Chapter 74
"Hi!" Penny said as she carefully pushed the baby stroller, hoping her son would stay asleep as a couple of babysitters made space for her on the park bench.
"Hey Penny!" greeted by one of the babysitters named Gracie.
"Hi Gracie...hi Stacy!" Penny said as she sat down while turning the stroller around, so she could see her son.
"Hi Penny!" Stacy greeted as she looked down on William who was fast asleep in the stroller. "He just loves sleeping huh?"
Penny smiled while looking at her son. "Yeah...and eating too..." she said making them laugh.
"Well it's pretty obvious...I mean look at his arms and legs...they're bigger than Jack's when he was his age." said Stacy, lightly touching William's foot.
"Is he still giving you guys a hard time at night?" asked Gracie.
"Not anymore...but the first four months was so terrible...he wouldn't stop crying even if we feed him and change his diaper...nowadays he still wakes up at night but after we feed him, he goes right back to sleep." said Penny when she saw her son waking up, opening his eyes. "Hey sweetheart!"
William yawned loudly and stretched his arms and legs before smiling at his mother. Penny then checked his diaper, finding it still clean.
"Can I hold him?" asked Stacy.
"Yeah sure." Penny said, opening the top of the stroller and letting Stacy lift her son onto her arms.
"Come here baby...awww, you're so handsome!" said Stacy, pulling William close to her. William looked at her and laughed, amused by the funny faces that she was doing. "Ugh! Your son is so adorable!" she said to Penny.
"Thanks..." said Penny, proud of her son. William then turned to his side and saw his mother, reaching out his arms and becoming overly excited in being with her. "Aww...come here sweetheart...mommy loves you so much!" she said while taking William who pushed his face on her chest while trying to hug her.
"I guess he's gonna be a mama's boy huh?" said Gracie.
"Well I'm not gonna say no to that!" Penny said as she took one toy from the stroller and gave it to her son before sitting him on her lap to let him play by himself.
"Hey...do you remember when I first met you?" Stacy asked.
"Yeah...Leonard and I weren't even dating at that time yet..." Penny said.
"I always had a feeling you two would be together...seeing how comfortable Sarah was around you." Stacy said.
Penny smiled while cuddling her son. "Yeah...it's hard to imagine how that kid could be so kind and gentle after going through stuff like that." she said.
"I know what you mean Penny...that kid deserves everything..." said Stacy.
"It's a good thing your husband is such a great guy huh?" Gracie said.
"Yeah...he's pretty great." Penny said, smiling while looking at her son who was busy playing with his toy.
"I remember a couple of babysitters that used to come here having a crush on him." said Stacy, surprising Penny.
"Uh...what?" Penny asked.
Stacy laughed. "Relax Penny...they tried talking to Leonard but I guess he wasn't interested...maybe his mind was still preoccupied in taking care of Sarah." Stacy said.
"When was this?" Penny asked.
"Uh...maybe a year before you met them...yeah, about that time I guess." said Stacy.
"And Leonard never talked to those women?" asked Gracie.
"He did...and they were a little bit flirty around him...but he never returned their advances...it was just a casual thing." Stacy said.
"I guess he hasn't moved on huh?" said Gracie.
"Yeah...you can kinda see it in his eyes...the sadness...you know how he never takes his eyes away from his daughter...and how he always encourages her to play with the other kids." said Stacy.
"That is so sweet." Gracie said.
"Yeah it was...and if you could see Sarah back then, you would think that she was a different kid before they met Penny." said Stacy.
"How come?" asked Gracie.
"Well Sarah was very shy...she would always pull Leonard's hand and whisper in his ear whenever she needs something...but when they met Penny, she slowly opened up." said Stacy.
Gracie tapped Penny on her shoulder. "Wow...good job Penny!" she said.
"Thanks Gracie..." said Penny.
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Later that night...
"Dad...can you help me with my homework?" Sarah asked.
