Quil's POV
A/N the kids ages are Lacy- 15, Derek- 11, younger than he was before, Ari- almost 12, Lucas- around the same as Ari, Aidan- 10, Lena and Marissa-8, and Sara- 4
It's Saturday and Bella, Leah and Stacy are in the kitchen trying to plan the week out. They do this every Saturday and Embry and I take turns keeping the kids out of their way. He's at the shop today. Jake works most Saturdays. Once Bella started working the 3 of them decided that all the kids would come here after school and Lacy would keep them from killing each other for about an hour until one of the 6 of us can get home after picking up Sara. Then whoever gets home first starts dinner and everyone eats here, helps clean up and then goes home. After their kitchen planning time they all go grocery shopping and they each buy whatever that family is going to make for the week. It works surprisingly well.
"Daddy?" Lacy calls bouncing down the stairs with Sara who adores her.
"What is it Lacy?" She sounds really nervous.
"Um, if there were 2 people in Derek's room and they were kissing or at least attempting, failing miserably I might add, what should I do?" She asks.
"Tell one of their mom's." I tell her and she rolls her eyes then yells Leah! Leah and Bella come out of the kitchen and look at her.
"Ari and Aidan are in Derek's room attempting to make out. Attempting being the main thing here." She tells Leah.
Leah laughs and says she's OK with it as long as Embry doesn't try to shoot him. Embry might try to shoot him. Bella laughs and they go upstairs to hopefully talk to them.
"You're helpful daddy." Lacy tells me sarcastically.
"Not my kids." I tell her and she laughs.
"It will be one day. Lena is making Derek play house with her right now. It won't be long before they add the kissing."
It better be long still. Lena is only 8.
"Have you been kissing anyone Lacy?" I ask her and she rolls her eyes again.
"My friend's dads don't ask them that."
"I'm not them, I love you Lacy. I want to know what's going on in your life and since you don't offer up the information I have to ask."
"No I'm not kissing anyone right now. The only guy I like doesn't even seem to know I exist." She tells me trying to her sadness before changing the subject.
"Mom said we can take down the playhouse and add more garden space. We want more vegetables right Sara?" Sara says yep more veggies and pink flowers. "Can you help us right now and then take us to the store?"
"Lacy mom doesn't have time to keep up the garden right now." I tell her, I don't want it to be one more thing Bella feels bad about slacking on. Not that I think she's slacking, that's all her.
"I've already talked to her; we're going to keep it up. Me and all the kids, who are here all the time anyways. I'm good and Derek and Ari and Aidan are pretty good and Sara and Lena are learning. Lucas and Marissa aren't interested but we don't need them. And I told mom that if it dies it my fault. Please daddy?" She asks knowing I never tell her no.
So I spend the rest of the afternoon with all the kids tearing down the playhouse, it was falling apart anyways and they never use it. Jake comes and helps when he's off work.
Once we're almost done I take the kids that want to come to the shop and Jake finishes the playhouse with the ones left at the house.
Lacy, Sara and Aidan come with me.
"Why did you tell my mom Lacy?" Aidan asks her in the car. So that's why he came and Ari stayed.
"Because you're 10." She tells him simply.
"But I like her." He tells her so seriously.
"I know you do Aidan but you're still 10, so if you're going to do that you need to hide it better." She tells him and glares at me when I laugh.
"Well Ari is mad at you." He tells her. Even though he's a lot younger than her they are still close so I doubt he's mad at her, he's just trying to stick up for Ari.
"Well, tell Ari I could have told Stacy, or did you not notice she wasn't involved?" Yeah that shut him up. Even at 10 he knows to be afraid of Embry.
She smiles at me and I just shake my head. We get to the shop and Lacy takes Aidan and Sara and picks out everything they want while I talk to Embry.
"Really Lacy?" I ask her when she comes up with a whole cart full of stuff.
"I love you daddy." She tells me smiling and I sigh and we take it all.
She still knows how to play me. Not that it's hard.
It's starting to get dark when we get home so I promise her I will work with her all day tomorrow to get everything planted but from then on it's her project.
At dinner that night it's loud and chaotic as usual but everyone is laughing and everyone is happy. Pretty impressive with 6 adults and 8 kids. We don't all fit in the dining room so they kids usually end up eating on the porch.
And then every Saturday when it's time to leave the kids group themselves into groups of 4 (or 4 and 3 if Lacy has plans) and either stay with us or go home with Jake and Leah or Embry and Stacy so every third weekend the adults get the night to themselves.
This is our free night. Sometimes kids end up with their own parents and sometimes not. This time Lacy, Sara, Aidan and Ari go with Jake and Leah leaving Embry and Stacy with Derek, Lucas and the twins.
We clean up and then lay in the backyard in the hammock I convinced Lacy wasn't in her way.
Bella curls up next to me and watches the stars. I watch her. She's more beautiful now than the day I met her. We've been through a lot and I know there are always going to be problems and issues but I love her and I love our whole huge family. Blood or not they are my family.