Jay held Penny in one arm against his chest to stop her from crying and used his other hand to rub sunscreen on Drew's face while Hailey struggled to get Blake to hold still long enough to spray him.

"Mama, Mama," he said while whining and pointing toward the sprinkler, "Mama."

"You can go play in a minute, dude, I just have to put this on you so you don't get hurt," she explained as she tightened her grip on his slippery arm.

Drew scrunched his face up and jerked away from Jay, "My eyes!"

Jay sighed, "Bud, I'm being as careful as I can with one hand. Stay still."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Adam called out as he walked in the backyard, "Party has arrived!"

Cara followed him with her bunny cage in hand, "Drew, Buzz! Dadam said I could bring Fluff."

"She stays in the cage," Kim said while pushing her sunglasses up in her hair.

Cara rolled her eyes and set the cage down, "Fine."

"Okay, you're done," Hailey sighed and let go of Blake's arm so he could run off to jump in Adam's arms.

"Dad," Drew mumbled.

"Let me see," Jay stepped back and squinted his eyes, "Oh, wait," he used his thumb to rub in a small spot above Drew's eyebrow, "Okay, you're good."

"Thank you," Drew relaxed and hurried over to Cara at the sprinkler.

Adam set Blake down then joined Hailey and Jay on the back porch with his cooler, "How's it going?"

"Good," Hailey let out a breath and took a long sip of water.

Penny whimpered and curled up into Jay's chest.

"Aw, does she want her Aunt Kim?" Kim asked as she walked over. She slipped her hands around Penny to pick her up and softly shushed her while rocking her back and forth.

"She might be hungry," Hailey looked over Kim's arms, "Oh, pretty girl, hi."

"Hi, Penny Jane," Kim whispered, "You really are so cute."

"I'm thinking of calling her PJ," Adam sat down and opened up his cooler, "Or I could call her Peej."

"You're not doing that," Jay said.

"No PJ or no Peej?" Adam asked.

"Peej, you dumbass," Jay smirked and grabbed the beer being offered to him, "Thanks."

Hailey looked up to see Jay drink the beer and licked her lips.

"Hails," Adam held a bottle out catching her eye, "You want one?"

"I can't," she bit her lip and stepped back, "Breastfeeding, you know?"

Jay pulled his phone from his pocket, "Maybe you can have one?"

"I don't know," Kim said, "You're still supposed to stay away from coffee when you breastfeed."

Jay shot her a look, "Rock the baby and stop talking, Burgess."

"Burgess-Ruzek," Adam corrected.

"Yeah," Jay chuckled and scrolled through his phone while keeping an eye on Hailey as she watched Blake attempt to drink from the sprinkler with Cara as Drew took a break to watch a finch on their bird feeder.

"Okay," he finally cleared his throat, "Hails, this says one beer will be fine. Just don't feed her for two hours."

"Well, maybe I can feed her now then?" Hailey glanced at her phone for the time.

Jay nodded, "And we can do bottles the rest of the day."

Kim held Penny out, "Here you go."

"Thanks," Hailey sat down with Penny and adjusted her shirt. As she began feeding Penny, Kim pulled a chair over to sit next to her.

"So, are you glad this is what you decided?" she asked.

Hailey smiled slightly, "Yeah. It feels special. And she's been doing really well with bottles too, so Jay can feed her. Drew actually really loves feeding her too."

"How's he doing?" Adam asked, "Jay said things were a little rough the other day."

Hailey sighed, "Yeah, but we're getting through it. The balance was just off for a bit."

Jay nodded, "When it was rainy, I spent the day with him doing puzzles and sitting in his room. That helped."

Kim glanced over at Drew still in his own world as Cara tried teaching Blake how to cup the water in his hands. She smiled, "And the little stinker?"

"Depends on the minute," Jay laughed.

Hailey smiled, "He's interested in looking at her and petting her, but he does not want to 'hold' her and gets a little jealous when any of the rest of us are with her for a while – a lot of pulling on our arms or saying 'no.'"

