Chapter 6

The next morning, Lee rolled over to place his arm around Amanda only to find cold cotton sheets. His hand searched for something warm but never found it. He cracked open one eye to see why he kept missing Amanda, only to find the bed empty.

He quickly raised his head and searched the room to find her nowhere in sight. He let his head fall back onto the pillow. He laid still for a few minutes until the sound of slamming doors and yelling boys startled him. He grumbled and threw back the covers to start his day.

As he walked down the stairs, still tucking his hunter green polo into his jeans, he could hear Amanda chatting with the boys. A smile came to his face when he realized this would be his everyday life, very soon.

He strolled up behind Amanda as she placed the plate of pancakes on the table. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her neck. He muttered in her ear, "You left me alone in our bed, again. You know I don't like that."

Amanda leaned away to gaze into his eyes. "I'm sorry. You were sound asleep, and I didn't have the heart to wake you. Besides, all I've been doing is making breakfast. You would've been bored."

"I could've helped. You don't have to do all this by yourself anymore. I want to help."

"Okay. Next time, I'll wake you up," Amanda acknowledged with a giggle.

"Thank you. That will also solve the empty bed problem," Lee responded with a kiss on her nose.

"Oh, man. Will you two knock it off?" Philip grumbled.

"Philip, stop that!" Dotty interjected. "I think they're adorable. You could learn a lot from watching them."

"Yeah, like how to gross out your kids," Philip retorted, getting laughs from everyone.

Dotty tilted her head and glared at Philip. She decided this wasn't the time to discuss how a man is to treat a woman and changed the subject. "Lee, that shirt looks good on you. It brings out the green specks in your eyes."

"Thank you, Mother," Amanda boasted.

"Now, why would you be thanking me? I made the comment to Lee," Dotty challenged.

Amanda turned towards Lee and ran her hands along his shoulders as she responded, "Because I'm the one who gave it to him, and you just confirmed the reason I bought it."

Lee smirked at Amanda, then turned to Dotty and proudly stated, "Thank you, Mom."

"You're welcome, Son."

Amanda quickly shifted her eyes back and forth a couple of times between Dotty and Lee before stopping on Lee. "Mom? Son? When did that happen?"

Lee placed his hands on Amanda's shoulders and explained with a sarcastic grin, "Well, if you wouldn't have taken so long to come back downstairs last night, you would have already known that. We discussed it last night."

Amanda smirked and glanced down at Lee's watch. "Oh, my gosh! I didn't realize how late it was getting. We need to get moving if we're going to make it to the school on time." Everyone quickly helped clean up the remnants of breakfast and headed for the door.

Later that morning, the parents' informational meeting just wrapped up. Amanda wanted to make sure she introduced Lee to Principal Dennis and get all the necessary paperwork completed, so Lee will be listed as the boys' new stepdad. "Mother, can you hang out here and wait for the boys? Lee and I need to talk to Principal Dennis, and I don't want the boys wondering where we are when they get done with their teachers' meet and greet."

"Of course, dear. But can I ask a question before you head off?"

"Of course, Mother."

"Well, when we first got here, I was saying hi to some of the other parents, and I got the strangest reaction from Barbra Anne. It was almost like she didn't want to look me in the eye. Do you know any reason she would act that way?"

Lee and Amanda shared a knowing look as she replied, "Gosh, Mother, I don't have any idea why she would act that way." Amanda grabbed Lee's hand and quickly made her way to where Principal Dennis was chatting with some of the other parents.

"Um, Amanda. Can we slow down a little? I mean, I don't think we need to be walking so fast. Plus, I need to ask you something," Lee insisted.

Amanda slowed and turned her attention to Lee. "I'm sorry, Lee. I just wanted to get away from Mother before she asked any more questions. What is it you needed?"

Lee scanned the gymnasium. "I know I'm new to this school function thing. But why are all the mothers staring at us? I'm starting to think I have something hanging out of my nose or worse. Is this normal?"

Amanda placed a hand on his chest and smiled. "They are not staring at us, sweetheart. They are staring at you."

"Me! Why are they staring at me?" He glanced around again.

"Because you just happen to be new. And everyone is always curious about the newbies." She peeked around, bent closer to him, and softly spoke, "Besides, you are the most handsome man here, and you just happen to be mine."

Lee proudly stood tall and bent his elbow for Amanda to take as they started walking again. "Thank you, my love. But it still creeps me out."

