Hey! I have been in such an artistic mood lately. I actually started making videos with this editing program on my computer, some OC, i'll send out the link eventually also.

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xoxo Jules

Chapter 22: "Mama ooo"

Kirsten's POV: "Or maybe this kid just wanted to be hugged"

It's not every day when four kids show up on your doorstep, one of which being the child of your deceased sister, the others three lost children from nowhere. That being said there is no simple solution, resolution rather for this matter.

I look at Seth and I see my sisters quarks and Sandy's brothers will. Seth and I always had a special bond. I wanted more than anything to take him after his parents died, but I didn't. I let my father control me and my decisions. Honestly though, at the time I believed that Seth would be safe, so I let him go. Looking back I should have known better. He pleaded with me not to make him go with his grandfather, but if Caleb Nichol wanted to have his way then he would. Despite everything that I am sure that Seth has been through he has turned into a young man that any parent could be proud of. I know that his parents would be. I could never let him go again.

And then there's Summer. I have never met a girl more genuinely sweet and caring, my own daughter included. She is just lost, she really needs to be told that shes worth something. She has potential, and she has interests, and also an apparent fondness of my nephew. Summer just wants to please everyone. When someone has a problem you can tell that she truly empathizes with them. People like that today are hard to find. I her to feel free to be herself and know that it's okay. I also would love nothing more than for her to be the girl that makes my nephew happy. If I were to let her go then I don't know where she would end up. She is fragile and she doesn't know it. I want to prevent her from breaking.

Marissa is harder. Harder in analyze and harder to understand. She needs someone that she can trust. An outlet for all of her emotions that doesn't involve a mirror or a needle. They don't think that I know, but I've seen the track marks, I've seen it all. The other day Jimmy confided in me that he thought that she was infact his daughter from a fling that he had back in Chicago years before. That more than surprised me, but it verified for me that all of this happened for a reason. My nephew, his daughter. It was all too perfect to be coincidence. Jimmy has a lot to make up to her for, but I really believe that he is more than devoted to doing so. You can tell that he is a curious girl. Her blue eyes will focus on any one thing until she has it figured out. She knows a lot more than she leads people to believe. She's intuitive, plain and simple. With the right help for whatever chemical dependencies that she has she can turn around 100.

Ryan is a sweetie. He gets up in the morning and helps me with the dishes and has become our resident chef. He cracks a smile or two now occasionally and more than once I have seen him joking around with Sandy. Alex and Seth absolutely adore him. He cares about everyone and more often than not is the one that can get Marissa to sit still, or keep her attention. He would always be beside her when she stumbled. From time to time I have even watched the pool house from my bedroom window and seen him tucking her in with a light kiss on the forehead. For about the past month we have been renovating the kitchen and it was actually Ryan who found the design flaws that would have caused the structure itself to crumble. He could do so much and didn't even know it.

Maybe I look at this situation all too optimistically but these kids were never given a chance. Sandy, Jimmy and I had prolonged the inevitable conversation for way too long. What were we going to do with them all? It's not like they are stray puppies that we can send to the pound.

"So." Sandy said from around the table at which Jimmy and I also sat. "What are we going to do."

"We're obviously keeping Seth here with us. All along he should have been here." I said stating the more than obvious. "He can take the spare room across from Alex's."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Well since Marissa is mine she should be with me." Jimmy said.

"That girl needs a lot of help Jim." Sandy said in a husky serious voice.

"I know, I have already been calling doctors. There are a lot of places that can help her here in Newport, residential and otherwise." Jimmy explained. "It's just going to be hard, she out of all of them has to be watched like a child."

"We'll help out, anyway that you need." I offered up as Sandy nodded in agreement. "What about Ryan? We can't split them all up."

"Ryan is more than a help with Marissa. Maybe he should stay with Jimmy and help out with that." Sandy suggested

That was an idea but Ryan needed to have a life and not be burdened with everyone else's problems.

"Ryan needs to be a kid, it's really not his job to watch her. I really think that he should stay here with us, he can have to pool house."

I looked over to Sandy. I was surprised that he was in such agreement with this but I can tell now that he had become just as attached to these kids as I had.

"Ryan is a great kid." Sandy said.

"Summer?" That was the last question.

Summer was Marissa's best friend, but also Seth's… friend. She could live with Jimmy and Marissa but that could just bring her down.

"Summer can go with us." Sandy said

Now that more than surprised me but at the same time his heart was the reason that I fell in love with him.

"Well then." I said rubbing my hands together in agreement. "I guess it's settled!" I smiled.

This whole thing kind of excited me. Four kids, two boys, two girls. I felt like I was actually helping and making a difference.

Sandy agreed that he should be the one to talk to Seth and Ryan, and I would chat with Summer, but before we said anything we had to talk to Alex.

The boating accident had happened two weeks ago. A;ex was in bed day after day watching summer pass through a window.

I lightly knocked on the door.

"Come in!" She yelled.

"What are you doing honey?" I asked her

"I'm on my third viewing on Free Willy in a row. I can't get up to change it so I have to keep on pressing rewind." Her face turned into a scowl.

"I remember when I took you to see this in theaters you cried and wanted to leave because you hated it so much." Sandy stated. I chuckled.

"I do." She switched off the TV. "So what's up?" She asked all too much like a teenager.

"We wanted to talk to you about our guests." I began as I took a seat beside her in bed.

I looked down at my daughter who had her hair in a high, sloppy pony tail, and wore a t-shit and sweats so that she could roll them above her cast.

"Ah." She said as she reached for the coke that was on her nightstand. "Seth's my cousin, I already know that he's a shoe in, what about everyone else though?"

I had to smile at her forwardness.

"We were thinking that Ryan could take the pool house." Alex's face broke into a smile. "And Seth could take the guest room down the hall and Summer the one right across from you."

Her brow furrowed.

"Wait, what about Marissa cause you can't split them up and she and Ry-"

Sandy then cut her off.

"There is actually something else that we have to tell you about Marissa." He said scooting the chair that he was sitting in closer to our daughters bed.

"Jimmy Cooper is her father." I spilt out.

"What! You've got to be kidding me! I mean anyone with a mirror could have suspected it but this is for real?"

I nodded not at all surprised by my daughters reaction.

"Wow, well does Marissa know!" Alex asked looking as though she would have sprung from bed were it not for the cast weighing her down.

"She found out a couple of weeks again." Sandy responded

Alex nodded again.

"Well I think its really cool what you guys are doing and it's totally chill with me. I'm actually kind of excited." She grinned.

"It will be good for you to experience life with other kids around." Sandy said

"I was actually thinking that there's gonna be less attention paid to what I do."

And with that our family grew.

A reasonable arrangement?

xoxo Jules

R and R