Cody: Hey, everybody! Long time, no see, huh!? Yeah, we know...Been busy as HELL recently! Work's picked up, so I'm working overtime a lot more, which means most of my day is devoted to sleep. I think we get about...an hour to work on new chapters. Lilly does the best she can without me, but we work a lot better together.
Lilly: That's true, I can't seem to get good ideas going that easily. It's been almost a full MONTH since we've updated LWL here, and for that, we're REALLY sorry! We know you've all been waiting anxiously for a new chapter, and that's just what this is! Granted, it's probably not the best ever, but hey, it's a chapter nonetheless. With that, we'll leave you all to happily read while we get some sleep before Cody has work tomorrow. Bye, everyone!
It was getting into the evening after Alexis and Chase told everyone they were together, which obviously surprised almost everybody. They all spent a while longer talking about their relationship; Partly how most everyone saw it coming a long time ago, but also how being blood relatives could affect any pups in the future. They were already well aware of the risks, but they were still absolutely sure about it someday. Eve began to really warm up to them being a couple and eventually started to like the idea and really support them. She and Alexis spent a little while talking about pups someday, which Eve was more than happy to talk about!
The sun was starting to set behind the mountain peaks now when Cody's phone suddenly started ringing. Serenity was asleep, but it abruptly woke her up and she immediately started crying. He quickly took his phone out and silenced it, setting it down on the couch next to him before gently picking her up and cuddling her. "Shh, it's okay….It's okay…." He softly said, kissing her forehead. Her crying slowly quieted down as she calmed, making Lilly smile a little. "Must've scared her a little…." Cody quietly chuckled and said "Or she was just sleeping real good and didn't like being woken up." Lilly giggled a bit and after a few more minutes, Serenity was all quiet again.
He gently laid her back down at her mother's chest and Lilly gently licked her cheek, causing her to squeakily purr a little as she cuddled back down. "Much better, huh?" Lilly asked with a giggle as she curled her body up against Serenity, setting her tail over her as best she could. Cody smiled and kissed Lilly's forehead, causing her to purr a little as well as she laid her head down next to Serenity. He reached over and picked his phone back up, waking it to see he had a missed call from Thomas, so he called him back.
"Hey, why didn't you answer me?" Thomas asked, chuckling a little. Cody did too and said "Sorry, the ringing woke our little girl…." There was a little pause and then Thomas said "Oh, your phone ringing….How's she doing, by the way?" Cody slowly nodded and "Pretty great! She just had her dinner a little bit ago and was asleep when you called. Now she's just cuddled against Lilly….They look so amazing together…." Lilly smiled up at him, her cheeks slightly blushed as she said "I love you, too!" He smiled at her and then asked "So, what's up, bro?"
"Well, I just figured it'd be nice of me to let you know we're coming back through town. We're actually just passing the city limit sign now." Thomas said, surprising Cody. "Oh, no shit!? A little more early warning would've been nice….I'll text you our new address real fast. Hang on…." Cody said with a chuckle, quickly texting Thomas their new address. After a moment, he said "Okay, just got it. If it's cool for us to come by this evening, we can be there in about….twenty?"
"Yeah, that'd be great! Bella decide to come with you again?" Cody asked, smiling. Thomas sadly sighed and said "No….I'd rather not get into it over the phone right now, but I'll tell you after we get there." Cody got a little confused and said "Wait, what do you mean "we" if she didn't come?" Thomas lightly chuckled a bit and said "You'll see, don't worry….I'm quite happy about it, I'll tell you that much!" Cody smiled again and said "Alright then, I guess. We'll see you when you get here." With that, they said their goodbyes and hung up. Cody set his phone down and Lilly lifted her head, asking "So, Thomas is on his way?"
"Yep, in about twenty minutes. I guess Bella didn't come with him this time, and he sounded a little upset about it, too…." Cody said, wondering what was wrong. Lilly slowly nodded and said "I hope everything's okay…." Cody nodded as well and relaxed back on the couch next to Lilly and Serenity, gently picking her up and laying her on his chest. She squeakily whimpered and started to worm her way off, so he moved her to his lap for a quick moment while he took his shirt off so she'd be able to feel his direct body heat. He laid her back on his chest and this time, she wormed up to his shoulder, laying her head down and letting out a little purr.
Lilly was smiling as she cuddled against his side, laying her head next to Serenity's as she said "Looks like she's happy now…." Cody smiled too and nodded, saying "Seems so….Why don't you take a little bit of a nap? You look pretty tired…." She nodded a little as she yawned, saying "I really am….I'm okay, though. Wouldn't be much rest only being twenty minutes…." Cody chuckled a bit and said "True….I was just thinking about something…."
