hannah, right?" Maya sighed and said, "Well..." Then a young girl walked into the room going to get a drink from the refrigerator. Maya seeing her said, "Hey Hannah. Vintage clothing store is still open for another couple of hours. We can get there in five minutes in my rocking red electric car. Wanna get some new summer clothes?" The young girl Hannah looking disgusted said, "No. I hate your car, and I hate the clothes you get me." Hannah then walked out of the room as a surprised looking Riley said, "What brought that on?" Maya leaned her head on her right hand as she said, "I don't know. Both Hannah and Jacob seemed cool with us when we first adopted them. And while Jacob has been on cloud nine since he got here, Hannah... has just been a moody mess. And I don't know what to do." Then Riley said, "Mmm. Well maybe, you just need some help..."

In a small living room, Riley was holding baby Aubrey in one arm while sitting at a table working on math work-sheets were Rosaline (Farkle and Smackle's daughter), and ZJ (Zay's son). Then there was a knock on the door, Riley glanced out the window, and then opened the door while still holding Aubrey in one hand. Zay then stepped in as he said, "Hey Riley. How were the kids today?" A smiling Riley said, "A handful. But it was still nice to take care of kids for once that could talk." Then ZJ ran over to Zay and said, "Hey dad. I made this cool picture with Riley today." Zay smiled as he said, "Cool. Well hey, take your time finishing up what you're doing. I'm not in a rush to bounce out." Then as ZJ went back to the table, Zay noticed what he was doing and said, "Hmm. You've got them doing math worksheets during the summer." Riley smirked as she said, "Eh. It doesn't hurt to stay ahead." Zay smiled as he said, "No, no. It's all good. My boy needs a little tutoring. His mom sure doesn't take the time to do that with him." Riley looking concerned said, "Yeah. ZJ was telling me that too. Everything okay between you and his mom?" Zay sighed and said, "I wish it was. I'm honestly concerned about him staying with her every other week, but I got nothing concrete I can accuse her of. Ugg. Let me tell you something Riley. Whatever you do, don't get married to someone you've known for less than three months. I don't know what I was thinking."

Then Riley put a hand on Zay's shoulder and said, "Hey. You're doing your best now. That's what matters." Zay sighed and said, "Thanks. Sorry for unloading everything on you. Between work and raising ZJ, I don't talk to other adults enough nowadays." Then Riley said, "Well I'm always here if you need an adult face to chat with." Zay with a sly smile said, "How about Saturday night at my place. ZJ will be with his mom, and I can use the company." Riley looking caught off guard said, "Oh, I meant... not what you meant, but..." Then Zay looking embarrassed said, "Oh. Sorry. But I mean... if you want to..." Then Riley said, "Um, I'm kinda busy raising my niece here but..." Then Zay said, "Well if you change your mind..." Then Riley said, "Well... I... I'll think about it." Then Zay said, "Cool. Um... ZJ! TIME TO GO!" Then ZJ ran over to Zay, Zay quickly waved at Riley, and then the father and son left. Riley then stood frozen, still holding baby Aubrey in one arm looking confused and uncertain.

The doorbell rang to Maya's apartment. Maya ran over to the door and yelled, "Coming!" Then Maya opened the door and with wide eyes said, "Shawn?" A smiling Shawn stood at the door as he said, "Hey there kiddo. Hope you don't mind I showed up unannounced." Maya and Shawn then gave each other a hug as a smiling Maya said, "Oh no, it's great to see you." Then as Maya and Shawn sat on the nearby couch together, Shawn said, "Good. So... you mind telling me why Riley had to tell me you were having some parenting issues before you did?" Maya sighed and said, "That little princess is still interfering with my life. Well... sorry Shawn. I guess I just wanted to deal with this myself. I'm a parent now, and it's my responsibility to deal with my kids." Then Shawn said, "Hey, I get that and respect that Maya. But you keep family and friends in your life for a reason. We all still gotta help each other out."

