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Sammy stood in the office with Toby clutching her hand. They had filled out the paperwork, now they were waiting for her teacher to come get her.
Toby looked up at Sammy. "I'm scared."
Sammy bent down in front of the girl. "I know, but I promise you, it'll be fine and you'll love it and you get to see Emma at recess."
Toby nodded. "Okay." She said trying to be brave. Sammy hugged her and gave her a kiss.
"Hey Toby."
The girl looked up to see a young blond lady standing there. "I'm Ms. Halsey, your teacher."
Toby waved at her shyly. Sammy introduced herself and walked Toby down to class, she hugged the girl again. "I'll be here to pick you up at two, okay?"
The girl nodded and took her teachers hand, Sammy sighed and turned to leave, she just hoped Toby would do okay.
Mark was gone when Sammy got home, she spent a hour or so making beds and washing clothes and then went to work.
She spent the better part of the day working, only getting up to make coffee around noon. It was close to one when she finally stopped and got up stretching. She seen Mark pull in the driveway and walked out waving to him. Mark walked up and wrapped her in a warm hug. "How was Toby this morning?"
"She was fine a little scared, but she did okay, I have to go get her at two."
Mark nodded and they sat down on the porch swing. "I bought a gym today, I realized I'm dying of boredom, so I'm going to redo the whole place and open it, give me something to keep myself busy."
"Thats great Mark." Sammy said smiling at the fact he was holding her hand. They talked a few more minutes and Mark got up. "I'm going to go fix me a bite and make a few calls, come over when Toby gets home, we'll fix dinner together."
Sammy nodded. "Okay.
She went in and finished her last cup of coffee and turned the pot off.
She looked at the time and realized she better get going, she went out and seen Mark had her blocked in.
She walked back in and went through the connecting door, he was in the kitchen. "Can you move your truck so I can get out."
Mark tossed her the keys, here just move it to the curb, I'll move it back later."
"Okay." She took his keys and and walked out front to his big black truck. Sammy got in and started it, it was the biggest thing she had ever seen and she wasn't that comfortable behind the wheel, plus it was adjusted for Mark's big frame.
She slowly started to back out and was doing fine till she felt the crash and heard it, she pushed on the brakes and cut the motor, Mark was going to kill her.
Mark had already run out the door and his eyes was wide, she had killed his baby.
Sammy couldn't believe she had done something so stupid. "Fuck."
Mark eyes got even wider, Sammy never cursed, when she looked up and seen him, her whole face flamed and she put her hand over her mouth.
Mark stood there for a long moment and then he shocked her, he started laughing, he opened the door and helped her out. "You okay?" he asked checking her over.
"Yes..I'm sorry Mark, I should have been more careful." He waved the apology away with on big hand, he walked around back of the truck. "Well you killed the mailbox, but the truck is okay, just a dent ." He called out.
Sammy was still in shock he wasn't yelling his head off, he came around and got in the truck backing it out and to the curb. Sammy just watched confused. When he got out and came back up to her he was still smiling, he bent and kissed her. "Go get Toby."
Sammy just looked at him oddly. "Mark, I really am sorry, and I don't usually say words like that..I was just frustrated."
Mark wrapped her in a hug. "I know that, I'll fix the mailbox while you're gone, okay."
Sammy nodded and climbed in her car and pulled out.
Mark smiled as he went to get his tools. He had been mad as hell ready ro rip into her, but the look on her face and hearing someone like Sammy saying that word had been too much, she was so damned cute, he just grinned and started whistling happily as he repaired the mailbox.
Sammy smiled as she drove Toby home from school, the girl was positively glowing, "I did good Sammy, I got all my letters right and I can write my name and I got a gold star for being good, and I got home work, and I played with Emma at recess and she let me meet her other friends."
Sammy smiled at the girl. "I'm so proud of you Toby."
Toby smiled and got even happier when they stopped at Baskin Robbins for a celebration sundae, she sat at the little table with Sammy and eating ice cream. "Are you gonna tell Mark I was good?"
Sammy smiled. "No, maybe you should."
Toby shook her head. "He don't care, he don't like me."
Sammy patted the girls arm. "Mark is just gruff, he can be kind of grumpy, I know that, but he does like you and he does care."
Toby just looked skeptical, the only time he noticed her when she was bad, if she was good he just ignored her. Emma had told her that Mark took her and Seth to the boardwalk last night, it hurt her feelings that he didn't take her, but then again Mark was their uncle, she was just some kid, staying with Sammy."Can I tell Uncle Scott and Aunt Bailey?"
Sammy smiled. "Sure we'll stop by and stop in and see Kevin and Mia too"
They found Kevin, Mia and Seth were over at Scott's. Toby ran over hugging Scott telling him about her day.
Kevin grinned. "Scott does have the charm with the ladies don't he, even the little ones."
Mia smiled, she was glad to see the little girl so excited.
Seth sat frowning. "Emma she's trying to steal your daddy."
Emma rolled her eyes. "Silly no she's not, Uncle Mark is going to be her daddy, Uncle Mark just needs to be kissing Aunt Sammy, so they can get married."
Seth just frowned even more, he hoped Aunt Sammy and Uncle Mark wasn't going to be her mommy and daddy.
The adults went to have coffee in the kitchen, Kevin called Toby over and he spent a while talking to her about her day, Seth stood in the doorway glaring at her.
Seth watched all the grownups talking to her and it made him mad this was his family."Sammy can I go play with Emma?"
Sammy nodded and the girl slipped past Seth and went in the living room, Emma turned on her video game and showed her how to play her wrestling game.
