A/N: Okay...I did not beta this. Only spell check. Sorry if it's crap.
Chapter 16
The Christmas holidays were over and the Webster-Johnson household fell quickly back into routine. With a few added features. Date night was now Sunday nights and the boys would leave with Vonnie Kemp to go to Sunday night church and then to her house to play games.
Vonnie was a wonderful person and was ready for grandchildren. So the boys became her practice ground. Her new grandson was a newborn so she was already a grandma but there was very little interaction with a baby that slept most of the times. Yet as the baby grew older many times it was date night for Glenn and his wife on Sunday's as well. When that happened, Glenn would drop the boys off at home when he picked up his own son from his mothers around eleven. Jason would go to the car and carry the boys in with Glenn's help. Sometimes they would spend the night with Vonnie Sunday nights and she would drop them off in the morning on her way to work for Jason and Maxie to get them off to school and daycare.
Jason had also switched his four day work week around to Tuesday through Friday so that he and Maxie would have Monday's off together. They would get the boys ready and feed them and then walk Cameron to school with the dogs and then Jake at daycare. The morning walk was always interesting because Jake and Cameron had so much to tell them about the previous night at church. The boys were really enjoying learning about religion and meeting the people of the congregation.
So the next change was that on Sunday mornings, the Webster-Johnson family got up and went to church. Most of the time the boys would ride in with Mr and Mrs Watson. She was in charge of setting up the coffee, juice and donuts in the rec hall so they enjoyed going to get first dibs. Jason and Maxie would ride with Billy and Hannah or they would go pick the couple up. So traditional Sunday evening dinner became Sunday after church lunch with the whole Watson family or just Billy, Hannah and Junior.
Then there was the addition of the dogs.
To say the three animals had turned the house upside down was an understatement. Popeye spent a lot of time out in the training crate. Prince was a puppy so potty training was not a lot of fun and Precious...well Precious was good and had become Jake's best friend.
Jason would skip his lunchtime break from work to go home and let the dogs out. Prince went to work with Maxie so he didn't have to worry about that. Popeye and Precious were house trained and Jason had installed a dogie door but the first time Cameron came running in shrieking that Popeye was in the street, Jason realized that the dog could hop the fence so he couldn't leave the dogie door open while they were gone. And leaving them locked in the house was a disaster.
It seems the dogs knew how to open doors so the first day they came home, remnants of food from the pantry was all over the kitchen and living room. Then Popeye thought it would be fun to eat the plants that were growing in front of the big bay window. An herb garden Jason was going to plant for Maxie come spring. She was really trying with this cooking thing but still was not very successful in producing a meal that was edible. Two hundred pounds of rich black soil was all over the living room floor and the new couch.
Jason took Maxie that night to pick out their new living room suit and the new carpet.
The third day, Maxie forgot to shut her bedroom door and three pair of shoes were chewed.
Popeye stayed in the crate from then on when no one was home. The vet explained that because Popeye was still so young and his previous family had someone, kids, at home all day long most days, he was exhibiting anxiety. He assured Jason and Maxie that with proper crate training, obedience training and patience, the dog would come around.
So, Jason and Cameron went with Popeye to obedience training three times a week in the afternoon after school. And they were seriously considering putting the dogs in daycare until Dale came over and suggested he simply put in an invisible fence and limit access to the kitchen only for the dogs while they were gone.
Jason and Billy installed the fence and because logistically blocking off the kitchen was impossible, they changed Jason's old room so that it could be used at a play room and where the dogs spent the day.
Things seemed to be doing better from there.
They celebrated Jason's thirty seventh birthday by going to Bush Gardens with the boys. The kids had a blast and Jason and Maxie enjoyed the family day at the theme park. Once home, Hannah came to babysit and Jason and Maxie took off for an evening out of dinner, a walk on the beach and a night at a hotel room on the beach in St Petersburg.
The trip to Bush Gardens reminded Jason of how exhilarating speed could be and he continued to try to convince Maxie to take rides with him on the back of his motorcycle. He had an itch to ride more often and wanted to include Maxie. She always turned him down and he would ride off for an hour or two after the boys went to bed and then come home and climb in beside her and sleep more peacefully. Maxie would never ask him about his rides or protest when he wanted to go. She would simply say, 'I'm glad you made it home in one piece.'
