CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: The Future Awaits Us

I opened the door and Kendra followed me inside. I closed the door and she looked around. She smiled when her eyes stopped back on me.

"Different?" I asked. She nodded.

"I like the changes." She noted. I smiled and nodded. I walked over and Joe was asleep on the sofa. I smiled at him and Kendra stepped up behind me.

"I can put you on the guest room if you'd like."

"Oh, thank you. I'm so tired." I smiled and she smiled. I leaned down and kissed my brother on the forehead. He moved a little and one of his eyes opened.

"I must be drunker than I thought. I see two of you, Letty." We both chuckled and looked at each other. "Whoa."

"You were drinking my beer?"

"I had two." He replied looking at Kendra. "It was the two extra bottles from the one I bought you." He scratched his head.

"Joe, you can't get drunk offa two beers. Get up."

"I'm still seeing two of you." He said sitting up. I raised an eyebrow at him and looked at Kendra. She shrugged. "Wait. There are two of you." He said grabbing each of our shoulders. "Holy crap."

"You are super slow, Joe." Kendra said nodding her head. I chuckled and he looked at me.

"It's the Mayhem twins." He joked. We both rolled our eyes and looked at each other.

"Sheesh, I haven't heard that in years." I joked. He shook his head and stood up. "You going home?" He nodded and started toward the door. "When did the kids get to sleep?"

"They were out almost as soon as you left. Mari made me tell her a story… I hope I didn't scar her for life." I raised an eyebrow and he laughed. "I'm kidding. I told her about the Gingerbread Man."

"Thank you, Joe." He nodded and smiled a bit. He turned the doorknob and left. He left Kendra and I standing there by the couch in the quiet. "Do you want to sleep or do you want to talk about things? I can make some coffee because I doubt I'd have alcohol in the fridge because of Joe."

"We can talk. I'm tired, but coffee sounds like it would wake me up. I don't do alcohol anymore. I haven't for some time."

"Really?" I asked. She nodded and smiled a little. We started toward the kitchen and I stopped when the kids were sitting around the table, talking. I leaned on the door and Kendra stood next to me.

"James, do you miss your mom?" Mari asked James. Can you say perfect timing? James looked at her and sighed. "I mean I'd miss my mom if she were gone for long. Do you think she's ever going to come back?"

"I don't know." He said to her quietly. "Sometimes I wish she would come home. Sometimes I wish she would just stay away because I don't want her to leave me or Aunt Letty again." Mari nodded.

"That's not how I feel about my dad. I wish he would never come back. I hate him." She said. DJ looked at her and frowned. "He lied."

"Mari." I said quietly. She turned in her seat and looked at me.

"Mom?" She questioned. "Your home?" She looked at Kendra and then at me. She made a funny face then looked between us again. "Who's that?" James got out of his seat and started toward her. He stopped in front of her and she bent down in front of him. He stepped closer and put his arms around her neck. She put her arms around his waist and picked him up, hugging him tightly. I walked over to Mari and DJ and sat between them, where James was sitting. I looked back at James and Kendra and they were both crying.

"I missed you so much, baby." Kendra said, trying to stay quiet.

"Who is that?" Mari asked, whispering to me. I looked at her and smiled.

"Your Aunt Kendra. James' mom." She nodded and smiled a little. I leaned back in my chair and Mari looked at me. She scooted over and climbed onto my lap. I looked at her and put a hand on her lap.

"I want a hug." She put her arms around my neck and I put my arm around her. "You'll never leave me, will you?" I shook my head and sighed a little.

"No, I would never leave you." She nodded. "Never on purpose. I love you two." I pulled them both into a hug and looked over at Kendra who was crying along with James, who was wrapped around Kendra.

"I love you." DJ said to me quietly. I smiled and kissed his forehead.

"I love you too. I love both of you, very much. I would never put anything before you ever." They both nodded, I doubt they knew what that meant but oh well, I said it. "Um." They both looked up at me and I smiled a bit. "I want you to know that your dad isn't going to be around anymore."

"He never was." DJ said. Mari looked at him and was going to say something but changed her mind. I smiled at her a little.
"Well, DJ, he's not going to be around."

"Okay." He said. He didn't care, he couldn't care, he didn't know his dad. Mari looked at me and I looked back at her.

"Okay?" I asked her. She nodded with a frown. "Come on, you two should get to bed." They nodded and Mari got off of my lap. DJ got down from the chair and I followed them up the stairs. Kendra followed me with James in her arms. I stopped while the kids kept walking and let Kendra pass. I looked at James and he was asleep with his head on her shoulder. DJ stopped at James' bedroom door and I smiled at him. Mari walked into her room and closed the door a little. I sighed and followed Kendra into James' room. I tucked DJ into bed and Kendra stayed behind to talk to James who had woken up when she put him in bed. I walked into Mari's room. She was rolled over with her back to me, snuggled with a pink pig she got at the fair, looking at a picture. I walked over and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Joe already tucked me into bed, you don't have to do it." She said. "I'm a big girl anyway." I looked over her shoulder at the picture. It was a picture of her dad and I, on our first date. I smiled at the memory of that night but brushed off the smile at the memory of tonight.

"But I wanted to say goodnight." She nodded. She rolled over toward me and smiled a little. "Did your dad give you that?"

"Yeah. That's you isn't it?" I nodded. She smiled and looked back down at it. "You look really young."

"I was sixteen."

"You look pretty." That was one of the few times where I've dressed nicely. I was wearing something Mia forced me to wear. "Do you think when I'm sixteen, I'll be pretty like that?"

"Of course." She grinned.

"Really?"

"Yes, really." We were both quiet. "Come on." I pulled a blanket over her and she smiled. "Bed time. You need sleep, so do I." She nodded and squeezed her pig tighter. I kissed her forehead and she smiled.

"Night mom."

"Night baby." I looked at the pig and smiled at it personally. "Night pork chop." Mari's smile got bigger and I kissed her cheek quickly. I got up and walked over to the door. I flipped off the light and Mari stopped me before I walked out the door.

"Mom?" She asked. I looked at her, leaning against the doorframe.

"Yeah?"

"I love you." I smiled and nodded.

"I love you too." She smiled and closed her eyes, trying to sleep. I walked out of the room and joined my sister who was in the living room, half asleep on the couch. I flopped down next to her and leaned against her. She put an arm around my shoulder and I smiled. "Are you and James cool?"

"Yes. We talked, I apologized, and he forgave me." She said. I smiled and looked at her. "So, what's up for tomorrow?"

"Ugh. I don't want to think about tomorrow. I want to think about sleep." She smiled and looked at me.

"Mayhem for tomorrow. Sound good?" I gave her a funny look and she grinned. "No, sleep still sounds good?" I nodded. She nodded, leaned back and closed her eyes. I leaned up and kissed her cheek.

"You know I still love you, right, lil sis?" She opened one eye and smiled.

"I knew that. Of course. You can't not love your sister; it's some rule that's never been written. It's like the rule where you have to keep all the secrets from the parents and everybody who doesn't need to know."

"Kendra."

"Yeah?"

"Go to sleep."

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Yay! I'm done! Sorry it took so long… I'm a stubborn person and my computers been acting up. Plus it's been a bit too hot to do anything, let alone sit in front of the computer. So, that's how my story is ending… did you like it? Probably not but I don't care if you didn't like it, honestly. Reviews on this last chapter will determine when I post my sequel. I have the first chapter typed and uploaded already. I'm happy with that chapter.

REVIEW… Please and thanks (I found that helps a little more)