"Ouch!" Rylan yelped.
"Sit still," Tessa told her loftily.
"I was, until you pulled my hair," Rylan complained. She was sitting on the floor in the living room in front of Tessa who had insisted on braiding her hair. Rylan and Tessa, who seemed to be at odds all week, had made up. Duncan and Richie were at a loss for how and exactly when they had made up, but they had. They decided it was a women thing and left it at that.
"There," Tessa finished twisting the hair band in place. "Stand up, let me look at you." Rylan stood up and straightened her skirt. Tessa had bought her a new dress to wear. It was a simple navy blue cotton knee length sleeveless dress with a hood and two thin gray stripes down each side. Her new attire combined with her twin french braids made her look a year younger. "You look adorable."
"I look stupid, but thanks for lying," Rylan retorted looking in a mirror. "I don't look like me."
"Of course you do. Only more feminine."
"Wow, Ry," Richie came in from the kitchen and looked her up and down. "I never would have guessed it, you're a girl. Are you sure this is our Ry, Tess?"
"Tell anyone about this, and I'll kill you," Rylan growled.
Richie laughed. "Yup, that's Ry, I'd recognize that threat anywhere."
Tessa rolled her eyes. "Go get dressed," she told Richie. "You go get your shoes," she added for Rylan. Rylan grumbled something and went to get her shoes. Richie went back to the kitchen. "Are your clothes in there?"
"Well, no," Richie answered. "But the food is."
"I'll watch it. Get dressed."
"But you'll ruin it!" Richie complained.
"I will not!" Tessa swatted at him with an oven mitt.
"Don't touch anything, if something- ow!-" She hit him again. "goes wrong -hey!- just yell and I'll -would ya stop that?- I'll fix it," Richie ran out of the kitchen. "Don't touch anything!" he repeated sticking his head back in the door.
"Go!" She ordered. He grinned, winked and left.
"Is everything ready?" Duncan asked coming in from the dining room.
"I think so," Tessa answered.
"Are you nervous?" he asked wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Yes. I don't know why I want to impress her so much. I feel like I'm competing against her."
"For who gets to be Rylan's mother?"
"I guess so." She pulled away and looked at him. "Am I being foolish?"
Duncan smiled. "You're being protective. And you have a right to," he told her. "Rylan's just as much yours as she is Julie's. She may have given birth to her, but you . you take care of her, you punish her, you help her when she has a problem. I think Rylan's already decided who her mother is."
"Really?"
"Tessa, is it really that hard to see? She lives with you, follows you around and even tries to imitate you. We had to force her to have dinner with Julie. What do you think?" he asked pulling her to him again.
"I think you guys are mushy beyond all belief," Rylan said from the kitchen doorway. "What'd Richie make?" she asked looking into all the pots.
"Looks like Fettuccini Alfredo and shrimp," Duncan commented stirring the sauce.
"Get out of there!" Richie scolded entering the kitchen as well. "You'll screw it up." He took the spoon from Duncan and playfully pushed him aside. "Go do something useful."
"Like what?"
"Make out with Tessa, I don't care. Just get out o-" he stopped short when the door bell rang.
Tessa looked at Rylan. "Go get it," she prompted gently.
AN: Please don't kill me! I couldn't resist! More soon I promise!
"Sit still," Tessa told her loftily.
"I was, until you pulled my hair," Rylan complained. She was sitting on the floor in the living room in front of Tessa who had insisted on braiding her hair. Rylan and Tessa, who seemed to be at odds all week, had made up. Duncan and Richie were at a loss for how and exactly when they had made up, but they had. They decided it was a women thing and left it at that.
"There," Tessa finished twisting the hair band in place. "Stand up, let me look at you." Rylan stood up and straightened her skirt. Tessa had bought her a new dress to wear. It was a simple navy blue cotton knee length sleeveless dress with a hood and two thin gray stripes down each side. Her new attire combined with her twin french braids made her look a year younger. "You look adorable."
"I look stupid, but thanks for lying," Rylan retorted looking in a mirror. "I don't look like me."
"Of course you do. Only more feminine."
"Wow, Ry," Richie came in from the kitchen and looked her up and down. "I never would have guessed it, you're a girl. Are you sure this is our Ry, Tess?"
"Tell anyone about this, and I'll kill you," Rylan growled.
Richie laughed. "Yup, that's Ry, I'd recognize that threat anywhere."
Tessa rolled her eyes. "Go get dressed," she told Richie. "You go get your shoes," she added for Rylan. Rylan grumbled something and went to get her shoes. Richie went back to the kitchen. "Are your clothes in there?"
"Well, no," Richie answered. "But the food is."
"I'll watch it. Get dressed."
"But you'll ruin it!" Richie complained.
"I will not!" Tessa swatted at him with an oven mitt.
"Don't touch anything, if something- ow!-" She hit him again. "goes wrong -hey!- just yell and I'll -would ya stop that?- I'll fix it," Richie ran out of the kitchen. "Don't touch anything!" he repeated sticking his head back in the door.
"Go!" She ordered. He grinned, winked and left.
"Is everything ready?" Duncan asked coming in from the dining room.
"I think so," Tessa answered.
"Are you nervous?" he asked wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Yes. I don't know why I want to impress her so much. I feel like I'm competing against her."
"For who gets to be Rylan's mother?"
"I guess so." She pulled away and looked at him. "Am I being foolish?"
Duncan smiled. "You're being protective. And you have a right to," he told her. "Rylan's just as much yours as she is Julie's. She may have given birth to her, but you . you take care of her, you punish her, you help her when she has a problem. I think Rylan's already decided who her mother is."
"Really?"
"Tessa, is it really that hard to see? She lives with you, follows you around and even tries to imitate you. We had to force her to have dinner with Julie. What do you think?" he asked pulling her to him again.
"I think you guys are mushy beyond all belief," Rylan said from the kitchen doorway. "What'd Richie make?" she asked looking into all the pots.
"Looks like Fettuccini Alfredo and shrimp," Duncan commented stirring the sauce.
"Get out of there!" Richie scolded entering the kitchen as well. "You'll screw it up." He took the spoon from Duncan and playfully pushed him aside. "Go do something useful."
"Like what?"
"Make out with Tessa, I don't care. Just get out o-" he stopped short when the door bell rang.
Tessa looked at Rylan. "Go get it," she prompted gently.
AN: Please don't kill me! I couldn't resist! More soon I promise!