Then one night he didn't. He made it home but Billy had to come get him and the bike was destroyed. A car didn't see him and sent him into a brick wall that surrounded a gated community out on the curvy Gulf Breeze Highway where he liked to ride. The police suggested he go to the hospital and the woman who pulled out in front of him offered to drive him herself but Jason hated hospitals and he had been in much worse shape than the few cracked ribs and the cuts on his hands, arms and leg weren't deep enough to require stitches. At least he didn't think so. Luckily he had on a helmet.
Maxie used Jake to guilt Jason into wearing one. Since Jason insisted Jake wear one on his bike, Jason had to follow suit.
And had he not been, he would have certainly been in the hospital if not in the morgue since his head went straight into the brick wall. He knew better than to call Maxie. Over the years Jason had come to realize that Maxie didn't handle crisis like this well. She would panic and spiral out of control until someone reeled her back in. And for the past two-plus years, it was always him that had to do the reeling.
He showered when he got home in the boys bathroom because he was filthy and didn't want to ruin Maxie's light green towels and then used the first aid kit to place butterfly bandages over the cuts that probably should have had a stitch or two and clean up the ones that didn't. He finally climbed into bed in only his boxer shorts around one thirty in the morning and when he moved to slide his arm around Maxie's slender body he was shocked at her words.
"Don't touch me."
"What?"
"She's not happy. That's why it happened. She doesn't want me in your and the boys' life."
He was confused. Maxie wasn't making sense. "Who Princess?"
He used his new nickname for her since she gave the heads up that she liked it. But he never used it in public because he found out quickly that it caused him physical pain.
"Elizabeth." She half sobbed.
He sat up at the mention of his past love's name, wincing and letting out a guttural groan when the movement pressed his ribs down and stabbed his side with pain. He took a few deep breaths and adjusted on the bed.
"Maxie..." he drawled. "What are you talking about? Elizabeth didn't cause my motorcycle accident."
"YOU WRECKED THE BIKE?" She shot up in bed and turned to tap on the touch lamp on the bedside table. Suddenly the room lit up brightly.
"Well yes..." He looked at her confused as her eyes and then fingers roamed his sore and abused body. "Why what were you talking about?"
"Where did you wreck? OH MY GOD JASON YOUR KNEE." She focused in on the huge gauze bandage that was already staining red.
Jason stopped her hands from touching it. Partly because it was quite painful and also because he needed to get her attention focused back on what had her so upset.
"Hey...hey...I'm fine." He assured her.
"No you're not Jason. And see...that right there proves it. She wants me to leave."
"Who...Elizabeth? Maxie are you okay?" he was now looking at her concerned. A look that said, I'm afraid you've lost your mind and need a straight jacket and time at a funny farm.
She thinned her lips, knowing that Jason could care less abut his injuries right now and wanted to know what whacked out idea was going through her mind. Normally this was when she would retreat. She would play it off or simply start an argument with him about how he always accused her of lying or something equally ridiculous that would not escalate into a full on fight but would deter him from the subject at hand.
She never told him her suspicions of Elizabeth disapproving of her. Of the strange mishaps and bad karma that would follow her when she was messing up with the boys or the serious issues of doubt she'd been having since she and Jason got together. No that was her own private demon only expressed the one time to Bobbie and then kept to herself. No one needed to know of her fears and doubts.
Not doubt for Jason or the love he had for her. But doubt that Elizabeth would allow it to become more than a fling. Now, nearly six months later, there was no way the dead woman was going to allow things to continue as happily as they had been going. It was early April and things had been going perfectly. They'd lived in the house for a little over a year and been fully together in every way for four months. They were planning Jake's fourth birthday party and gearing up for the contest at the boutique for prom.
Cameron had been tested and was going into a program in school for advance education come fall. He was really smart. Jason and Maxie had realized that early on when they first took over raising him but he was surpassing even their hopes for the boy. The boy was intuitive, logical, quick witted, had a photographic memory and his vocabulary was way beyond what a seven year olds should be although he kept the humor alive with mispronunciations. But what astounded them the most was that he could now read books well above what his range should have been.
Yet he was still a typical boy. He thought girls were still gross and could send Maxie into a tailspin most days bringing home frogs and garden snakes and scraped knees. He was playing T-ball. Maxie was the team Mom, well Aunt, and Georgie's Boutique was the teams sponsor and paid for the sixteen six and seven year olds uniforms. Jason helped the coach with the kids and Jake was the bat boy. In all the family was fully involved in the child's sports and were spending most afternoons at the ball park.