"Can we do it later honey?" said Leonard as he carried William in his arms, trying to distract the baby away from Penny who was cooking in the kitchen. "I'm a little busy with your brother here."
"But I need your help now." said Sarah.
"Honey...can't you see I'm busy here?" said Leonard.
Sarah took a deep breath. "Fine...I'll do it myself." she said before turning around and going into her room, slamming the door behind her.
Penny heard the brief exchange and looked at Leonard, surprised by the young lady's slight outburst. "What was that all about?"
Leonard went near her. "I think she's getting a little jealous." he said.
"Of her baby brother?" Penny asked. "That's kinda ridiculous Leonard."
"Well think about it...she's been spending most of her time in her room when we come home and only goes out to eat with us." said Leonard. "Did she say anything to you?" he asked his wife.
"Nothing...I've been busy with this young man all day...do you think I should talk to her?" Penny asked.
"We should do it together...let me just get this handsome boy to sleep." he said, taking out a bottled milk from the fridge and warming it up on the kitchen sink.
After warming up William's milk bottle, Leonard put his son on the crib, giving him the bottle and gently goading him to sleep while Penny finished up in the kitchen. William quickly took to his bottle, drinking his fill while looking at his father, slowly drifting off to sleep while Leonard gently rocked the crib.
William went to sleep in no time as Penny finished up in the kitchen. "Come on honey, let's see what that young lady is doing in her room." Penny said while holding his hand. "Sweetheart, we're coming in alright?" said Penny, softly knocking on the door. She slowly opened it and saw Sarah on the bed, with her face down on the pillow. The couple gave each other a weak smile and decided to sit on the side of the bed.
"Honey...are you alright?" asked Leonard, touching her shoulder.
"I want to be alone dad." Sarah said, not facing her parents.
"Sweetheart come on..." Penny said, trying to assuage her daughter.
"Honey...I'm sorry if you feel that we're neglecting you, but you have to realize that it's not true so you don't have to be jealous of your baby brother." said Leonard.
"I'm not jealous!" Sarah yelled at her pillow.
"It's alright to feel this way sweetie...and we totally understand." said Penny. Sarah then sat up and immediately hugged Penny, crying on her shoulder. "Aww...come here sweetheart...it's alright." Penny said, trying to reassure her daughter.
"I know I shouldn't feel jealous because my brother is still a baby and did nothing wrong." Sarah said, slowly calming down.
Leonard gently pulled his daughter and hugged her, kissing her cheek. "Don't be sad honey...we understand how you feel...I mean, you've been the only child until your brother came along and it's totally new for you to have to share me and your mom with someone else." said Leonard.
"Your father is right sweetie...but don't forget that we love you and your brother all the same...it's just that your brother is still a baby...that's why we're focusing our attention on him." Penny said as Sarah leaned her head on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry mom...I'm sorry dad." said Sarah.
Penny kissed her daughter. "It's alright sweetheart...you don't have to apologize to us." she said.
"Hey I have an idea...why don't we go to the ranch this Saturday?" said Leonard. "We haven't been there in ages!"
"But what about William?" Sarah asked.
"We'll take him with us! I'm sure he'll be amused to see all the animals there!" Penny said. "And I know how much you miss Bunny Rabbit."
Sarah nodded. "Okay...let's go to the ranch." said Sarah, making her parents glad.
"That's my girl!" said Leonard. "Now let's get out of here and eat...I'm getting hungry." he said as he turned his back for his daughter to climb on. Sarah smiled and quickly got on her father's back, holding tightly as Leonard stood up, holding her legs. "Ugh! This will definitely take a toll on my back down the line." he said as they went out of the room.
"Save your strength honey...your son would need someone to play horse with when he grows up." Penny said, making Sarah laugh.
"We'll get him a cowboy hat and a whip when the time comes mom." Sarah said, making Penny laugh.
"You bet sweetie!" Penny said.