Jay held up a finger, "That's mostly when he's tired."

"True," Hailey nodded, "I have been able to get him to nap with me during the day which has helped with him sleeping in his own bed now."

"He's cute," Adam chuckled.

Blake turned to look at them and yelled, "Mama!" He waved then jumped near the sprinkler in a fit of laughter.

Hailey laughed with him, "Very cool!"

Penny's hand brushed over Hailey's skin causing her to look down at her blue eyes staring at her.

"You too, hi," Hailey whispered with a smile, "Hi, Penelope."

Smiling, Kim looked at her and leaned forward against her knees. Her eyes were soft while watching Hailey's every move. Jay noticed and raised an eyebrow. Turning to Adam, he wanted to ask what her face was for, but Adam seemed just as interested in Hailey and Kim as he was, so he cleared his throat and walked over to Drew.

"Hey, bud," he said softly.

Drew blinked and glanced away from the finch, "Hey."

"Doing okay?" Jay asked.

Drew nodded, "I like the yellow ones. I haven't seen one in a while."

"Yeah," Jay crossed his arms, "Maybe we need to get more food specific for them."

Drew's face lit up as he looked up at Jay, "Really?"

"Course," Jay smiled back, "I can take you to the store tomorrow. We'll pick something out."

"Thanks," Drew said. He turned back to the finch just as it flew away. He let out a breath then looked at Blake and Cara. "Can we get a pool?" he asked.

"No," Jay answered easily.

Drew sighed, "Fine."

Jay chuckled, "Sorry."

"No, it's okay," Drew said, "There needs to be rules."

"And where are we going to put one?" Jay asked.

"That's a good point," Drew nodded.

Jay watched him then asked again, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Drew hesitated then relaxed with a smile and nodded, "I'm happy. I promise." He put his hand out.

Jay smiled at him and shook his hand, "What's this for?"

"For being a good dad," Drew answered, "I'm sorry I lose my temper sometimes. You're just doing your job."

"Hey, hey," Jay hugged Drew quickly, "Thank you, but don't feel like you have to apologize. I understand. I used to get mad at my dad too when he'd pay more attention to Uncle Will than me."

Drew stepped away, "You did?"

Jay nodded, "My dad and I didn't get along super well, but," he squatted in front of Drew, "I don't want us to be like that. I want us to have a much better relationship, and guess what? I think we're already doing much better than I did with my dad."

Drew smiled at that and looked down at his hands.

"You and I have always had a pretty special thing, huh?" Jay asked.

Drew nodded, "I love Mom, I do, but you're different."

Jay chuckled, "I get it, and so does she. She doesn't take offense at all, I promise."

"That's good," Drew let out a breath.

Jay lightly cupped his face then stood up, "You gonna go play with your brother and cousin?"

"Cara's not my cousin," Drew corrected.

"Close enough," Jay winked.

"But I will play," Drew nodded, "I like them."

"Good," Jay laughed.

Drew smiled too before hurrying over to chase Blake with Cara.

On the porch, Hailey laughed softly at them. "We have cute kids," she breathed.

"Hit the jackpot with them," Adam nodded.

"Okay," Hailey said quietly and fixed her shirt once Penny finished, "Good job, baby girl."

"Can I hold her again?" Kim asked.

"Uh, sure," Hailey passed her over, "Have you two-"

"Hails," Adam held out a beer, "Enjoy it."

Hailey smiled slightly, "Should I?"

Kim laughed softly, "Yes. It's been too long. Drink a beer."

Hailey reached out and grabbed the open bottle. She looked at it for a moment before taking a long drink with her eyes closed.

Jay returned to the porch and chuckled, "Does it feel like your 21st birthday?"

Hailey laughed as she set the bottle on the table, "If we're pretending my first drink was on my 21st, sure."

Adam snorted, "How old were you?"

"Um, seventeen? My brother bought me some wine coolers after a fight with my mom," Hailey shrugged.

Jay reached over to lightly squeeze her knee then sipped his beer, "I think I was sixteen at some party. Will needed to come pick me up, but then ended up getting distracted and pretty buzzed himself, so he called our dad."

