After Jason's brief promise of an impending arrival, Carly had laid down on the couch with the intention of simply resting her eyes. Somewhere between finding out that Jason had a son with Elizabeth Webber and spending last night in his arms, she had failed to realize how emotionally exhausting the past twelve hours had been. Just as she was about to drift into serious REM sleep, two rambunctious balls of fire came tumbling into the living room and woke her from her impromptu nap. Hearing the voices of her sons, she dragged her eyes open just in time for Morgan to leap onto her stomach. Michael fell onto the sofa beside her, digging his fingers into her ribs in a vain attempt to tickle his mother.
"I missed you," Carly greeted them warmly, showering kisses on Morgan's cheeks. Lifting her youngest son into the air, she looked affectionately at his innocent face. With caramel skin and hauntingly dark eyes, he was the spitting image of his father. However, his actions mimicked his mother. A true junk food addict, Morgan was impulsive and would do anything to make the people around him smile. He had already been through so much in his short life, but both of his parents knew that he was survivor. "Did you have a good time with your dad?"
Morgan nodded eagerly as he threw his arms around his mother's neck, tangling his fingers in his mother's hair. He was always playing with Carly's hair. "Daddy cooked dinner for Michael, Kristina and me. He made me eat the icky broccoli. I know that I have to eat it if I want to grow up to be strong like Uncle Jason, but it's so gross," he complained. "But after that, Max sneaked me chocolate chip cookies. We stayed up late playing video games. Michael beat Daddy every time."
"You did?" Carly asked her oldest son. With flaming red hair and a sprinkling of freckles, Carly was still glad that Michael had taken after the Spencers rather than the Quartermaines. The last thing she wanted was a constant reminder of A.J. His features mirrored her mother's, but he lacked the same kind of gentle reserve that epitomized Bobbie Spencer. Instead, he was very much his father's child – the true living embodiment of Sonny Corinthos if there ever was one. He was fiercely loyal and understood the rules of their lifestyle. Though she wasn't fond of his yearning to be a mob kingpin like his father, she was proud of the young man he had become despite the many hardships he had faced. "You must be getting good. Maybe you will be able to beat Uncle Lucas when he comes back for winter break."
Michael chuckled at his mother's suggestion as if it were the most absurd thing she had ever said. He was becoming a teenager and getting a few of the annoying adolescent tendencies that were normal for kids his age. "So, what are we doing today?" he asked, sitting up to readjust his navy blue hoodie. "Have you talked to Jax yet? I know he's gone, but I was thinking that the three of us could go to the island for spring break. Dad said that he just redid the cabana. I want to go surfing, and Max said that he'd take us out on the new boat."
It made Carly sad that Michael would plan a vacation without the stepfather she had fought so hard to give them. Although it would make the transition for the new life easier, she was disappointed that her soon to be ex-husband had fallen short of her boys' expectations. He had made many grand promises in the many months leading up to the wedding, and at every turn, he had put his brother first. Michael had come to expect that he wouldn't be there. This time, Carly vowed, her sons would know that the man in her life – in their life – would always be there. Through the good times like the school vacations and birthday parties to the bad times like sick days and fights, Jason was going to be there every day to love her children. Out of everything, even his love for her, it was the biggest gift he could ever give her.
"Why don't we go make some pancakes?" Carly suggested, leaping from the couch. Moran and Michael both looked at her questioningly as their mother wasn't exactly known for her culinary skills. "Fine, I won't cook, but Mercedes is here. She makes these really amazing apple empanadas that she wanted to teach you to make. Why don't we go in there and help her?"
Morgan ran excitedly ahead as Michael and Carly strode into the airy kitchen behind him. The new nanny was already setting up at the stove, pouring over a list to make sure that she had all the ingredients. The boys set to work helping her, methodically mixing the vanilla and sugar with the cinnamon and milk. By the time Carly was helping Morgan pour the filling into the pastry shells, the entire room was filled with the remnants of a mixing job gone awry. Michael still hadn't quite mastered the concept of turning the mixer off before pulling it from the bowl. When the bowl was empty, Mercedes left to visit with Leticia's mother. Carly and the boys sat at the counter, licking the bowls and spoons, laughing about how every cooking attempt ended in disaster.
