I seriously get a high reading all of your reviews and it makes me want to post the next chapter as fast as I possible can, so please enjoy chapter 19 I'll update as soon as I can. As usual I own nothing.
When I woke up the next morning I found that the bed was empty, not much of a surprise but still kind a disappointment. I threw on some clothes and wandered to the kitchen but that was empty to, except for a fresh pot of coffee. I walked back through the living room and Cass's crib was empty, when I walked into the kid's bedroom Jane was sitting on the floor with the four of them making a castle of Legos.
"Look Teresa it's a castle for our Barbie's." Alyssa smiled seeing me in the doorway.
"It's a very beautiful castle." I nodded, "What time is it?"
"Ten." Jane answered looking up from tickling Cass who was lying on the blanket in front of him.
"Ten o clock, why didn't you wake me?" I frowned coming around to sit next to him.
"You deserved to sleep in, you've experienced a lot these past couple weeks." He lifted Cass off of the blanket and handed her to me, such a happy little girl.
"You didn't need to do that?" I sighed, I was happy that he let me sleep but I felt bad for missing this time to spend with the kids, especially since I was going back to work so soon. I mean Jane was going to get to spend a whole week with them.
"I didn't need to, but I wanted to you deserve your rest." He shrugged, "Uh oh watch out the little brother monster is coming for your castle!" He smiled as William stumbled into the castle knocking it over with the Barbie's still inside.
"No! Liam!" Alyssa cried pulling her dolls out from under the wreckage.
"Stop him!" Emily squealed, "He's ruining everything."
"I guess it's a good thing it's our job to stop monsters." Jane chuckled lifting William out of the wreckage and above his head.
"Usually the monsters we deal with aren't so adorable." I smiled as William giggled in Jane's arms.
"You hear that little guy she thinks your adorable, do you know how many years I've been working for a compliment from her and you get one after two weeks." He tickled the boy, who continued to giggle and squirm.
"I've complimented you." I argued.
"Eccentric isn't necessarily a compliment." He stated.
"I could say worse things." I reminded.
"Oh and you do." He smiled his stupid smug grin.
"So do we want to start moving things into the house today or do we wait until after church tomorrow?" I changed the subject. "Or I guess you could move stuff in while I take the kids to church, since you probably don't want to go."
"Church?" He thought about it for a minute, "Sure why not."
"You're going to go to church?" I frowned, "And you promise not to make a disturbance."
"I promise not to make a disturbance." He nodded, "It's like going to a play, only you only have to pay in the form of donations."
"You are sick." I couldn't help but roll my eyes.
"I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, it's a clever scam." He shrugged.
"You can just stay home I don't want to risk anything." I decided.
"Oh but I want to go." He smiled, "Don't you want to see if I can be converted?"
"I gave up a long time ago there is no converting you, you're beyond saving." I retorted.
"Probably true." He shrugged, it kind of hurt that he actually thought that about himself.
"So the carpet guys are showing up at noon again, do we have to be there for it?" I changed the subject again.
"We probably should be there at first, make sure they put the right flooring in the right room." He agreed, "So should I make an early lunch, and we can move some of these boxes over to the house."
"Do you think I could talk Bertram into letting me out of work early one day this week so we can get some new furniture, beds for the kids?" I wondered helping the girls clean up the Legos.
"He can't really stop you." Jane smiled, standing up and starting for the kitchen.
"Yeah I'm not taking advantage of him or this situation." I groaned, realizing that every time I asked Bertram for anything I could never be sure if he was saying yes because he wanted to or if he was saying yes because he was afraid of Jane quitting. How come everything I did these days was somehow connected to Jane, who was I kidding it had been like this for years. When Jane got in trouble I was called, when Jane got hurt I was called, when Jane couldn't sleep I got called.
"I'm just saying he's not going to say no." Jane called from the kitchen, while I let the kids lead the way after him. "Oh and I meant what I said yesterday, we do need to think about getting baby food for Cass." He looked over his shoulder.
"So we run by the house, we run by the store, anything else?" I wondered pouring myself a second cup of coffee.
"Not that I know of, but I'm just the cook." He shrugged working at the stove.
"You're supposed to be helping me here." I reminded, setting Cass in her high chair, and helping William into his seat.