Maya then looking frustrated as she said, "It... it just drives me crazy. I'm doing everything I can for Hannah. I'm always there for her when she gets home from school or camp. We sit together as a family for dinner so I can hear about how she's doing. I try to drive her to places that I think she'll like. I'm trying to give her the perfect mother/daughter relationship, and she just shoots hate at me with every attempt I make." Then a sympathetic looking Shawn said, "Well... you do have to give her time. She's bounced around a lot of different foster homes like you told me. Trust me, I know first-hand, jumping between different homes while growing up can definitely take a toll on you." Then Maya ran her fingers through her hair briefly as she said, "It's just... I know this wouldn't have happened if Jacob and Hannah were my biological children. If me and Josh could've been there for them from the beginning, if we had the genetic connection parents and kids had, if I could've gotten to know Hannah since she was a baby... I know it's stupid to say stuff like this, but Shawn, I feel like I missed out on so much not getting to actually be a normal biological parent to my two kids."

Shawn then looking sympathetic said, "No, I get it Maya. For most of my life, I felt like I had missed out on a lot too. But you can't keep regretting what you lost. Instead, you have to be grateful for what you've gained. I mean, being completely honest Maya... I wish I had met you sooner in my life. I wish I could've started being your father when you were kid. But coming from somebody who thought he would never get to be a father, just getting the couple of years I did get raising you is something I am overjoyed to have had. Now I know you wish things went different for you Maya. I know it's weird starting a connection with your kids when they're already half way through their childhood. But you gotta be grateful for the time you have now, and start building a connection with the way things are. Don't live in the past, or worse: a what if past. Be thankful for what you got now." A few tears appeared in Maya's eyes as she said, "That was pretty good. You sure you didn't steal any of that from Riley's dad because that was honestly a legit good life lesson." Then Shawn smirked as he said, "Well you spend enough time with the guy, his wisdom will rub off on you." Then Maya took a deep breath and said, "Well you're right. Although even though you said not to live in the past, that is causing me to wonder something..."

Riley was sitting at an outdoor cafe with her friend Megan. As Riley was stirring a drink she said, "I was so totally caught off guard. He was asking me out, and I totally turned him down." Megan looking interested said, "Well you say you two have been friends a long time." Then Riley covered her face as she said, "Yeah, but just friends. It would be so weird if we tried to be something different." Then Megan said, "Well you could just give it a try and see how you feel. You gave me a try and you saw how it felt." As Megan made a big grin while saying her last sentence, she winked at Riley causing Riley to blush a bit as she said, "Well... Zay's going through a lot right now with his ex-wife, and I'm going through a lot with still trying to re-build my life. I'm still playing catch up in terms of being a responsible adult, and Zay's got his own crazy responsibilities and..." Then Megan interrupted Riley and said, "Then maybe you two can help each other with your issues. Because trust me, we all got issues. I mean I got some issues. So many, many issues I'm still sorting through. But that doesn't stop me from living life." Riley sighed and said, "Yeah. I guess you got a point." Then Megan leaned in and made a sly smile as she said, "And hey. If things don't work out with this Zay guy, you can always come by my place to give this little spark between us a second go." Riley blushed again as she turned her head smiling a bit while still looking at Megan.

Hannah was sitting in a bedroom looking at a book, when Maya stepped in. As Maya sat near Hannah, a frustrated looking Hannah said, "What is it?" Maya then looking guilty said, "I have to confess... I'm an idiot. You never wanna ride in my car, and I never asked why you didn't like it." Then Hannah said, "I don't like your car because it's a stupid car." Then Maya said, "No, you don't like it because it's a red car. I called the adoption agency. Apparently you almost got killed by a red car once, and your last foster care provider said you had a deep hatred towards them. So, this weekend I will be trading my red car in for any vehicle within my price range that has a color you prefer." Then Hannah looking a little more at ease said, "Well... thanks. But I don't hate red cars because one almost killed me. It almost killed me right before I was gonna find my mom." A confused looking Maya said, "What do you mean?" Hannah then said, "The whole thing happened when I was crossing the street trying to get into the adoption agency offices. I wanted to find out who my real mom was. But after I got hurt, I moved to another foster home and was too far away from the adoption agency. But I don't care what you or anybody else says. I'm gonna find my real mom." Hannah then pointed to a locket she was wearing as she said, "This locket was hers. She wouldn't have given something so beautiful to me when I was a baby if she didn't love me. She must still care for me, and I'm gonna find her, and you can't stop me."