She glanced up at him and smiled more, asking "And what's that?" He gently rubbed Serenity's back, saying "I think that since baby girl here has a more human built body, she's gonna have to wear clothes like I do. Especially if she gets certain "features" of a human girl…." Lilly nodded and said "I was actually thinking about that a little bit ago, too. Along with one other thing….Is she going to go to school?" Cody thought about it for a few moments before asking "Would you want her to? I mean, I can already think of quite a few things that would make me rather not make her go…."
Lilly shrugged and said "I think we'll just have to wait and see, honestly. If she wants to, then she'll go. Probably won't be for a few years, though…." Cody nodded and said "Good point. I'm just worried that if she does, all the other kids would pick on and tease her for being so different…." Lilly smiled a little and said "She IS different, but in such a good way…." Cody smiled too and leaned down, kissing Serenity's forehead before giving Lilly a kiss, causing her to purr a little. He looked up at Eve laying next to Kevin on the floor, smiling at them and she said "You know, I knew from the moment you and Lilly first said you were in love that you'd be an amazing father….You're still surprising me at how right I was."
He chuckled a little as she got up, coming over to them and she stopped next to the couch, looking up at Lilly and saying "Same thing to you, honey….You're an outstanding mother!" Lilly smiled as did Eve, saying "Aww….Thanks, Mom!" Eve giggled a bit and nuzzled her before looking at her granddaughter, asking "Think it'd be okay if I spend a little time with her?" Lilly nodded and said "Of course, Mom….I need to make a quick trip outside, actually." Cody gently picked Serenity up and Lilly hopped down off the couch, saying "You can lay up there if you want, Mom. Might be more comfortable for you."
"Okay, honey!" Eve said, hopping up onto the couch and laying down where Lilly was. Serenity was whimpering and crying a little, so Cody quickly laid her down at Eve's stomach, letting her feel the body heat. When she felt it, she curled up a little bit, her nose bumping over a couple of Eve's nipples and she apparently thought it was Lilly's. She started trying to nurse, making them all laugh. "I'm not your momma, sweetheart….You can try all you want, though." Eve giggled, looking down at Lilly, who was giggling still, too. "She must be getting a little hungry again….I'll be quick." Lilly said, going over to the front door and quickly going outside.
After a few moments, Serenity gave up after realizing she wasn't getting anything, whimpering a little as she curled up. Cody chuckled and said "Poor baby….Sorry about that, Eve." Eve smiled at him and shook her head, saying "Don't be sorry, I didn't mind it. I actually rather enjoyed it." Cody smiled too and about then, they heard a yawn come from Kevin, both of them looking over to see him wake up. He stretched out with a groan, laying there for a moment before seemingly realizing Eve wasn't there. "Eve?" He asked, looking around a little. She giggled and said "Back here, babe…" He rolled onto his stomach and looked over at her, a smile on his face when he saw her laying with Serenity.
"Oh, now what's this?" He asked, chuckling a little as he got up and walked over to them. She giggled more and gently rubbed her nose on Serenity's cheek, causing her to whimper a little and she said "Spending a little time with her….She's SO much different than a pup…." He smiled and nodded, asking "How long have you been here with her?" She smiled too and said "Just a couple minutes. Lilly's outside right now."
"She's been out there a little longer than I thought she'd be….I'll be right back." Cody said, getting up and going over to the door. He opened it and stepped outside, seeing Lilly laying on the cool concrete and her tail idly flipping around. "You okay, love?" He asked, walking over to her. She looked up and smiled at him, saying "I'm more than just okay, babe…." He smiled too and sat down next to her, asking "So, what're you doing then?"
She giggled and said "Just enjoying the sunset….Baby girl okay with Mom in there?" He nodded and said "Yeah, she's all good. Kevin's awake now, too. She gave up on trying to nurse off Eve." Lilly giggled a little more and leaned against his side, letting out a happy sigh and asking "What did we ever do to be so blessed with her?" He smiled and started running his hand up and down her back, making her purr as he said "Hell if I know….Must've done something good, that's for sure." She nodded and closed her eyes, saying "Definitely…." He quietly chuckled a bit and looked down at her to see she had tears in her eyes, making him worry a little.