Adam laughed, "Bold. I was too scared to call home, so I walked two miles while drunk."

"You really are a miracle, aren't you?" Kim smirked, "I cannot believe you're alive."

"Well, I've lived a great life," Adam chuckled with a shrug.

"What about you, Kim?" Hailey asked, "When was your first drink?"

"Twenty-one," Kim nodded, "I waited."

"Why am I not surprised?" Jay laughed.

"I like rules, Halstead," Kim jokingly snapped.

"Hey, you're a good influence," Jay replied.

Hailey smiled, "The best. No one else I'd want to be holding my baby right now."

Kim relaxed and looked back down at Penny, "She is so tiny. I'll never get over it."

"What about when you have your own?" Adam asked softly.

Hailey and Jay froze with wide eyes looking between the both of them and suddenly their behavior around Penny clicked.

"Are you…?" Hailey whispered.

Kim shook her head, "We've been trying though."

"Every night and sometimes in the morning too," Adam said under his breath.

"Been there," Jay nodded.

"It sucks," Kim sighed, "We've been trying since May."

"Well, that's just a couple months," Hailey said, "That's just a couple months. It took us one for Penny."

"It took us one night for that first baby," Kim pointed out sadly.

Hailey frowned and squeezed Kim's arm.

"It'll work out," Jay tried, "You two are great parents."

"Thanks, man," Adam slid down in his chair and finished his beer as he watched Drew and Cara help Blake jump over the sprinkler

They fell into a silence for a while with just the sound of the kids in the background. Penny eventually fell asleep against Kim, so they all took turns watching her little hands wiggle slightly as she slept and enjoying their drinks in the sun.

When they were done running around, Drew, Cara, and Blake hurried over to their towels. "I'm refreshed," Cara panted and held her arms out so Adam could wrap her in the towel.

"Good," Kim smiled, "It's warm out today."

"Mama," Blake patted Hailey's lap.

She laughed softly and grabbed his towel to wrap him up before putting him on her lap, "Was that fun?"

Blake nodded and rested his head on her shoulder.

Drew dried off then peeled off any pieces of grass struck to his legs, "Can we go to the park?"

"Where'd that come from?" Jay asked and used the towel to gently wipe off Drew's face.

Drew shrugged, "We think it'd be fun."

Cara nodded quickly, "I love the swings. Please."

"I think Blake's falling asleep," Hailey said, "But what about tomorrow?"

Cara sighed, "Darn toddlers."

Adam raised an eyebrow, "Cara. No."

"Today is a water day anyways," Kim shrugged, "We're doing stuff in the backyard."

Drew hummed then whispered in Jay's ear, "Can we have popsicles?"

Jay laughed and stood up, "Sure. Cara, what color do you want?"

"Of what?" Cara asked while climbing onto Adam's lap.

"A popsicle," Jay said.

"Oo," Cara's eyes widened, "What colors do you have?"

"Orange, red, and purple," Drew answered for him.

"Purple," Cara nodded.

"Dad, can I have orange?" Drew asked.

"Mhmm," Jay glanced over to Blake fighting to keep his eyes open in Hailey's arms and chuckled, "What's he want?"

Hailey smiled, "Normally I'd say red, but seeing as he's probably not going to finish it, I'd like an orange."

Jay laughed and walked inside.

Cara swung her feet back and forth, "So when we go to the park, I want it to be a fun park."

"What's wrong with the park we usually go to?" Adam asked.

"It got boring," Cara sighed, "I need new entertainment."

"Somewhere new?" Drew asked, "I don't know."

"Have you ever been to Erie Park?" Hailey asked.

"Isn't that near Greektown?" Kim asked.

Hailey nodded, "I used to go there when I was younger."

"I don't think we've taken her there," Kim said.

"I don't know what parks are called, I just like swings," Cara shrugged.

Jay stepped outside with all the popsicles, "Who wants one?"