The three of them went to the kitchen to have dinner while William was fast asleep in his crib with his arms and legs are sprawled like a turtle turned on his back.
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Later that night, after putting her son back on the crib in their bedroom, Penny joined Leonard on the bed who was reading on the iPad. She suddenly took the tablet away from her husband and put her arm around him, smelling his neck.
"Woah...what are you doing?" Leonard asked, surprised by his wife's amorous advances.
"Hmmm...what do you think?" Penny said, gently nibbling on his neck. "It's been six months since that young man was born and I think you've waited long enough." she whispered in his ear.
Leonard laughed while gently hugging his wife, thankful that they're finally having sex. "Come here." he said, kissing her lips passionately.
Penny could feel her husband's excitement as she let him take over. "Well you've been a good father...now be a good husband to me." she said as they quickly took off their clothes.
"Shut up and kiss me." said Leonard as he moved in and felt her body tremble in anticipation as they made love under the covers.
The couple was suddenly startled when William woke up screaming.
"Son of a bitch!" Penny exclaimed as Leonard sighed, trying to keep himself from losing it.
"I got it honey." he said as he got off the bed to check up on his son. He checked the baby's diaper, finding it still clean so he took him in his arms to rock him back to sleep. "Come on buddy...your mom and I need some alone time...just for half an hour." he said as William laughed and giggled, amused by his father.
Penny took a deep breath and pulled the blanket over her. "You guys have fun...I'm gonna go to sleep..." she said.
"Aww come on honey...you can't leave me hanging out here." he said while rocking his son back to sleep.
Penny laughed, finding her husband's plea amusing. "Just hurry up sailor...the offer's still on the table." she said.
"You hear that buddy? If you go to sleep I promise I'll buy you a nice Luke Skywalker plush toy." he said as William yawned and stretched his arms and legs, finally giving in to sleep. "That's my boy." he said as the baby closed his eyes.
After a few minutes, Leonard saw that his son has fallen asleep so he decided to put him back on the crib, being careful in not making any noise that might wake him up. He sighed with relief, glad that his son is already fast asleep before turning around and joining his wife on the bed.
"Come here little miss!" said Leonard, wrapping Penny around his arms while kissing her neck.
"What took you so long?" Penny said as she pulled her husband close and let him do what he wanted.
"Shut up and focus...before your son wakes up again." he said as their bodies merge under the covers.
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"That was worth the wait huh?" Penny said as they laid on the bed, tired and spent after having sex.
"Yeah...well worth the wait." he said before taking a puff from his inhaler.
"Hey...I learned something today...something about you." said Penny, giving him a goofy smile.
Leonard looked suspiciously at her. "What is it?"
Penny laughed, finding his curiosity funny. "I was at the park this morning with your son, taking him for a walk when I learned that a couple of the babysitters there had a thing for you." she said, surprising her husband.
"What? Really?" he asked, unable to believe what Penny told him.
"Yeah...but that was years ago...before we even met." said Penny.
"Who told you this?" said Leonard.
"Stacy." Penny said.
"And did she tell you who that girl was?" he asked, slightly flattered with Penny's revelation.
She glared at him. "Really Leonard? We're here on the bed, naked and married and you still want to know who this mystery girl is?" she said, giving him a stern look.
"No...it's not like that..." he said.
"Then what is it?" said Penny.
"Nothing...it's just kinda nice to find out that someone finds me attractive...or even desirable." he said, hoping Penny would let it go.
"Or maybe you're thinking of hooking up with this girl...when I'm not around!?" Penny said, slapping his chest.
"Come on Penny...you know I wouldn't do that! I mean, I can barely keep up with you and the kids, especially that young man over there." he said, trying to calm his wife down. "What makes you think that I would run after a girl that I don't know just to hook up with her?"
"You're a guy Leonard...all it takes for you is the right signal and before you know it, something already happened." said Penny, playing hard to get.