"I did have one idea if you're interested in moving all of your things in as soon as possible." He announced stirring whatever he had on the stove.
"How are we going to do that? We're missing some key pieces of furniture, you know like beds for the kids." I reminded, getting out milk and cups for the kids, it was weird we were making lunch before eleven.
"Like I said I have an idea." He answered serving up plates of macaroni with peas, really they hadn't accepted the broccoli without a fight so he was going to try this. The broccoli had led to the fight that led to the kiss, which I was going to never think about again.
"Would you like to share with the class?" I answered, shaking out all thoughts of that night.
"I suppose that is an option." He smiled.
"But you're not going to." I supplied.
"Well of course I'm going to tell you." He teased, taking a seat and replacing my coffee with a diet coke, I suppose he was right coffee didn't really go with mac and cheese.
"I'm waiting." I insisted, apparently the peas were going over better than the broccoli because the kids started eating with no complaints.
"A slumber party." He stated, taking a bite of his lunch, I don't think I ever thought I'd see Jane eating mac and cheese on top of that suggesting of all things a slumber party.
"A slumber party?" I smirked.
"Slumber party!" Alyssa looked up from her lunch.
"Slumber party?" Emily repeated.
And not wanting to feel left out, William giggled, "Slumber party."
"What about you little lady do you feel the need to repeat what I said?" Jane turned and tickled Cass, who smiled and cooed. "And yes a slumber party."
"What are you talking about?" I sighed, not entirely sure where he was going.
"I suggest we buy sleeping bags and the six of us have a slumber party in your living room until we can buy the proper furniture." He explained, I was definitely to old to be sleeping comfortably on a floor. "If you are not up for sleeping on the floor, you have a very comfortable couch." Why did he always have to do that, not that a couch was really much better. No, if Jane was willing to sleep on the floor for a couple nights why couldn't I. Easy answer because I was going to have to get up for work, and I was already stiff from painting.
"Can we Teresa, can we have a sleep over in the living room of the house?" Alyssa begged.
"We can watch movies, and play games, and color, and stay up all night." Emily added.
"No matter what Teresa's answer is there will be no staying up all night." Jane warned, "You would be far to cranky the next day."
"We won't be cranky we promise." Alyssa tried.
"I've heard that from you before." Jane smiled, "And it's still Teresa's decision."
"If I say no now I'll be the bad guy." I sighed.
"Is that a yes?" Emily smiled.
"Yes we can have a sleep over." I rolled my eyes, Jane just grinned as the girls cheered, "But first things first you have to finish your lunch and we have to get all the rest of your things packed up." The kids scarfed down any remaining lunch and ran to pack of the last of their toys leaving Jane and I alone in the kitchen with Cass. "A slumber party? Really?"
"You don't have to sleep on the floor." He shrugged, taking all of the dishes to the sink.
"I can handle sleeping on the floor." I insisted taking Cass from her high chair and bouncing her on my lap. "But I assume you plan on setting up her crib."
"No, Lisbon I'm as big of an idiot as you always say I am." He smirked, "Yes I figured we could set up the crib we used in Chicago and meanwhile start putting her nursery together."
"I don't think you're an idiot." I answered, "An ass yes."
"Little ears Lisbon, what are we going to do with you?" He teased drying off the dishes and putting them in a box to be loaded into the car.
"I can't believe I'm moving, I mean I've lived here longer than I've known you." I frowned looking at all of the packed up boxes. "While the guys are putting in the carpets where are we going to put the boxes and furniture?"
"You do have a three car garage, we can just move everything in there and then move it into the house after every thing is done." He suggested, I guess that could work.
"How are we going to fit the furniture I do have into the car?" I worried.
"That is a good question." He smiled, "I suppose that will have to wait, until we can rent a van. Until then we can load the boxes into your car, and what's left into my car."
"Yeah because we can fit so much into your piece of crap." I smirked.
"Don't worry Cass we'll get her to stop saying mean words eventually." He chuckled, "Especially about my car."
"Well if we want to beat the carpet guys you better start loading boxes." I ordered, "I don't care whose car you put them in."
"What do I look like your butler?"