Drew put his hand up and once he was unwrapping his popsicle, he asked, "Dad, did you ever go to Erie Park with Mom? She said she went when she was younger."

"Uh, no," Jay unwrapped Cara's popsicle for her then passed it to her with one for Adam.

"I meant younger like when I was a kid," Hailey explained as she held the popsicle for Blake to sleepily lick.

"Did you like being a kid?" Cara asked.

"Me?" Hailey asked.

Cara nodded, "When you were my size. Were you happy?"

"Oh," Hailey tried to smile, "I…I had happy days."

"Honey, don't drip on Dad," Kim interrupted in an attempt to distract Cara.

Cara looked at her popsicle melting, "Oops."

Jay cleared his throat, "Drew, why Erie Park?"

"Mom said it's a fun park," Drew shrugged, "Can we go tomorrow?"

"You want to go near Greektown?" Jay asked Hailey quietly.

She let out a breath and nodded slightly.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Cara smiled, "New park!"

"How's a picnic sound?" Kim asked.

"I do love picnics," Drew nodded.

"Great," Adam chuckled, "Tomorrow is a picnic in the park."

Hailey weakly smiled before taking a bite of Blake's popsicle that he'd abandoned as he fell asleep in her arms. While Kim was too distracted by Penny and Adam couldn't take his eyes off of Cara, Jay noticed right away that Hailey was not as okay as she was trying to make it seem.

While watching Madagascar that night, Drew passed out on the recliner leaving just Hailey and Jay watching the movie. Jay waited until Penny was done with her bottle to break the silence and ask, "Do you really want to go to Greektown tomorrow?"

Hailey tore her gaze from the TV, "Sorry?"

"Are you sure you want to go to Greektown tomorrow?" Jay repeated. He held Penny to his shoulder and rubbed her back, "We don't have to go."

"No, no," Hailey shook her head, "We'll go. It was my idea."

Jay's eyes widened, "Really?"

Hailey nodded, "I'd been thinking about it lately."

"Oh," Jay sat up slightly, "You…why?"

Hailey frowned and pulled a blanket over her, "I think because I have a daughter now. My mom has a daughter too."

Jay then understood and looked down at Penny fighting sleep against his shoulder. He smiled a little, "I get it, but…"

"I just wonder about her," Hailey rested her head back against the cushions, "She has made a lot of mistakes…a lot…but I need to know that she's safe and alive, is that a bad thing?"

"Hailey, no, of course not," Jay breathed, "I'm just worried that seeing her will hurt you again."

Hailey thought back to all the times her mom had hurt her in the past two years…when she sat as her dad yelled at her in a restaurant about Drew, when she didn't defend her after her dad grabbed her in the NICU, when she said Penny was going to be her first real grandchild.

Jay had a point. He was allowed to be concerned because he was always the one who picked up the pieces of her mother's destruction, and yet…Hailey also didn't want to listen to him about this one thing.

It was her mom. She should be allowed to hold onto this tiny amount of hope that her mom would appreciate the family Hailey created.

In all honesty, she didn't know if she'd ever actually get to that point with her mom. She didn't know if she actually wanted to talk to her mom. In a way, she just wanted to see her mom or, rather, have her mom see her. If her mom could just see how happy Hailey and Jay were with all their children, maybe then she'd understand what family was.

So Hailey sighed and reached over to rub his thigh. "Thank you," she whispered, "I appreciate it, I do, but can you just promise to support me no matter what happens? If it ends in tears or anger or nothing, I need to know that you'll be on my side."

"Hails," Jay shook his head and scooted closer to tug her into his side, "I'll always be on your side."

Hailey closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. She relaxed for a moment then blinked her eyes back open only to see Penny staring right back at her. Laughing softly, she lightly brushed her finger over Penny's cheek. "Hi, honey," she breathed, "Or should I say PJ like Uncle Adam?"

"Oh god," Jay rolled his eyes, "I don't think she's a PJ, but I'm letting it slide for now."

Hailey laughed, "It's cute."

"She's too sophisticated to be a PJ," Jay said, "She's my Penny Jane."