"Yeah...like the first time we slept together when you jumped on me and locked me in." said Leonard, laughing a bit.
Penny didn't like Leonard's joke and quickly punched his arm. "Jackass!" she grunted.
"Ow! That hurt!" said Leonard, nursing his arm. "Come on honey...do you really think I would cheat on you?" he asked.
Penny sighed. "No."
"Come here." he said, pulling her in for a kiss.
"You must be feeling very good about yourself huh? With all these girls chasing after you?" Penny said, teasing him.
Leonard gave her a smug smile. "Oh you don't have any idea how manly I'm feeling right now." he said, laughing a little.
Penny pulled him in for a kiss. "Then prove it to me sailor!" she said as they got busy under the covers for a second time.
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That Saturday, the couple made good on their promise and brought their kids to the ranch. Sarah was very excited in being out of the city and into the open once again, even if only for a day as William quietly slept on his baby seat, oblivious to the traffic of vehicles ahead of them.
"Thanks for bringing me out here dad." Sarah said as she sat in the front seat while Penny sat in the back with the baby.
"You're welcome honey...let's just hope your brother doesn't make a racket or something." said Leonard, making the girls laugh.
"Yeah...he might scare the horses if he screams or something." Sarah said.
They arrived at the ranch shortly, the same time as William woke up. Leonard parked the car before Penny released her son from the baby seat with William laughing and jumping, happy in being in his mother's arms again. Amanda welcomed them back, earning a hug from the young lady.
"Hi Sarah! Nice to see you again!" Amanda said, hugging the young lady.
"Hi!" said Sarah, hugging Amanda back
"Your dad texted me the other day so I made sure Bunny Rabbit is free today." Amanda said.
"Thank you...we haven't visited for a while because we had to take care of my baby brother." said Sarah.
"Yeah I saw the pictures that your mom sent me." Amanda said as Penny walked up carrying William to meet Amanda. "Hi William! Oh my god you're so handsome!" Amanda exclaimed, lightly tickling the baby, making him explode with laughter. "Can I hold him?" she asked Penny.
"Sure." Penny said as she gently handed her son to Amanda.
"Come to auntie Amanda baby!" she said. "You're so adorable!" she added as William looked and stared blankly at her since this is the first time he was meeting her. "Do you wanna meet some of the animals?" she asked the baby. William suddenly screamed, startling Amanda into thinking she did something wrong. "Uh...what was that?" she asked the couple.
"He's been doing that a lot lately every time he meets someone for the first time." said Penny. "Maybe he's trying to prank you or something." she said, surprising Amanda.
"Oh, you are a naughty boy aren't you!?" she said, tickling the baby and making him scream with laughter. "Come on, we'll go with your sister so you could meet Bunny Rabbit." said Amanda.
"Wait...I almost forgot!" said Sarah, running back to the car and getting a plastic container. "I brought some sliced carrots for Bunny Rabbit...I hope it's alright." said the young girl.
Amanda smiled at Sarah and touched her check. "I'm pretty sure she'll love it. Come on...she's waiting in her stall." said Amanda as Sarah walked beside her.
"Honey, you know what you just did right?" said Leonard as they look at Amanda and Sarah.
"What?" Penny asked.
"You just gave our son away." he said, making Penny laugh.
"Don't worry honey, once they see that our son eats more than a grown-up does, they'll surely give him back to us." said Penny as she put her arms around his neck, kissing his lips.
"Hmm...or...we could make another baby if they don't give him back...that would be fun, right?" he said.
Penny pushed him lightly and turned away, following Amanda towards the barn. "I told you, no!" she said.
Leonard ran up and walked beside her. "Okay...I got it...but I had to give it a shot." he said.
"Good...now come on before your son scares the horses away." said Penny, making her husband laugh.