Jake was more like his father. He was smart, that was for sure, but he didn't feel the need to show it. He was quiet and reflective. He liked working with his hands and didn't mind getting dirty if it meant he would be pleased with the outcome. He kept his head down but did whatever he wanted, rules be damned. And because he was so much like Jason in that regard, Maxie found herself defending the boy more and more when his father was chastising him. Besides, he never really got into too much trouble. He was three, almost four. How much trouble could he possibly get into?
He loved working in the yard with his father and the two had planted lots of flowers and plants and even a small water garden in the back and side yards. He decided where everything should go according to colors and aesthetics. He was very artistic and he would draw up ideas for landscaping and he and Jason would jump in the truck and head down to the local home improvement store to get the supplies. By the end of the weekend, the area of the yard would look exactly like the picture he had drawn. He had an amazing talent and Jason and Maxie continually praised him for it.
Jake found a box in the garage when he was helping his father put Christmas decorations in the attic. In it were all of his mother's old art supplies from her studio. There were half used sketch books and paint brushes and half used oils and water colors. Jason went and bought him an easel and new supplies but he preferred to use his mothers old charcoals and colored pencils.
The Florida room was now officially a play room for the kids. It had a TV and video games and the walls had shelves to hold books and games and toys. Each boy had his own locking cabinet for them to keep their favorite things and Jason had taken out the carpet and tiled the floor when Jake started painting.
For nearly four, he was quite adept at drawing and Maxie had looked into getting him into some art classes at the local community center to help him learn the logistics of his art.
The dogs were much better too. Prince was fully house trained and had become everyone's baby, including Precious. The older dog cared for the little puppy and protected him. She would nudge the puppy to eat and hover over him and around him when he was home. And Popeye had completed his obedience training and became used to his new family's schedule so much that Jason finally put the training crate away and the dogs had full run of the house and the back yard again.
Rarely did they come home to find Popeye had misbehaved. Rarely.
Their life was comfortable, predictable and happy. Just how Jason liked it.
But Maxie would get paranoid on occasion. And Jason would have to talk her down off the proverbial ledge. She was still convinced that there was another shoe waiting drop from the sky and wipe out their family's bliss. And there was nothing, no amount of convincing or telling her or showing her, that would convince her otherwise.
"Princess, just tell me." He moved, wincing but keeping the pain from being audible. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on in that beautiful brain of yours."
Prince climbed the stairs Jason built on the side of the bed and climbed into Maxie's lap. She absently petted the dog while staring at the growing bruise on Jason's naked chest just under his left pec where the handlebars of the bike jabbed him.
Realizing she was shutting down, like she always did, he stood from the bed and pulled Prince from her lap, bending down cautiously holding his side to drop the dog on the ground. "Come on."
"Where are we going?"
"Where do you think?"
"It's cold outside."
"We'll grab a blanket."
"You're hurt"
"You're hurting worse and this always seems to help you find your way back to me."
"I'm not lost."
"Yes you are. But it's okay Maxie. I've got you now."
He tugged her hand and she followed silently. As they neared the back door he leaned over and picked up the blanket that always sat on the extra chair at the kitchen table. Quietly he pulled her outside, allowing all three dogs to come with them and climbed onto the lounge chair pulling her down with him.
He flinched a bit when he pulled her on top of him but then they adjusted and he covered them with the blanket and they found the peaceful comfort and silence that they had grown to love to experience many nights in this same spot.
They didn't do this as often anymore. Only when one or the other needed to de-stress and feel the comfort of the other knowing that this was their place. The place where both of them converged and came together as one mind, body and soul. It was their place of tranquility where they could be back to the basics of just being. It wasn't the place for sex. It wasn't the place where they fell in love or where life held all of its meaning. It was simply a lounge chair in their back yard where Jason and Maxie could open up and talk about anything or simply sit and listen to the other in silence ramble about their day. It was where they could simply hold each other and know that the one person that was essential to their happiness was there.
"Are you going to tell me?" He finally asked after twenty minutes of listening to her breathe.
"You'll think I'm crazy." She sighed and traced an old scar on his chest that was just in her sightline.
"I already think you're crazy Princess. I just want to know what new form of crazy you've taken on." He chuckled and then flinched and shouted in pain when she hit him.
"Sorry."
"It's okay but be gentle with my ribs okay? I think it's possible I actually did break one or two."
"We should go to the hospital." She sat up, concern clearly evident on her soft features.
"There's nothing they can do. They'll tape them up but that doesn't do much. Tomorrow, if it's worse I'll know and you can tape mine up for me."
He pulled her back down and she went freely.