"You also call her your baby bird and your princess," Hailey pointed out.

"Because she is those things," Jay chuckled, "Do you see her mouth open and close before she eats? She's just like a little bird waiting for its food."

"So gross," Hailey laughed, "Baby birds are all hairless and skinny."

"Literally our daughter," Jay nodded.

"Oh my god," Hailey laughed harder into his side, "She has hair!"

"Fuzzy hair," Jay smiled and used his free hand to brush his fingers through the soft hair on top of Penny's head, "Ginger too like Will."

"I wouldn't say ginger," Hailey corrected, "I think she's a strawberry blonde. It's too light to be straight up red like him."

"Totally different than the boys," Jay said.

Hailey smiled, "They're each their own person. We have our incredibly kind dinosaur expert, our chaotic car-obsessed toddler, and our sweet little princess. They're perfect."

"I love them so much," Jay kissed the top of Penny's head. He looked down at Hailey, "And I love you for giving them all to me."

Hailey raised an eyebrow, "Only one of them came out of my body and thank god for that."

Jay laughed and kissed her forehead, "I just mean that because of you, I'm a dad. I don't think I ever could have had this family without you – well, for one, I literally would not have Penny."

Hailey's smile widened and she pushed up to kiss his cheek, "And before you, I don't know if I ever really imagined having any type of family. You gave me the strength to love."

Jay turned his head enough to catch her lips in his. He moaned after a moment then whispered, "I'd really love if I could carry you upstairs and show you how much I love you right now."

"Few more weeks," Hailey put her hand on his cheek, "I do miss you too. It's not an individual thing."

A smile spread on Jay's face and he said, "Cool."

Hailey rolled her eyes then hit his chest as she straightened up, "Cool? That's what you say after I tell you I want to have sex with you despite the pain you just put me through."

Jay chuckled, "But look what that pain brought you. The most perfect little bundle of joy we could have asked for."

Hailey softened and leaned over to kiss Penny's head, "That is very true."

"Do you feel complete after her?" Jay asked softly.

Hailey thought for a moment then nodded, "I love the boys so incredibly much, but I couldn't shake that feeling of having one more. That feeling's gone now. I do feel like we did it. We have our family."

Jay smiled and nodded, "I feel the same way. We needed Drew to show us that we're not our parents and that we are capable of having a good family, and then Blake taught us everything about patience, and now Penny Jane…I think she's teaching us what family truly is."

"It's messy," Hailey laughed softly, "And it's not perfect and it can be loud, but it's love and living room forts and cuddling in bed despite too many little feet kicking around."

Jay laughed shaking his head, "And sippy cups stabbing our sides in the middle of the night."

"Your enemy," Hailey laughed harder

"Damn things," Jay picked up a stray cup off the side table, "He needs to learn how to put them in the dishwasher himself."

"Now that'll be a trick," Hailey smiled and stood to grab the cup from him.

"He loves tricks," Jay joked, "He's probably figuring out how to climb on our bed right now."

Hailey stopped at the edge of the kitchen and turned to face him, "Jay."

"Kidding, kidding," Jay stood up.

"No, Jay," Hailey hurried to the stairs and tried listening for some sort of noise to tell her Blake wasn't asleep in his room, "Jay, go up there and check on him. You know him."

"Hails, he's fine," Jay raised an eyebrow.

"Jay," Hailey said through clenched teeth.

"Okay, okay," Jay shifted Penny into the crook of his arm, "I'll head up there." He kissed her cheek before going up the stairs.

Hailey took a deep breath then went to put the sippy cup in the dishwasher. She steadied herself for a moment against the counter until she felt ready to face the music of bedtime. Returning to the living room, she turned off the TV then knelt in front of Drew and whispered, "Hey, can you wake up for me, baby? Mom wants to get you upstairs in bed."

Drew stirred quietly and slowly blinked his eyes open.

"Hi," Hailey smiled. She straightened up to lightly rub his arm, "I think your bed will be more comfortable."

Drew mumbled and sat up.