The sounds of joyful laughter greeted Jason as he pulled his motorcycle back into Carly's driveway. He sat alone outside for a moment just to listen to what had easily become one of his favorite sounds in the world. The soft timbre of Carly's giggle, the squeaky youth of Morgan's chuckle and the cracking change of Michael's laugh flowed together into a smooth melody that could only be described as music to his ears. As he swung his legs over his motorcycle, he thought about how that song seemed to be missing something. He knew that it was missing the low boom of his own laugh and the gentle cooing of Jake's giggle. When his entire family was together again, his perfect aria would be complete.
"Hey," he called into the living room, not even stopping to look for them. He could hear Michael taunting his younger brother as he made his way into the kitchen. A thick film of white powder coated the counters as the three of them licked greedily at various kitchen utensils. He could smell the distinctly pleasing aroma of apples baking in the oven. "I'd ask what happened in here, but it looks like your mom has been cooking again."
Carly feigned a dirty look in his direction as both boys leapt from their stools to greet Jason. Dropping their spoons and rubber spatulas into the sink, all thoughts of their dessert were abandoned when he came into the room. "Jason!" Morgan squealed as he flew into Jason's open arms. Lifting him off the floor, Jason smothered him with hugs. He exchanged a "secret" handshake with Michael. They had developed it when Michael had confided that he was getting too old for hugs. The affection he showed the boys was a rare thing for Jason. Few people other than them and Emily had ever known him like this. "Mommy didn't make this mess. Michael did."
"You must take after your mom," Jason teased the redhead with a mischievous glint in his blue eyes. Looking over the boys' heads, he smiled appreciatively at the beautiful woman standing in front of him. Sometimes it still amazed him that he was lucky enough to call her his best friend. He had once thought that he'd never mean much more than a boy on the side to Carly, but as she gazed at him now, he could see how far they had come. He could retrace the journey of their lives together in those eyes. "Well, whatever the mess, it smells like it might be worth it."
"I'm not as bad as Mom," Michael informed him haughtily. "What are you doing here so early?"
"Actually, he's here to talk to you guys," Carly answered for him. Taking Morgan from Jason, she leaned over to hug him briefly. It was only a moment, but it was enough to send bolts of electricity through her veins. "Why don't you take your brother into the living room? Jason and I will bring the empanadas in just a few minutes."
Morgan started to protest when Michael pulled him out of the room with promises of his favorite cartoon. When they were finally alone, Jason drew Carly into his arms and pressed a long, fulfilling kiss to her pert lips. A low, involuntary moan escaped from the back of her throat as he pulled away, leaving her feeling completely satisfied. "I've wanted to do that since I heard you laughing from the driveway," he confessed before dropping another kiss to her temple. "Did you talk to Jax?"
Carly nodded lazily, not making any attempt to move from his arms. "I won't pretend that he was happy about it," she told him. "He didn't understand why, but it didn't surprise him either. I think apart of him always knew that I was only a temporary fix for his loneliness. In the end, neither of us could ever be what the other needed or wanted."
Jason could feel the tension in her body as she thought about how she had yet another failed marriage. "It only takes once for it to last forever," he whispered the promise into her ear.
It still surprised her how easily he could read her thoughts. "How did it go with Elizabeth?" she asked as she leaned her head against his taut chest. Jason slid his hands down the curves of her torso to rest on her hips. If they kept this up very much longer, she was going to wish that the boys were still at their father's. "What'd she have to say?"
"I can't believe that I'm about to say this, but you were right about her, Carly," he declared. "I never saw how judgmental she was until tonight. She said a lot of things that I would have never expected to hear from her."
"Like what?" Carly questioned accusingly. She immediately deduced that many of these things likely centered on her. It didn't surprise her, but she still wanted to defend herself.
"It doesn't matter because I didn't listen to her," he assured her. "The only thing that matters is that she knows everything now. She knows that you know and that I am going to be Jake's father. She knows that you and I are going to be together and that you are going to help me raise my son. We are going to raise our family together."