"Now spill it. When I left here everything was fine. The kids were getting ready for bed and you were giving Prince a bath." He tipped her head up with his forefinger to her chin so that she had to look at him. Her eyes were darker and sad in the moonlight. "What happened? And what does Elizabeth have to do with it."
"She doesn't want me to have her life."
"You don't have her life. You have your life. Our life."
"I'm living the life she should have had. And she's fighting back now. More than usual."
"Maxie you aren't making any sense. Who's fighting back?"
"Elizabeth"
"Elizabeth?" He said it so incredulously there was no doubt that he thought she was crazy now.
"I know I sound crazy..."
"No...no" he lied "just...can you explain to me how you think Elizabeth is fighting back?"
"I think Precious is Elizabeth."
"WHAT?"
She was crazy and he was going to have to take her to a place like Ferncliff just like he had to do with Carly. He should have known better than to hook up with another crazy woman. Especially one that reminded him so much of his best friend.
Well..his old best friend. Nowadays he would have to say Billy was his best friend. Billy and Maxie because Maxie knew everything but Billy always had his back. And he saw the difference between the two. A lover and a best friend. He and Billy had become so close that Billy asked Jason to be the Best Man at his wedding.
They had a nice wedding the month prior. Maxie had dressed the entire wedding party to the nines, her wedding gift to her best friend Hannah including a wedding dress designed specifically for Hannah from an up and coming designer from Milan who flew to the states at Maxie's request. Maxie promised to house his designs in exchange so that he could get a foothold in the United States.
At the reception, Billy had asked Jason when he would be marrying Maxie but he had no reason or desire to change anything in their life. And Maxie had never mentioned wanting to get married so he told Billy there was no need to mess with a good thing.
Now he was coming to realize that he'd probably need to marry her so that he could have power of attorney and commit her to a facility against her will to seek mental health. Because Maxie, whether she was Maxie Jones or Maxie Webster or Maxie Johnson, would never willingly be committed to a place where their change in fashion was different colored cotton pajamas.
"Precious...she's Elizabeth." She hesitantly answered looking away from him when she saw the astonished and disbelieving look on his face.
"Precious is a dog Maxie. Are you sure you're feeling alright?"
"No listen. I'm not crazy...well I'm crazy but no more than usual. I've been thinking about this and…well…Precious and Popeye were left at the shelter for two months before we found them. Their old family was no longer there so we took over. We had the boys for two years at that point. Almost to the day. Remember? We left town just before Christmas in two thousand and eight. Right after Elizabeth died."
"So?"
"SO...two...two months...two years."
"Okay let's say there's some sort of connection instead of a barely perceptible coincidence with the number two. And I say barely perceptible because you are really stretching with this." He shifted on the chair so that they were facing each other. Maxie tucked into the crook of his arm looking up at him. "Why Precious? Why not Popeye or Prince. We got both of them that day."
"Precious and Jake are inseparable. The one person that took to me completely. The one that may or may not ever have remembered much about his mother...wants nothing to do with me anymore. It's all about Precious. He eats with the dog, he plays with the dog, he talks to the dog and he sleeps with the dog. He doesn't need me anymore."
"He does too need you Maxie. Where is all this coming from? Did you and Jake have a problem tonight?"
"He drew a picture. It had you and Cam, Popeye and Precious and him. It had Elizabeth in the clouds like he always draws but Prince and I weren't there."
"Maybe he was drawing something that happened when you and Prince wouldn't have been there. Like last Saturday when we all went to the park. You and Prince were at the boutique."
"Maybe but I don't think so. He doesn't need me anymore. Oh and he didn't want me to read to him. I went to climb into bed with him and he shook his head no and called Precious up on the bed."
"He does need you Maxie. He's just becoming more independent. He does that to me all the time. That just means he's so tired he doesn't need to read a book. And Cam has been teasing him about still being a baby because he still isn't starting school next year so he's been really taking that hard and trying to change things that he thinks makes him look like a baby. Besides, he's been working with those See Jane Run books that Denny gave to him. I think he's trying to learn how to read himself. You know we've been putting a lot of emphasis on Cameron being so smart and getting into that Gifted Program at school. Maybe he wants to prove that he's just as smart."
"Precious turned her back to me." She sighed as if that was the final convincing piece of evidence he would need.
"Maxie now you are really grasping at straws. The dog turned her back to you?"
"Yes and she was mad at me earlier when I gave Prince a bath."
"Jesus Maxie. You've lost it. Really you have. Precious is so protective of Prince and Prince hates baths. So if Precious was mad at you or turned her back to you or whatever the hell you are imagining, that's it. Hell the dog probably just liked the view in the other direction."