"What's that?" Hailey asked.

"I wish you could carry me," Drew yawned.

Hailey laughed, "I wish I could carry you too. Come on."

Drew stood with her help then grabbed her hand.

Hailey's smile widened as she brought him upstairs to his room. She held up his covers so he could sleepily roll into bed.

"You're a good mom," Drew sighed.

"Thank you," Hailey said softly while passing him his stuffed animals, "You're an amazing son."

Drew smiled and turned on his side with his eyes closed and his arms wrapped around his dinosaur and birds.

"Goodnight, baby boy," Hailey whispered and kissed the top of his head.

"G'night, Mom," Drew mumbled.

Hailey watched him easily fall back asleep and slowly curl back up in his usual sleeping position. She kissed his head once more before slipping out of the room into Blake's where Jay was sitting on the ground next to his bed. Penny was still in his arms as he softly whispered to Blake and rubbed his hand over his back.

"Was he awake?" Hailey asked softly.

Jay nodded slightly, "I think he had a nightmare. He started crying just as I was leaving his room, and I looked over and he looked super uncomfortable."

Hailey easily tuned into the soft whimpers, so she quickly moved to sit next to Jay.

In his bed, Blake's eyes were squeezed tight, but still managed to let a few tears out down his cheeks puffed out with his small pout.

"Oh, honey," Hailey breathed and brushed her fingers through his hair.

"You're okay, buddy," Jay whispered, "Everything's okay. Mommy's here now. Mom's here with Dad and Penny. You know Penny. We're all here for you, buddy. You're not alone."

Hailey frowned as Blake huffed out his tears until he cracked his eyes open. He then whimpered, "Mama," and tried to sit up reaching for her.

"Hi, honey," she said softly while tugging him onto her lap. She rocked him back and forth in her arms and kissed the top of his head.

"Pacifiers and sippy cups be damned, he can sleep with us," Jay said as he stood up and grabbed the pacifier off the crib's mattress.

Hailey smiled slightly and stood as well with his help. Rubbing Blake's back, she carried him to their bedroom where she sat up against the headboard to continue rocking him.

Jay set Penny in the basinet before sitting next to her. "Hey, bud, you okay?" he whispered.

Blake blinked through his tears at him then put his hand out.

"I've got you," Jay smiled and put his finger within Blake's hand while slipping the pacifier between his lips.

"We both do," Hailey hummed, "You're safe. Everyone is safe."

Jay shook his head as he watched Blake calm down against Hailey. After a few minutes once Blake's eyes were closed again, he whispered, "What do you think it was about?"

"I don't know," Hailey said, "It hurts me, though. He's not even two-years-old, what could scare him?"

Jay shrugged, "Monsters under the bed?"

Hailey tried to laugh then shook her head, "Maybe." She continued rubbing her hand over Blake's back, "He just needs some love right now. We'll figure it out." She pressed a kiss to his head and whispered, "Won't we?" Closing her eyes, she slowly swayed back and forth while humming Drew's song under her breath.

Jay watched her and felt his whole body relax. They were in a less than ideal situation, but she was in her element. It was like watching her when she used to work – she was steady and present and ready for anything. Maybe the bad guys tonight were make-believe and maybe they were caused by the dark, but it was still clear she wanted to fight them with every bone in her body so her baby boy could feel safe again.

She was a great parent.

The park wasn't too packed the next afternoon as they ate their picnic. Blake was still glued to Hailey's side, but he couldn't stop giggling at anything Adam did, and it was music to Jay and Hailey's ears.

Drew happily held Penny in his spot between Jay's legs as Cara sat next to him and put flowers – weeds that she'd pulled – on top of Penny's stomach while singing quietly.

"This is summer, isn't it?" Kim asked, "Picnics and sunburns," she poked Adam's nose, "This is the life."

Hailey laughed softly, "I think it is. It's the perfect afternoon."

Penny kicked her legs sending the flowers flying. She gurgled and waved her arms around.

"Oh boy," Drew said, "Dad, Dad!"