"Hey, what's wrong, love?" He softly asked. She looked up at him again and smiled, saying "Nothing's wrong, I'm just so happy right now…." He smiled a little too and nodded, saying "Okay, if you're sure…." She stifled a giggle and shook her head, laying back against his side with a sigh. They sat there together in the last bit of sunlight as it dropped down behind the mountains, night beginning to wash over everything in sight. He noticed she was starting to doze off after a few minutes, but didn't need to worry about having to wake her up since he started to hear a familiar rumbling sound coming up the main road.
She heard it too and opened her eyes, asking "Think that's Thomas coming up now?" Cody smiled and said "I believe so. He said he'd be here in a little under a half hour and it's been about that long now…." She nodded and they waited a few more moments until sure enough, his truck came rolling up the hill, slowing to a stop at the end of the driveway. They got up and Lilly stretched a little as Thomas shut off the truck and got out, coming around to see them there.
"Hey! Nice to see you two again!" He said, coming over and bending down to Lilly and giving her a hug that she glady returned. "It's great to see you, too! How've you been?" She asked, her tail wagging. He smiled and said "Pretty well, actually! How about yourself, little miss mother again?" She giggled and said "I've been great, all things considered. She's in with Mom and Dad right now." He nodded and then Cody asked "So, I've gotta ask….What'd you mean earlier?" Thomas knew exactly what he meant and his expression changed to a look of worry.
"Well….After we left to go home last time, things started to get rocky between Bella and I. We decided to just have a bit of time apart to collect ourselves, which I was okay with and so was she. The thing is, while I was sorting things out, she….she…." He said, starting to choke up as he trailed off, so he took a breath before finishing "She cheated on me." Lilly gasped and said "What!? Ohmygod, I'm so sorry!" He wiped a tear off before it fell and said "Thanks….You wouldn't believe how crushed I was….When I found out, I just flat ended it right then and there. I couldn't believe she'd do that to me…."
Lilly was starting to tear up as well, trying not to cry as she said "We're so sorry, Tom….We had no idea…." He let out a sigh and nodded, saying "It's okay, Lilly. That was, what, about a month ago?" Cody nodded as well and said "Almost that. So, what've you been doing since then?" Thomas' expression lightened and he smiled a little, saying "Falling in love again…." Now Lilly started to smile and she stifled a giggle, saying "Oh, really? Who's the lucky girl?"
He chuckled a bit and walked back over to the passenger side of his truck, pulling the door handle and opening it when out hopped an unfamiliar canine. He closed the door and said something to her, causing her tail to wag a little as she nodded before they came walking back over. "Cody, Lilly….This is Lyla. Lyla, this is the legendary couple I've been telling you about so much." Thomas said, chuckling a little. Cody and Lilly smiled at her and Lilly said "Hi, it's nice to meet you! Thomas never told us about you, to be honest." She looked up at him questioningly and asked "Oh, and why's that?"
"Just….never came up, I suppose. Cody's always been telling me about how Lilly was doing, or now how their new baby's been doing. Speaking of, where is the little girl?" Thomas asked, smiling at Cody. He motioned with his head inside as he said "She's in curled up with her Grandma, probably asleep again." They nodded and then Lilly said "Well, why don't we all go inside then?" With that, they all headed inside, Cody opening the door for them. Eve's head lifted up off the couch to see unfamiliar people coming in and immediately started lightly growling, wrapping herself around Serenity more.
"Hey, Mom, it's okay. This is Thomas and Lyla, one of Cody's friend and his….um…." Lilly said, turning to Lyla. She giggled a bit and rubbed her side against Thomas' leg, saying "His mate and wife…." Lilly smiled and nodded, turning back to Eve and said "Yeah, that!" Eve's expression softened to a smile as she said "Sorry about that….It's nice to meet you both, then!" They both nodded and Thomas said "You too! So, you're….Eve, right? Lilly's mother?"
"Yep, that's be me. And this is Kevin, her step-father." Eve said, nuzzling Kevin's neck since he was laying next to her on the couch now. He smiled and nodded to them and then Lilly giggled a bit, saying "To be honest, I've gotten pretty used to referring to Kevin as just Dad by now….He's a really great father and so I figured "why not"…." Kevin chuckled a little and said "It's nice to meet you guys….Where are you from?"
"We live in Iowa. It's about a good couple day's drive here….Nice drive, though!" Thomas said as they all went into the living room and sat down. Lilly got back up on the couch, checking on Serenity who was sound asleep against her grandmother's stomach. She smiled a little before laying down next to Cody and leaning against his leg. "Wow….And you came all this way just to visit?" Eve asked with a giggle. Lyla giggled too and said "Yeah, but neither of us mind. It's a good excuse to get away for a little while….We actually decided on making this into kinda our honeymoon…." Kevin smiled again and asked "So, you guys are married then?"