"Jason STOP IT....I'M SERIOUS!" She hit him on the arm and he winced in pain. "Oh jeez...I...I'm so sorry...you hurt your arm too?"
"No" he started laughing.
"You asshole"
"You love me"
He moved to tickle her but she blocked it. She grabbed his hands in hers and turned on his lap and faced him. Her butt was on the seat between his legs and her legs stretched out semi-straddling him. She looked into his eyes and her eyes softened then took on a serious hue.
"I DO love you. That's the problem Jason."
"No Maxie, the problem is that you're scared. And whatever is happening you are expecting it to turn bad. But you don't need to manifest that fear into you thinking our dog is a reincarnated version of Elizabeth."
"Jason, I'm not manifesting fears. It's really happening." He raised his eyebrow at her and she sighed in aggravation. "You don't believe me."
"Oh I believe the things you said happened. I just don't believe that it's the ghost of Elizabeth doing it to you."
He turned serious as well. He didn't like the topic. He hated talking about Elizabeth. He was well aware of her fears. Bobbie had told him as much but he never addressed them with her because he felt that time would prove her wrong. But over the past few months she had become more and more paranoid. She was convinced that the 'powers that be' or the 'ghost of Elizabeth' or 'karma' was going to ruin their happiness but the only thing ruining it was Maxie's paranoia.
And he had no Earthly idea as to how to assuage her fears. Especially since she would never open up to him. He wondered briefly while looking into her eyes and seeing she was barely holding back tears if it was because he teased her and always thought her silly.
"Look. I love you and that's all that matters. If Elizabeth isn't happy with you and I then that's her problem." He took a deep breath. "And if Precious is really Elizabeth and Jake finds comfort with our dog then that's a good thing too. You know what it's like to grow up without a parent. Hell without two parents once you and Georgie were teenagers. I mean you had Mac…which is like the boys having you. You do for Cameron and Jake what Mac always did for you and Georgie. He kept you safe and happy and spent time with you and loved you. That's what you do for the boys."
"But" she started to protest.
"No buts Maxie…and the biggest thing you do for this family is make us all happy. Maybe if you just stop believing there's trouble coming, we could just live our lives happy and change our luck for the better. Maybe just accepting our roles in each others lives and being grateful everyday that we have each other will prove to Elizabeth that we are made for each other. Because we are, you know. All of my life, all of the sorrow and death and loss has led me here…with you and the boys. I could never be happier and I don't ever want it to change."
"Really?"
"Yes, really. And when you get scared again, I want you to remember this moment. I want you to remember how much I love you and how much the boys love you and that WE are a family. I won't let anyone come between us. Okay?"
He kept staring at her waiting for her reply. Seeing the tear slip down her cheek he worried that his declaration hadn't worked but then her face broke into a smile. She leaned in and gently pressed her lips to his. "Okay"
~%~%~%~%~
Another week had gone by and Maxie was doing much better with her insecurities. That night had really opened up the dialogue and Jason was stunned at the number of things that happened to them in every day life that she thought was Elizabeth showing her disapproval. He had even caught her reminding herself when she burned the cookies she was baking for the Little League game on Saturday that it wasn't Elizabeth upset that she was the Team 'Mom'. It was simply that she was a horrible cook and she didn't read the package on the already made and sized cookies and set the oven for one hundred degrees hotter than it should have been.
It was Sunday afternoon and Jason was mowing the lawn while Jake cut roses off the blooming bush to take in to Maxie. Cameron was off with Junior at a pool party and Maxie was in the garage doing laundry.
"Hey stranger…long time no see." Came a familiar voice.
Maxie shot around and her jaw dropped as she took in the petite brunette smiling back at her.
"Robin...what are you doing here?" She asked and then dropped the load of Jake's dirty laundry and rushed past Jason's workbench and launched herself into her cousin's arms.
"Well, I came to see how my favorite cousin is doing." She announced as she pulled back from Maxie's embrace and took a roaming glance at her little cousin.
She was completely taken aback by what she saw.
Maxie was in blue jean short and a Tampa Bay Ray's t-shirt. She had on tennis shoes and her hair was longer and slightly darker but still blond. Just not platinum blond…more of a honey blond and in a pony tail. Her face had very little makeup and she had gained at least fifteen pounds since she'd last seen her nearly two years ago.
"Oh my God Jason's going to be so excited." Maxie turned to look toward the back yard. "Come on, let's surprise him."