Jay chuckled and helped him tighten his hold on the baby, "It's okay. She's just getting comfortable."

"P," Blake crawled over to pat her head, "Hi, P."

"Do you like her?" Cara asked him.

Blake pulled Penny's hair then laughed at her soft cry.

Hailey sighed as she grabbed him, "Blake Henry."

"That wasn't nice," Cara said.

"He's a toddler," Drew shook his head, "He breaks the rules."

"Well, he's just learning the rules, right?" Adam asked.

"I guess," Drew frowned. He relaxed again once he was looking back down at Penny now calmed down in his arms.

"What should we do for these last few weeks of summer?" Jay asked.

"Oh, don't do that," Kim winced, "I don't want to think about this ending any time soon."

Hailey laughed and let Blake go so he could crawl over to Adam and show him his trucks, "Then let's call it, what do we want to do during the next month?"

"Better I guess," Adam chuckled.

"I want to do a photoshoot," Cara said.

Everyone looked at her and Kim said, "Excuse me?"

Cara nodded, "I want pictures of me and Fluff."

"I love pictures," Drew smiled, "I've been taking a lot of Princess. Mom said she'll get them printed for me."

"Only a few though," Hailey said, "You have a lot."

Drew shrugged, "I love Penny."

"And that is great," Jay nodded, "But there's only so much paper in the world."

"Well, paper comes from trees," Drew pointed out, "There are a lot of trees."

Cara dramatically sighed, "Haven't you heard of tree extinction? It is an issue."

"That's not a thing," Drew shook his head.

"Yeah, it is," Cara crossed her arms, "We need to plant trees." She gasped, "That's what we should do! We should plant trees!"

"Definitely an idea," Kim said, "So photoshoot and trees. Drew, what's your idea?"

He chewed his lip as he thought then nodded and said, "I want to go to Wisconsin."

Hailey's eyes widened, "What?"

Drew smiled at her, "I want to go to the cabin. I love it there. Don't you know that?"

"Well, I do," Hailey said slowly, "But…I didn't know you wanted to go back this summer."

"It's been a really long time since we went," Drew said, "I miss it. There are so many birds there and the air is clean."

"Great outdoors," Adam nodded, "I don't blame you, bud."

Jay squeezed Drew's shoulder, "I like that idea."

"With Penny?" Hailey whispered.

"We'll figure it out," Jay said, "Maybe we can make a long weekend of it and the others can come to?"

"Am I others?" Cara asked.

"Let's all talk about it first," Kim said with a glance toward Hailey still nervously chewing her bottom lip, "If you guys want to go up and include us, cool, but we can find our own stuff to do too. Apparently we're having a photoshoot anyways."

Hailey tried to laugh, "Okay. Um…"

Jay put his hand out so he could squeeze hers. He raised an eyebrow then took a big deep breath. She understood what he meant and followed suit until she felt okay again.

Hailey put a couple stray napkins in the cooler then stood up, "Buzz, you want to go on the swings?"

He squealed and stood from Adam's lap to run straight to the swingset.

"Blake," Hailey breathed and ran after him. When she caught up to him and swung him up in her arms to cover his face in kisses, her eyes drifted to the sidewalk and noticed a blonde woman watching them.

Her mom smiled slightly and folded her hands in front of her.

Hailey took a deep breath and kissed Blake's nose before turning to set him in the swing and gently push him.

"Up, Mama! Up!" he yelled through his laughter.

It was expected that her mother would spend a day as nice as this one outside, so Hailey couldn't call it a coincidence that she'd decide to venture into the park less than a mile from her home. For the time being, she had kept her distance and Hailey was okay with that. She didn't know how long her mom had been watching them, but she appreciated that she'd given them their family time.

Within minutes, she forgot that her mother was only yards away from her; all Hailey could focus on was Blake swinging through the air and the sight of Jay and Drew playing with Penny on the picnic blanket while Adam, Cara, and Kim drew chalk pictures on the sidewalk. They were all enjoying their summer afternoon and it was perfect.