"You're right if I hired someone it would be for their looks, and they would be required to keep their mouths shut." I teased, he feigned offense, and I really tried my hardest not to smile I really did, but that was impossible.
"You would be bored if I were to keep my mouth shut." He chuckled stacking three of the boxes and using his shoulder to push open the kitchen door, "You want to get the front door, and stick your car keys in my hand?"
"I suppose since you are doing what I asked for once." I sighed, resituating Cass in my hands and following him to the living room. We had loaded both Jane and I's cars to the point of over flowing, but we had everything in except the major pieces of furniture. "You know we're going to have to come back and get the TV and DVD player for your slumber party." I sighed following Jane back into the apartment.
"I think we can manage that." He fell onto the couch, so much for me sleeping on that there was no way I could fit that in my car.
"Patrick!" Emily came running out of her now mostly empty room.
"Awww." He teased as she jumped onto his lap. "What can I do for you my dear?"
"Can I rid in your car?" She questioned.
"Why would you want to do that?" I frowned, sitting down next to her, why would anyone want to get in that deathtrap.
"Because it's a pretty color." Emily responded, "So can I?"
"That's why I like it to." Jane chuckled, "We'll have to move some boxes around and move your booster seat but I don't have a problem with it. But it's really up to Teresa."
"Jane your car isn't safe for anyone, especially not a child." I worried.
"Just because it doesn't have your reinforced bullet proof sides it's not safe." He argued.
"You're car was made in the seventies." I pointed out.
"I'm impressed." He smirked.
"I do know a little bit about cars." I answered, "I know enough to say that I don't trust your car. And if one girl wants something the other is going to want to, and then William will want to."
"My car is perfectly safe, but you do have a point about the kids." He nodded.
"Alyssa can ride in it next time." Emily interrupted, "I asked first."
"Here's the deal, you go round up your siblings you get to ride to the house in Patrick's car, and if anything happens Patrick has to sell his deathtrap." I declared. Emily nodded and went off running down the hall.
"I honestly don't know what you expect to happen, it runs fine, and is taken to a mechanic on a regular basis." He just shook his head and leaned back on the couch. "You're going to need a bigger couch."
"What?" I groaned, "I'm letting you take a child into that piece of junk car and now you're going to tell me about all the furniture I need to buy?"
"I'm just saying eventually you're going to need a bigger couch." He smirked, why did he always smirk when I got mad at him? "It doesn't need to be taken care of immediately."
"I got them." Emily smiled pulling her siblings out of their room.
"Does she really get to ride in Patrick's car?" Alyssa frowned.
"Yes, and you will get to the next time we need to take two cars." I answered lifting Cass out of her rocker and leaving it for Jane to fold up.
"If she's not riding in your car can I ride in front?" Alyssa started grinning.
"No, it is dangerous." I argued.
"You say everything is dangerous." Emily giggled.
"Because essentially everything is in her eyes." Jane smiled, "But she's right you guys need to grow a little bit before you're front seat ready."
"Thank you." I breathed, at least I wasn't going to have to argue with him on this one to.
"So she gets to ride in Patrick's car and I have to sit in the back seat with these two." She motioned to her younger siblings, it was pretty unfair, but I had already promised her sister.
"You get to next time, I promise." It was a poor attempt, and I didn't know when next time would be because as far as I know Jane had only used his car to go to the casino last weekend and ever since it's been parked out in front of the apartments.
"That's not fair." Alyssa pouted, picking up her backpack and dragging in to the car.
"Jane they're going to need school supplies." I groaned locking up the apartment. "Look at the shape of their backpacks, we have a week."
"I can get them school supplies while you're at work." He assured moving some of the boxes from his back seat to the front seat and then securing Emily's booster seat.
"Are you sure, I mean what do they need for school, how much will it cost?" I worried, and he couldn't help but laugh.
"They are in kindergarten Lisbon, I think I can handle the expenses." I guess I was over reacting, he knew what he was doing, and how many things had he already offered to buy that were way more expensive than school supplies.
"Thank you Jane." I sighed, I really didn't know what I was doing. I watched as he helped Emily get buckled into the back seat of his car. "Be safe." I warned.
"How about a high speed pursuit?" He asked the girl, "does that sound like fun?" And I just rolled my eyes as I watched him start off down the road.