"I think your son is gonna be a horse person." Amanda said to the couple as she held William near Bunny Rabbit while Sarah took a few carrot slices, feeding them to the horse. William touched the horse's ear and squealed in delight as it moved it's nose to smell the small human. "Look, the horse is so comfortable with him." she added, showing the couple how at ease the animal was around their son.
"I think Bunny Rabbit is at ease because we're giving him treats." said the young lady.
"I think you're right." said Amanda as William continued to laugh, amused by the horse every time he felt the animal's fur. Amanda handed the baby back to Penny. "Let's tack him up so you could get on his back." she said, pulling Sarah into the stall so they could put the saddle on the horse's back.
"Don't stand behind him sweetie...we don't want her kicking you." Penny said.
"I got it mom." said Sarah as she helped Amanda in putting the saddle on the horse, massaging the animal's neck and shoulder to make him feel at ease. "Hey girl...you're so sweet huh?" she said as she fed the horse another piece of carrot, earning her with a light kiss from the horse.
After making sure the saddle and halter was secure, Amanda helped Sarah get on the horse so she could lead it out into the paddock. Once William saw his sister on the horse, he screamed and squealed, amazed at how Sarah could ride the huge animal.
"I think your son is gonna be a cowboy..." said Amanda, finding the young man's excitement adorable.
"Or an equestrian...you know, make the horse jump and do tricks and stuff." Sarah chimed in as she kept herself steady on the saddle.
"Well it's still a long way before your brother makes his own decision." said Leonard as they walk along with Amanda who was leading the horse along the pathway.
The couple along with their son chose to sit on a bench under a tree while watching Sarah ride the horse around the paddock under the watchful eye of Amanda who gives the young girl a few pointers here and there to improve her posture and control of the horse.
"Look at your sister sweetie, isn't she amazing?" Penny said to William while pointing at her stepdaughter.
William saw her big sister, jumping and laughing while Leonard held him on his lap. "You want to ride the big horsie?" he said to his son as William squealed when Sarah rode close by them.
"Ride slow sweetie!" Penny told her daughter.
The horse suddenly stopped on it's tracks and slowly walked backwards until reaching the young family under the tree. "Relax mom...see how well-behaved Bunny Rabbit is?" she said as she patted the horse's neck and mane, rewarding her for being a good horse. "Hey...you are such a good girl!" Sarah said, rubbing the horse's fur. The horse whined a little before facing the young family as William laughed, amused to see the horse up close.
Penny took her son and moved him close to the horse who gently touched the baby with it's nose while William tried to grab the animal's snout, laughing and giggling.
"He's really into horses huh?" Amanda said, joining them while wiping some sweat from her face and neck.
"Yeah...good thing Bunny Rabbit is so well-behaved." said Penny as she let her son touch the animal, being alert in case it gets scared.
"Well, Bunny Rabbit has been around many children for most of her life so she's gotten used to them. I guess she already knows that kids couldn't hurt her and just wants to give her cuddles and treats." Amanda said.
"Did someone tried to buy her?" asked Sarah. "You know, maybe some kid with rich parents?"
"Yeah...a few times actually...but the owner didn't want to let her go." said Amanda.
"What about me?" Sarah asked.
"What about you?" asked Amanda.
"Well...if I had money and a good place for her, would you guys sell Bunny Rabbit to me?" asked the young lady, catching Amanda off-guard.
"Uh...I don't know baby girl...gee, you're kinda putting me on the spot here." said Amanda, a little anxious of the girl's question.
Sarah laughed, gently pulling on the reins to lead the horse back out into the field. "You should've seen your face!" she said before letting the horse walk away, laughing merrily.
"Hey that's not funny!" Amanda said back to her, surprised to know that Sarah was just messing with her.
"Yeah it was!" Sarah yelled back, making them all laugh.
"Sorry about that...but if it makes you feel any better, she always does that to us." said Leonard.
"It's alright...of all the kids that visit this place, Sarah's one of the best and most well-mannered...most of them are just spoiled brats." Amanda said, making the couple proud after hearing the compliment for her daughter.