As they approached the small circle of parents, one of them called out to them, "Well, hello, Amanda. How was your summer?"

"Hello, Betsy. Principal Dennis. It was great, Betsy. And yours?"

"Just another normal summer. Nothing special." Betsy reached out her hand and continued, "And who would this be?"

"This is Lee Stetson. My fiance."

"Fiance, you say. Well, I understand now why your summer was so good. It's nice to meet you."

Lee nodded and replied, "It's nice to meet you as well, Betsy. Principal Dennis."

"Congratulations, Amanda. I'm assuming you will need to fill out some paperwork for Mr. Stetson," Principal Dennis hinted.

"Yes, please," Amanda confirmed.

"Betsy, if you'll excuse me. Amanda, Lee, right this way, please."

Lee and Amanda followed her into the office. As Principal Dennis gathered the paperwork, she mentioned, "You know, Amanda. I'd heard a rumor you got engaged. I have to say, I'm happy to hear it was true."

"Thank you. However, I'm a little surprised the news has already spread to the school."

"Amanda, as much as I try to stop those awful parking lot rumors around school, it never seems to work. Barbra Anne was talking to some of the other moms about it earlier."

"That explains the looks I've been getting," Lee mumbled close to Amanda's ear.

Amanda softly elbowed Lee in his side as she took the paperwork to fill out. She searched through them, handing a few to Lee as they worked together to get everything completed.

A few minutes later, they were back by Dotty's side in the gym. "Mother, where are the boys?"

"They're not back yet. None of the kids are," Dotty answered.

Lee peered over the crowd, watching for the boys while Dotty and Amanda chatted with some of the other parents. A commotion from the hallway burst into the gym, and soon he spotted them entering. He raised his hand to get their attention. Jamie was first to spot Lee and smacked Philip's arm and pointed. They both started running towards them.

"Pops, you've got to come check out the darkroom the school has for my photography club. It's so awesome," Jamie exclaimed.

"Okay, okay. Calm down, Jamie." Lee turned to get Amanda's attention, only to find her smiling back at him with pride. "We'll be right back."

Jamie grabbed Lee's hand and practically pulled him along as he described everything to him in full detail.

Twenty minutes later, Lee and Jamie came back to the gym. Lee noticed it wasn't as full as it was when they left. As they approached the rest of the family, Philip jumped up and acknowledged, "Man, it's about time you guys got back. What took you so long?"

"We weren't gone that long. There were a lot of neat things to see," Jamie retorted.

"Yeah, well, I want to go home. Some of the guys are going to be at the park to shoot some hoops this afternoon, and I want to get our shopping done so I can join them. Mom, can we leave now?"

Amanda ruffled Philip's hair and answered, "Sure, let's get out of here."

Later that evening, Amanda and Lee snuggled on the couch. "Sweetheart, don't you think you went a little overboard with the shoes and camera you got the boys? I mean, if you keep buying them expensive things, they're going to expect it all the time."

"What? They weren't that expensive."

Amanda raised an eyebrow and responded, "Maybe not to you. But to an eleven and nine-year-old, it was a lot of money."

"Okay, I see your point. I'll try to be more careful next time." Lee softly kissed her temple. "Speaking of time, I should probably be going. It's getting kinda late."

Lee stood from the couch. He extended his hand to help her up. As they reached his car, Lee leaned up against the door and pulled Amanda close. "Tell the boys I'll call them in the morning before they get on the bus."

"I will. They were pretty disappointed you weren't spending the night to see them off for their first day of school."

"I know, but we made a deal. Friday and Saturday nights I spend here, and the other nights I stay at my apartment. Besides, next weekend is Labor Day. I'll get to spend an extra night then. You know, if it were just the two of us, I would've moved in already. There is no other place I want to be than in your bed with my arms wrapped around you. But, what kind of example would I be setting if I went against our agreement the first weekend?"

"Oh, I know, and I agree. It was just heart-wrenching to see their reactions."

Lee shifted his arms, pulled her a little closer, and commented, "Tell you what. What if I swing by here in the morning before they get on the bus to surprise them? Then you can ride with me to work."

"I think they'll love it."

Lee leaned in and kissed Amanda. "See you in the morning." Amanda stepped back so Lee could get into the 'Vette. He rolled his window down before pulling away. "Don't forget we're meeting John tomorrow to sign the paperwork for the house."

"I remember. Don't forget to call when you get home."

"You bet. I love you! Good night."

"I love you too, sweetheart."