Maya then looking sympathetic said, "Hannah... I don't know what happened to your real mother. And if you find out what happened to her, you may not like what you find." Then a frustrated looking Hannah said, "I don't care what I find. I just wanna know what happened, so I can forgive her." Maya paused for a moment, and then made a little smile as she said, "You know... I was left by one of my parents too when I was young. And when I tracked them down in an attempt to hear out what happened, I wasn't willing to forgive them. But if you are... then you might actually be a better person than me. Tell you what. I don't know how yet, but I am going to help you find your biological mother. We will find out what happened. But until then, I am going to take care of you, provide for you, and love you no matter what happens. Because I don't need to be your biological mother to love you with every fiber of my being. And just so you know: there is nothing that is gonna change that. Okay?" Hannah made a little nod and said, "Okay." Maya then stood up and said, "Okay. Well I'll let you keep reading your book." Then Maya began to walk out of the room. Then Hannah stood up and said, "Maya." Maya turned to look back at Hannah as she said, "Yes?" Then Hannah ran towards Maya and hugged her as she said, "Thanks." Maya then hugged Hannah back as she said, "You're welcome."

Riley knocked on a door looking nervous. Then Zay opened the door looking surprised as he said, "Riley?" Riley looking a little awkward smiled as she said, "Hey Zay. Could you still use some company on a Saturday night?" Zay looking surprised said, "Yeah. Sure. But what changed your mind?" Riley then said, "Well... I decided as weird as this might be... I'd rather try something weird with a good friend than with anyone else." Zay smiled as he said, "Hey. I'm all down with weird. Come on in then." Riley looking nervous but excited stepped in as she said, "Sounds like a good idea."

THE END

*Author's Comments - Well, I hoped many of you all found this newest chapter interesting. I know some things are going the way people wanted, while some things are not going the way others wanted. I cannot please everyone, but the one thing I will promise is: I am going to make my creative choices based on what makes a better story, not what pleases my readers. But with that being said, I am on the fence about one thing. I honestly cannot decide if I want Riley to get more intimate with her new friend Megan, or with Zay. I have plans for both, but can't decide which to choose. So leave me a comment or private message letting me know if you wanna see Riley get shipped with Megan or Zay. In this one single case, I will go with popular opinion.

But with that being said, I do have to get serious and share this. For the foreseeable future, I have turned on my ability to moderate guest reviews, and will be carefully be monitoring all comments left on my stories. Any excessive hate messages and comments will be reported to this website's support staff. Also, copies will be made of all hate-related comments and potentially used as evidence in an attempt to charge potential individuals for hate crimes. I have been stalked and harassed in real life outside of this site, and your comments may be used in an ongoing investigation to determine the identity of my aforementioned stalkers and harassers.

I will keep writing stories I enjoy writing. Messages of hate will not stop me. In fact all the hate messages make me wanna keep writing this story even more just to show hate speech will not stop me. This series of stories I've written is about hope, and rebuilding one's life even when ideal things haven't gone your way. That is all I will say on that matter.

*Edit - I do wanna say this: I still ENCOURAGE people to leave comments and send me messages for this story. Despite all the hate I've gotten, this story has also gotten me the highest amount of POSITIVE feedback I've ever received for a story I've written (via comments and private messages combined). I WANT to hear your CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, I wanna know who you ship, and I wanna know what you all want to see happen next (even though I can't please all of you). All positive comments and constructive criticism will not be reported, just the excessive hate comments and messages. Thank you to all the kind support I've already received.