Maxie grabbed onto Robin's hand and drug her around out of the garage and toward the side yard where the gate was. Skipping happily and turning to hug Robin every two steps. She asked a million questions in the short walk on the terra cotta stepping stones that formed a walkway that led directly from the garage to the chain link gate.
What was she doing here?
Why didn't she call?
How long was she staying?
Was it safe for her to come?
How was Emma?
Did Mac come with her?
Robin just smiled at her younger cousin. This was the Maxie she knew. The girl was full of energy and never letting another get in a word edgewise. As they turned the final corner around a shed that was open and housed lots of yard tools she finally got a glimpse of the huge back yard and her jaw dropped.
Jason was shirtless in a pair of cut off jean shorts, tennis shoes and white mid calf socks. His skin was golden brown from the sun, his hair much, much lighter blond, streaked from the sun and he was standing in front of the lawn mower picking up a tennis ball and throwing it deep into the yard yelling at Popeye to let him finish mowing and they would play.
The huge brown dog took off after the ball and Jake laughed and shook his head then reached over and patted Precious on her head. She would follow Jake picking up the handle of the basket that he was tossing roses into.
Robin was amazed at how domestic the whole scene was. And how Godlike Jason still looked. He had obviously still been working out and the set of his shoulders and the easy way he threw the ball and then watched the dog head toward the back of their property showed that the man hadn't a care in the world.
"I know. I keep threatening to throw those ratty assed shorts away but he hides them from me. He only wears them to do yard work though, THANK GOD. But he has gone to Home Depot in them before. It's so embarrassing." Maxie rambled.
Robin turned to stare, surprised at her cousins words but then something caught his attention. In the corner of the house against the back wall of the garage a little boy, maybe four years old that was the spitting image of Jason stood and pulled a basket out of a dogs mouth and then yelled, "Hey Daddy, I'm done. Can I put on my bathing suit now? Me and Precious wanna go swimming."
Jason turned to respond to Jacob but Maxie caught his eye first. He smiled an easy smile but then saw who was standing next to her as Maxie was trying to open the gate and his jaw dropped. He immediately turned off the lawn mower and swiftly walked over to the fence.
"Robin?" Jason sounded as if he didn't believe his eyes.
"Hey Jase" she said casually. "You're looking good."
"Oh WOW…ROBIN!" Jason quickly unlocked the gate, a feat Maxie still had not accomplished and pulled his ex girlfriend into his arms.
Jake saw the exchange and walked over to the three adults, Precious in tow and worked his way around his father who had lifted the stranger into the air hugging her and went to stand behind Maxie, peeking out from her side. His fear of strangers had never faded. He was never sure of a person at first but once you got his approval he opened up immensely.
Maxie and Jason had always supposed that was a side effect from the kidnapping that killed his mother.
Finally Jason put Robin down and moved to let Robin come through the gate into the back yard. Maxie and Jacob followed suit. Precious remained beside Jake and once Popeye got the ball, he came barreling over to the crowd and promptly jumped up on Robin looking the petite woman in the eyes and putting his front paws on her shoulder.
Robin nearly fell but Jason caught Popeye's collar in time to keep him from tackling the woman.
"POPEYE!" all three yelled at the same time.
"Well hello big dog." Robin smiled as she pushed at the dog and he finally got down. She bent to pet him and then turned her head to look past Maxie's arm and look Jake in the eyes. "And hello to you too. You must be Jacob Martin Spencer. I'm so happy to meet you. I was a real good friend of your Mommy and Daddy. I was one of the first people to ever hold you and I used to babysit you when your Mommy worked with me at the hospital."
Jason cleared his throat. "Robin, his name is Jacob Martin Johnson."
Jason looked down at his son who's expression had gone from fear to confusion to curiosity and then again to confusion. "Daddy…who's Spencer?"
"No one son. No one." He said and then looked at Maxie who was biting her lower lip with worry. "Robin, what brings you here? How did you know where to find us?"
Jason held his arm out in silent invitation for Robin to take a seat on their patio furniture. Robin walked the few short steps to the cement patio and sat on the couch. Jake moved to sit on one of the lounge chairs and Precious hopped up and laid down right next to him. Popeye lost interest and went to find his ball again. Jason pulled Maxie into him wrapped his arm around her.
"EWWWWWW JASON!" Maxie exclaimed and moved to get out from under his arms.
Robin saw the entire exchange and her eyes widened. "So Uncle Mac was right. You two are an item?"