Carly let his promise dance in her brain as she took the empanadas from the oven. Jason filled the porcelain mugs with ice cold milk. Each of the mugs was a different color and had their names painted on it. Morgan and Michael had made them for Mother's and Father's Days this year. Even if he wasn't their father, the boys had insisted that Jason have one. He had left it at Carly's cottage knowing that her house was his home. Morgan's was bright green with a soccer ball while Michael's was dark blue with a baseball. Carly's was hot pink with rows of hearts, and Jason's was chrome with motorcycles. Carrying the food and drinks into the living room, they situated themselves around the coffee table.
"Guys, we need to talk to you," Jason announced while Carly reached for the remote to flip the television off. Morgan looked at his brother with confusion, not completely sure what was going on. "First, I have some very good news that I think will make you both pretty happy. It might be a little confusing, but you can ask me questions. I will do my best to make sure that you understand."
"What is it?" Michael asked, his voice thick with concern.
Glancing at Carly, Jason drew strength from her strong gaze. "Well, do you know Elizabeth's baby, Jake?" he asked. The boys nodded in unison. "I know that everyone thought that your cousin Lucky was the father, but it turns out that I am. Jake is my son."
"You have a son?" Morgan asked. "That doesn't make any sense. You aren't married to Elizabeth. Don't you have to be married to have a baby? Are you going to get married?"
Carly took her youngest boy's hand and smiled down at him patiently. "Sometimes people have babies when they are married and sometimes they don't," she explained. "Jason and Elizabeth are not going to get married, but Jason is going to be Jake's daddy. It's kind of like Daddy and me. Even though we're not married anymore, we still love you and Michael more than anything in the world and we love each other because of you. Jason and Elizabeth will always have that same kind of connection because of Jake."
Michael understood more than his younger brother because he knew that he was the result of a similar situation. Although his mother had been briefly married to his biological father, Michael knew that she had never loved A.J. She had been in love with Jason at the time, and even if he couldn't remember that first year of his life, both his mother and the man he secretly thought of as his first father had told him how happy they had all been together. "I think that's pretty cool that you have a son," he grinned. "You've always been really good with Morgan and me. Besides, it'll be kind of cool to get to hang out with a baby again. It'll be like I have two baby brothers."
"Yes!" Morgan exclaimed, pumping his fist. "I'm not the baby anymore!"
Both adults joined Michael in laughter. "We can even read him that book that you always read to us," Michael offered. Jason knew immediately what book he was talking about. "Our copy is getting a little bit worn, but Jake has to know all about Africa."
"Well," Carly drawled, "I think that we can definitely make that happen. If it is okay with both of you, Jason is going to move in here so that we can help him with Jake."
"What about Jax?" Michael asked as Morgan blurted out, "Won't Jax be mad?"
The question hung in the air for a moment before Jason took charge of the situation. "Your mom and Jax have decided not to live together anymore," he attempted. "I know that you guys know what a divorce means, so I won't bore you with the grownup details. Neither one of them was happy. Jax wants to stay in Australia to help his brother, and your mom wants to be here to help me."
"So, are we going to be a family?" Michael asked. "Are you and mom, like, together?"
"I love your mother," Jason conceded. "However, your mom and I would never put you and Morgan into a situation where you would be unhappy. The only way this family would work is if everyone agreed and was happy about it. What do you guys think?"
"I'd get to live with you and Jake?" Morgan asked. He thought for a moment before grinning. "That sounds like fun. It'd be almost everyone in one house."
"What about Dad?" Michael asked loyally.
"We are going to talk to your father after we are done talking to you," Carly vowed. "I wanted to make sure that you were okay with it before I talked to him. His first concern, like mine and Jason's, will be about you two. If he knows that you are okay, it will be okay for him. If you need time to think about it, we can wait to tell your dad."
Michael reached out and hugged his mom, surprising her. She had expected him to put up an argument in defense of Sonny. "As long as you are happy and Dad is okay with it, I think that Jason living here would be the best thing for all of us," he decided aloud. "We were already a family before this, but now, it's permanent."
