Here's another one for today. I'm still trying to make up for the time that I wasn't posting, so I'm giving you guys multiple chapters in a day. Hope you're enjoying them! Please review. I love to hear your thoughts.

JUNE 15

I glanced over at Mom as I drove us to the hospital. She had wanted to drive, but Dad wouldn't allow it. She was eight and a half months pregnant. Dad and I both figured it wouldn't be the best idea to have her driving. Of course, she resented that fact. And now she was sitting in the passenger seat of my car, her arms folded over her large stomach, and pouting.

My mom was a master at pouting.

I'd heard stories of how she could get Pappy to cave with a puppy-dog pout. She tried it every now and then on Dad, but he seemed to be immune to it. Which was actually how she ended up not being the one to drive to the hospital. She'd lost the argument, even with her famous puppy pout.

"You sure this isn't going to be too weird for you?" I wanted to know.

"What?" she asked. She seemed surprised enough to stop pouting. "Going to visit my ex and the biological father of my oldest child? Nah."

"And his fiancée and new baby?" Roman had been born about two hours earlier. When I'd told Mom that I was planning to stop by and see the baby, she'd offered to come with me. Dad had seemed totally cool with it, too, oddly enough.

Mom shrugged. "It's not going to be weird for me. I have my family, and Jon has his. And we share you, so our lives are going to overlap. I'm happy for Jonathan. And I'm really glad that you're able to build a relationship with him. I had never really wanted him out of your life to begin with."

"And you're absolutely sure that it doesn't bother Dad, me spending time with Jon?" Despite the talk that we'd had before I'd even met Jon the first time, I still wasn't entirely convinced that it didn't bother Dad at least a little bit.

Mom shook her head, grinning. "Stryker, your dad knows that you love him like a father. He knows that he's not going to be replaced in your life. Stop worrying about it. If your dad's not worried, then you shouldn't be, either."

"I know. I just can't help it."

"I know."

I pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and parked my car. Then I hurried around to Mom's side to help her out.

She scowled as I did. "I feel like a whale. I'm so fat. I hate being so fat."

I rolled my eyes as I grabbed my backpack from the backseat and locked the car. "Seriously? You're not fat, Mom."

"I'm huge. I'm gigantic."

She was ridiculous, was what she was. Anybody could tell that her big stomach was from a pregnancy. My mom was incredibly fit. She always had been. "You are not fat. Please stop saying that you are."

She continued to grumble about being fat as we made our way into the hospital and to Charlie's room.

Charlie was sitting up in bed, holding a bundled baby in her arms, when we walked in. Her blonde hair had been pulled up into a messy ponytail. Jon was leaning over her, smiling widely.

I grinned. "I hope you guys don't mind that I brought someone with me," I said.

Charlie looked up, and then a huge smile spread across her face, reaching all the way into her brown eyes. "Of course not, Stryker. This must be Mackenzie. It is really amazing how much Stryker looks like you, Mackenzie. Wow."

"Please, call me Mac. I wanted to wish you both congratulations on the little guy."

"Thank you. Same to you." Charlie nodded to Mom's protruding stomach.

Jon's smile had turned a little awkward when he saw Mom. Which was understandable. After all, he hadn't really talked to her since he signed away his parental rights to me. I was still surprised that Mom didn't seem to feel awkward at all. I would have. "Hey, Mac. It's good to see you again. You're looking good."

Mom scrunched up her nose. "I look fat."

"Mom, stop. This is Charlotte Anderson. But she prefers to be called Charlie," I introduced. I looked over at Jon thoughtfully. "You have a thing for women who like to be called by guy names."

Jon blushed slightly, while Mom and Charlie both laughed.

"And don't forget Andy, who you dated before me," Mom said. "Short for Andrea."

Charlie shook her head. "And I'm pretty sure he dated a girl named Jack before he dated me. I think it was short for Jacqueline."

I shook my head, pulling a stuffed toy from my backpack. This was one of the main reasons I'd wanted to stop by. Mal and I had given Charlie the toy we'd bought for him that same day, but this one I had wanted to wait to give him. "I brought this for Roman. It was my first toy Pokémon as a kid, a Squirtle. I remember being mad because they were all out of Pikachu, but then Mom found me a Squirtle, who was my second favorite Pokémon. I want Roman to have it."

"Oh, Stryker," Charlie said. I could see her eyes start to water. "You don't have to do that."

"I know. But I want to. I was obsessed with Pokémon when I was a kid." Beside me, Mom nodded her head vigorously. I narrowed my eyes at her, but otherwise ignored her. "I hope he'll have as much fun with it as I did."

"I'm sure he will. Thank you. Do you want to hold him?"

"Yeah."

Charlie passed the baby to me. He squirmed in my arms, even though he was fast asleep. He didn't wake up.

"When are you due, Mac?" Charlie questioned, while I held my brother.

"The Fourth of July."

"Oh, wow. A firework baby, huh? That's pretty cool. We should totally do playdates with these two."

"Absolutely." Mom came to stand beside me. She looked down at Roman and laughed. She lightly touched his full head of blonde hair. "Jon, it's ridiculous that your curls seem to be so dominant. Both your boys have your curls, though not your color."

Charlie grinned. "I love the curls. They're adorable."

Mom smirked and ruffled my very curly hair. Which, of course, I'd inherited from Jonathan. "They are."

"Mom," I objected, but I couldn't exactly pull away from her, not with a baby in my arms.