"Well, not exactly….We never did anything official, so we're technically not….That doesn't mean I don't want it to be, though." Thomas said, kissing Lyla's nose. She let out a soft purr and smiled, nuzzling his shoulder as Eve said "Mind if I ask why you didn't make it official?" Lyla shrugged and said "I guess we really didn't feel like we needed to. I mean, I know how much I'm in love with him….I'd never do anything that would cause us to lose each other. I've met his ex….and nearly slapped the crap out of her for what she did to him!" She was quite obviously starting to get a little steamed, so Thomas put his arms around and started rubbing his hands up and down her sides, making her purr more as she calmed back down.
"Hey, I wouldn't blame you if you did….Thomas, do you mind if I ask what happened?" Lilly asked, a curious look on her face. He smiled and said "Of course not….Basically, after we got home last time we were here, things started to get rocky and tense. It eventually got to the point where we felt we needed a break, so she stayed with a really good friend of the family while we got our minds right. Only it seems she didn't try as hard as I did to fix things….I got a call one afternoon while I was at work from said friend that Bella, my ex, hadn't been around all day. Naturally, I got worried, so I went over there at lunch to see what was up. Soon as I got there, I saw her with another guy….Together, intimately."
"Oh, wow….So, they were sleeping together?" Eve asked, feeling really bad for him. He nodded and said "I confronted her about it and while she denied anything happened, her boy toy confessed they'd been secretly seeing each other for quite some time, a little before we came to visit, in fact. She eventually caved and admitted to it, so I just left her…." Lyla had a weak smile on her face as he finished, rubbing her nose against his chin to comfort him. "Man….I think I speak for us all when I say we're all REALLY sorry…." Cody said and everyone in the room nodded, Kevin saying "That's rough….How long after that did you two meet?"
Thomas smiled a little again and gently squeezed Lyla, causing her to giggle a little as he said "A couple weeks….She lived with one of my personal friends and for me, it was love at first sight…." Lyla nodded and said "For me, too….As soon as I saw him the first time, I felt something grip my heart….In a REALLY good way!" He chuckled a little and they shared a passionate kiss, making everyone smile. When they broke apart, she let out a content sigh and cuddled up against him. "So, I think this all calls for a little celebration! How about we have a nice night with some drinks, a couple good movies….What else?" Cody asked, causing everyone to laugh.
"While that DOES sound great, Lyla and I are staying with some friends tonight. They're expecting us within an hour or so…." Thomas said, weakly smiling. Lilly smiled too and said "That's okay, we can do this another night. Besides, I'm sure everyone's starting to feel kinda tired. I know I sure am…." Eve giggled a bit and nodded, saying "I am, too. Like she said, we can do it another time, maybe tomorrow night!"
"Yeah, that sounds great, actually! We could really use the rest from our long drive out…." Lyla said, giggling a little too. Cody chuckled and turned to Thomas, saying "Mind if I talk to you for a minute?" He nodded and they walked back outside, closing the door so only they could hear the conversation. "So, what's up?" Thomas asked, leaning against the side of the house. Cody smiled and asked "Just curious as to how you and Lyla came together….I mean, just a month or so ago, you were with Bella. Kinda….quick change."
Thomas slowly nodded as he said "I'll admit, it does feel like it was pretty fast. I don't know why it happened so soon, to be honest….Just did….But to me, the most important thing is that I feel much more love toward her than I did Bella, as cold as it sounds." Cody nodded and said "I get it, don't worry. Really just curiosity….Where'd Bella go after everything happened?" Thomas shrugged and said "Off somewhere….She kinda hung around a little until her and Lyla met, and believe me, it wasn't pretty….Lyla basically scared the hell out of her."
Cody chuckled and said "Yeah, I'd bet….So, when are you two leaving for the night?" Thomas smiled and said "When she's ready to go. She's been rather anxious to meet you all, so….yeah…." Cody chuckled more and said "Well, let's head back inside then. I'm sure everyone's wondering what's up…." He started to reach for the door when Thomas said "Wait, one last thing…." Cody turned back to him and he asked "Who was it that married you and Lilly?"
"Donna, the lead vet technician where I work. Why?" Cody asked, smiling at him. Thomas smiled too and said "While we're in town, I'm gonna ask Lyla to marry me….She's been hinting at it a little, so I know she's thinking just what I am." Cody slowly nodded and said "Hey, that's great! If you think that's what she'd want, then by all means, ask her!" Thomas chuckled and said "Thanks, man. I've been batting the idea back and forth…."