It wasn't until Jay walked over by himself that she remembered what had first caused her to hesitate at the swings.

"Did you want to talk to her?" he asked softly.

Hailey swallowed and glanced behind her shoulder to see her mom still watching her push Blake on the swings. She turned back to see Drew now playing soccer with Kim and Cara while Adam fed Penny her bottle on the blanket. Breathing in, she nodded slowly.

"All right, I got you," Jay said and took her spot to easily continue pushing Blake.

"Thank you," Hailey squeezed his wrist quickly before making her way over to the sidewalk.

"Hi," Christine said softly.

"Hi," Hailey waved slightly.

Christine looked like she wanted to hug her, but settled on just taking another step toward her. She swallowed a lump in her throat then said, "I've been coming here every day this summer waiting to see if you'd show up."

Hailey weakly laughed, "Really?"

Christine nodded, "You never could stay away from the swings."

Hailey nodded and looked back at Jay pushing Blake, "I loved how my hair felt in the wind."

Christine laughed softly, "You always looked so free."

Hailey smiled at the ground then cleared her throat and said, "I feel free."

There was a beat of silence before Christine whispered, "I'm very happy to hear that, Hailey Anne."

"This is my family," Hailey continued with a small gesture toward everyone, "And I love them. We are not perfect and really I'm only biologically related to my daughter, but they are my family and I love them more than I ever imagined I could."

Christine tried to smile as she asked, "Can I know her name?"

Hailey finally let a real, wide smile cross her face as she said, "Penelope Jane. She's beautiful. She was born on the fourth."

"Oh wow," Christine wiped stray tears from her eyes, "That is wonderful. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Hailey said, "She completed us."

Christine nodded, "I know the feeling."

Hailey finally truly met her mom's eyes and thought back to the days before when she first began toying around with seeing her mom again. She had felt partly guilty because of her own relationship with Penny, but she'd also worried about her mom. It had perhaps been the longest she'd gone without seeing her or even talking to her in years. Looking at her now, though, she looked okay. She was wearing an appropriate amount of makeup and was wearing a proper sundress that showed her skin. She wasn't hiding anything – she was also free here in the park.

In that moment, she realized that her mom hadn't been a great parent, but she'd tried her best given the situation she was in. She'd been stuck in an abusive relationship that was impossible to escape given her own upbringing and beliefs. Perhaps Hailey could forgive that. In fact, she realized she needed to let it go and had even perhaps already forgiven her over the past few months without realizing it. As she became a mother of three, she let her past go and chose to focus on the present and who she wanted to be for her children.

What she realized she couldn't forgive as she looked back over at the people she considered her true family were her words in which she insulted Drew and Blake's place within that family. There was no family without Drew and Blake and even Cara. Those three kids truly brightened Hailey's life every day. She needed to vow to protect them with everything she had.

Taking a deep breath, Hailey said, "I can send you pictures, but I think it's best if we leave this here for now, okay?"

Christine nodded and blinked back more tears in her eyes, "I understand. Thank you. Thank you."

Hailey's lips tipped up and she reached over to squeeze her mom's hand briefly before walking away. It was brief and probably didn't even look weird to any strangers, but to her it was exactly what she needed. She needed that closure – to say goodbye without throwing any insults. She needed to be able to recognize her mom for what she was: a lost woman struggling to understand what family really could be. Maybe pictures of the kids would help, maybe she'd still view Penny on a slightly higher pedestal because she was biologically related to her, but Hailey didn't want to dwell on it. She knew where her own heart stood and that was good enough.

"You okay?" Jay asked as she approached.

Hailey nodded and stepped around to grab Blake's feet to stop him mid-air. She smiled at his giggle then let go so he'd fly back toward Jay. "I'm okay," she confirmed, "I'm happy and that's all that matters."

A/N: Hi hi! I know some of you weren't too thrilled with Hailey's mom making a return, but I hope you still liked this chapter. Personally, I enjoyed taking my time and putting together a longer chapter since it's been a while since we've gone above 6k :) Let me know what you think? Talk soon!