Seth came over and flopped down. "I wanna play."
Emma looked at Seth. "I only have two controllers, we'll take turns."
"No, I wanna play now!" He yelled.
Emma looked at her friend like he was crazy. "Seth, you can play in a minute, here take my turn if you want" She said holding out the controller to him.
He slapped it out of her hand,Seth was mad, he looked at Toby. "You don't know how to play anyway, stupid."
Toby didn't say anything because Mark had told her no more fighting or cussing. Emma jerked her hand back. "Whats wrong with you Seth?"
Kevin however had heard Seth and seen what he did and walked up behind him. "Boy have you lost your mind?"
Seth whirled around. "Papa..I just wanted to play."
Kevin lifted the boy in his arms. "You're acting like a spoiled brat." he carried the boy in the kitchen and told Mia him and Seth was heading home, Toby felt sorry for him, he had a really sorry look on his face. He stopped in front of Toby. "Apologize." he told his son."Sorry."
Toby looked at Emma. "He's in big trouble huh?"
Emma nodded. "I don't know whats wrong with him."
Toby knew, he hated her.
Toby pulled out her homework and went to the kitchen, Sammy was making coffee. "Can I do my homework here?"
"Sure honey, did you go see Mark?" Sammy asked.
Toby shook her head. She was afraid he would yell at her or something. Sammy turned and hugged the girl. "Go on, okay?"
Toby sighed and shuffled down the hall and peeked through the connecting door that always seemed open now. Toby didn't see him, so she walked down the hall and peeked in his living room, he was sitting in his recliner talking on the phone and watching TV.
Toby didn't figure she should bother him. She went to back up, but he looked up and spotted her. Mark said bye and got off the phone. "Get in here pup."
Toby looked at him strangely, pup? Then she thought maybe that was good, it was a nickname, he called Sammy shorty a lot.
Sammy walked over and stood in front of him. "Yes sir?"
Mark sighed. "Well you're in my house, what did you want?"
Toby looked at her feet, he sure didn't sound to friendly. "Ummm.." She trailed off she was too afraid ,he didn't really care how her day was.
Mark shook his head and set up, he snagged the girl pulling her closer. "How was school?"
Toby kept her eyes on her feet. "I got a gold star for being good, and I can spell my name now and I can write all my ABC's and I got to have recess with Emma."
Mark lifted her chin. "Gold star huh, that must mean you were pretty good."
"Yeah, I was, I did everything my teacher told me to." Toby said.
Mark nodded. "I figured you would, reach in my pocket ."
Toby reached in his shirt pocket and closed her little hand around something and pulled it out. "Sweettarts." She said grinning.
"Can I have some now?" Toby asked very pleased he had gotten her a surprise.
"Yeah, just three, you can have the rest after dinner, okay?" Mark said.
Toby nodded. "Thank you."
"Your welcome pup, now I bet you got homework, go on and do it, we have to go to the grocery store a little later." Mark said.
"Yes sir." She said and skipped off. Mark just shook his head and leaned back in his recliner, something about this whole situation was beginning to feel way to domestic.
Mark pushed the cart and stopped at the the fresh fruits and threw in oranges, apples and banana's, he grabbed some grapes. "Pup, grab some of those peaches."
Toby nodded and got a bag and put four in and ran them to Mark. "Where's Sammy?"
"She went to get coffee." The girl said. Mark figured they might as well shop together since ninety percent of the time they ate together, and this way he could steer her away from junk. Sammy came up and put several bags of coffee in the cart. "What else?"
Mark looked at his list. "Bread, milk, eggs, cheese."
Sammy nodded and went off to get it. "Mark?"
"Yeah pup?" He said marking items off his list. "Can I have some cereal?"
Mark gave her a look. "I believe in a hot breakfast, cereal is nothing but junk."
Toby scuffed her feet. "Okay."
Mark sighed, knowing his luck she would start weeping or some shit. "One box, and its for snack only, not for breakfast, your not starting your day eating sugar."
"Yes sir, okay." She said and started looking at all the cereal trying to decide what she wanted. Toby grabbed a box of cookie crisp and showed them to Mark. "Can I get these?"
He nodded. "yeah sure."
"Thank you." Mark just nodded, he was starting to feel like a real wimp around these two, he better start putting his foot down or Sammy and Toby would running over him like a freight train.
Sammy put the girl to bed, kissing her and turning out the light, the girl was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
Sammy went and took a shower, sighing as the hot water revived her. She got out and dried off and put on shorts and a tank top, she went down to the kitchen to get some water.
Her thoughts were on Mark, she had slept with him the last few nights, she didn't know if this point she needed a invitation, but she figured she would wait for him.
She sipped her water and thought about whether she should just crash his bedroom. Sammy shook her head, that wasn't her way, besides he might take it the wrong way, although she wasn't sure how she wanted him to take it, for the first time in years, she could think about sex without cringing, far from cringing thinking about Mark naked, was doing some strange things to her, she wanted the man, she wasn't stupid, any time he touched her , she became aroused.
"Shorty?"
She turned around smiling. "Hey."
Mark smiled. "You going to work?"
She nodded and set her water down. "Care if I watch TV while you work, will it bother you?"
"No, nothing bothers me when I work." She said.
"Okay, that way, I can make sure you end up in the right bed at bedtime." he said winking at her and then turning and heading for her living room.
Sammy blushed and followed slowly, she had a feeling it wouldn't be long before she got to test her theory about whether or not she was ready for sex.