"She taught her how to do that...that among many things." Leonard said, pointing at Penny who gave him a stern look, not liking his joke.
Amanda saw Penny expression and decided to steer clear of the couple. "Uh...I think this is a couple thing so I'm just gonna go over there and see to your daughter." she said before walking away.
Penny turned away and went back to sit on the bench, cuddling the baby on her lap. Leonard immediately followed her. "Come on honey...I'm sorry...I was just messing with you." he said.
Penny pouted at him, focusing on her son. "You're not getting any for a week jackass!" she said.
"Come on...I said I'm sorry..." Leonard pleaded.
Penny gave him a sly look. "You're so cute when you're begging for sex." she said.
"Yes!" said Leonard, feeling relieved.
Penny laughed as she stood the baby on her lap. "What a jackass...you're still not getting any mister! I promise you that!" she said while making funny faces to amuse her son.
"Aww come on honey!?" said Leonard.
Penny then gave the baby over to her husband before standing up. "I'm gonna go to the toilet...watch the kids." she said before walking away.
Leonard sighed and looked at his son who was looking back at him. "Your mom is really something huh?" he said to William, making him laugh out loud as if he understood what his father told him.
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The young family spent the whole day at the ranch with the couple settling under a shady portion among the trees while still maintaining a good view of their daughter on horseback. William was the happiest of them, seeing the wide open spaces and other animals for the first time, fueling his curiosity about the world around him with Leonard being the nerd dad that he is, explaining things to his son to stimulate his cognitive abilities even if William doesn't understand a thing he is saying. Penny looked at her husband and felt a deeper affection for him, glad that no matter how hard it is in raising two children, he doesn't seem to run out of energy when the kids are concerned.
On the ride home, Sarah was seated in the front seat, clearly exhausted after a day out in the field with Bunny Rabbit, while Penny rode on the back seat as William slept peacefully in his baby seat.
"It seems you had so much fun huh?" Leonard asked as he drove the car along the freeway.
"I did...Bunny Rabbit was so fun to ride on. She's just so sweet and gentle." said Sarah.
"Well I'm glad you had fun because tomorrow, we are gonna have a girl's day out with your aunt Amy and Bernadette." said Penny, making Sarah excited.
"Really? Where are we going?" asked the young lady.
"We're gonna have fun sweetheart...we're gonna go shopping...get our hair and nails done at the salon...eat out...you name it!" said Penny.
"Ugh I'm so excited!" said Sarah, jumping on her seat.
"Me too...I've been wanting to have a whole day with just us girls!" said Penny.
"What about your baby boy?" asked Leonard.
"That's what you're there for." said Penny.
'You've got to be kidding." said Leonard.
"Oh I'm not kidding...and there's nothing you can do to stop us." said Penny, giving her husband a stern look.
"Yeah dad...it's like you don't want mom to get a break from time to time huh?" said the young lady, earning a high five from her mother.
"Good call sweetheart!" Penny said.
Leonard sighed, knowing he can't win against his girls. "Fine...I'll stay at the house all day tomorrow to babysit our son." he said.
"It's not babysitting Leonard...it's called parenting." Penny exclaimed. "And why are you complaining now? You raised Sarah all by yourself right?" she said.
"Okay fine...you girls have fun tomorrow." he said. "But I'm inviting the guys over to the apartment so we could play video games and watch movies all day." he said.
"Okay...just remember...you're there to take care of our son and not play around with three man-kids!" said Penny, making Sarah laugh out loud.
"Dad?" Sarah said.
"Yes honey?" Leonard asked.
"Can you catch a video of uncle Sheldon when he helps you change William's diaper?" said the young lady, making her parents laugh.
"That's a good idea honey...I'll make sure to tell Howard and Raj." he said as they drove home, happy in having fun while William slept quietly in his baby seat.