Charlotte's sitting on the couch with Betsey sitting on the floor between her legs with her back pressed up against the couch. "Betsey, keep your head still," Charlotte says, as she continues to braid the eight-year-old's hair.

"Sorry," Betsey whispers, sighing.

"It's ok, sweetie. I'm not mad."

Betsey nods. "Oops, sorry."

Charlotte laughs. "Again, it's ok. Just try and keep still for me. I'm almost done."

The door opens and Cooper walks into the loft.

Betsey turns her head at the sound and jumps up, running over to Cooper. "Cooper!" She wraps her arms around him and tilts her head back, smiling up at him.

Cooper smiles. "Hey, I got milkshakes."

"Yay!"

Charlotte sighs.

Betsey turns around and her eyes widen. "Sorry," she repeats. "I'll stay still this time."

Charlotte pushes herself off the couch and pads over to the two of them. She undoes the braid she just spent the last five minutes doing and combs her fingers through Betsey's hair. "Have your milkshake, and after your shower, I'll braid your hair."

"Are you mad now?"

Charlotte shakes her head. "No." She kisses the top of Betsey's head and heads into the bedroom.

"I think she's mad." Betsey sighs and hangs her head.

Cooper smiles at her. "I doubt it." He walks over to the coffee table. "Vanilla for you, strawberry for me, and chocolate for Charlotte if she wants one."

Betsey sits on her knees on the floor and pokes the straw through the lid. She takes a sip and smiles. "Thanks, Cooper."

"You're welcome."

Charlotte comes out of the bathroom and stands in the doorway of the bedroom. She smiles. "There better be one of those shakes for me."

Betsey turns her head. "There's a chocolate one."

"My favorite." Charlotte walks back over to the couch and sits down beside Betsey.

"I wasn't sure if you were gonna want one, but I got you a milkshake anyway, just in case."

"Good thing you did, then." Charlotte smiles at her husband and takes a sip.

"How was your day?"

"It's been busy, but I'm not complainin'," Charlotte says, in between sips.

"And how was yours, Miss Betsey?"

Betsey puts her cup down. "It was good, Cooper. I got a note in my lunch today."

Cooper glances over at Charlotte and raises an eyebrow.

Charlotte smiles at him and nods.

"Did it brighten your day?"

Betsey nods. "It made Brianna jealous, but it's ok. I shared my pudding with her and she was my friend again."

Cooper laughs. "I'm glad."

"Did you have a good day, Cooper?" Betsey asks, looking at him as she pops the lid off her cup and starts eating the shake with a spoon.

Cooper nods. "I did."

Charlotte hands Betsey a napkin. "Wipe your mouth, please, sweetie."

Betsey does as she's asked and then continues eating. "Mmmm. I love milkshakes."

"Me too," Cooper agrees. "So what did your note say?"

"It said, 'Have a great day'," Betsey answers, shifting so she's sitting on her butt. "There was a smiley face and it was signed 'Love, Momma.'"

Cooper coughs, choking on his milkshake. He swallows and looks over at Charlotte, who's making it a point not to meet his eyes. He smiles and blinks back tears. The note definitely took him by surprise, but the 'Love, Momma' really shocked him. He wasn't expecting that. "I wish I got notes like that in my lunch."

Betsey smiles.

Cooper looks above her head at Charlotte again, smiling at her. "I love you," he mouths.

Charlotte tweaks an eyebrow and stares at him as she drinks her milkshake, a smile on her face.

He leans forward and sits down on the rug fully. He spends the next hour drinking milkshakes with his two favorite girls. This is the life.

Author's note: Mason will be introduced in the next chapter.

As always, please review :)